# Horrible first grooming experience for my 14 week spoo! &#x1f61e; Asking for advice o



## JEC25 (Oct 13, 2019)

I brought in a photo to a groomer for a trim and shaved face. I came back and my puppy was completely shaved! And her poor face was all marked up:-( It is also a pretty bad cut because her face isnt shaved on the sides to the ears or underneath? It looks very odd. This was one week ago and her face is beginning to heal. I'm not sure if I should take her to a new groomer (and do research to find the best one) or if I should do it myself? She let's me touch her face and did amazing for her first groom, til the face shave and the groomer said she struggled. I just wish that she told me this instead of going forward, because I'd rather come back and do baby steps rather than risking hurting my baby and ruining her first experience. I don't want her to be scared or hurt again. I wanted that puppy cut or teddy bear cut. Any advice?! Should I wait 4 weeks to go back, or this week can I get her the sides of her faces done?


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## Vita (Sep 23, 2017)

Was the groomer drunk or spaced out on drugs? That's the worst disaster job I have ever seen by anyone, even by owners attempting clips for the first time themselves. The face work is inexcusable. Wrong size blade used, and the opposite of a teddy bear face; shaggy ears, no visible feet trim, uneven body trim, just an overall bad job. 

So sorry this happened to you. 

If the groomer worked at a shop, send the photos to the owner and ask for a refund. I wouldn't expect one, however, b/c an owner of a good shop would have seen this person's work before hand, but for whatever reason hired that groomer anyway. 

Well, thankfully hair grows back and she should be looking great again before Christmas. She's a very pretty dog, and she trusts you, my suggestion is to wait for her hair to grow out a lot more and comb her gently each day until you take her to a NEW grooming shop. 

Maybe start off with a short visit at a new shop where the two of you only watch. If you're lucky you'll see a groomer finishing a Standard Poodle, or ask when one comes in so you can see the work. 

Also don't let a groomer express the anal glands (my opinion, others here may differ, and my shop never does these); if done improperly it can cause damage.


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## Moni (May 8, 2018)

Absolutely horrible! When I did my very first careful steps into being a home groomer - with zero experience and training - my dog looked better than that! I would recommend you start home training for grooming right now. To undo the damage done by this hack job - mainly the psychological trauma - hair always grows back. I always say with the amount of training you have to do for the dog to be ready to be professionally groomed by a stranger you might as well do it yourself.


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

Poor baby ! It looks bad but apricots have very sensitive skin and easy to cut. Black and whites are easier for beginners.

I would try to find a very experienced breeder, one who will make her experience great and go with that. It will be more expensive, but worth it. Unless you feel very confident and want to try it yourself.


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## SamieNorman (Aug 9, 2019)

This angers me SO much. What is wrong with that groomer???

First thing I would do is report it and leave a truthful review of them on all of their social medias and on google. Let everyone know.
This is WRONG and others need to be warned so this does not happen to their pets. I would include the photos you have of her poor cut up face. This is the work of a terrible person who clearly has no training or cares. I'm no grooming pro, but I can assume they saw the dog hurting from this cuts and would know to stop??!! They need to be stripped form their duties and never touch a animal again... 

So sorry this has me heated... I take animals so seriously, especially because they cannot speak for themselves. We do not deserve animals, especially with how cruel humans can be.

Why would that groomer cut that short?? Mistakes happen... but this is clearly not a small accident or slip up. 
Why would they think your puppies face is well done with those cuts??? Did they make you pay for this hack job and cruelty??? There is clearly broken skin which I consider cruelty to an animal. I do not hold back feelings when it comes to this. 

Next, look into another groomer or do it yourself. I would do Norman's face and feet myself, but I do not have the confidence. Doing it yourself can save you a lot of money too!

Really hope she is ok. I am glad you're not considering returning to that other place. So so so sorry this happened to her and you. I cannot imagine how you feel. Sending hugs and kisses to you and your sweet pup!!! xoxoxoxo


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Apricots and other light colored dogs tend to have sensitive skin so they used way too short a blade for a baby dog with unconditioned skin and puppy wiggles. That and that they went very short on the face like that are signs of someone who doesn't know how to groom poodle pups. DON'T GO BACK TO THE SAME SHOP!


Since she has been hurt over grooming I would not necessarily try doing her yourself just now, but instead look for a really good groomer who knows poodles and have them do the next few grooms to help her trust the experience more than she will right now. Later on you can try yourself with light trims on face and feet between the visits to a shop. Gradually you can add to your skill set and what parts of it you do yourself.


BTW remember that there is a lot of work to maintaining a nice looking teddy bear face.


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## Click-N-Treat (Nov 9, 2015)

I am so sorry. Just awful. By all means ask for a refund. And never, ever, go back there.

No, you should not touch his face and do the sides right now. Just leave it all to heal and grow. You can play pretend grooming with a shaver that is turned off. Show the puppy the clipper and treat. Gradually work your way to where you can hold the clipper to the dog's face. All with it off. Pretend grooming where nothing bad happens can help.

Man, I am angry! So sorry this happened.


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## Raindrops (Mar 24, 2019)

Wow this is so upsetting. I feel like my dog is on the difficult end of the spectrum and I've still never had any disasters. I have only once had a super minor nick on his face. And after that I go with a 15 instead of a 40 for safety. Groomers should know when to back off for safety. I would definitely never go back there. I think being able to do a face and sanitary trim is good for all owners, so I think working with her slowly by yourself is a good idea, but you may also want professional help to make sure she has a good experience with the full body clip next time.


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

OMG, I’m so angry for you and your poor dog. There is nothing right here, just a mess. How cruel of this person. I hope you didn’t pay for this malpractice groom. 

Groomers know that puppies and especially light colored dogs have sensitive skin and you don’t start with a very close shave until their skin is conditioned and ready for it and go only as short as the skin can tolerate. 

Your poor baby, that’s animal abuse. Is there someone who specializes in poodles where you live who you can take your do in the future. A decent groomer should know how to do the basic, popular clips for poodles and normally they are fine to go to. But given the trauma you went through, I would want an extremely accomplished groomer to help ease your dog through. 

I wouldn’t clip your dogs face for awhile. Looks like there’s some healing of damaged skin and you will want to desensitize your dog for the next time. 

As mentioned above run a shaver or similar object on her face and reward good response with copious treats fade-in the treats down over time. Once your dog accepts a shaver touching the face you can turn it on briefly to vibrate without a blade and slowly increase the time and where your dog is calm getting touched. If you don’t have a shaver use a. Electric toothbrush which also vibrates and makes noise. 

Hopefully you can put this behind you. 

I groom myself and found it works best for my dog, but when you first begin your nervous and tentative plus it takes longer to groom. Given this terrible experience I think it’s better for your dog to have and experienced groomer who will be able to work quickly, smoothly and with authority which will help your dog heal from this botched mess. So sorry.


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

This has my heart racing. Your poor trusting pup. I'm so sorry. 

I like the advice to stick to mock groomings for a while, while you look for someone really great. I called and spoke with four groomers before I landed on one that I trusted. 

The woman we currently use books appointments at least once a month for the first year of a pup's life, slowly working up to "the works." She studies dog behaviour, actively advertises that she will work with difficult or sensitive dogs, and is overall just extremely knowledgable and has GOOD energy. Peggy gets little training sessions every time she goes and never leaves without running back to her groomer for kisses.

I hope you find someone like that for your little girl.


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## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

I am so sorry this happened. Why in the heck did the groomer shave off the top knot? I was lucky to already have experienced groomers, and for Buck’s first visit, I told them to do what they could manage and keep it positive. Find another groomer or save your self lots of money by DIY. I hope you get a refund!


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## Rose n Poos (Sep 22, 2017)

Your poor puppy. I'm on my 4th apricot/red/cream mini poo and it's very true that their skin is more sensitive to razor burn. More than once someone zigged when they should have zagged and you'll get a nick or a too close bit. 

This is beyond that. Looking at your pups face, that comes across, if not as anger, as the groomer determined that your pup was going to learn to be groomed whether pup was ready or not. It's that or the groomer has no idea how to read dogs, let alone groom them. One nick or close bit is understandable. This is not. 

I would report to the owner, to the head of the company, social media, get my money back and get an apology. We go to these businesses, these individuals in good faith, trusting that they know their business and will look after your pup as if he or she were their own. This groomer, this business did not fulfill their part of this bargain. 

Let your little girl heal, physically and mentally from this before trying a real groom again. The other members have given good suggestions for interviewing groomers and practicing til then. If you haven't already, start a list of potential groomers then in a couple of weeks, take your pup and yourself to these shops without calling ahead. Go see the energy of the shop and how your pup responds to the people in person. Once you've found someone that you think is worth a try, take your pup in for those short visits. Get her up on the table, get sweet talked, brushed and given treats, then stop. Let her get used to the shop environment again too, in small doses. 

Hope you and your girl are past this soon.


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## asuk (Jan 6, 2017)

Change groomer pronto. Looks like a dull blade was used too. Like others, I won’t bother with fixing it but lots of positive associations with grooming tool for a little bit. I have never groomed a dog till milo and even my first time didn’t look like that. 

I also echo lily that teddy bear cut is a lot of maintenance. Right now she is a young pup, I”d keep a short cut all over with a to knot and tail pom till coat change.


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## Mufar42 (Jan 1, 2017)

Oh my! I'm so sorry, where did her top knot go? I do imagine it being a first groom the puppy probably did not cooperate too well however if that groomer I feel didn't know what they were doing. I would most definitely not go back. When I got my poodle I contacted the local poodle club & rescue and I was put in touch with a local groomer who is wonderful. I also had another person from the club step up and say they would help tach me to groom him myself. Unfortunately our schedules never matched up but I am quite pleased with my groomer. I told her from the get go not to stress or stress him more than necessary and basically just keep him where I could manage him between grooms. I think she did a good job. Sometimes his paws came out too short where they looked irritated but on her own she adjusted how she was trimming him seeing his paws were more sensitive. A good groomer will work with you and your dog and while you may not initially get the cut you want she will work toward it. I would keep going to a good groomer and as Lillcd mentioned do a little in-between to touch up. We have been going every 4 weeks as I thought he needed that to get use to the groomer and to being groomed.


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## Latte12 (Jan 3, 2016)

*Poodle Grooming*

Hi, Only the best for my poodles. If you must go to a groomer, never go back if they hurt your dog. All sorts of things happen at a groomer's, that's why most shops have the grooming tables out of sight. We had an excellent groomer, award winning trophies in her shop, but she would cut the nails to the quick and I hated that. When I retired I taught myself how to groom the dogs and we have been happy ever since. :angel2::angel:


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## Vee (Mar 2, 2018)

I would do it yourself! You can't do a worse job than that. And oh my god! Those lines are just shocking!! Pure pup. I wouldnt even expect a groom like that from someone who's never touched a pair of clippers before or a dog! Should be shut down


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## Maggied (Sep 6, 2018)

*Grooming disaster.*

I agree with everyone who says bag the groomer. A friend's pup's tongue got caught in the grooming shears at Petco! I have heard other disastrous stories. One of the big pet stores has had dogs die during grooming. I'm afraid that people are entering the field because it pays good money for short training. I took mine to a really good groomer here, who allowed some sort of novice to work on her for 8 hours and still not have got to her head when I insisted on taking her out. I would agree that grooming them yourself is the best bet. I don't have the talent, but have given mine some haircuts. Fortunately, she isn't vain. 


In fact, she returned from her first grooming experience, for me, paranoid about her feet being touched. She even snapped at first. Naturally, I was never told what happened. I have started with a mobile groomer, well recommended. My pup is done in an hour and a half. There is a standing invitation to visit the van during grooming. I hope it continues to go well.


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## kontiki (Apr 6, 2013)

Terrible! Poor puppy. Definitely do reviews both to the shop and online so others are forewarned. Never go back.

I have a cream Spoo whth sensitive skin and still only use a 10 blade at age 10 years. I care immensely for his comfort.


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## bvostmyer (Jan 12, 2019)

This is exactly why I am doing my own haircuts at home for my soon to be nine month old puppy. And I will be attending all sessions with a groomer until I find a good one with some hard to find patience.


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## dogsavvy (Mar 6, 2015)

I'm so sorry this happened to you. Poor pup. Like everyone else has said, report it to the shop owner, do not go back. I groom my own. You can go look at my thread entitled something like 'glad hair grows back'. What you do won't look as bad as what happened there & if it does at least you know your pup is being handled with care & safety. 

I did my pup in tiny baby steps so yes, he did look like he was pulled out of an old moth riddled closet from time to time but it was all about his training on the groom table. Puppies get the wiggle-fidgets. That just goes with it. Burns my biscuits when a groomer just forges ahead with a pup no matter what & then they get mad when the pup is bad on the table as it gets older. "Well, idiot, you reap what you sew!" (Sorry, I'm a trainer & I have had to fix a lot of problems from people who claim to be groomers but are far from professional or dog savvy. Apparently I still have some bad-groomer-aggression.)

Whether you go find yourself a pro (by that I mean a real dog groomer who understands to begin with a puppy with the end in mind. A good groomer understands that if they play their cards right, they may have this pup as a client for many many years so they want to start a pup like that right) or if you decide to go at this on your own, your pup will be okay & thankfully it's just hair. Believe me I said that a thousand times as I looked at Mr. Layne with his many very weird hair cuts given by me. He's starting to look better & in the mean time because I put his training first, it's paying off in big ways for me on the grooming table. I will be more than happy to help if you have questions & I know the folks here have been very a treasure trove of advice, suggestions that work.


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## mvhplank (Dec 5, 2012)

That's very sad. I live in fear that something like that might happen, so I won't use a groomer unless I can sit there and watch. I also help hold, brush, and dry, if there's room on both sides of the grooming table. (One groomer I like has her table up against a wall--no room for it otherwise.)

Usually, though, I do my own grooming. I'm semi-retired, so I have the time. And, importantly, I have only one poodle to try to keep looking nice! I don't know what I would do with two standard poodles.

Marguerite


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## hazardmuffin (Feb 22, 2019)

Your poor baby!! Oh, I am so upset for her. What a disaster of a groom, there is nothing about this situation that is excusable.

I would certainly never take her back to that groomer! My suggestion would be to do a LOT of research into her new groomer if you don't want to groom her yourself. Find someone experienced and reputable. As a groomer myself who has worked in both corporate and private shops, let me tell you there are all kinds out there. I've worked with people who I would NEVER let touch my dog. Once saw a groomer shave down two standards with a #7 blade, only to be faced with a VERY angry mom who told me her dogs were meant to be in fluffy lamb trims! And the groomer had no explanation as to how she messed that up! Some groomers are rough, some have no patience, some lack compassion and try to "make" their dogs behave. Boy, am I glad I don't work with anyone like that anymore! My point is, you have to be careful about who you are entrusting your baby to. I hope nothing like this happens to her ever again!

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk


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