When I was a child I had a mixed free dog. This was in the late 80s early 90s. We brushed her with a human brush and probably washed her in human shampoo or some cheap flea shampoo for dogs that smelled like medication.
I remember when we discovered doggy deodorant and sprayed it on her to smell good do not get me wrong she was bathed regularly and brushed regularly and in very good health but we did not know too much about the grooming situation.I remember when we discovered doggy deodorant and sprayed it on her to smell good do not get me wrong she was bathed regularly and brushed regularly and in very good health but we did not know too much about the grooming situation.
As an adult I actually bought my first Chihuahua mix a dog brush and of course bought her the same flea type shampoo that smelled like medication because it was cheap and I did not know what I was doing. Then with my next dog I remember learning about dog groomers I started taking her to different dog groomers because she was a sheep dog mix and trying to learn more about brushing her and Dog products. It was all overwhelming and expensive so I really did not know where to go with that.
I remember thinking that she smelled so much better when the groomer gave her a bath and I did and it really frustrated me. The groomer was helpful and gave me some ideas about doggy deodorant that I could spray on her but it was expensive!
Is that got into my 30s and had different dogs started on my Journey with Shetland sheep dogs. I got a self cleaning pin brush which was not effective with brushing my double coated dogs. then I double coated dogs. I got a D matting rake which was helpful with a shelties. I started asking more questions. Some groomers were willing to help and give you information while others just wanted you to spend your money in the salon. Also I learned different groomers had different levels of skill and so I really needed to know what was important to me.
Example some groomers were willing to cut my double coated dogs down just fine well others told me not to but never told me why. They were just pushy and said I wouldn’t cut those dogs down if I were you but they never said it could damage their health.
When I did the wrong things due to ignorance,And I struggled with the brushing process they just cut my dogs down shorter. They never gave me any ideas or helpful hints to keep my dogs free from Matt‘s and fluffy.
I continually said I don’t know what I’m doing. I understand it’s not a groomers job to educate me but I just did not know where to go or who to ask.One groomer said you need to bring your dog to be groomed more often and acted like I was a bad person well she never got my business again.
I just kept going and trying new groomers asking more questions the Internet was not as available so I didn’t have that as an option. So many people in my area we’re doing the same things. I did not even know how many brushes there were that there were different types of dog shampoo and that different dogs had different coats so they need a different products.
I bathe the dogs and Dawn dish soap because that was supposed to help with fleas and be healthy so I did. Another friend said only use human shampoo because that was better.
As an experience as I was in 2017 I got a bee Sean which demands lots of grooming and lots of care but her hair was so pretty well when I first got her she had been cut with a surgical blade so I knew that wasn’t right by her old owner and she looked terrible. I had to wait for her hair to grow back and then I took her to another groomer. Who almost gave me the wrong dog when I came to pick her up. I still wasn’t really happy with her haircut so I just kept on trying different places.
I Paid a dog walker who is excellent at brushing her out. And she always looked great. I kept trying different groomers. Most of them did not know how to cut a be Sean. Fun fact the grooming industry is totally unregulated. Anyone who wants to can be a groomer where they have education or not. I prefer the ones to have had some education but other people are just fine with one too have not. I also think it has to do with, what kind of dog you have, and what you want done with that dog. If you just want them bathe then brushed out yes lots of people can do that without education but if you want a haircut that’s suited to the breed that takes a little more skill not to say it has to be from some sort of formal education but in my experience it works out better when it has been.
Later in the game I learned about the unregulated grooming industry I also learned that groomers were supposed to be tipped. I had no clue I also learned that some groomers groomed dogs on a specific schedule not just when you call. I also learned about all sorts of groomers. There are groomers who take appointments , are groomers that are same day, their are groomers that stack dogs and have tons of dogs dropped off all at the same time. I even found a groomer who basically said every dog needs to be dropped off by 12 no appointments she grooms was there that day and you don’t have to worry about making an appointment. There are also groomers who make an appointment and groom that dog in the next dog only comes in when the first dog is finished that way that groomer does not have to deal with a bunch of dogs all at one time.
The grooming industry is full of information and it’s just a matter of finding it. I started learning about different types of shampoo at one point in time every time I found a cheap type of dog shampoo that had a good scent I bought it. I had so many different ones and just kept trying them out. I learned about shampoo with conditioner shampoo without conditioner waterless shampoo whitening shampoo. So many options.
I continue to ask groomers questions one groomer told me most owners do not know how to
groomer said most dog owners do not know how to properly brush out their dog,and are probably using the wrong brush. I asked some questions and she gave me some answers. I have found though it’s very hard to get them to tell you anything but I will say a good groomer is going to want you to brush out your dog and is at least going to tell you what kind of brush to get and maybe even what kind of shampoo. That is not going to take away from their business. So if your groomer is not willing to even help you with that maybe you should try to move on?
With everything going up in price grooming including I decided I needed to do something different first of all my groomer was charging me fees for my dogs being mad and I did not want that to continue plus then you have to have your dog cut really short. I started reading, taking online classes watching videos listening to podcast I had to be able to learn something. Finally with a last stitch effort I employed a friend to help me out who is actuallyCosmetologist which is very different but that was the best thing I had I bought a pair of dog clippers and we sat out on an adventure to learn together.
I’m not saying I will never use a dog groomer again because I’m sure I will but I’m going to try to do as much as I can. A few years ago I had a groomer that would come to the house, she Took care of the nails, brushing, and clipping/trimming. I took care of all the bathing. I got a wand to hook to my shower so that I could have a handheld device to rinse the dogs with and stop using a cup that was one of my major problems with bathing my dogs I couldn’t rinse them well with a cup. Not to say no when can I just can’t. I also got a suction cup to tether to the collar to help hold them inside the tub. Which illuminate some of the frustration and stress. I also got specially formulated bathing towels for dogs to dry them. Next I want grooming tables blow dryers and things like that but that will take time. Bathing the dogs is a lot easier with all the new things I have to help me. The dogs are getting used to the process. Not sure if I will always have a cosmetologist friend to come help but who knows. Not sure how self-sufficient this process will be but any little bit I can do at home helps.

Paws of Happiness 