I'm a dog groomer- AMA

[one2three4five]

If you want Maybe no one is interested, but I get a lot of questions in real life, so I figured someone might be interested!

How much would you charge for a bath and brush for a Newfie whose coat is generally in good condition?

i'msorry- We usually do full grooms on newfies, which includes a bath, brush, de-shed, nail trim, paw pad tidy, hygiene tidy and scissor tidy of feet and feathers etc- that would be £80-£90 dependent on size (as some of the girls can be quite a bit smaller than the boys!). It would be tricky to do just a bath and brush, because this would inevitably involve a de-shed too, but this would be £60-£70. I am in quite an expensive area though!

Do you ever groom labradors?

Newtocats- Yes! We groom loads of labradors! It's a common misconception that labradors don't need grooming, and while that's sort of true to a point, they definitely benefit from it It's great for their skin and coat, and helps to control the shedding (not that it can be eliminated completely unfortunately!). We have some labs that only come once or twice a year, and others that come every 6-8 weeks.

We took our lab for his first groom and he looked like a puppy again! I didn’t think he was that scruffy but he was like a new dog. Booked in for 6 weeks again which is probably a bit ott but he looked so handsome and was so soft. He was delighted cause he got his own body weight in treats (and as a lab that’s a lot).
Do you feel judgmental about the state of dogs? What do you do if you find fleas/ricks? Despite being on regular vet treatment I was worried they’d tell me he was infested.

My spaniel was scared of his first groomer.

I think he would leave me for his current one.

Our dog goes to the groomers specialising in aggressive dogs because his last groomer refused to have him again. The current groomers call him a teddy bear with perfect manners (he has been always for us and anyone else) and they always get kisses as thanks when he gets off the table. What could explain the difference in how he behaves? I suspect the first groomer might have hurt him probably unintentionally. He's a tiny poodle cross and many of the "aggressive" dogs there are small rather than the brutes I might have expected to see.

Nonibaloni* - People are always surprised at how nice and soft they go once they've been groomed! I love grooming labs Haha, sounds like he was thoroughly spoilt while he was there, bet he had a great time!

The only time we ever feel a bit judgemental is when dogs return repeatedly and are matted to the skin. Once or twice is fine, and we never judge and always do our best to help the owners understand about what they need to be doing at home in terms of coat maintenance, so we demonstrate brushing and recommend tools etc. Mostly people take this on board, however sometimes people assume we have a magic wand and then get cross with us when we can't fix it! For example, if you have a poodle that you want to keep looking fluffy, but doesn't see a hairbrush at home, and then you bring it to me every four months, the likelihood is that it will have to be clipped very short, because I can't undo months of a lack of brushing! (This doesn't apply to the odd Matt in problem areas, I completely understand that people are human, and that most people are not professional groomers!)

We never judge for fleas and ticks, they are an unfortunate element of owning a dog, and sometimes even keeping on top of flea treatment doesn't always work. That said, in my salon, if we find them then we do have to send the dog home, which I hate doing, but we have to minimise the risk of fleas and eggs getting in the salon and getting on other dogs. That is no judgement though! We're always really nice about it, and will always finish the groom another time. (That said, if a dog repeatedly came to us and was constantly infested then I may be a bit judgy, but this has never happened to me!)

People always worry about bringing their dogs to us if they are really dirty, I have genuinely had people bath their dog before they come out of embarrassment! However, we love dirty dogs! It's really satisfying washing a dirty coat and getting it really clean, and dirt usually means that they've had lots of lovely walks, which is a good thing

Good to know. I’ll feel less guilty about his slightly sorry state. It’s his nails mainly. He walks for miles, lots of it on concrete but he’s got nails (claws?) like a WAG.
Is dog conditioner a thing? Because he felt like hair after it’s been conditioned. Was lovely.

Ursula- Aaaah, that's lovely! Sounds like you've got a great groomer

Flesh market- Oh bless him! I love the little poodle crosses, although my own poodle cross is far from little, he's a beast It's tricky to know what could cause the change in behaviour, but sometimes dogs can be quite sensitive, and the smallest things can make a difference. It could be something as simple as him having been in the previous salon with a noisy dog at the same time, which unsettled him and created a negative association. Or as you said, it is possible that the groomer accidentally hurt him and that upset him. Groomers all work very differently too, and different approaches work differently for different dogs, I have some dogs who need constant baby talk and praise and encouragement, and others who react better with a more firm tone, so maybe the last groomer didn't quite pitch it right for your dog? It sounds like you've found a good place for him now though Dogs are funny little things sometimes, my colleague and I work very similarly, we take a very softly softly approach most of the time, and are very set on making the grooming experience positive and not stressful. However, for some reason, we have certain clients that can only be groomed by one or the other of us, and to be honest, we don't really know why! In that situation it's fine as there are two of us, so with those clients we just stick to the same groomer, but there is clearly some reason or another why those dogs prefer either her or me!

You sound lovely. I don't suppose you're anywhere near Manchester are you? I want you to groom my dog!

Noni- Nails are a weird thing, truly a phenomenon to me! We get some dogs who have the shortest nails that I can barely clip anything off, yet the owners insist that they don't cut them at home. Then we get other dogs who come every 4-6 weeks or so, and it's like their nails have never been cuit, even though we do them every time! As long as they aren't curling round and digging back into the pads (which I've seen before and is painful and horrid!), then no one will judge you. Some dogs have a longer quick than others too, which means that their nails can't be cut that short or they will bleed. Technically you can train this to get smaller, but it takes a while. If his nails grow fast, most groomers offer nail clipping as an additional service that you can have iinbetween grooms if necessary, it's usually around £5 and they just do it while you wait

Dog conditioner is a thing! Although I'd be surprised if they used it on a Labrador, but they may have done, there would be no harm in doing so, it's just that it would usually be used on dogs with longer hair that is prone to tangling. It could just be the shampoo that they use. High quality, natural dog shampoos will usually leave the coat shiny, soft and beautiful!

My Scottie absolutely will not allow a groomer to do anything with him. No bad experience as far as I am aware just absolutely hates going and is very uncooperative. have been clipping him myself at home and it's ok sometimes but other times he just looks an uneven mess. I would love to get him properly groomed. What would you do with a dog like this? He's not nasty or bitey but will snap if you try to touch his feet or when he's just had enough. He's two.

As a last resort can you recommend decent clippers I can use at home? Mine are Wahl but they'd not great. I'd pay for a good smooth pair.

I'd really love to be a dog groomer. Where and how did you qualify?

Obiandmillie- Aaaah, thank you very much I would love to groom your dog, but sadly I'm near Oxford, so I think I may be a bit too far for you!

Do you have any tips on products to use for cleaning wrinkles? I've recently adopted a four year old pug who will actually let me do it (my dearly departed rescue pug had a strict no face, no feet policy, bless her) so I want to do the best job I can. Also, have you ever met a pug who didn't mind having their nails trimmed? Because both of mine turn/turned into grunting hell beasts at the sight of nail clippers! Thanks in advance!

Yes, Oxford is a tad too far from Manchester Shame! Interesting thread. Thanks for posting.

Holly- It's funny that you ask that actually, because my colleague is working with a Scottie at the moment who sounds just like yours! As far as the owner is aware, there is no real reason for hating being groomed, but she's really not a fan. Ideally, what you need is a groomer with a lot of patience, who works with him to make him realise that it's a nice place to be and that it can be a positive experience. In our opinion, consistency is key with dogs like this, which is why this particular dog is only ever groomed by my colleague, and will continue to be until we've got her to a point where she's happy. Baby steps are necessary, short positive visits close together (I.e every 2-3 weeks) where he isn't pushed beyond what he is comfortable with, and with the aim to get him comfortable with the process and the environment, rather than actually aiming to finish his groom and make him look nice. It's a slow process, and sometimes it doesn't work, but we usually get good results this way. The Scottie that my colleague is working with has been to us 6 times now, and her progress is slow, but she is progressing, which is the main thing. She now happily walks into our salon and is genuinely pleased to see us, and doesn't mind when her mum leaves. My colleague even managed to do her nails last time, which is a big result! In my opinion, there is no quick fix, so it's just a case of finding the right groomer, sticking with it, and lots of patience, praise and no pressure on the dog.

Personally, my favourite clippers are Heiniger Saphirs- they are amazing! I couldn't be without them! They are expensive, but worth every penny. With clipping, it's important to note that you'll get a better finish if you're clipping a freshly clean, dry coat, and this is much better for your blades too (apologies if you already knew that, but if not, then it might be why you're not getting quite the right finish with your Wahls)

I did my City and Guilds at a college just outside London. I actually did a month long intensive course, and was qualified at the end of it! In all honesty, I don't necessarily think that's good, as I feel that people need a lot more practical experience before they qualify, but it's actually quite a common way to train, especially if you go into it as a second career (like I did), because apprenticeships aren't usually available to people over 25, and other than that, there aren't many hands on routes. I then went and worked for someone else to build up my skills and experience, and now have my own salon Dog Grooming is a largely unregulated industry (quite frightening really!), and there is actually no requirement to be qualified in order to set up as a dog groomer. They are looking to change this, but at the moment that's how it is. Most people wouldn't even think to check if their groomer is qualified, because you would quite rightly assume that they would be! Sorry, that was a bit of a tangent there! It's a really great job, and I absolutely love it, so I say go for it I spent years in a 'professional' job in a stressful industry, which I think people thought I was mad to give up, but I've genuinely never been happier in my work!

Deadbutdelicious- Haha, sorry, your post made me laugh Grunting hell beasts is the PERFECT way to describe a pug who has just seen the nail clippers! I love them, but my goodness, nail clipping is comparable with murder in their minds! I do have one pug, who is practically famous among my clients because I'm constantly telling the story of him and his nails, because he is a dream That said, it took us a while to get him there, the first time we saw him we couldn't touch his feet, however, he has been coming to us for almost a year now, and he trots in, bum wiggling and practically presents his feet for his manicure, I swear if he could have nail varnish on them, he would

That's amazing that you've adopted a four year old pug, although I'm very sorry for the loss of your other one Result that she'll let you wash her face folds! Hang on, I'm going to get you a link for a good product...

Deadbutdelicious - This is a nice gentle product for faces that we use in my salon-

www.christiesdirect.com/Mobile/en/Tropiclean-Spa-Facial-Scrub/m-m-917.aspx

Only issue with that is that it needs rinsing, so it's probably not easy to use every day, as you probably need them in the bath really! Pet wipes are good too, and they are fine for every day use. JP Pet do wipes specifically for faces, which you can buy in Pets Corner (although they are probably cheaper online!). I haven't personally used those ones, but it's a good brand, and I would think they are good. Just make sure that you dry the folds well after cleaning, as moisture can encourage bacteria to grow, which can lead to infections (I'm sure you knew that, so ignore me if you did!)

Happy face cleaning

I would be lying if I said that there wasn't a bit of snobbery in the grooming world surrounding cross breeds

Good grief, why would there be snobbery at poodle crosses in the grooming world? Surely the explosion of poodle crosses must be absolute bread and butter for any groomer in this day and age?

I'd have thought the grooming world would be thrilled at the current fashion for dogs that need regular grooming, particularly as so many groomers (not in any way suggesting you are, you sound very professional) are of the clip everything off and get them out the door persuasion.

Do you offer proper hand-stripping of the appropriate breeds, and how much call is there for it these days?

What course did you do? Was it expensive?

I'm a social worker and I'm certain I'd be much happier working with dogs rather than humans all day, and I've often liked the idea of dog grooming. People think I'm mental though and would take a big pay cut. But £1800 for school hours is good. Not sure I could take a pay cut earning minimum wage working for someone else though sadly.

Was it expensive to get set up by yourself?

I have a husky! Do you inwardly sigh when one is booked in? The groomers love mine as she's so friendly but it takes them 2.5 hours and really I think they need to give 3. I feel like they try and rush her through sometimes, I used a different place and they have left a matted bit on each ear this time!

Whitney- You are quite right, poodle crosses are most groomers bread and butter. Cockapoos are by far the most popular dogs that we see in my salon, by a country mile. I frequently get involved in 'discussions' online with groomers about crossbreeds, and am pretty defensive! If you've ever seen the arguments on Mumsnet about crossbreeds, it's pretty much the same thing in grooming groups. I don't like it, or agree with it, but in my salon, we genuinely love them, so I'm not part of the snobbery

We do offer hand-stripping, it's one of my favourite things to do! I just love it when someone calls to make an appointment for a breed that is traditionally hand-stripped, and they don't want them clipped We actually have quite a lot of hand-stripped dogs on our books, which is great. That said, we also have a lot of dogs which traditionally would be but are clipped instead. I'd say that between two groomers, we probably get an average of four hand-strips a month.

Jenalla- I did a Level 3 City and Guilds in Dog Grooming. Unfortunately the course was expensive, I can't quite remember how much, but it was a few thousand from memory. It's tricky initially, I took a huge pay cut for a few years while I built up my experience. Also when I started on my own, it took a little while for business to build (although nowhere near as long as I thought!), so I wasn't earning that much initially. However, if you can stick it out and earn less for a while, then I'd say it's worth it in the end My business cost just under £10,000 to set up, but we didn't really scrimp on anything, so we could have done it for considerably less I think.

Sickmumma- Noooo! My colleague and I would genuinely get off the phone with grins on our faces if you booked in a husky That said, my salon would probably outwardly sigh, in anticipation of the snow storm that would undoubtedly follow!! We LOVE de-shedding dogs like that, the hair goes everywhere, and it is so satisfying getting it all out! We have a Samoyed who comes regularly, we adore her, but I swear we're picking Samoyed hair out of our tea for about a month afterwards