Does she need to be groomed?

[Sher]

Lily is 7 1/2 months old. She is a yorkie/maltese mix. Never been groomed.Her hair has just really started to grow lately and she is looking a bit disheveled. I really don't want her look to be changed drastically, but I am not sure what a groomer would do or what needs to be done. Maybe just a light trim? I am mostly concerned with the fur growing between the foot webbing. I need to get that trimmed. Since she is not a specific breed, I am not sure how she should be groomed. I just know I don't want her overall look to change. Can they work with that idea at a groomer? I only had poodles before and they kept the 'puppy cut' their whole lives.

Also are there any groomers around that don't keep your dog all day? I would like to drop my dog off and pick her up an hour or two later, not 6 or 8 hours later. What about groomers at Petco? Are they any good? Can I just stay and wait there?

What do groomers do with a really exhuberant, excited, happy dog .... a real wiggle worm, like Lily? That is the main reason I haven't had her groomed yet. I just can't imagine anyone able to groom her, although, when I bathe her she gets real submissive and docile.

Sorry for so many questions, but I am really stupid about this grooming stuff and would so appreciate some help.... thank you for any replies. I am going to post some pictures of Lily to show you her fur.

 

[angelzeus]

Hi how are you? seems you need a little advise. since you did't state where you are located hard to tell you were to go to have her groomed. a dog that is a mixed breed or any breed need to be groomed an the younger they are when they have that experice the better only because they learn how to behave and what to expect from the grooming it is also a good idea to find a groomer you like and stick with that groomer for your dog to become acustom to that person. how you want you dog to look is up to you if the groomer is a good groomer she or he will find out before you leave what you want done and how you want her cut she can just be trimed if that is what you want and nails and hair on the pads it is up to you to decide how this is all done any yes there are groomers who will return your dog in 3 to 4 hours some groomers will also let you stay good luck with your decision

 

[showpug]

Given the breeds that your dog is mixed with, she will have to be groomed eventually because her hair will only continue to grow. She's VERY cute by the way

Anyway, you can always take her to a groomer and tell them what you want or they could help you decide. It's kind of like when you get your hair cut, just tell them that you only want the hair trimmed and you want to keep the same look, just clean it up and trim the pad hair etc.

 

[Sher]

Thank you for the replies... I am located in Lakeland, Fl, btw. I have no idea what to look for in finding a groomer. There are so many down here, that is why I asked about Petco. Anyone have any experience with them?....

Yeah, I think you are right. I think she just needs to be trimmed up and the hair on/in her feet taken care of.... thanks again...

 

[girlbuffalo1]

Ever think about trying the grooming thing yourself? Wrigley is a mixed breed (black dog below) and I 'groom' him with clippers, scissors, trim his nails, bath him, brush his teeth, express his you know whats, clean his ears ect--it can be done--especially if your puppers if submissive when you bathe.

I would experiment with it..worst you can do is cut a hunk of hair a bit short--it will grow!

 

[verderben]

Hi how are you? seems you need a little advise. since you did't state where you are located hard to tell you were to go to have her groomed. a dog that is a mixed breed or any breed need to be groomed an the younger they are when they have that experice the better only because they learn how to behave and what to expect from the grooming it is also a good idea to find a groomer you like and stick with that groomer for your dog to become acustom to that person. how you want you dog to look is up to you if the groomer is a good groomer she or he will find out before you leave what you want done and how you want her cut she can just be trimed if that is what you want and nails and hair on the pads it is up to you to decide how this is all done any yes there are groomers who will return your dog in 3 to 4 hours some groomers will also let you stay good luck with your decision

Good advise. And yes at Petco you can stay. I work there but I will tell you now its very annoying to have the owner shouting to the dog from across the salon. Its best to stay outside where you can see the dog but the dog cant really see you. Most dogs act worse when they know the owner is there. Also you should have started getting her groomed at 10 - 12 weeks old. Likely now she is going to act up really bad because she isn't going to understand what is going on and will likely be very afraid. With her being older and never groomed before I would just do for the first time a bath, nails, ears, and feet, face and sanitary. I would not try a full hair cut for the first time, she will be freaked out as it is. Also when you make the appt make sure you tell them you plan to stay so they can schedual you at a slower time during the day so the dog can be done pretty much straight through.

 

[planet molosser]

If she is not matted you can have them thin her out with a long comb attachment to the clippers to trim her vs shave her.
If she is matted or gets matted one day they can shave her down into a puppy cut or lions cut which leaves the face as is and the tail stays longs the rest goes down to different lenghts you want.

I am a groming manager at Petco ( hello petco people )

You could start with a Mini make over which does nails, brush out, ears , a deod spray and pay $5.00 for a extra quick trim around the feet, face and sanitary area.

Cost $25.00 done quickly and no shampoo bath.
This is for NO matted dogs that do NOT smell.
( if she smells u can bath her before she comes in)

But it gets the new owners over the scare of leaving the dog alone and the dog does not have to be stressed with being bathed the first time in a grooming salon.

I do 4 of these a day when the Vet line starts on Sat.
So best bet would be a nite or a slow day for that given salon.

 

[verderben]

I am a groming manager at Petco ( hello petco people )

I am a grooming manager at Petco too!

 

[planet molosser]

Wow what a small world are you going for the win a trip to Westminster with the Works package? I started with petco last year after the contest and I want to win have some friends showing TM's for the first time.

Love your avatar

 

[HoundedByHounds]

I do my Hounds feet with a Tidbit trimmer...I take out all the hair under and between the pads. I guess with longer hair you'd trim with scissors prior? but I bet you could probably do feet yourself if you did a bit of training Always good to be able to handle your dogs feet...and groomers and vets both like it when a dog is trained to allow toesies handled I think.

 

[SummerRiot]

You need to find a "Pet Stylist".. They are basically the only people I would TRUST to keep a "natural look" to your pup.

You NEED to get her used to being groomed asap though - especially since she is a MUST BE GROOMED kinda of breed.

Play with her feet LOTS, if you have something that vibrates/buzzes like a pair of clippers or a tool of some sort, run it along her body getting her used to the feel and noise, ESPECIALLY around her feet thats very important.

I used to groom and people would bring in puppies just for a bath and a nail trim just to get used to the experience.

Usually puppies are a LOT better behaved away from their owners who coo and cuddle them lol
Its much easier to train a dog to like being groomed from an early age.

So.. find a pet stylist - bring your pup there and ask for a bath and a TRIM not a shave - tell them you want to keep it natural looking. Just explain anything you want done.

Any Petco, Pet Smart or Petcetera groomers are not the best to go to.

 

[planet molosser]

Sorry I beg to differ we have a groomer that graduated from the Top of her class in a very excellent Grooming school.

In general I admit many stores chains do NOT hire the people with the best backgrounds.
Example I know of 2 past groomers that did NOT like dogs.

However it is WRONG to assume all good or all bad are created equal.

I have gotten many awards in 6 months from custumers who were turned down by Petsmart groomers and whom which love how I take care of their dogs.

I get custumers coming in on my days off asking for dog advice not related to grooming and I get calls at home.

Some of us are dog experts working there to off set the cost of being professional breeders who do NOT make money.

I got this job last year to pay for a $4,000 Trip to Mexico for the World dog show.. And I must admit discounts are nice.

 

[SizzleDog]

Any Petco, Pet Smart or Petcetera groomers are not the best to go to.

I also beg to differ. True, many of the big box-store groomers are sub-par, but it really depends on the individual store.

I groomed for Petco for four years. My manager showed Standard Poodles and had three poodles (two standard, one miniature) in full show coat. One of my co-workers showed Goldens, and was phenomenal at grooming sporting breeds, even the pet-quality ones with bad coats! Yet another of my co-workers showed Schnauzers and Corgis, she taught me how to handstrip. When I was grooming at Petco, I was just a grooming associate. When I was at shows, I was prepping various breeds for the ring.

Our Petco's collective grooming knowledge was practically endless. Nearly everyone had extensive experience in the show world, and attended National Grooming conferences frequently.

You can find bad groomers everywhere - but you can also find good groomers everywhere!

 

[Sher]

Thank you so much for the many knowledgeable replies. What is a 'pet stylist'? And how do you determine who is one? I would love to just go to Petco. How do I know that MY Petco has qualified groomers like you guys that are here?...

Also, I know she should have been going to be groomed a long time ago, but I got here when she was 5 months old already. Believe me, I would have done alot of different things with her if I had only had her when she was 10 or 12 weeks old! I have been trying to undo quite a few little things from her previous life.

I definitely want her to have a 'natural' look... not shaved at all... I love her little 'flag' of a tail..... Thanks again for your replies. I guess I have to check out Petco and look into a hair stylist for my dog...

 

[malmo]

There are good and bad groomers at good and bad shops, just like with anything else. Treat it the same way you treat your hair -- if you go to a bad salon, you just don't go back there. Sometimes it takes a while to find someone you really like.

I had a bad experience at a major chain grooming shop (I saw that dogs were being yelled at and smacked, and the cuts were really sub-par!) so I started grooming Milo myself. Poor baby! Then I went to grad school and couldn't afford a groomer. More hours on the table with me and my scissors. When we went to the dog park, I realized he looked like the poor kid at school whose mom cuts his hair. (Of course, that's what he was. Heh.)

Now I have a groomer I really like. Still, though, when I can't go to her, I have backups and they do just fine. Seems like no matter WHERE I take him, I always end up "fixing" the cut when he gets home. I am just particular about how it looks and bad about describing what I want. For a while, I had them groom his body and then I would trim up his head and face the way I liked it after we got home. Now, though, I have them do the whole thing and I just do touch-ups. After 6 years of grooming Milo and having him groomed, there's one thing I've learned: IT'LL ALWAYS GROW BACK OUT.

I'd recommend looking around for pictures of dogs in cuts that you like. If you really liked her puppy hair at a certain stage -- take in a picture of that! It's no different from getting your hair cut. Pictures help. Lots of places won't even cut hair on the tail of long-haired breeds unless you specifically ask for it. Really -- she's your dog. You have a right for her to look as you want.

Because I did Milo's hair for so long, I learned how to do lots of things. I will tell you right now that you can (and maybe should?) totally handle the between-the-paw hairs yourself. Even if you just carefully use a pair of haircutting scissors before a bath, you will still be able to clean up the feet really well. I also do between-grooming trims on other areas, too, just to stretch my dollar. Be brave!

 

[SummerRiot]

planet molloser and sizzledog -

I'm just going by what i have seen in my area. None of the groomers that I know of that work at the big chain pet stores - have much qualification.

IN fact, the Pet Smart that was around the corner from my house told the people that they hired "I chose you people b/c you dont have any specific background with animals"... A friend of mine was hired there as a groomer. They DID send her out to a small grooming school. She said that all she learned there was striping a dog.

I used to groom - BUT I worked with a stylist and got to learn the show cuts for each breed.

I was just going by what I know in my area..
Maybe its different in the states?

 

[planet molosser]

Each chain is different we get allot of groomers who leave Pet Smart and other chains because they are told to do FAST work - vs good work.

Petco is not fast paced - the logo is where animals come first.
They will fire IMMED with any abuse on a animal or serious safety violation.
But they only require u to groom 4.5 dogs per 8 hr shift.
They have a really good package even for part timers so we attract the crowd that does it for the love of animals and to have some insurance as well.

We hired a recent groomer who has graduated from the Top School out these ways with honors. She quit PEts because they pushed her and she wants to do perfect work each and every time.

Groomers can get burned out like any other trade, some believe it or not Groom because they have NO other skills to work with people.
Some love animals some do it for the money just like any other job.

2 Pvt Grooming places have tried to recruit me for more money because of my large dog handling skills. I said No because A I need the store discount, B PVt places close early we stay open all weekends and nites so that helps me that my 12 dogs are NOT alone for more than a hour or so. C I dont do it for the money I do it for the love or dogs, to learn more and to off set professional dog breeding.

So every place can hire a bad groomer be it Pvt or public I bet if we got a Doggie Cam for some salons we would be surprised at what we find.

However Petco has a long and I mean LONG list of P & P to follow developed around the safety and security of the animals. That some Pvt places may not have in place. So its a give and take.
Regards to work done I can say this you want a over zealous perfectionist.
I like others do NOT do ANYTHING unless I can do it better than anyone else.

So no matter what you do with your animals groomers, Vet . Sitters listen to your cut you dont feel comfortable leaving your dog DONt do it.

 

[SummerRiot]

We dont have a Petco around here.. but it sounds WAY better then PetSmart, Petcetera and some of the others around here..

 

[SizzleDog]

I agree with PM - Petco Grooming, at least in my area, is more quality oriented. The dogs come first - cages are kept immaculate, towels are always clean, bathing area is hi-tech and shimmering, shampoos are taken care of... not so in the two private grooming salons I've worked at. Those private salons were nightmares compared to our Petco!

That, and Petco Grooming is flexible - we stayed open until 9pm, so working families could get their dogs groomed without leaving the dog at the salon early in the morning before work, then picking up the dog after work. That's a long day for the dogs, so we made it as easy as possible for our customers to get in and out in a timely manner.

 

[SizzleDog]

Thank you so much for the many knowledgeable replies. What is a 'pet stylist'? And how do you determine who is one? I would love to just go to Petco. How do I know that MY Petco has qualified groomers like you guys that are here?...

Most Petcos have a window for customers to watch the grooming. Discreetly peek in and see how the dogs look, see how the groomers act. If you like what you see, go in and talk to the groomers... basically get a feel for them, see what the dogs on their tables look like - but be aware that the dog on the table may not be representative of their work, since many customers request ridiculous haircuts, or the dog is old or has a medical problem that causes an icky coat, or the dog was badly matted and the groomer does the best she/he can, etc.