Shaved ears and tail?

[Ronna, Murphy & Wilson]

Before I post a picture...which may be a long time because I can't bring myself to take one......does anyone have a picture of a doodle with SHAVED ears and tail???????

I can beat any groomer horror story you've got....promise!  I am so angry I can't begin to put into words what I am feeling without using numerous expletives.  Murphy had some matting on his tail and coat.  He swims quite a bit and they get worse everytime he gets in the water.  He went to the groomer today and I knew she would need to do some repair work on the ears and take his tail down very short.  I was worried about the tail but had accepted it.  I went to pick him up and he is cut exactly like a Schnauzer.  She shaved his ears and tail along with the rest of his body.  Not only are they shaved they are all choppy with some long pieces here and there.  It is the most awful thing I have ever seen.

Did I mention that my sweet Murphy now has SHAVED EARS and Tail??????

All I can do is cry.

I don't want to post a picture because it is so awful.......everyone here is so supportive and I know you would feel like being kind but it is impossible.  There is no way this can be fixed and there isn't a liar on the earth good enough to be kind about it.

I have never seen a doodle with shaved ears....have you?  Anyone?  Got a picture?

I am going to go back to crying and drinking now. 

[Ronna, Murphy & Wilson]

Hi Carol.  Thank you for your comments and yes I totally understand which is why I said puppy #2 will be brushed everyday from the beginning.  However....Murphy didn't have a single mat on his body..he was already in a puppy cut and had been for months so I do believe she could have done a better job on his body.  There were choppy, longer pieces left in random places and I also knew his tail was coming down short this time but did you see the picture of his tail?  Can you honestly say that had to be left that way?  I don't think so because I took the scissors and shaped it up myself a little on Saturday.

This is also his regular groomer who always tells me he does great for her on the grooming table and she has cut his body down short many times and never left it looking like she did this time.

As someone else suggested, I got a soft baby brush and Murph and I have been working on the brushing thing since Saturday.  Hopefully by the time his hair grows we willhave a brushing/combing routine worked out that we can both tolerate and I can keep up with.

[Stephanie and Jellybean]

I just had a crazy experience with grooming too. Our 9 month old doodle had not had a puppy cut ever, but was brushed everyday from the day we got her. We have boarded her several times at our vet and had her bathed prior to pickup. Never a word about matting. This time, I start getting phone calls telling me her butt needs to be shaved because it is matted. I said I don't think so. Cant you just brush it out and the tech said, yes for an extra $53. Whattttt????? But since I didn't want her butt to be shaved, I agreed. About an hour later, the groomer there called and told me she had to be taken down to the skin because there was matting at the skin level all over her...........I was hysterical because she is constantly brushed. She also told me it was a coat change where one coat is coming in and the puppy coat is going out and the coats were matted together.  Something about this didn't sit right with me, so I picked her up and brought her home. I called a local groomer I was recommended to from this site, brought her in two days later, and guess what??? She left with her entire coat intact. The groomer showed me 3 small matts on her butt and nowhere else. She was stunned that the vets groomer wanted her shaved down.  I was stunned when I picked up my dog and saw her coat. I'm still not quite over it; it has really made me rethink grooming and who will be doing this from this point forward. I was so angry at first, that I thought I should bring the dog into the vets groomer and show her how my dogs entire coat was "saved". And then I just told myself to vote with my checkbook. The new groomer is obviously fabulous.........my only regret is how many times the old groomer shaved down my other dog, a miniature poodle, and I went along with it. Never again

[Carol Brand]

Understand that many owners only see "matts" when they see full on dread locks.  A coat can also be webbed and felted and this makes it almost impossible to pass the clippers through unless you use a very short blade like a #10 (you would think your dog was shaved to the skin if the groomer had used a #10).   Before you took him in to be groomed, could you pass a greyhound comb through his coat?  That is the true test of a mat/webbing free coat.

 

My guess is that the tail was in fact matted and that the clippers did not pass evenly through the hair leaving some parts shorter than others.  Perhaps she should have cleaned the tail up a bit with scissors or just used a much shorter blade like she did on the ears.  Of course then your dog would have been left with a rat tail, but it at least would have been even.

[Linda Colamussi]

hey there, I'm late to the party, but just had this experience too. this one was my bad, I let a few weeks of playing in the water and ocean breezes get the best of his tail and ears, and well, here we go, Jack has a rat tail and floating head. I know it will grow back, but jeesh, the groomer to just shave to the skin with no notice  or approval, well, that wasnt fun, but the worse part is the discomfort Jack is experiencing. His tail is so new to him, it throws off his balance and as the hair grows it tickles him so he is constantly doing circles. (I had to go to the vet just to be sure.)

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

OMD!! Jack definitely got the old schnauzer treatment!! Fortunately the doodle personality remains unchanged regardless of looks!  And he is a really cute faux schnauzer! :) That was one of my biggest complaints about the groomer-they don't give you any WARNING!! I could handle the weird cuts a little better if we had discussed it and I were prepared for them!

[Barbie]

Awe, I think Jack still looks adorable. I just love his coloring.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Poor little rat tail. :-{

[Christie and Jake]

I'm so sorry that happened.  I have been hearing horror stories so I am planning to groom my own doodle except for the sanitary cut.  Bless your hearts.  I know you are mad and upset all at the same time. 

[Steven]

We've been pretty lucky with groomers. My biggest fear is that they clip those beautiful long eye lashes!! I would just cry!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Not poor Murphy!  I just enjoyed his pictures on your page yesterday.  By now, he should be looking much better.