Ear plucking and bad first groom

[Rachelle Rigos]

My poor five month old Koda had his first groom which was a disaster. I asked for an introductory puppy groom and they ended up shaving him all the way down (he was not matted). What's even worse is they plucked his ear hairs out which I wasn't too happy about and now his left ear is really bothering him. When I touch it I hear liquid sounds coming from deep in ear...I'm afraid he's gonna get an infection now. His ears were just fine. Why couldn't they have just left them alone. I feel so bad for him a first experience should not have included such trauma. I'm pissed plus he doesn't even look like a puppy anymore. Who would shave down a five month puppy? Now he just looks like a botched poodle. What should I so about the ears? Thx
Concerned momma.

[Joan Bollaert]

The same thing happented to my beautiful fudgy chocolate Millie.  She had the most gorgeous wavy coat that never matted and beautiful full face with wonderful beard and whiskers.    I wanted her trimmed a little .    When I picked her up I didn't even recognize her.  They clipped all her waves off, cut her ears all the way up and shaved off her entire beard and whiskers, and clipped her legs and feet like a poodle instead of column legs/feet like a labradoodle should be.    Her face looked like a poodle.

I cried and was so upset for weeks. I was beside myself.   I loved the way she looked so much and to have that look taken completely way was horrifying to me.

She is just now starting to look like herself a bit.  It will take another 5 months for her beard to get to the beautiful stage it was at and a few more months for her ears.  Her body is beginning to grow out.

The weird thing is , since they clipped her down, she now has grown in a white-ish stripe down her back...   If she could stand on her hind legs, she looks like she leaned into a wall of wet paint.     She did not have one stitch of white on her entire body when I brought her in for grooming.

The only thing they didn't do was pluck her ears inside, which is what I wanted them to do because that's what should be done.  

They probably put ear solution in your dog's ears and that's what you hears sloshing around.

I'm sorry about your bad experience.  I difinitely can relate and sympathize.   

[Rachelle Rigos]

Thx for the reply! How long did it take for her hair to grow? So sad :(

[Joan Bollaert]

It's been about 2 months and she's just now starting to look somewhat decent, but still it will take awhile for her to get back to where she was and looking like a labradoodle.  

I'm not kidding, the day of her grooming, if she was in a lineup and someone asked me , "is that your dog?", I would have said "no".   That's how different she looked.

[Rachelle Rigos]

Wow...yep same for me...shocking.

[Joan Bollaert]

So, I feel your pain..  lol       Not funny but I can assure you now that it's happening, it will grow back.  Hopefully not a different color going down Koda's back like Millie's.  :(    Maybe she'll be a Clairol girl.   Just kidding. :):)

[Trudy Harlow]

I feel your pain. I have to say that that's why I stay with my dog at the groomer's every time - that is, until I know the one groomer who will take care of my dog and am 100% confident that she will make him look the way I want, not the way she thinks he should look. This can take a long time. If your groomer won't let you stay and supervise, then change groomers. If your groomer doesn't have hours when you can stay with your dog, change groomers.

Regarding ear plucking - the only time my dog's ears have been plucked is when he's had an ear infection. He has very dense hair all the way down his ear canals and from the time he was a puppy 'til he was about 4, when I changed his diet, he had chronic yeast in one of his ears. So we'd pluck that ear and leave the other alone. Now we don't pluck either ear. The ears do not have to be plucked; they will be just fine the way nature made them if you keep them dry. In any case, a groomer should never pluck your dog's ears without your express permission, just as they shouldn't do other invasive things without asking you.

Me? I'd change groomers for sure.

[Joan Bollaert]

Good to know. I'm not good at plucking ears and I was just told to do it because it somehow instigates ear infections due to the air not getting in there. I'd rather not pluck them

[Trudy Harlow]

Joan, my feeling (although who knows) is that constant plucking irritates the ear canal, making it a better environment for infection. I always dry Paddy's ears thoroughly when they get wet and have "tied" his ears back sometimes so air can get in. I tell the groomer NOT to get his ears wet, and she always plugs them up with cotton while she shampoos him and tries not to get water on the cotton. Beyond that, I think that plucking unnecessarily hurts the dog. I can't believe any of them enjoy it. Would you?  ;o)

[Stella]

I tried leaving my boys ears in the recommendation of a new vet. I had plucked them from when he was a puppy because he has suck thick hair in their. Leaving them, in his case, was a very bad idea. The hair grew so thick and long and he really started scratching his ears a lot. When I looked, and began plucking again, there was soo much thick wax in their, it was just gross. He doesn't enjoy having his ears plucked, and I don't particularly enjoy doing it (!!), but he is so much happier if I do it regularly and it keeps his ears cleaner that way.

[Trudy Harlow]

Stella, if he's scratching his ears a lot, you may want to have them checked for yeast or an infection. There is supposed to be wax in ears (check your own!). Extra thick wax may indicate the ear's attempt to protect itself from an infection/yeast. I'm not a vet, but I speak from experience with my own dog. You absolutely can pluck your dog's ears if you want; I'm just saying it's not really necessary unless there's a medical need for it.

[Joan Bollaert]

As I mentioned, I was only repeating what the breeder told me.  No, I wouldn't like my ears being plucked .  Didn't like it when my eyebrows were plucked!  :)    Now, as I'm aging, I hardly have to do that anymore.....  Anyway,  good idea to use cotton balls when bathing.  

From all the grooming of ALD's that I've seen, they always say to pluck the ear hair by just pulling it...it comes out easily.  I didn't find this to be true with mine, but....   The groomers I've watched videos of just use their fingers and it doesn't hurt the dogs at all.  They don't even flinch.  It's the loose hairs in the ear I think they pull out.  No instruments are used.  

[Rachelle Rigos]

Yes! Next time I will ask to be there...I really never want to get him groomed again lol but I know thats not realistic...I hope I can find a good one the next time around and I have certainly learned a lot...no ear plucking, no anal gland expression, bring in pics and checklist etc...really hope his ears feels better tomorrow. ..they look less red since last time I checked...hes still leary when I start investigating though....thx again for the reply!