Should have read the sticky...

[Jentarin]

I decided to try a new groomer, as our old one is quite a distance away.

I didn't get the greatest of vibes when we walked in; nothing I could put my finger on, just a lot of little things, but figured I'd give them a shot anyway.
Of course they said they did a lot of newfies, but the questions they asked didn't seem to line up with that. Said I wanted her trimmed back, but I wanted her to keep some of the feathering on her legs and tail.

When I picked her up, she had absolutely no feathering on her pants, less than half an inch on her front, and her ears look like a 90's haircut with the lines... I also watched the groomer holding down a yorkie and nearly yanking the fur out while it was screaming.

Now I get the trouble with matting, and Bessa doesn't like it when I'm trying to clear hers out either, but the way she was doing it seemed a little rougher than was necessary.

So my question to all you professional groomers out there (jeannie) after reading the sticky about communicating with your groomer, am I being one of those high-maintenance customers who needs some extra patience and to back off a little, or do I need to look elsewhere?

Nate

 

[Senea]

I'm not a groomer by anyone's stretch of imagination, but if you got less than great vibes and they didn't do what you asked I would not darken their doorstep again. Taver was my groomers first newf, and the first cut was not great but Taver loves her, and (most important) she was willing to watch Penny's videos and look at pictures of well groomed newfs. Ok so the most important bit is actually that Taver thinks she is awesome

 

[wrknnwf]

Find another groomer. I can't remember all the details in the old sticky, but if it wasn't mentioned, find a photo of a Newf whose grooming most matches what you want and take that with you. I would also consider asking if they have ever groomed Newfs for show. Not that you want that type of grooming, but I would think a groomer with that expertise could do what you want for your dog even if it's a shorter coat.

 

[Jeannie]

Find a new groomer. Any groomer who says they groom a lot of newfs is most likely not being truthful. How many newfs do you know of that are near you? Taking a photo of the type of groom you want is a good thing to do. But you have to be realistic, if your dog is a matted mess I cannot make him look like he is going in the show ring.

I have a customer who drives an hour each way for me to groom his newfs. Before he retired he would bring his newf to me (1 hour) then drive to work which was about 2 hours from me, then drive back in the evening to get his newfs. Total of about 6 hours on the road.

Poor Yorkie. I refuse to comb out any dog that is really matted. I prefer to look out for the welfare of the dog. Yes I have lost a few customers but do I want that type of customer? If a dog cannot be humanely combed out I advise the owner that I will strip off everything and start over. If they say no then I just give the dog back to them and tell them when they get the mats combed out to bring the dog back.

 

[nowhavethreebears]

Find someone new....You need to be comfortable with your groomer. If you got bad vibes right off the bat, move on.
Also, my best friend is a groomer, and she will not comb out a severely matted dog. That's the first thing she will tell a client in that situation. If they go elsewhere that's fine with her.

 

[Jentarin]

Thats what I thought. Not going to going to come anywhere close to saying that Bessa doesn't have any mats, but I brush her out a couple times a week to try and keep it to a minimum.

Never having had a dog that needed grooming before this, I just wanted to make sure that my expectations were in check. I've always considered myself to be pretty laid back about this kind of thing, and I really don't want to turn into "one of those" customers.

 

[Jeannie]

If you are only brushing then you are not thoroughly grooming your dog. You need to use a comb and separate the hair and comb from the skin out. Start at the bottom and work up or back to front. Use a course/med comb. Greyhound or Greyhound style comb.

 

[Jentarin]

I have one, and I do. I just think of it as "brushing out"

 

[victoria1140]

I love the master coarse grooming comb and to be honest if its a bad mat l cut it out rather than hurt any of mine.that and a poodle comb work for us.

One trick l found is if l am drinking a coffee then l tend to comb a bit so that when l decide to do an allover its not such hard work.
I also run my hands over their bodies daily so if l feel the start of a mat l can get it out fast.

My newfs have always had different types of coats with some newfs being easier than others.