Groomer in Charlotte, NC
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| Hi there and welcome to the forum!!
If a groomer does not have the hours it may take to de-mat the pup, then I'm not too surprised he/she suggested a total shave. It seems to be the default setting for groomers in a hurry. I took Tucker to a lady who does it in her home (sorry, not anywhere near you, but in Ontario), and she spent hours getting out little mats that I didn't even know Tucker had. How old is your pup? (And what is his name? We want some pictures!) Tucker is one year old and has different coats growing in at the same time, which makes for some wicked mats. I never dry him after a bath, but instead I do make sure he is mat-free before he gets so wet (otherwise the hair curls when it dries and mats get even tighter), and then I try to brush him as best as I can while he's wet, which helps. We de-mat him every single day - not all over his whole body, but we'll pick one spot a day on work on it. If the mats are in inconspicuous places (belly, around the collar, etc) I just cut them right out rather than making him suffer through the de-matter (do you own one of them? With the little blade-like things on them? They're awesome). Also, how are you grooming him? You need to line brush and not just brush the hair on top, otherwise you can have a nice fluffy top and still have mats and tangles underneath, closer to the skin. What I would do is de-mat him completely BEFORE you take him to the PetSmart groomer, that way you don't have to worry about them shaving. Just be glad he told you before he shaved - I know some people on this forum sent in their sheepie expecting a trim and picked up a very naked dog. Good luck and keep us posted! (And tell us more about you and your dog!  ) |
| Do a bit of interviewing before you choose a groomer. Find out the groomer's likes and dislikes, experience, training, references, etc. And it never hurts to offer money. Dematting is a tough and time consuming job. Some groomers won't do it because they think it's cruel (if done properly your dog will not feel any pain) and some just don't want to loose money by taking extra time on your dog. You also must try to plan ahead. A demat job can't be squeezed in on a Saturday afternoon, so you should try to schedule at least a week if not two or three ahead of when your dog needs grooming.
I love a clean dog, but I'm not sure I'd bathe a sheepie every week (personal preference, yours may vary). The oils in the coat don't have enough time to recover and you'll end up with more breakage and dry skin issues. Once a month is as much as I recommend for the breed. Of course you can spot clean the feet and face and bum as needed. And whenever you do bathe him always brush and dry thoroughly. The water and friction of the bath will turn the tiniest little snaggles into monster mats in no time if not tended to immediately. Sadly, I don't know any groomers in NC. The two most important questions you can ask your groomer are: do you think it is cruel to demat a dog, and what do you do if a dog has one or two mats? If they answer yes to the first, it won't matter if they are the top groomer in the country, they don't know how to demat properly. If the second answer is shave, well, any groomer who instantly does not have the patience for one or two mats probably won't feel like taking on a large dematting job. Best of luck. Hope this helps. |
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