Grooming question

[Holly Doodle]

Holly has went running with dh a few times in our snowy weather, and this is the first time I've seen her start to get Mats. We called the groomer this week and they couldn't get us in for almost two weeks with our work schedules, and them not being open on weekends. So we decided we'd schedule an appt at Petco just this one time, because I don't want her Mats to get any worse. Boy was that a mistake! We took her to her appointment today, and they told us their two longest clippers were 3/8" and 1/2". Our groomer always cuts her to 1" with no problems, so I don't know if they didn't have the right clippers or if our groomer scissor cuts her. Either way, the girl at Petco was extremely rude and said "well these are your only options so choose one or we'll leave her as is." How rude of her! She also said if they scissor cut her she would look choppy and uneven. She had a very bad attitude and made me feel dumb for asking them to leave her longer than 1/2". We ended walking out, with her gawking and me and dh like we were the rude ones. Geesh! Anyways this was more of a vent than a question, but I guess I'm wondering why my groomer can do it but the Petco groomers can't. Are there clippers for 1" or does my groomer likely scissor cut her? I've never asked how she does it, because it's never mattered. Anyways thanks for any input!

[Obsidian]

NEVER NEVER take ur doodle to Petco!!~ one they do not hire trained groomers, they hire whoever an then 'train on the job'..sorta.

We took Obi there once as we were in between groomers (we've had several before finding the RIGHT one).

They not only cut Obi to less than a 1/2inch when I told them NOT to, but they literally slashed his skin on both sides of his neck!!! told me he was matted an they had no choice but to use scissors and he moved...well of course he moved you were cutting him!!!!!

Obi has been going to groomer since he was 7weeks old...he never moves around! I know this because all groomers are so impressed with him they tell me.

They also told me it would be $65 but gave me a bill of $89 an my dog was bleeding!!!!  insane!

As you live in Waterloo, there is a GREAT groomer at Cedar Valley Vet in Cedar Falls who specializes in doodles as well. I have driven the 2 1/2 hours there for her to do Obi when we couldnt get in anywhere else. They did a GREAT job an never once shaved him down :)

Our groomer now also specializes in doods and never never shaves Obi, I drive one hour one way now but its always worth it :)

good luck!!

[Holly Doodle]

Thanks for the tip on the groomer in Waterloo! I'll definitely be giving them a call next time...I didn't know anyone around here specialized in doodles.

UPDATE!!

The appointment went much better than expected! The girl at PetSmart was very friendly and gave me time to explain what we wanted done. When we picked Holly up she looked good, not great but good :). They had cut her to 1", and combed out all of her mats, I was very pleased with that. My only complaints were the choppy scissor marks on her face, her ears were cut straight across (one longer than the other), and they came a little too close on a few of her paw pads which were pink. I probably won't go back any time soon but it worked for us in a pinch, and they had great customer service! Plus Holly's mats are gone and she is a happy girl. Thanks for everyone's nice comments!

[Michael Gurley]

It's a bit harsh to generalize to ALL Petco groomers, though. The groomer at my Petco is the only person I allow to groom Sunny. She is absolutely fantastic and NEVER creates a negative experience for Sunny. In fact, Sunny loves going there even for visits. She pulls me in!!

[Stephanie]

I just wanted to let people know not to judge Petco based on ONE groomer.  As I am sure you are all aware Petco is a huge chain...and every single store you walk into can be quite different.

I happen to be an experienced groomer.  I worked for many small independent salons before finally deciding to "sell out" and go into corporate grooming.  Is it my ideal dream job?  No, there are several rules to follow and I really miss being my own boss and using my own products, etc...

However, my reason for switching to Petco is the full time benefits.  I happen to work at a great location.  I work with two other groomers who have both been grooming for 15+ years.

I'm hoping what the groomer told you was a misunderstanding since all guard combs can go longer than 1/2 inch.  The metal Wahl combs can go up to 1 inch and some of the plastic ones can go even longer (although, I prefer my metal wahls over anything plastic) and they can attach to any clipper.

Anyway..I just saw this while googling Petco just to try to see what maybe other Petcos charge for doodles.  Reading this just made me feel kind of bad..and I know I'm a great groomer.  Most of my clients are all doodles.  So, while Petco may have a few crap groomers...you will still find the same problem with several independent salons.

Oh, and yes it's actually pretty easy to nick a dog.  I've only done it once in my years of grooming..EVERY groomer who has been grooming for a significant amount of time has nicked a dog at least once.  If they tell you otherwise they are lying to you.  It doesn't usually happen on well-behaved dogs, and there are groomers who just suck at their job and shouldn't ever hold sharp objects.. but it DOES happen at EVERY grooming shop...  not just Petco...

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