"You shaved my dog"

Top tips from Suzanne O'Sullivan LCGI on customer communication when dealing with matted dogs

Suzanne O'Sullivan LCGI owner of Dogsbody

As if a severely matted dog isn't daunting enough for an inexperienced or novice groomer, anyone who has been on the receiving end of the " YOU SHAVED MY DOG !!" rant will know it's at the very least unpleasant, and at most something which you would rather not repeat too often. 
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We were all rookies once, and we all remember the struggles to find a blade and a method that would remove the straight-jacket of hair from some unfortunate dog while causing the least amount of discomfort and stress to dog and groomer. When you finally complete the job and both of you feel relieved, the very last thing you need is the owner arriving back to their "bald" dog and going off on an explosion of abuse about how you have destroyed their dog, shouldn't be in business and so on and so on. We have all been there, yes we know they're in the wrong, they facilitated the neglect that led to this situation and they are entirely responsible for the consequences. The best thing they could do is man up and admit they should have brushed the dog or at least called the groomer in before this point. But no, attacking that groomer is often their ploy, and it can be anything from disheartening to downright upsetting for us. Owners have no concept really of what clipping a matted coat entails, but it is our job to open their eyes.

​No owner likes to be shocked, put yourself in their shoes for a minute. Not particularly doggy-minded, the kids take preference.... they read in a magazine once that kids should have a dog so off they went shopping on the internet and now that cute puppy stinks, so you're hired to clean it up. Without any consultation between groomer and owner, or just a quick " this will need to be a short haircut today" - who can blame the owner and kids for being shocked and appalled? As groomers we see this every day but these are your average ignorant people, and it is wise , professional and fair to sit them down and chat about what's going to happen here.

Be prepared;

• Take photos of a few different breeds clipped short, start a portfolio of Bichon, Shih Tzu, Westie, Crossbreed etc etc whenever you have a 7f-all- over-type haircut ( head included as sometimes you'll have to take head and all off so make sure your photos show them with and without cute scissored heads)
• Get a piece of VetBed. (This is a furry type bedding.) Mark out a series of vertical lines about a clipper blade width apart, then clip the first one with a #10, next with a #7f, 5f,4f, 3f and longer if you wish. It's important the Vet Bed is brand new as it will go lumpy after it's washed and no use for this. Your owner will be able to see what length they can expect their dog to be when finished, based on you assessment of the matts. Otherwise you will have to make them visualise a whippet, labrador etc to get the image of a clipped dog.
• Use a slicker brush AND comb on the dog during this consultation, to demonstrate how difficult/ impossible it would be to keep any coat ( in the seriously matted cases). This is for the people who swear blind that they brush the dog "every day". Ask them to try it themselves! It's all about getting them to understand and accept the they have reached a point where the options with their dog are limited to clipping short and starting all over again. But an owner's view of short and our view of short are two different things! 
• Explain how and why their lack of brushing and possible over-bathing have led to this. Bore them, if necessary, whatever it takes to accept that this has nothing to do with you, it has everything to do with them and you are the only person that can make things better. Go through skin/ coat damage and what potentially lies beneath this pelt, and what you might find.
• If you choose to use a disclaimer form for these situations, now is the time to produce it. It may make them think that your magic wand is out of action and there is actually more to this job than they think.
• Finally, I have learned over the years that tetchy owners who dislike being lectured, stop listening after a while..... so if I am still getting the vibe that they're just not getting it and looking very doubtful about having a whippet, I always ask them ; " Would you like to have a think about this before I go ahead?" Although it's generally a dog that needs help badly, I would sooner have them go away and think about it or even go elsewhere than give me a feed of abuse for something that they caused.

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It's all about communication with your clients. If you've had to clip a 10 month old Yorkie who was matted solid, his first experience of grooming hasn't been the nicest, so he may go home to his whole family gasping and pointing at him.... suddenly everyone is completely different towards him . So he goes under chairs and hides away and appears "traumatised" by that bad groomer. Turn it around, warn the owner this might happen so tell them that it is important to treat him as normal, so the psychological effects are not blamed on you. 

I ALWAYS keep the matted coat , and I show the owner before they see their dog. I demonstrate how difficult it is to pull apart, so impossible while still attached to the dog. In cases where the owner is very shocked, I will generally keep the coat for the days following the groom. I have had situations where the husband has called to have a row after the wife has brought the dog home and proceeded to bad mouth me all over the locality. It's always useful to have that coat in your possession, though they rarely follow through on their threats in my experience. 

​Suzanne O'Sullivan LCGI