Has an owner asked for a shave down that was necessary?

[evall]

There’s always the ppl that say “keep my dog long” but the dog is pelted or matted horribly and a lot of owners ask to keep the dog long. Have y’all had any owners recognize how bad it actually it and that the dog needs to be saved and they ask for a shave down? i’m just curious bc it almost always seems like they want the hair as long as possible or deny matting and pelting or ask for the dog to be brushed out. any positive experiences when an owner knew ahead of time that the dog had to shaved down?

(i hope this makes sense)

 

[someguy1234]

@evall The most memorable was a person who rehomed a dog out of pity. First stop was the groomer because it had never been groomed and was definitely older. I'm not sure what sort of breed or mix it was, but after years of no grooming it had a 3 pound pelt on a 3 pound body and was a barely mobile brick.

I thought he'd be awful since he'd never been groomed but when the dog realized what clippers could do, he was like "OOH OOH OOH DO MY BUTT FIRST!!!!" and practically shaved himself. It was very clear what parts he wanted done, in what order.

First business after getting his butt free was to take an enormous crap on my table, and I wasn't even mad because obviously pooping had been very hard pre-coat.

He got shaved completely everywhere, not a stitch of coat left, and was the happiest dog in the world after. New owner cried tears of happiness because the dog was so happy. Kept regular appointments thereafter super short, and the dog was never bad.

It was very sweet, a very happy ending for that dog, and usually doesn't end like that.

 

[kathyisongodsmission]

@someguy1234 AWWW that's adorable, that dog must have had such a happy life from then on

 

[castheantelope]

@someguy1234 Omg that had to have been the best poop of his life! Lollllll

 

[barnabasp]

@evall Yes, I've had plenty of owners realize their dog was very matted and need a shave down. Not all owners are idiots, we just tend to vent about them here so it seems disproportionate.

 

[stanley_4]

@barnabasp Yeah I get these all the time. The straight up tell me when they book the dog is really matted and needs a shave alot of the time

 

[sifiso]

@evall I had one this week. She admitted they preferred him long, but his coat had gotten away on them and was matted and to take him as short as I needed for his benefit. They said if I could save anything, they would appreciate it, but not if it caused him discomfort. It was refreshing even though he was a difficult groom.

Edit for typo.

 

[gd3001]

@evall I live in AZ, in the summer most people have their dogs clipped short even if they’re not matted

 

[xekuter]

@evall I have had a couple of people come in and be like ‘we need all this matting off, like a fresh start?’ But yeah it’s absolutely rare. Most of the times I’ve heard this it’s been an older puppy (10ish months) getting that classic puppy first pelt when the adult coat finishes growing in, so usually it’s owners who really were trying and have some idea of what mats are who got blindsided by the end of the coat change.

 

[natalia2019]

@evall I've had a few. They're always very apologetic and embarrassed.

 

[victu]

@natalia2019 I'm a dog owner, and that has been me. Ashamed, apologetic, and asking for a shave.

I feel the tiniest bit better knowing that at least I'm not the owner with unreasonable expectations when I've gone too long between trims.

 

[castheantelope]

@victu Ugh same. I have a poodle that doesn’t let me brush him thoroughly (he was rescued & I don’t think he ever got regular brushes or grooms). I get bits & pieces here & there when he lets me, & because I’m unemployed & can’t take him to get groomed every month like before, he’s been a matted mess. Luckily I have groomers that absolutely love him, know my situation, & never make me feel bad about the condition of his coat. They almost always do a good job (only once did they keep him for five hours & did a shitty job bc I think they overbooked themselves) & save as much of his coat as possible without causing discomfort to him. I just took him this past week & he looks absolutely adorable, I can’t get over it!

 

[thegiant]

@evall The vast majority of my clients whose dog needs a shave down either came into the appointment already knowing, or don't argue when I say it.

The way you word it really helps if they didn't know. In my experience, saying things like "it's a fresh start for your dog" or "I'm going to make your dog clean and comfortable" seems to work well.

 

[marydenly]

@thegiant Agree, I've had much more amenable owners since I started phrasing it in that kind of way "let's start from fresh and it will be easier for you to brush them from now on" etc

 

[thegiant]

@marydenly One that also prevents/stops arguing is when they say that their dog will be cold (I'm in Michigan) and I do these two things:

1. I ask them realistically how often their dog is outside in the winter
2. I tell them that luckily for them, their dog does not have the type of fur that can withstand the winters here, so it's going to be cold no matter the length

 

[ctay6318]

@evall We did. FYI I am not a groomer I just lurk.

Once our puppy’s adult and puppy coat started to fight for the same space she started to get matted.

We would spend an hour or more every day brushing and combing or cutting them out - they seemed to appear 12-24 hours later again. This was only for about 1-2 weeks ahead of her groomers appointment.

We asked to have her shaved down to a 7 (she is a purebred poodle), leaving the tail, ears and topknot.

There were lots of reasons for that. We didn’t want her to be traumatised by grooming and be stressed daily. We didn’t want to spend 1-2 hours a day brushing and struggling with her.

It’s been two months with this cut and it’s been amazing. She’s happy being brushed and combed. She doesn’t struggle. Her last appointment was two days ago and we were comfortable going for a 5 instead.

Our groomer is great - she made her gorgeous both times even if her legs resembled a chicken

We knew with winter coming she would have to wear coats outside and we’d maybe need to add a degree to the thermostat, but it’s what is best for her and us.

 

[limegreen]

@ctay6318 Can I ask, is that a 5 blade or a 30 blade with a 5 comb?

 

[ctay6318]

@limegreen Honestly not sure, it’s our groomers words not ours. We consulted with her before shaving her down and it’s what she suggested based on the situation.

 

[caryllesic]

@evall Yes! We actually just had two doodles in yesterday that are going on a 2 month vacation with their family, so they asked us to shave them down despite not being matted. They just wanted to make sure they wouldn't get matted while at the beach and will go back to their usual cuts and schedule when back. We also have someone that home grooms 90% of the time, but when she screws up a cut, she'll come in and have us shave her down, never matted just wants a fresh start. We also have several others of all breeds and mixes that ask for shaves because they know what they can and can't keep up with. We also have a lot of owners that get shorter despite knowing that they can keep up with longer because they don't like the fluffy look or like to be proactive in preventing matting. I do a Sheepadoodle that gets a 4 on her face and feet because they kept struggling with keeping it brushed out. The rest of her is an F comb, though, and is never matted. Some owners are good!

 

[kworld12]

@evall I’ve owned a grooming shop for many years and most times when people ask for a shave down it isn’t because of matting but because they are cheap and they don’t want to come that often. It’s rare for us to get an owner of a matted or even pelted dog that realizes how bad it really is and seem shocked when we show them the evidence.