Grooming disaster

missjenneygirl said:
Down her chest (the bib) is absurd. No one could say that needed to be cut, even if the groomer tried to argue.
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You poor thing. I know how you feel, when Deska's ruff was shaved completely off by a groomer I was so upset I couldn't look at him or I would get more upset. I ended up knitting him a scarf and he absolutely loved wearing it so that made it a bit easier. Maybe you could get her a cute little t-shirt with a slogon that makes you laugh, then she won't see you are crying on the inside.

I agree the chest cut is very poor. No excuse for it - looks like the person was very inexperienced. The butt cut - I've seen several shelties at my club with that cut, don't know if they are using the same groomer but I don't like it -I prefer the swishy trouser look.

Definately get the Sheltie Guide to Grooming. Also single sided thinning shears - I brought some expensive ones when I decided to groom for myself but my cheap original scissors work just as well.
 
Raya,

I think many of us could share similar horror stories about groomers. The problem is that there are very few groomers who truly know how to groom Shelties. Even when you leave them explicit instructions.....i.e. no clippers, then they go scissor happy! This happened to my Indy last time I brought him in. He still looks awful!

I only bring my dogs in about 3 times per year, mostly for the baths, and they do a pretty good job on the feet, ears and poop chute. The rest of the time I normally do trimming myself, but the last time I let the groomer at it because I was behind on my trimming.

So, I'll just add on to a couple of comments already made:

1) There is no question that Shelties can get matted and their undercoat out of control. My suggestion to you would be: get the matts and rake the coat BEFORE you bring dog to groomer. This will help them resist the temptation to go at it.

2) Groomers are not evil....they are doing their best, but have limited hours per day in which to make money (and its not alot if you think of the hours it takes)....so yes, they will sometimes take a more expedient route to get the job done.

3) Groomers DO want to make you happy! They want to deliver a dog that is fresh smelling, smooth and soft, with no matts. They just might not know the proper way to groom a Sheltie. Grooming schools teach alot about grooming the "fluff" dogs. This are the ones that frequent groomers the most (bichon, **** zu, etc.) The grooming for them is very different than for other breeds.

4) Educate yourself. Get the Illustrated Guide to Sheltie Grooming as weas suggested above. Even if you are not comfortable doing it yourself, you can at least explain the technique you want done.

After my last bad grooming with Indy, I decided that I would photocopy specific pages and bring it to the groomer...."This is what I want done".

Beyond that, as horrible as it feels, you'll just have to wait for it to grow out. If its any consolation, I see some pretty badly groomed dogs coming into my pet store, but their owners love them anyway and don't seem to care.

I sometimes think, we Sheltie owners, are more anal than most owners about our dogs. I guess its because when properly groomed they are magnificent! And when badly done, not so much!

Sorry for the long email. It's a pet topic of mine! (pun intented!):wink2::lol:
 
BARB! Did you see the pics?!?! That is beyond unacceptable...

I saw the pics you posted while at work...and wanted to post an OMG!!!!

If I were you and I went to pick up my dog and they brought her out looking like that I would be probably in jail right now..There would have been a scene made. There is NO reason to cut a dog that way...that is not even giving a puppy cut...I dont even know what that is! I would be demanding my money back for the grooming and suggesting that they send said "groomer" back to grooming school to properly learn how to use a pair of scissors...seriously my 7 yr old niece cut her dolls hair nicer and less choppy!

Now with that being said for the next grooming, find someone who is used to grooming shelties, and if possible check out references and see how they were groomed/cut. When in doubt do it yourself. You cant go wrong that way, or atleast if you do its you doing it so there is no surprises.

Generally speaking shelties do not need to have their coat "Cut" the only part that generally gets trimmed is their ears, feet and the pants thinned out. Invest in the illustrated guide to sheltie grooming and you cant go wrong!
 
Megansmom said:
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!
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We've no experience in grooming but have had to cut the fur around the poop shoot on Brandi several times. The undercoat is the hardest when brushing and combing and Brandi's is thicker so hers is the worst. We just do our best and try not to make it too painful. We bathe both dogs once every season ... they hate the hair dryer so it's towel dry as much as possible and then brush out, let air dry and brush out some more.
We also have to trim the fur around Brandi's ears and we cut the hair that grows on the underside of the paws. Both Brandi and Brady are good about this. The knots behind the ears are the worst ... some come out by plying with your fingers and then the comb but others have to be cut.
Unfortunately, we cannot cut their nails because they both get very panicky - so we let the grooming technician at the Vet do this and we have to stay in the room and help keep them calm. Last evening the technician noticed a few knots in Brandi's pants and offered to gently shave them out - she did a great job and saved us the trouble. I hate that we have to cut the fur there at times ... but I am learning that it must be done and certainly see that we are not alone in this!
We've never taken any of our dogs to a "professional" groomer because I have never heard of many good experiences with friends and coworkers pets. Not only were the owners upset but also the dogs ... hiding under furniture in embarrassment.
It will grow back in time ... in the meantime concentrate on portrait pics of her face. The Sheltie eyes and facial expression alone are so beautiful and each one is so unique!
 
Wow! That cut is worse than what I was expecting.:eek2: what was the groomer thinking. Years ago we took me beautiful Irish Setter to get groomed and she came back looking like a huge red pit bull or something. Completely shaved! Plus lots of nicks in her skin. Never again. You don't cut off what makes a sheltie look like a sheltie.
 
I agree, this is one of the worst cuts I've ever seen. The butt I've seen shaved like that on a few occasions here through other's horror stories but I don't understand the front and the belly. Why were they shaved, shaved so unevenly too? It looks like someone took a razor and blindly run it around the dog. I feel really bad for you. I'd understand not knowing the breed, as it seems to be a consensus that most don't know how to cut a sheltie, but I don't understand not having the basic skills and understanding of cutting any long haired dog as a groomer.....

I too would go back to the owner of the place and demand for your money back and some sort of explanation for hiring such an incompetent groomer when running a grooming business. And if it's the person's own business, hopefully this is a lesson learned that cheap doesn't always mean better. There may be a reason why the job was so bad then, seems like it was a very inexperienced groomer that was just trying to get fast cash. Seems very scammish.

Hugs to you and your sheltie. This is exactly why I've yet to consider taking Precious for grooming anywhere. I do most of her trimming myself (ears, butt, paws, nails, legs from time to time, etc). The neck, back, belly I don't touch cause I just don't trust myself either. I like the natural look. I'm glad Precious isn't too furry yet for her to look like she needs a groom hahaha
 
Oh my.........that was MUCH worse than I expected!!! Your poor thing!!!! I would be absolutely DEVASTATED if a groomer did that to one of my dogs.....:no: I was upset when Maggie was spayed and they shaved her belly so high that it went up her loin.....:mad:

All I can say is it WILL grow back and she is STILL beautiful!!! Looks alot like my Maggie..
 
Mine might not be perfect but wow that is why I don't trust anyone to do my two.

I would have felt like grabbing her hair, and cutting a chunk out. :lol: I wonder if she had her eyeballs in. When told what you wanted she sure didn't have her listening ears on.

A credit card comes in handy to remove the charge if there was one used.

I sure would complain to the owner.
 
This is awful! So sorry to see your little darling get such cut. I think a lot of groomers just get scissors or razor happy with sheltie cuz they see...wow there's so much hair to work with! Just like hair stylists....they see long hair and they want to try different things out so hair gets shorter and shorter. Although I can't give you advice on grooming an adult sheltie (mines still a puppy) there's a few sites on the internet I've found very helpful. Google "sheltie grooming" and there's one by edmontonreptiles which I find very good (I've used some of the leg and paw trimming tricks on my puppy). You can also google for different parts such as "grooming sheltie ears" and there's one by sheltie-hair which goes through the ear trimming very clearly. Hope these helps.
 
Wow. It is bad. Her poor belly looks like she was shaved for a spay. Seriously I would be happy with that as a surgical prep.

Who uses a 40 blade to groom a unmatted pet dog let alone a sheltie?
 
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