Are all dog groomers like this?

[FrangipaniDeLaSqueegeeMop]

My sister got her dog groomed today but had to work overtime so I picked him up. He's a cockapoo puppy, almost 1 and this is his third groom. The groomer is new to him.

When the groomer opened the door she didn't say hello, just started abruptly bellowing at me "Tell your sister to start looking after her dog. He was absolutely matted, it's neglectful, she's lucky I haven't reported her. £45 please" I said sorry can you elaborate. She then asked "How often does she brush him?". I said AFAIK 3-4 times a week. She snapped "Not good enough. It has to be everyday. I practically had to skin him". He wasn't skinned at all, he has a good couple of inches of hair still. She told me she'd left my sister a voicemail telling her "exactly what she thinks". I was annoyed and said how about educating people rather than shouting and carrying on at them? She said she's sick of people not brushing their dogs properly, to which I replied maybe find a new profession then.

Anyway when my sister came to pick him up she'd been upset by the voicemail - to avoid drip feeding, since having the puppy for various reasons her teen DD has been self harming and has had more than one hospital admission as a result. My sister is going through a lot and I know she tries her best with the dog, but she's had days where her entire energy had to go into ensuring her DD doesn't try to kill herself and it's been hard work.

But this is her third sanctimonious groomer. The first who did the dog's puppy groom moaned about "people forking out thousands for crossbreed mongrels" and the second moaned at her for being "yet another lockdown dog buyer". She pointed out she had him reserved since January 2020 and he is her sixth dog as an adult.

Are all dog groomers like this? I've seen some on FB actually take pictures of dogs and rant about how their (paying) customers are disgraceful for it coming sooner/not brushing its belly etc. I know it's not ok to allow a dog to be matted to the point where it's hurting them but whatever happened to educating and not judging people? I'm a teacher and me ranting at someone about how awfully they behave (not something I'd actually do) would be as effective as a chocolate fireguard.

Sounds like your sister has been unlucky. We have a poodle mix and have never had a comment about breed though our groomer did mention ensuring our dog was brushed every single day. You need a decent brush as some just brush the top rather than get through the hair. Your poor sister though. It could’ve been phrased a lot better.

I wonder if they’re pissed off that they allocate a certain amount of time per dog and when the animal is matted it takes much longer.

Most groomers I’ve met work with animals, and not people, for a reason.

I know it's a real problem if poodles and poodle crosses aren't groomed properly and very regularly. My groomer says it can be upsetting having to deal with the matting and it's painful for the dog and uncomfortable.

It seems a bit weird to choose to work with dogs, then complain that dog owners own dogs.

She might have a point on the brushing, but guess what - your sister hired a dog groomer to groom the dog. And the groomer goes "this dog hasn't been groomed"? Well, yes lady, maybe I should hire a groomer.

She certainly sounds like she's in the wrong job.

I have a poodle cross. You must brush them every single day. I don't put a fleece on mine either has the fur matts. I'm on a few fb groups and it's always the same. The owner cries because the dog has had to be shaved because they couldn't be bothered. Although the groomer was rude - what she said is true.

Tbh, my sympathy is with the groomer.

Too many people buy wool coated dogs thinking that because they don’t shed the coat is magically maintenance free. It isn’t.

It’s a high maintenance coat, everything sticks in it and it needs careful brushing right down to the skin otherwise they get matted and matts are painful!

The groomer is right, brushing 3 - 4 times a week probably isn’t enough and yes I bet she is quite angry at the high volume of matted, sore and uncomfortable poodle mixes.

She sounds rude, no need for that. The first groomer I used was similar, she started berating me for not taking the puppy out enough, even though he went out twice a day. I think he disliked the groomer as she dragged him really hard to pull him in to her salon snd didn’t try to make him feel Comfortable at all. The one I have now is expensive but much nicer to my dog.

Either your DSis has been really unlucky with her choice of groomer, or all of them are right and the poor dog is neglected. Perhaps she really think hard if she can cope with the dog and DCs.

Wow how rude! She’s been employed to groom the dog, not shout down at customers.

I’d leave reviews on her business pages, it’s one thing to give advice, but there’s no need for the way she’s spoken to you, and your sister!

I know someone who runs a small animal rescue. She has the most shocking people skills. So combative all the time honestly she talks to would be adopters like they’re the ones that neglected and dumped the animals!
Being a skilled dog groomer and being a skilled business owner don’t always go hand in hand

@Powertothepetal

Tbh, my sympathy is with the groomer.

Too many people buy wool coated dogs thinking that because they don’t shed the coat is magically maintenance free. It isn’t.

It’s a high maintenance coat, everything sticks in it and it needs careful brushing right down to the skin otherwise they get matted and matts are painful!

The groomer is right, brushing 3 - 4 times a week probably isn’t enough and yes I bet she is quite angry at the high volume of matted, sore and uncomfortable poodle mixes.

There’s better ways of addressing this though, new dog owners may just not know and would benefit from some education, there’s no need to be so rude.

Our dog groomer is fabulous , even my sisters dog loves her and she’s a right miserable animal .

Gosh I have a poodle cross which I never brush. I bathe him once a week, trim his face every few weeks and clip him myself every six. No knots or matts ever.

Sometimes people who work with animals are not very good with people. It would be more beneficial to the dog to educate rather than rant at customers for sure.

I was annoyed and said how about educating people rather than shouting and carrying on at them?

It is not a dog groomers responsibility to educate owners so they don't neglect their pets welfare. You sister had had 6 dogs, this one she has had for long enough to know its coat needs s special care.

It sounds mean, but it really is uncomfortable for the dog.

I had a bichon cross toy poodle years ago, because my kiddy was allergic to everything back then (seemingly fine these days though!).

I couldn't be doing with the ponce and stuff, I clipped her (dog, not dd haha) coat myself, quite often. She looked adorable, it was practical, dog was happy, I was happy.

We have a cockapoo and once her fur reaches a certain length she becomes matted extremely quickly and badly. I try to cut the chunks of matted fur out if I can but obviously that then makes her uneven. My groomer is very kind she just says " it's just the kind of fur she has, it can't be helped ". If I have cuts bits off myself and made her job harder she just evens things up as best she can. If it takes her longer to groom my dog because she is matted then she just charges more. So yes I think your sister is just unlucky or else the problem is really bad.

The groomer was exceptionally rude and should not have said what she said, but I will say that 3-4 times a week is really not enough for the majority of poodle coats. They matt very easily and matting is a welfare issue because it can cause severe pain and infection to the skin.

Poodle/doodle coats are very time-consuming for both owners and groomers - when we looked at getting a dog, there was no way I was going for anything that required any grooming

The only real options for doodle-types are to keep the coat clipped short/get it cut more often, or to make sure you dedicate time to brushing them everyday. Maybe your niece could do some of it? It's a great bonding activity and working with dogs is great for MH issues too.

I do understand that your sister is having a tough time, but she needs to get someone else to brush her dog during the week if she doesn't have time. Mats are painful for the dog, can get grass seeds and foreign bodies caught in them, can develop ulcers underneath, and can end up being serious before you know it.
Its very easy for a groomer to accidentally cut the skin trying to remove a mat, they risk getting bitten, the dog can become resentful about being groomed because they associate it with pain.

I’m very torn on this one because there are huge numbers of people out there not taking proper care of their dogs of this type with regards to grooming and it is neglectful. However, the way you’ve put it doesn’t make the groomer sound terribly polite.

But, there is a bit of me wondering if your sister has had problems with 3 different groomers in a row, the problem might not be the groomers.

But this is her third sanctimonious groomer.

This clinched it for me. Im willing to bet money on your sister not looking after her dog properly.

I have a poodle and I get her clipped every 6 weeks. She doesn't matt so I don't have to brush her at all. My groomer would never speak to me like that!

I've had bollockings from a few groomers and at first I'd just change groomer, but I've finally realised how important brushing is. Although she was rude it may have been the final straw after seeing lots of them.
I now brush my dog every day and realise how uncomfortable she was when I didn't. It's also important to make sure there are no grass seeds stuck.

Sounds like the groomer is just sick to the back teeth of dog after dog turning up unbrushed and matted. If three groomers have all had a problem with her and her dog then maybe it’s not the groomers?