# What Questions to Ask a Groomer?



## rabernet (Feb 24, 2015)

I'm considering taking Noah to a groomer at some point in the future. When he went to daycare, they had onsite groomers, and I only let them trim his feet and trim his nails and expressly asked that they not cut his ears or anything else. 

But, we don't seem to have many (any) show goldens in my small town that I know of. My obedience trainer has a golden and private show groomer, but not someone available to the general public. And she doesn't know who to recommend to me. 

So - what questions should I be asking a groomer as I try to find someone around here? What specifically should I ask for to make sure they they do not shave him. Seems when people ask for a trim, they sometimes get a shave? I know I could ask "do you have experience in grooming goldens?" but they may say yes, and all their current clients like shaves for all I know. 

Is there a list of things I should tell them I specifically want, or spefic ways I want them done? I love his ears, but I admit they could use some taming down, but I don't want ALL the fluff cut away. I really just want to "neaten" him up a bit, but ensuring he gets cut properly. I hope I'm making sense!

Oh - and Petco/Petsmart are NOT on my list of groomers to ask.


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## Goldens&Friesians (May 31, 2014)

I'm a groomer and the more specific you can be, the better. Granted, I'm also a golden person and an anti-shave groomer (though I still have to do it when people insist). I have some clients who like strictly a bath, brush, and foot trim only. Others like the feathering on the hind legs shortened up. One client has a golden with particularly hairy ears and she likes them left hairy. Another likes the ears slightly trimmed with a thinning shears. One client likes all the feathering shortened a bit-I just run a size D snap on comb over the belly, front legs, and pants (what I call the hind legs feathers). If you only want a brush out with no trimming say so. If you want the feathering shortened up a bit, say exactly how short you want it. i.e. if the feathering is 6 inches long, say you want 4 inches left, or that you only want 2 inches cut off. Just to find out what kind of groomer you are dealing with, you could ask what her opinion of shaving double-coated dogs is. If she seems like she doesn't know what you're talking about or if she says she does it, be very cautious about letting her touch your dog. If she explains why she prefers not to shave them, your dog should be in good hands. Just don't be afraid of sounding too picky-we groomers (or at least me!) actually kind of like very specific instructions because then we are in no doubt of what you want. Tell her how you want the feet, the ears, the tail, the length of the feathering, etc. If you happen to find a photo of a golden and you like how it looks, bring it along to show the groomer-she may not be able to make your dog look exactly like that (the structure, weight, coat-type, etc. may be different and make it hard to make your dog look EXACTLY the same), but it will give her a good idea of what you want. Hope this helps! Let us know how it turns out!


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## rabernet (Feb 24, 2015)

Thank you for taking time to answer my questions! Very helpful!


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## Prism Goldens (May 27, 2011)

I'd be willing to bet your ob trainer's groomer would groom for you. Ask for the name!


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## LibertyME (Jan 6, 2007)

Learning to groom your own dog can be fun too, if you are up for the adventure!


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## Christen113 (Dec 3, 2014)

With a little practice the grooming isn't nearly as hard as you think it is...and luckily their hair grows out fast. There are some great videos on You Tube. Erik Strickland's Strickland Sensations is really good too (but kind of pricey) and Eric Salas used to have some great videos online for free that should be up soon if they're not already. It's a lot cheaper to buy some of the supplies rather than having to constantly take them to a groomer, which at least around here is always a minimum of $85. I took mine here before I had Cooper or had really learned, told them exactly what I wanted and they still got butchered. I'm know there are exceptions, but I think that most of the "pet" groomers just don't understand. Personally, I'd have her give you the contact information for her groomer-I agree with Robin that you'll probably be surprised and she'd probably be happy to groom him. 

I know you're in an apartment--but we bathe in the bathtub in the winter and I got a little sink trap for the kitchen that does a great job catching the dog hair and after I dry him if I do it inside, I just vacuum thoroughly  When I'm not showing Cooper, I towel dry him thoroughly and that does a lot of the work for me. Then I just finish him by drying him (the dryers are the most expensive part-I love my Kool Pup by Chris Christensen) and then I clean up feet, ears, etc. Geib Gators makes some nice straight shears that are about $65 and Kenchii has some really nice thinning shears for $85. Other than that, you pretty much just need the shampoo, towels, some kind of dryer (yours will work, it's just going to take longer and you'll have to do it without heat) and a nice brush. I put peanut butter on the grooming arm and it keeps him still and happy


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