Honesty.
It is something we have briefly covered before on our
Facebook page but I would like to
take a moment to go a little more in depth about why honestly on both
sides of the grooming table is absolutely vitally important.
Have you ever taken your dog to a groomer and asked how they did? Maybe you were told “Oh they were great!” However, in the back of your mind, you have doubts. How could she be great for the groomer when at home she panics at the sight of a brush? Or, you were told she was a perfect angel by one groomer but the next groomer tells you “Well, she certainly didn’t appreciate her brush out and she did fight a little for her nail trim but we made it through! She just needs a little training!” How can that be? Her last groomer never said anything about her being naughty! Which groomer isn’t telling the truth?!
There are a few reasons why some groomers are 100% truthful and others are not. Maybe the first groomer is afraid that if she tells you the truth about your dog, you will not come back. Maybe she doesn’t think the behaviors are anything to worry about. Maybe she wasn’t actually the one who groomed your dog and doesn’t know the whole truth. The second groomer might have less tolerance for naughty behaviors. She might have a different background and can see that with just a little extra effort on training, your dog will learn that brushes aren’t scary and nail trims are not the end of the world. She wants you to know so you can work on things at home. Maybe she has a medical condition such as a bad back or a bad shoulder that means a little naughtiness from more than one dog ends up hurting by the end of the day. Grooming is a very physically demanding job after all! Little aches and pains can add up in a big way after a few days of less than perfect dogs! But we push through because we love what we do.
In this case, are either one of these groomers really lying to you about your dog? Not exactly. Could the first groomer be a little more open? Yes, but again, she might have a different opinion than the second groomer.
What can you expect from us at TLC Pet Services as far as honesty goes? Honesty! We will let you if your dog is wiggly and wormy, squiggly and squirmy. We’ll tell you if they hate the brush out or the bath or the blow dryer. We’ll let you know if they jump around and require two people for nail trims. We will also let you know if they love the bath, love the dryer, hand over their paws willingly for nails. We want you to know exactly how your dog does for grooming so you understand why we book them the way we do. If Toby needs two people for nails, we have to book him on a day when we know both groomers will be in. If Sammy is nervous around other dogs, we want you to know that we need to book him either first thing in the morning so he can get in and out, later in the day when the other dogs have left, or on a day when we know there will only be quiet, well mannered dogs in the salon. We want YOU to be part of that process and we want YOU to understand why. We will never sugar coat behaviors even if other groomers have in the past.
Honesty is a two way street. While we promise to be completely honest with you, we also need you to promise to be completely honest with us. If you know your dog has any problems at all, be they grooming related or not, please let us know. Even though we are a women owned and operated company, there are times when we might have a male coming in to do a minor repair. Our husbands might stop by to give us a hand with something. If your dog doesn’t like men, it is helpful to know just in case! If they are scared of storms, we can keep a close eye on the weather leading up to their appointment. Thunder is very loud in our salon! If they are terrified of dogs bigger than they are or smaller than they are, it helps us know how and when to book their appointments.
If your dog has ever been dismissed from a salon, we need to know why. Does this mean we will not groom them? No. It simply means we will have to approach things differently and be prepared. Where they simply too loud and stressed in the kennel? We can try an express type service where they get groomed straight through and sent immediately home. Were they a safety concern during their bath because they flail around? We can try taking a different approach by tethering them differently, using a different setting on the hose, or even taking a bucket and cup approach if we absolutely have to. Did they bite or try to bite their last groomer? What for? We can evaluate their behavior while being prepared for their reactions.
Even things like medical concerns need to be disclosed with open honesty. Arthritis, hip and back problems, collapsing trachea, lumps and bumps, past injuries, allergies and even separation anxiety can make a difference in the grooming process. While every dog is handled with gentle kindness, if we know your old poodle has arthritis in his hips, we will make every effort to handle his hind quarters as little as possible and as comfortably as possible. If we know your Jack Russel Terrier had a gash that required stitches on their shoulder six months ago, we can be careful brushing that area since it might still be a little tender or odd feeling.
If you are at all worried that disclosing something might mean we automatically turn your dog away, please don’t be! While there may be times when we feel that we are not the best groomer for your dog or that a certain medical condition means they might be safer being groomed at a veterinarian’s office, we will openly discuss all concerns with you. Many times we will be willing to give your dog a chance as long as they are within our weight limits. We have no problem trying as long as you understand that we might not complete the full groom before calling for a pick up.
So please be completely honest with us. Let us know about that dental last week. Or the limp after she chased a rabbit. Or the fact that she didn’t like Uncle Bob over the holidays. We will always be honest with you and your honesty with us only helps!
Have you ever taken your dog to a groomer and asked how they did? Maybe you were told “Oh they were great!” However, in the back of your mind, you have doubts. How could she be great for the groomer when at home she panics at the sight of a brush? Or, you were told she was a perfect angel by one groomer but the next groomer tells you “Well, she certainly didn’t appreciate her brush out and she did fight a little for her nail trim but we made it through! She just needs a little training!” How can that be? Her last groomer never said anything about her being naughty! Which groomer isn’t telling the truth?!
There are a few reasons why some groomers are 100% truthful and others are not. Maybe the first groomer is afraid that if she tells you the truth about your dog, you will not come back. Maybe she doesn’t think the behaviors are anything to worry about. Maybe she wasn’t actually the one who groomed your dog and doesn’t know the whole truth. The second groomer might have less tolerance for naughty behaviors. She might have a different background and can see that with just a little extra effort on training, your dog will learn that brushes aren’t scary and nail trims are not the end of the world. She wants you to know so you can work on things at home. Maybe she has a medical condition such as a bad back or a bad shoulder that means a little naughtiness from more than one dog ends up hurting by the end of the day. Grooming is a very physically demanding job after all! Little aches and pains can add up in a big way after a few days of less than perfect dogs! But we push through because we love what we do.
In this case, are either one of these groomers really lying to you about your dog? Not exactly. Could the first groomer be a little more open? Yes, but again, she might have a different opinion than the second groomer.
What can you expect from us at TLC Pet Services as far as honesty goes? Honesty! We will let you if your dog is wiggly and wormy, squiggly and squirmy. We’ll tell you if they hate the brush out or the bath or the blow dryer. We’ll let you know if they jump around and require two people for nail trims. We will also let you know if they love the bath, love the dryer, hand over their paws willingly for nails. We want you to know exactly how your dog does for grooming so you understand why we book them the way we do. If Toby needs two people for nails, we have to book him on a day when we know both groomers will be in. If Sammy is nervous around other dogs, we want you to know that we need to book him either first thing in the morning so he can get in and out, later in the day when the other dogs have left, or on a day when we know there will only be quiet, well mannered dogs in the salon. We want YOU to be part of that process and we want YOU to understand why. We will never sugar coat behaviors even if other groomers have in the past.
Honesty is a two way street. While we promise to be completely honest with you, we also need you to promise to be completely honest with us. If you know your dog has any problems at all, be they grooming related or not, please let us know. Even though we are a women owned and operated company, there are times when we might have a male coming in to do a minor repair. Our husbands might stop by to give us a hand with something. If your dog doesn’t like men, it is helpful to know just in case! If they are scared of storms, we can keep a close eye on the weather leading up to their appointment. Thunder is very loud in our salon! If they are terrified of dogs bigger than they are or smaller than they are, it helps us know how and when to book their appointments.
If your dog has ever been dismissed from a salon, we need to know why. Does this mean we will not groom them? No. It simply means we will have to approach things differently and be prepared. Where they simply too loud and stressed in the kennel? We can try an express type service where they get groomed straight through and sent immediately home. Were they a safety concern during their bath because they flail around? We can try taking a different approach by tethering them differently, using a different setting on the hose, or even taking a bucket and cup approach if we absolutely have to. Did they bite or try to bite their last groomer? What for? We can evaluate their behavior while being prepared for their reactions.
Even things like medical concerns need to be disclosed with open honesty. Arthritis, hip and back problems, collapsing trachea, lumps and bumps, past injuries, allergies and even separation anxiety can make a difference in the grooming process. While every dog is handled with gentle kindness, if we know your old poodle has arthritis in his hips, we will make every effort to handle his hind quarters as little as possible and as comfortably as possible. If we know your Jack Russel Terrier had a gash that required stitches on their shoulder six months ago, we can be careful brushing that area since it might still be a little tender or odd feeling.
If you are at all worried that disclosing something might mean we automatically turn your dog away, please don’t be! While there may be times when we feel that we are not the best groomer for your dog or that a certain medical condition means they might be safer being groomed at a veterinarian’s office, we will openly discuss all concerns with you. Many times we will be willing to give your dog a chance as long as they are within our weight limits. We have no problem trying as long as you understand that we might not complete the full groom before calling for a pick up.
So please be completely honest with us. Let us know about that dental last week. Or the limp after she chased a rabbit. Or the fact that she didn’t like Uncle Bob over the holidays. We will always be honest with you and your honesty with us only helps!
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