About Me:

I am a professional Pet Groomer. I have been grooming for 28 years. This Blog is a kind of diary of my work. I wish I had started years ago, writing some of the experiences I have had while grooming. Most days are fun, some can be sad, some can be just down right crazy. If you are a pet owner and come across this blog, I hope it helps you understand how your pet is groomed. If you are a Pet Groomer, I hope you can relate to some of the stories. Maybe even learn a grooming tip or can leave a friendly grooming tip for me. There is always something to learn, no matter how long you have been grooming.

Friday, March 2, 2012

Did I Groom That?

Every once in awhile I get a customer ask me to clip their dog in such a way that I would not choose.

As long as they are not asking me to do something that would hurt the dog, I am game.

I used to work at a Vet/Kennel that had a customer with a Lhasa.
The very first time that I groomed the Lhasa it came in with matted legs.
I was told to only clip the legs and leave the body.
The next time the dog would come in, the body would be matted, and I only clipped the body.

Of course when the body was clipped the dog looked cute in a lamb cut, but clipping the legs and leaving the body...

Well, I am sure you can visualize it.
Just picture a mop walking around on toothpicks.
Apparently that was the routine that the dog had had for a long time.
The owner did not want the entire dog clipped short all at one time.

That was my very first experience feeling that I didn't want an owner to tell anyone who groomed her dog.

I mean really, if you saw an owner walking her Lhasa down the street and it had about 4 inches of hair on its body and it's legs were totally naked, would you take your dog to the person who groomed that dog?

The two Pomeranians that I groomed today didn't look bad when I was done, they just looked a little silly to me.

This owner has been having her Pomeranians clipped over the years, so there was no reason for me to go into my speech about ruining the coats...they are already ruined.


The Poms are Mother and Daughter.

This is the daughter.

Her coat is not as bad as her mothers coat.

The owner wanted both dogs very short, but she wanted them left full around their heads.

I asked if she wanted a Lion cut on them.

No.












She wanted them left full around the head, but also wanted it scissored and shaped up.

So this is what I did to the Mama Pom.







I used a #4F on her body.

Her hair had not grown back as much, from her last hair cut, like her daughter.

I had to follow the same lines that the other groomer had clipped because the hair was not growing back right.

Then I shaped and scissored all around the neck and head.












I guess it is not too bad.

A little silly maybe, but she is very cute.






The daughters coat was a little different.

The hair around her head and neck was silkier than her mothers.

It fell differently around the neck.

So I decided to taper the chest into a point and let the main fall naturally and then shape it up.



I thought that that would look nicer on her than the round head like her Mom.











 It is a little hard to see on this picture.

I could not get her to sit right and look straight at me.

I also used the #4F blade on her body.








 
I guess it is okay if the owner tells people where she got her dogs groomed.
At least the body and legs are the same length. :)

I don't know...
The more I look at them, the more the cut grows on you.

I have a feeling though, that if another groomer sees them, they will think; 'what was that groomer thinking when she groomed them?'

They will be back in 6 weeks.
I guess I will have to wait and see if the owner wants the same cuts next time.

Happy Grooming, MFF

7 comments:

  1. Lol I do cuts like this a lot on poms! My old managers at chain stores were like no don't do that! But a lot of customers absolutely love it. It got me a lot of request dogs. It does grow on you!

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  2. Isn't that the truth! I always want them to wear a sign "My owner WANTED me to look like this!" Oh well, those that pay me, have the power. :)

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  3. Hi Tam,
    I am able to follow the questions that people use to search and reach my blog. The one question that I have seen the most has been about 'The Lion Clip on a Pom'. It does seem to be a very popular clip. I am glad your customers like it.
    Thanks for reading my blog!


    Hi D,
    Haha, little signs around the neck...I like it.

    Lisa, MFF

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  4. Well hopefully the owner if asked who grooms your dogs would say well first let me say my groomer is awesome she cuts my dogs exactly how i want them cut whether she personally likes it or not ....and she is .......I actually had this conversation with my hairdresser a couple of weeks ago..I said Helen what do you do if someone asks you to do something with their hair or cut in a style that you know is going to look foolish...she said i always tell the customer i really dont think that cut would look nice on you or maybe that might not be the best color. But at the end of the day if they dont take my advice and insist on what they want then i do it....thats my job....they are the customer they are paying for the service so if they want it I do it. She added I just hope if someone says who does your hair they explain they thought this was a great idea not me ! lolol

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  5. Hi Anonymous,
    Your hairdresser and I can only hope that that is what the customer would say. lol
    Thanks for reading the blog. :)
    Lisa, MFF

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  6. How about you show her some alternatives? I put together this little collage of cute pom cuts.
    http://dl.dropbox.com/u/29324113/pompom.png

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  7. Hi Ellamennopee,
    LOVE the collage. Really love the white Pom. I have shown her other poms, but she likes the dramatic main. lol
    Lisa, MFF

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