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

[anamikads]

@evall I live in the sticks and people drive up here to abandon their dogs - often doodles and pyrenees, the occasional newfie or bernese, frequently small designer crossbreeds (think pug x yorkie or teacup poodle x frenchie - cute and weird, generally sweet and not properly cared for).

If we find them fast they won’t have too much stuff matted up in their inevitably disastrous coats, but we had one newf baby where our groomer weighed the coat, burrs and sticks and general debris she cut out and shaved off him and it was two lbs heavier than his cleaned up body weight.

Once they’re health checked and vaccinated, spayed/neutered, we go straight to the groomer and I hand them over and say “I don’t care how short it is, or how silly they look, they have to be clean and safe, so do whatever you need to do.” Our groomer is an absolute queen of getting them comfortable, cleaned up and looking as snazzy as possible.

 

[jettstar]

@evall Yes actually. It doesn’t happen often, but I always appreciate when the owners know they dun goofed and want me to use my best judgement to make things right for the dog.

About a month ago a woman came in with her dog who apparently hadn’t been groomed in over a year. She said she knew it was bad, and told me to do whatever I had to do in order to make him comfortable. Said she knew it meant a shave, he would be naked, etc.

Welp. I got this dog on the table, and he turned out to have a really greasy wire terrier type coat. I was able to brush most of him out in about 20-30 mins, and just spot shaved the soft stuff that wouldn’t brush out easily. Did him in a 2 comb, so the shaved spots didn’t look so out of place.

The woman cried when she came to get him, she was so happy.

 

[knr80]

@evall I have a lot of regular clients who understand that brushing just isn’t going to happen because of work schedules, kids, their dogs do water based sports, they’re outdoorsy, etc and opt for a short sweet shave down every 6-8 weeks.

I’ve had a few new clients become repeat clients after needing to shave down their dog due to severe* matting, and majority been exceptionally understandable about their part in it. Some still opt to shave down short (like a 4 or shorter) every time and come in every three months, some have gotten the hang of brushing or learned from me how to line brush efficiently and only do shave downs in the warmer months to help prevent matting and bring their dogs in every 8 weeks for a b&b w/fff.

I’ve had a few people throw fits about their severely matted dog needing to be shaved, only for them to come back like a year later and go “yeah, you were right, (dog) should stay short”. Most complaints regarding matting I faced while working corp, but not since opening my own salon.

I’ve had very few people throw a fit and never come back, or throw a fit a second or third time.

One of those dogs… the dad was the problem. I mean he was an awful husband all around (they’ve since divorced), but he would come in to pick up and throw a fit about how it’s my job and his wife’s job to brush the dog and he was tired of her being short (I always did a 5 with a 1/2” muzzle and rounded head per wife’s request). I evicted him from my salon, told his wife that under no circumstance is he allowed in, I would not be dealing with him and his screaming and swearing while standing outside bellowing about how awful I am to everyone who’s unfortunate enough to pass by.

He had gotten into a few verbal “confrontations” with other dads (he’s sexist and made that very apparent by refusing to talk with me and only to my partner…) who stood up for me and told him to get lost. Wrote a few bad reviews pointing out his blatant sexism, and using colorful language too. Dude was (most likely still is) unhinged.

But most people I deal with are normal and if they have a complaint or criticism they bring it to my attention rather quickly.

I also only have had new clients complain about matting charges, regular (every 4-8wks) clients are the ones who go “wait, you’re not charging me to remove the matting behind the ear/under tail/in the face?”.

 

[efani]

@evall I’ve asked for a shave down before. It was on my maltipoo. I usually kept her long. She was spayed and had on a cone. I brushed/combed her daily but idk why I didn’t think to take the cone off first. She had some mats around her collar area. I don’t demat and would never ask for it to be done on one of my dogs.

I’ve had to ask for a shave down on my toy poodle as well. I had been growing out his poms (bracelets) and his fur was getting a bit long. I have always line brushed and kept him mat free. I was gone for a week and my husband promised me he would brush him. I even showed him how. I was upset when I came back home. I knew it was matted up just from the appearance. He even had mats by his ears. I had been growing his ears also and they had to be cut

He had a grooming appointment already scheduled 2 days later. His groomer looked at him and asked me if I went out of town or was I not feeling well. I was a bit confused why she would ask and she said she knows I would never let his coat get that way. This was just last year and she’s been grooming him for 5 years.

When I told her to shave him down she did mention that almost no owner asks for a shave down when it’s needed.

 

[fender75]

@evall Mine now prefers to be shaved. He gets depressed when his hair gets long. It’s weird.

 

[jwd]

@evall I'm that owner, and this wasn't a normal situation.

I had the best boy of a Golden Retriever. He was a big, floofy, loveable goof.

One day, he went off adventuring in the horse pasture, found a skunk, a swamp, and a horrible mess of picky burrs.

I tried my best, but the disaster he made of himself was too much for me and my abilities. I carted him off to the groomer in defeat. The poor lady looked at him and smelled him and promised to do her best.

He came home with a puppy cut. It was unavoidable. I know you're not supposed to shave a Golden, but he was a MESS.

Unfortunately for me, I had to deal with the dog's best kitty friend who joined him on his smelly escapades. Kitty isn't friendly and has been kicked out of several veterinarian practices for biting. He's in the nasty cat file.

I lost my Golden boy years ago, but the groomer still hasn't forgotten him. We still have the nasty farm cat- he's 17 now and still causes trouble. He taught my dachshund how to open the screen door and let himself out!

 

[ashergol]

@evall I’ve had a few but maybe only two-five people in four years honestly. I’ve had a few clients though who after a shave down realized how much easier the maintenance is, one even gets a nose to tail 10 blade every few months now. Dog ares never matted anymore just easier for the owner. But that’s also infrequent.

Even the people I have who come in knowing the dog has some matting still try and argue about spots until I make it clear it’s non negotiable.

 

[66bookssss]

@evall Broke my arm last year. I have a giant schnauzer that I normally Groom myself but obviously that wasn't happening with my right arm in a cast. So I took him to a groomer. Requested he be shaved all over. They kept asking if I wanted this or that left long. No, just shave him, please! They did a good job in the end.

 

[melindavazquez0626]

@evall Yes. I've had a few people who, for various reasons, had life get complicated, and they weren't able to stay on top of their regular grooming schedules. They're aware their dog is matted and will have to be shaved.

 

[kotizer]

@evall Quite often, a lot of them are aware of the state of the coat and realise that it can’t be saved. There would be no arguments or protest when I mention having to shave down and I’ve had a couple come to me for that very reason. I’ve had some that just let their dog get incredibly matted and then bring them to me to shave down because they don’t want to brush.

A lot of the matted dogs I’ve done have had owners that admittedly don’t know how to look after their dog’s coats.

 

[mike1234]

@evall I've definitely had people that, upon check in when I ask "what do you want to do for haircut today?" say "well, we know they're going to need to be shaved." And people who have apologized for the state the dog is in. And honestly, a lot of those have turned into dogs who get shaved (or short haircuts) regularly to keep them from needing it again.

 

[devonrestored]

@evall Yes, I get clients who understand that their dog is matted so they want me to shave him/her. I also get clients who have no idea their dog is matted and are very shocked then say please leave as long as possible or want de-matting service, then I get ones who lie and think I'm stupid and argue about their dog's hair being maintained and expect me to have a magic wand and do what they ask for. I do try to educate every client I get and I show them the mats I shave off after grooming or put a comb in their dogs' hair and show them how it gets stuck all over their body before taking in the dog.. some of them listen to me and some never change.. it can get exhausting but this is what happens when you deal with all kinds of people.

 

[dyhfjsjf]

@evall I have a very small grooming business and have had almost no dogs come in with matting where the owners asked for them to be kept long.
Almost every single one asks for a very short shave down so they don't need to groom as often.
Although a lot of the dogs I groom are also rescues and get refused from shops often for behaviour issues. So it makes sense the owners want them shaved down short to keep grooming easy between appointments.

 

[pollostyle]

@evall I have lots of clients who admit they went too long or didn't brush enough and "to do whatever I need to". They're some of my favorite clients.

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@evall I had a poodle dad come in regularly that always got a #10 shave down for his poodle because she was “a country dog and I don’t like sticker bits in her fur that hurt her” loved that client. He always tipped well and showed genuine love and care for his pup.

 

[adit]

@evall I keep my dog shaved down because she finds lots of brushing stressful, and it's healthier for her to have comfortable feet, unobstructed vision, ears that are less likely to get infected, and a mouth free of stray bits of hair.

 

[vessels]

@evall One of mine I have to do it. He's a Yorkie poodle and once his hair starts getting long it gets matted super quick as it gets really curly. I usually ask them to save what they can do they don't shave them to the skin but instead keep a few millimetres.

 

[abdelas]

@evall Yes but it’s rare

 

[kychristian1963]

@evall Owner here. I left my spoo in her mcc with my husband for 10 days and I sent my groomer a video asking if it could be saved. She said heck no, I accepted my fate and my dog is now in a Miami.

 

[rukado]

@evall Yea, a bunch of our clients are "trained" lol. We have lots of doodle clients who come in regularly enough to know when they've let it get too bad to demat. It's been really refreshing going from 'co where everyone needed a shavedown but didn't want it, to a private salon where many clients are like, "if it's matted just shave it, whatever you think is best for him/her, I trust your opinion" even if it's not really that matted, just overgrown. There's always exceptions to that, of course, but it's so nice to have a solid percentage of responsible clients who respect us and value our expertise. A lot of our clients get super reasonable lengths, too.. a lot of 0 combs and 1 combs in the mix, along with plenty 4 and 5 shavedowns as well. They don't disillusion themselves into thinking they can maintain 2" doodle hair at home. It's amazing.