# Grooming--reasonable expectations? costs?



## billsharp

We took Liesl in this weekend to Petco for a bath and groom ($36). This includes clipping her nails, cleaning her ears, and "15 minutes of brushing" after the bath.

When I picked her up it seems to have all been done, but she had a LOT of loose hair on her. I took her home and brushed her for several minutes and removed several brushloads of hair. 

Am I off base to expect to get her back without having to brush her immediately to remove hair? Could it be that she is blowing her hot weather coat as a new winter coat comes in and that is the reason for all the shedding? Am I paying too much/little for this service? Is Petco an ok place for grooming, or should I steer clear of it?

Any advice and recommendations are appreciated!


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## Packen

Wash, brush and cut her nails yourself! a good bonding and $$ saving opportunity!


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## qbchottu

billsharp said:


> *Is Petco an ok place for grooming*, or should I steer clear of it?


There's your first problem! 

Maybe there are good Petsmart/Petco groomers out there; I've just never come in contact with one. I've used Petsmart once or twice for a grooming when I had Goldens...I always felt like it was a waste and that I could have done a better job myself. Last year, I took my mix for a nail cut. They gave her back to me with her nails still clicking on our way out the store 

I just do all the grooming myself now. The initial investment can be a little pricey, but worth it in the long run. Cheaper, easier on the dog and I know that the job gets done! There are tons of great, affordable products out there now for home grooming. Unless I get a very hairy, hard to manage breed in the future, I am sticking to home grooming from now on!


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## vicky2200

I would never take my dogs to Petco/Petsmart for grooming. That being said, no matter what season it is, my dog will still have TONS of loose fur after 15 minutes of brushing. I wouldn't waste money getting a shepherd professionally groomed. It is easy. They should only need a bath a couple times a year unless they roll in something. I use the hose during the warm months and try not to bathe the big dogs when it is cold. If you cant do the nails, you can take them into your vet and have them done. My vet charges $7 but I usually do it myself.


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## msvette2u

15 min. of brushing was not enough obviously...!

And when you pay for 15 min. that's what you're going to get. 
I typically bathe and brush my own dogs, but when I go elsewhere, I've paid $40-45 and gotten a well-groomed dog at the end of it. Not only are they brushed and blown out, they are trimmed up as well, feet and elsewhere including a sanitary clip plus nails are done.


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## VonKromeHaus

As a groomer, I can tell you, you get what you pay for. It is a service industry and for some reason people look down on groomers. 

At the shop I work at, we charge anywhere from $45-65 for a GSD depending on the dog. If it is a huge GSD full of coat, we charge more for a full de-shed, if it is an aggressive dog, we charge more. Etc. 

I don't push corporate grooming shops. Find a nice private mom and pop shop and you'll get some good service as long as the shop comes recommended and has good reviews. 

One thing that most people don't do is TIP. We are HairStylists for your dogs, we APPRECIATE tips. They aren't required but they are nice and we always remember who tips and who doesn't.


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## billsharp

Thanks for the input. I do usually bathe her myself, and she lets me clip her nails with no problem, but I was busy and she was smelling and the wife was complaining--you know the story.

I do think I'll find a mom and pop for those times when we want to just drop her there and not have to fool with it ourselves. Looks like if I pay a little more I may get better service. Thanks.


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## ChancetheGSD

I had a free groom at Petsmart and got Gretchen done 2 weeks ago. The girl did a pretty good job on her imo. I think it really comes down to who does it. I worked for some "groomers" in a small shop owned by a couple who washed the dogs ears out with SHAMPOO!! I kid you not. He told me to squeeze shampoo onto the rag and dig my finger in the dogs ears to clean them (No rinsing afterwards so basically just leave shampoo in the dogs ears) when I asked where the ear cleaner was. Somehow they've been in business for 20 years through not only poor grooming, poor pet keeping (Kennels smelled like straight up urine and feces to the point I would get sick going and caring for the dogs. Obviously nobody was allowed to tour before dropping off their pets because of the conditions), safety hazards (wet towels all over the floor for "keeping the floor dry", plastic crates stacked half way up the wall with no security, cords all over the floor, ect) but LAWSUITS!! They had dogs getting ears and limbs chewed off through the kennels, dogs getting sick in their care, ect. Needless to say, I quit pretty **** fast. I think bad and good groomers come from all shops, regardless of being small family owned or being a corporate shop. Obviously it's nice to keep the small guys in business when possible though.

With that said, if you're up for grooming yourself then I'd invest in a good force dryer (Can be bought for around $100 on places like Wholesale Pet Supplies, Dog Grooming | PetEdge.com) which can be used on a wet or dry dog to blow out the coat. This is the "secret" to deshedding double coated dogs, but some groomers don't take the time to really get down in the coat and work at it. I'd suggest doing it outside or in an easy to clean room because it'll be like a flurry of hair -everywhere- as soon as the dryer hits. Get down in the coat with the hose and work your way around the dog. It'll do a better and quicker job than brushing will (Though you may still want to "tame" the coat with a brush afterwards for a nice finish) and also after a bath, it'll completely dry the dog so that you don't get doggy odor or possible infections from moisture being trapped under the coat.


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## doggiedad

if i were taking my dog to be groomed i would have
given him a thorough brushing (brushing in all directions
with an under coat comb) before going to the groomer.
then i would brush him again when he came home.


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## blackmeadow

I've heard so many horror stories about PetCo/Petsmart groomers. I'm sure there are decent ones out there, but... it's just not worth it. A woman I knew took her BC in, and when the dog came home she was lethargic, vomiting and acted like she was in pain. Supposedly, she was "restrained for trying to bite one of the groomers". I don't believe it at all, really.


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## Stosh

I've taken Stosh to Petsmart several times and they do a good job. I do brush him before I take him and since he's long-coated he needs to be brushed after he comes home, even though they do brush him. The biggest reason I take him there is he absolutely LOVES going, he gives everyone big wags and kisses and they love seeing him come in so that goes a long way with me. And I do tip so that goes a long way with them!


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## ozzymama

To me using Petsmart/Petco for a groomer is akin to going to like First Choice Haircutters - sure you might get a good one, but they seem to have a high turn over of staff and sometimes you might as well flip a bowl over your head and do it yourself.
Hair after grooming can happen, baths can really loosen up that dead undercoat, think if you take your dog swimming - they will throw considerably more coat after, also why so many of the doggy pools require the dog be groomed frequently and professionally. 15 minutes of brushing, is probably what many people do themselves on a daily or semi-weekly basis. I can brush both mine, starting at the head, get the backside done, run the brush over the front again and pull even more hair, the skin and follicles have been stimulated. Plus the oils are getting redistributed.
Shop around, try a few different groomers, typically you get what you pay for, but you also might get a situation like I have where it's supply and demand, there isn't demand for giant breed grooming, so I pay more than if I went somewhere that does it a lot. Ask for referrals from friends, family, co-workers, people at pet shops, your vet


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## Freestep

With corporate grooming places like Petsmart, you never know what you're going to get. Their own "training" is a 2 or 3 week course, which is downright scary--no way would I let a groomer with 2 or 3 weeks of training loose on other people's dogs. I don't think I was really proficient until after a YEAR or so of training.

Regarding the loose hair--without actually seeing the dog after he was groomed, I can't really assign judgment. I can say there is no way to get every last hair off a GSD, especially when you have a 15 minute time limit on brushing. The fact is, bathing loosens up the hair, and by the time you've brushed out all the hair you can see, more will have fallen out by the time the dog goes home. 

However, I can tell when a dog has not been thoroughly brushed out vs. a dog that is simply shedding a ton of hair. It's hard to describe but I know it when I see it. Did you take a picture right after he was groomed?

$36 is a rock-bottom price for a GSD, so keep that in mind too.


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## onyx'girl

One of my dogs is a pain to do nails so I take him to a groomer friend. She charges $8 for nail trims/I pay 15. I'd never take my dogs somewhere that I didn't know the person or trust them. I've been in big box stores and watch the groomers...scary sometimes, and I feel so bad for the dogs!


I bathe my dogs myself and enjoy brushing them out. I can't imagine letting my dogs go to the point that they'd need a professional to get out the coat. I'd love a blow dryer, though!
I brush my dogs several times a week, and always get loose undercoat, never ending. And their nails grow so quickly, I try to keep them short, but it is a battle! Hate to hear the clicking on the floors, but at least I know where the dogs are.


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## FrankieC

ozzymama said:


> To me using Petsmart/Petco for a groomer is akin to going to like First Choice Haircutters - sure you might get a good one, but they seem to have a high turn over of staff and sometimes you might as well flip a bowl over your head and do it yourself.


LOL! I go to First Choice mostly because of their hours. It's so true about the turnover and I am sure they use stage names.. Bambi, Amber, Tiffany, Mercedes.  I keep looking for the pole!  

Anyways, I digress..

I have gone to our local Petsmart on a few occasions and observed the grooming room. They seem competent but I rarely see any medium or large breeds there.


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## JesseC

I found a mobile dog groomer that came to my house which made it a lot easier than going to a shop. I prefer that then the shop. But found its safer to go with a big company like Petco or a certified groomer that has insurance. I looked up mobile pet groomers and saw a thread where a dog got scared and hurt by jumping off the table. So after that, I made sure the groomer I choose had dog grooming insurance. 

So all in all I prefer Mobile as long as they are a business because they come straight to your house a huge van and have all tools.


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## David Winners

8 year old thread


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## dogfaeries

David Winners said:


> 8 year old thread


As a groomer I got nosey and wanted to see what prices people were paying. $36??? Yikes. I don’t even do a Yorkie for $36 LOL.


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## Magwart

dogfaeries said:


> As a groomer I got nosey and wanted to see what prices people were paying. $36??? Yikes.


With my vet's groomer, I pay $17 just for _good_ toe nails alone. That gets me nicely dremeled nails, with gentle/fear free handling. They take their time so they don't quick the nail, and time is money.

For $36, I'm guessing someone making close to minimum wage is just shampooing them quickly and sticking them under the dryer, and then spritzing with perfume. That was what they did at one of those stores with my dad's GSD, whenever he took it in for "cheap" grooming. The dog hated it -- everything was rushed to move them through as fast as possible. She always came back looking like she hadn't been brushed -- matted undercoat that the dryer didn't blow out was still there! He was elderly and couldn't brush her himself, so whenever I visited I ended up taking a shedding rake to gently de-mat her a little at a time myself. I also ended up having to cut her nails, since the cheap "groomer" never did.


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## graciesmom

I used to bathe both my dogs myself, but as I'm getting older it's just too hard on my back. I found a good groomer, doesn't use crates of any kind and is super gentle with the dogs. My retriever, who suffers from separation anxiety loves going to her, he gets all kinds of attention which is his biggest thing. My GSD who doesn't trust anyone but me, is now starting to trust the groomer. The groomer is ever so gentle and patient. Each session takes about 2.5 hours and they come back thoroughly bathed, deshedded, ears and nails done. It costs me close to $100 ($80 plus tip) but well worth it. Just to put the cost in perspective, vets here charge $37 to trim nails and they don't do as good a job as the groomer does.


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## LuvShepherds

I used to pay $20 for a bath and blow dry and $18 for toenails. I groom my current dogs myself because it’s easier.


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## dogfaeries

It only takes me about an hour to do Scarlet, but Russ takes me twice as long. If I charged the kids for grooming him, it would probably be $80. Lucky for them, they get grooming free for life!


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