Grooming survey, need help!

Giny

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#1
I've wanted to do this for a while, so here it goes.

I'm just curious, I'm a groomer with a small salon but hopefully in time I'd love to have a larger one with others working/grooming with me. I just had a few questions for those who bring their dogs to the groomers. If you have the time I'd love to hear your feedback.

Here are some questions for those who bring their dogs to be groomed, or even groomers here on the site.

1- Where do you live, state wise?

2- What type of dog/breed do you own?

3- What do you get done? Is it just a bath, or is their scissoring/style done?

4- If it is scissoring/style, what gets done. Is it scissoring/style or is it just a shave?

5- What do you get charged? I know this might be a bit personal but it would help me know the average price per state.

6- Are you happy with your groomer?

7- If you are happy with them, can you give me a reason why? Example, is it the location, the type of salon, efficiency?

That's all for now, I'm sure I might get other questions popping up later. I know some of you groom your own dogs at home. Can you tell me why, is it because of cost, bonding with your dogs or any other reason.

Thank you! :D
 
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#2
1- Where do you live, state wise?

New York... dogs get groomed upstate, NYC is very different.

2- What type of dog/breed do you own?

2 Poodles.
1 Yorkie.

3- What do you get done? Is it just a bath, or is their scissoring/style done?

Bath, Nails, Ears, scissoring... the poodles are kept in a longer version of the puppy cut basically. Armani is trimmed some but still kept relatively long.

4- If it is scissoring/style, what gets done. Is it scissoring/style or is it just a shave?

See above... but STYLE is a major part of what they are doing... we have left groomers who only knew how to shave a dog down.

5- What do you get charged? I know this might be a bit personal but it would help me know the average price per state.

We pay 175 for all three which comes out to about 58 dollars a dog... this is a "deal" because we have all three, the groomer normall charges 65 per dog.


6- Are you happy with your groomer?

Yes, very.

7- If you are happy with them, can you give me a reason why? Example, is it the location, the type of salon, efficiency?

All of the above.

This groomer comes to the house in a mobile grooming vehicle... therefore my dog is not coming into contact with other dogs, there are two people in the truck, so I know safety is taken care of.

They make sure that one person is touching the dog at all times... I have "invaded" a groomers space when they left my dog unattended on a grooming table to answer the phone. I want to know that you are watching my dog all the time.

My dog is taken care of from start to finish without interruption. I have had to pay extra for the service other places. I do not want my dog washed and then put in a cage, clipped a little and back in the cage, etc. all day long. One groomer many years ago wanted to dog at her salon at 9AM and picked up at 4AM, there is no reason for this in my opinion. I understand that sometimes with older dogs this may be necessary but it is not with mine and there is no need for them to deal with unneeded stress.

I think it comes down to this... I am willing to pay a decent amount to get my dog groomed but I dont want the groomer to say "175 dollars is coming through the door" I want her to say "oh heres Elle, Bella, and Armani". Obviously, the groomer is entitled to make money and I am fine with this, but they should treat my dog well in the process.

Also, I dont want to pay money to someone to shave my dog down... I could do that. A good groomer should know how to style the dog.

Haha.. I think I was thorough enough! If you have any more questions feel free to ask. Oh and in 14 years or so we have probably been to 13 or 14 groomers, so I have lots of comparisons!
 

Giny

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#4
PM, you also reminded me of a question that is very important. On whether it's a mobile groomer or not. I can see why the price of mobile would vary as per salon.
 

Brattina88

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#5
this is perfect timing; because I'm bored LOL

1- Where do you live, state wise? OH

2- What type of dog/breed do you own? I have Maddie... a Cocker spaniel. But I also live with 2 other cockers (roommates dogs)

3- What do you get done? Is it just a bath, or is their scissoring/style done? The works... bath, brush, ears & nails, shaved & scissored

4- If it is scissoring/style, what gets done. Is it scissoring/style or is it just a shave? Maddie has a false skirt, it gets long but I like to keep it so its not too thick because we're active; hiking, swimming, etc. Her feet/legs require the most work.

5- What do you get charged? I know this might be a bit personal but it would help me know the average price per state. It was 35, but in the last year or two it upped to 45 :rolleyes: One time, at petsmart, they tried to charge me $60. Oh boy did I try to argue that one.

6- Are you happy with your groomer? After switching groomers a couple of times, I found one that I was "okay" with, but I was much more comfortable doing in myself.

I had a groomer I really like, but then a couple factors irked me. When I dropped Maddie off the said about four hours. Four hours later I showed up, they hadn't even started! She'd been in a crate the whole time. There was an emergency with another dog they said... which is fine... but they could've at least called me! The wanted to keep her for an additional 4hrs... with a discount. Um, no thanks. Then they started to sell puppies at their shop, maltipoos and puggles for $600-$1000. Yea. I took her on and off to a petsmart grooming facility. I knew one lady who worked there, and I was in the process of learning to do it myself.
The next place I observed, and then made an appt - I liked both places because it was small business, locally owned. This facility, they shaved her completely down. Completely. In November :mad: !! I was furious!!! One lady told me she had mats & fleas. I don' think so!!I called back and complained, and talked to another lady almost a week later and she said to me that they got the cockers mixed up that day. :mad: There were no second chances ;)

So, I groom her myself, now. There is another place opening up soon, and I may check it out. I like to have her 'professionally' done occasionally... I have a hose sprayer, earth bath shampoo, an oster clipper, scissors, thinning shears, etc etc I groom her on the drier. She's very patient with me, and I have learned a lot through others and practice.

Piece of mind, I guess. Plus, I think grooming is very therapeutic for both of us! :D
 

Fran101

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#6
1- Where do you live, state wise?
Florida Miami

2- What type of dog/breed do you own?
German Shepherd and Bichon Frise

3- What do you get done? Is it just a bath, or is their scissoring/style done?
For the GSD: bath and brush, nail file
For the Bichon: Bath, scissoring, styling, blowdrying , nail clip, the works.. high maintenance lil guy

4- If it is scissoring/style, what gets done. Is it scissoring/style or is it just a shave?
its the traditional bichon clip. Lil bunny looking feet, fluffy tail, Shaped head, Looks like a powder puff. oh and they shave his booty. for sanitary reasons..

5- What do you get charged? I know this might be a bit personal but it would help me know the average price per state.
For the bichon: $50 which i think is fine, because usually by the time we take him he looks a mess lol and he looks great after..
for the GSD: $20. i think thats fine. she doesnt need much

6- Are you happy with your groomer?
Yes. with the service and because they LOVE my dogs. They know charlie when he comes in, tell me how he did, give him a bandana and hes happy to go to the groomer

7- If you are happy with them, can you give me a reason why? Example, is it the location, the type of salon, efficiency?

Location: its in a shopping mall, right next to a pet supply store, and peter of london ( a salon) and lots of other things so i can drop him off and do other stuff while i wait
Its a small salon, they only do appointments and dont take that many dogs in. i know my dog is being taken care of and they generally LOVE my dog and do a good job. I know they are nice to charlie because hes EXCITED to go to the groomer

Efficiency isnt much of an issue, i mean, i dont want my dog to be there all day, but i understand it takes time. and they always call me so I can pick him up and give me an aprox time he will be ready

Its nice and CLEAN and they have a window so you can see back there. thats another thing that was IMPORTANT to me. Idont like the whole, you hand your dog off, they go behind the door and you dont see them til they come out. They should be proud of the grooming area, keep it clean, and show it to client

The owners dog walks around is very friendly, cared for, i think that just adds to why i like the place

I love that they arent stingy with the stuff they send your dog home with lol free samples of doggy cologne, Bows, bandana ect.. :)
 

Giny

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#7
I agree, it is therapeutic! Thank you Brattina for your info. It does answer my question on efficiency time. I love the way I'm set up right now, I have no overhead as far as rent goes since I groom at home, so I love being able to groom all my clients dogs one on one. If I do go into a larger place I might have to change that, which I really don't care for.
 

Giny

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#8
Yes, my clients love the bandannas..hehe..which reminds me, I need to order more. Thank you Fransheska. And what a great idea on sending the puppers home with some cologne samples....humm!
 
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#9
As far as the salons go... I dont think you need to lose the "one on one" feeling.

First, if you are going to build your own place... try to make it as open as possible... if you want I can send you a link to a salon I used to use and they made theirs all open, there were windows to see into the tub area , grooming area, etc.. so there was a "behind closed doors" feeling. I loved the way their place was set up, unfortunatley (or fortunatley?), the openess of the place allowed me to see that my dog was being mishandled and I knew why she came home limping.:( Because I have made negative comments about them in the past, I dont want to post it publicly, but I will PM you the site if you want, so you can see how the place was set up, they have pics.

Second, if you have multiple groomers, give people the option of scheduling with a specific groomer... Im sure there will be people who just want the next available person... but I liked each dog to use the same person each time if possible, they get to know the person and they person gets to know the individual dog. It helps the one on one feeling.

Last, I dont know if you already do this but I notice the bigger places use index cards to keep notes of what you want. It is kind of annoying when I tell you I dont want bows in their hair and everytime I pick them up they have bows in their hair... obviously you cant be expected to remember what every single person wants but my writing it down you can refer back to it before they come and it makes it seem more "personal".

I think you would be fine making the jump to a bigger place... I think your eye will always be on the individual dog and not on the almighty dollat sign!
 

Giny

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#10
I think that's the biggest thing for me, Pm, I'm very attached to my clients right now and I love the personal feelings I have for each and everyone of them. I've already worked for someone in a salon and hated the factory feeling and that the dog was nothing but a dollar sign to them, the more the merrier was their moto. I'd have to figure out a way to keep that same close feeling and still expected to bring in more revenue. I'd hate to increase my prices, but up to now that's the only other option....or just stay where I'm at.

I do create a file for each dog, it's really important to know their past history. In fact I'd love to set up something in a computer as a data and picture of each dog, before and after. The before and after photos is something I've already started.
 
F

FluffyZooCrew

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#11
I used to take mine to a groomer, before I started grooming at home.

Where do you live, state wise?

Louisiana

What type of dog/breed do you own?

1 shih tzu, 1 shih tzu/pekignese mix, 1 schnauzer/whippet/greyhound mix

What do you get done? Is it just a bath, or is their scissoring/style done?

Clipping

If it is scissoring/style, what gets done. Is it scissoring/style or is it just a shave?

It's a shave. I used to have Jake shaved down completely, #7 on the body (except the tail), #5 on the head and face.

What do you get charged? I know this might be a bit personal but it would help me know the average price per state.

It was $35 for regular clients, but mine was $25 for rescue dogs.

Are you happy with your groomer?

Highly unhappy, and uneasy, which is why I began grooming at home. My groomer showed standard poodles and was very obsessed with "breed specific" clips. She used to get irked that I would dare shave down my shih tzu (Jake), even though it was vet recommended for specific health reasons (he has 4 heart conditions, and the vet said shave him very short so he doesn't get overheated. He has CHF and has a hard time breathing in the summer).

I also picked Jake up one day and he was limping for no apparant reason, and another time I picked him up, and his entire stomach and inside of his legs are burnt and blistered, yet they never said a word to me, and I only discovered it when I got home. I went off like a bomb to them, and never went back.

I know some of you groom your own dogs at home. Can you tell me why, is it because of cost, bonding with your dogs or any other reason.

I groom my guys at home, because I feel better knowing they are safe. I just felt too uneasy leaving my dogs at a groomer, not knowing 100% sure how they were being treated, especially after the bad experiences with Jake. Working at a groomer about a year ago, I watched how they were just so wonderful to the clients to their faces, but were so rough with the dogs in the back once they were back there. Including yelling at them in their faces, and pounding on the kennels, when they barked, and being rough to them when they were on the table. My guys are all rescues, and two are extremely skittish and scared of noises and things like that. The other has severe arthritis and a bad heart. So I felt more comfortable grooming them at home, as opposed to leaving them at a groomer where I couldn't watch what went on back there when I was gone. My guys are more comfortable too, as I had one groomer complain that Jake (my shih tzu with the very bad heart problems and arthritis) was rowdy and "bad" during being groomed, and even charged me an extra "groomer difficulty" fee. Yet, I've groomed him several times at home since, and he sits quietly and patiently throughout the entire process, never budging or saying a word. So I was suspicious, to say the least.
 

MericoX

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#12
1- Where do you live, state wise?
Maine

2- What type of dog/breed do you own?
Schnauzers and a Poodle

3- What do you get done? Is it just a bath, or is their scissoring/style done?
Bath, full groom, nails, ears

4- If it is scissoring/style, what gets done. Is it scissoring/style or is it just a shave? Both

5- What do you get charged? I know this might be a bit personal but it would help me know the average price per state.
Alot. This groomer really overcharges....

6- Are you happy with your groomer?
Yes, except when she cut my dog's ear off.

7- If you are happy with them, can you give me a reason why? Example, is it the location, the type of salon, efficiency?
She lets me berate her. Efficiently? It takes her like 5 hours to groom two dogs...
 

Giny

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#13
Hahah, Mer, smarta$$! Aren't you supposed to be on your way here!! :p
 
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Fran101

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#16
Oh and another thing i forgot to add. I love when groomers offer fun doggy services:

- Painting dogs nails and ask them what color they want

- doggie hair dye
- let client choose their own shampoo/cologne scent "what do you want your dog to smell like?"
 
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#17
I don't groom Maggie of course, but I have a little story.... my mom used to get her cairn terrier Smitty groomed. He used to loooooove baths, and he loved kids, and he LOVED going to his groomer where there were kids who helped sometimes. Until one day, after being groomed, he suddenly HATED baths, and now he is terrified of kids. I always wonder what they did to him.

But anyway, because of that, if I ever have a dog that needs groomed, I will probably avoid places that are in people's homes where they have kids. Kids can be unpredictable and cruel sometimes.

Sorry if that's totally off topic or doesn't help at all, lol.
 

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