Hello everyone! 1 year ago (exactly today actually) i had my first day of dog grooming school and absolutely fell in love with it. Now I’m about 4 months into my new job at a small shop and it’s making me start to hate what i do. I don’t really know anyone outside of my bubble to ask about these things so i was hoping i could get some answers to my questions (and maybe just some validation) here.
Sorry it kinda turned into a rant.
For those who work commission, are you allowed to do short hairs? I have no problem doing haircuts all day but being thrown a short hair once in awhile would be nice. (My shop does have a bather/dryers).
Rubbing alcohol for ear cleaner?? My experience is limited but almost all our dogs have issues with getting their ears cleaned and i feel like it’s because we use fucking isopropyl alcohol
My boss insists on bringing her 100 lb Great Dane to the shop who’s favorite spot is between my table and the wall exactly where i stand. He broke the adapter to my coworkers clippers and boss didn’t even apologize or offer to pay (it was like $5). There’s so many other issues with this but that could be a list of its own.
(I know these are getting to be more complaints than actual questions) LARGE DODLES START AT $60. Shih tzus at $47. We are 45 minutes outside of a very large city most groomers in the area are starting at 2x what we do. Her reasoning is it keeps the dogs on a better schedule. (Idts). We also don’t charge more for pattern cuts.
Mass drop off times? We take around 30 dogs a day and have like 20 show up at 9 am and the rest show up 11:30/12. It’s so stressful having all these dogs come at once and at the later time i usually have to stop grooming my dog for a bit bc they freak out with all the commotion
These dogs come in and are put on a line, right next to each other attached to the wall with loops where they wait to be bathed. After this they’re in an open (very hot) room together to be dried, again attached to the wall by a grooming loop. We all know how aggressive some dogs can be for drying and they have broken their restraints and lunged at other dogs, however no injuries because of this in the 20+ years the shops been open.
6.5 for these reasons, I’m uncomfortable bringing my own 11 y/o golden for a grooming. That alone makes me think if i really want to be working at a shop where i wouldn’t even bring my own dog...
I’m starting to become fed up with this shop. But I’m not sure how common these issues are and if i leave, I’ll be just as unhappy in my new place. Any feedback on any of my points would be so appreciated, so happy i found this community!
@walkinglight05 I can tell you from the ciroporate side this is not what ive seen as normal. Disclaimer i have only worked corporate. Drop off times are staggared by at least a 15-30 mins, dogs are kept no longer then 4-5 hours without an update to the owner, no dog is in contact proximity to another dog, dogs are hand dried with a fluff or velocity dryer as much as possible and certain breeds/age groups are not able to be kennel dried.no dog is left unattended while tethered. If I were you id look at changing shops.
@bonnie77 Thank you for reading my jumbled mess lol. I should’ve been more specific with one thing though, my boss actually employs people who just dry. Granted, they’re high school girls and the dogs aren’t ever actually dry. But everything else you said validates my concerns so thank you! Do you mind if i ask you some questions about Corp? I’ve been thinking of making the switch.
@walkinglight05 That sounds like an insanely risky environment for all involved. I have worked corporate, private salon, and now for myself (7 years experience total) and have never heard of practices like that. I feel like if pet parents knew all that was going on, many would take their dogs elsewhere (except the ones who love the cheap prices and don't care about their dogs safety maybe) It really sounds like management/owner is reckless, lazy, and primarily focused on the bottom dollar. Personally I would not want to be affiliated with the likes of that shop, there are plenty of better places to work, especially near a big city.
Rubbing alcohol is extremely drying and irritating to the ear canal, vets advise against using it to clean ears. Real ear cleaner is definitely cost-efficient enough to justify investing in several gallons.
Many salons have "shop dogs" or dogs that come to work with owners. These dogs should be well-behaved and not a distraction in order to ensure a safe environment for client dogs. My own personal small dogs are not even allowed around my grooming table when I work from home.
$67 for big doodles??? Insane. While I have discovered that competitive pricing does encourage some owners to bring their dogs more often, thereby making my job and the dog's lives easier, doodles are twice the work of a shih tzu and should be priced twice as much. If the owners can't afford that, they need a short haurcut or learn how to brush at home.
Mass drop off times, while hectic, tend to be more efficient. However once drop-off is over, the focus needs to be on grooming, not check-ins throughout the day. That is not efficient.
Dogs tied to the wall is never a good idea unless there is a one-on-one dog:human ratio. That is an accident waiting to happen. I seriously question whether many of those pet parents understand what is happening to their dogs after drop-off, because I can't see how anyone in the pet industry would consider that best practice.
@serjules Thank you!!!!!! I take in old/problem dogs on a daily basis who i feel uncomfortable bringing into this environment. Yesterday we had 3 nosebleeds, and i didn’t even know dogs could get them! 2 bichons and a mini poodle; 2 in the drying room that they share with about 10 other dogs and one on a table. I wasn’t sure if this “system” of bathing/drying was normal in this industry but now i know what to look out for. I appreciate your time to respond, it’s definitely given me a lot to think about my current job
1 year ago (exactly today actually) i had my first day of dog grooming school and absolutely fell in love with it. Now I’m about 4 months into my new job at a small shop and it’s making me start to hate what i do. I don’t really know anyone outside of my bubble to ask about these things so i was hoping i could get some answers to my questions (and maybe just some validation) here.