Grooming disaster

R

Raya

Forums Enthusiast
Just as a preface for this, I really need to get this out of my chest because it infuriates me and I actually lost sleep over it.

My boyfriend and I were looking for a new groomer because Zoey’s hair was getting pretty long. I had done some cutting in the bum area because it was starting to smell, but it was far from professional and I needed something to look good.

The 2 other times we’ve had Zoey done, it was at Petsmart and quite expensive (+70$), but each time I was very satisfied with the work and Zoey looked very happy.

Comes in this new groomer that charges about 35 bucks for the same service (or so we thought). I explained to her what I wanted, to keep her sheltie look, no clipping, less hair on the belly and a clearer bum.

When we got back to pick her up, well... the best way I can explain it is that everything has been shaved to up to 1 and a half inch long. Her ruff is non-existent. She destroyed it. I am devastated. Nothing was left at the back of her front legs, and she shaved her belly to the skin. I am so upset. She looks worse than when she was a puppy.

I am so embarrassed and disappointed that I refuse to take a picture of her because it looks too bad. Granted she smells good, but she looks like a mutt now. And what’s hard is I have a hard time looking at her without being upset and she can feel it. It’s not her fault but I feel so bad about it!

I know hair grows back up and all, but it’s at least 6 months ahead before she’ll have a decent coat on her again, and definitely longer before we see her beautiful ruff again.

Anyhow, the reason I came is to get help. I don’t want this to happen anymore, so next time, I will be doing the cut myself. I don’t know where to start though. I don’t have tools or references I can work with. I’d rather choke from allergies bathing my dog myself than deal with the sight of her looking like ****.

Thank you in advance for your help.
 
Don't be too upset, you're not alone in how you feel. The first time we took Bentley to the groomer (who came highly recommended) we put on the paper "DO NOT CUT ANYTHING OTHER THAN FEET". He came back with his hair "evened out" all the way around (short and straight). It looked absurd.

My husband walked in the door with him and I started crying. It did take some time for it to come back, but you'll get used to the way it looks and will just look forward to the day when it looks more sheltie-like.

The best resource I can recommend is the book The Illustrated Guide to Sheltie Grooming. I do all of my own grooming (and no, I'm not great at it, but I do okay!) and this book as been invaluable. There are no photos, only drawings, but it is pretty clear on how things are done.

My grooming kit is pretty basic, and consists of a pin brush and small slicker brush (from Chris Christensen), thinning shears and small rounded scissors (from a drug store, nothing pricey). I also really like using Chris Christensen's Ice on Ice as the spray--it is recommended to not brush/groom your sheltie when the fur is totally dry.

I also a couple times posted pictures here to see how I had done, and ask for commentary. It helps when others chime in to recommend what could be done differently in the future.
 
It's just so hard to get over it. Who in their right mind would destroy such a beautiful coat? The only reason to shave would be if the coat's matted, or if there's a skin problem. I mean, the reason why I picked a sheltie is how long and beautiful their coat looks like. I wasn't regularly brushing my girl, but her coat was not matted, and everyone always commented on how soft and pretty it looked.

The other thing that just mind boggles me is that we're in January. We don't have much snow here in Ontario, but it's still pretty cold. Why would I want a cut that could only be justifiable for summertime? I might have to get her a shirt or something for outside so she's not freezing.

Thanks for the book recommendation. I will definitely hop on Amazon and order it. As far as brushes go, I think I'm well covered; I got a metal comb, a pin brush and an undercoat brush. What I lack is good pairs of scissors and specialized products. My goal is not to get a show cut, but get something that is appropriate for a sheltie, aka preserve her collie-like traits.
 
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I'm so sorry this "groomer" did such a horrid thing to Zoey. As you said, it will grow back; it takes time but it will grow back. Please stop beating yourself up for this mistake.

One other suggestion I can make regarding grooming your own dog, is to look for Sheltie breeders or a local Sheltie club in your area of Ontario. (We have members from Ontario who may be able to help you.) You may be able to have a breeder teach you proper grooming techniques. It never hurts to ask.
 
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So sorry for you! Somebody did a crappy grooming job on my Bela some time before I got her last June. She's still not fully grown-out, but only I can tell it.

I've done most of my own grooming since the early 1990's,(though the baths I am starting to have done elsewhere), when I found out through sad experience that most groomers really don't know how to groom a Sheltie.

My tools consist of a pair of small round-tip scissors, thinning shears (which I only recently learned how to use properly), nail clippers, nail grinder, flea comb, pin brush, and a very small finishing trimmer.

My stock of shampoos and such usually change depending on what I want to accomplish, but I always have some kind of spray coat conditioner. I also keep a small container of baking soda/corn starch mixture, as well as powdered styptic in my grooming box, as even with a nail grinder, I am apt to nick a nail occasionally.

Between baths, I use the baking soda/corn starch (usually corn starch baby powder because it smells good) as a dog freshener. It makes their coats nice and fluffy and they smell like they've just had a bath.

Even with the book to help you (and it's been a BIG help to me), it will take some time to get used to everything. And it takes time for the dog to get used to it, too, sometimes. For example, I find it easier to clip nails and get rid of grinch feet if I get down on the floor and turn the dog upside down between my knees. A lot of dogs don't like this. :eek2: LOL

My worst problem is trimming around the ears. Both my Shelties have had mad ears - one had prick ears, the other has tipped. But both kinds are difficult (to me) to tell when you've clipped enough (at least I have a problem with it).

I use the flea comb on the back side of the ears, where the wooly coat is. They are apt to get serious mats there. Since neither of mine were/are show dogs - just obedience, I always just closely cut the mats out before they got too big.

Good luck at starting doing the grooming yourself. And so sorry your baby was "scalped". I would have lost some serious sleep myself if that had happened to my dogs.
 
I am so sorry that happened!! I don't have much to add to what everyone else said, but I think you should definitely post some reviews online for the groomer saying what they did to your dog, to warn future customers!
 
We take Megan to our animal hospital as they have a very good groomer. I have the groomer do: bathe, dry, brush, get any knots/mats, clean/trim the fur around her toe nails. Maybe a tiny bit of thinning around the poop shoot and hygiene area. A basic bath and brush out nothing else!!

Megan has never liked being brushed or groomed by me, she snaps, snarls etc. No matter how gentle and how many treats I give her. I still do brush to maintain a knot free coat, but brushing out the undercoat I let the groomer get.

Like the others have said, I am so sorry the groomer did that to her. :no: I too would have cried and been horrified!
 
I am so sorry this happened to you. Can you contact the breeder and ask for some advice when the fur is long enough to groom again? They may be open to having you come for some lessons on grooming.

Emma's breeder grooms for a pet store in the area where she lives. If I lived closer than 2+ hours away I would go to her. When I jokingly told her I was coming for grooming lessons, she was quite open to that. I study the pictures of her dogs and try to copy what she has done. It has worked well.
 
I totally understand where you are coming from. Now, I am going to give you another view.

There have been times when I get back a sheltie for a visit, and grooming, and the dog looks beautiful on top. Underneath, the dog is packed with mats. Before any of you scream, "That's not me, with my dog", sometimes people don't realize the amount of matting that can get inside the back legs and under the belly. Heck, there can be huge mat balls behind the ears, and owners pet their dogs on the head all the time.They can't feel them? How often are the owners underneath the back end? I have been totally shocked at what I find. The owners are very sincere in their love and care of the dog, but just don't realize they have to brush and comb out periodically.
Of course, I have instructed this, over and over.

I had a dog recently that the wads of mats between his back legs and behind his ears were huge. I just took the scissors and wacked them off. I'm sure his bum looked naked to his owners, but that was my only option.

So, I now somewhat understand the groomers dilemma
 
I'm not a professional groomer but I do the majority of my dogs grooming myself and think that I do a pretty good job. I'd be happy to give you any pointers if you'd like, assuming we're not too far away from each other.
 
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