JulesP Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 Well I just had to charge $60 yesterday for a shih tzu X who came to me matted to the skin! This dogs coat had to be clipped off, there was nothing else I could do. I tried brushing him out with a les pooches slicker and also tried using my matt splitters but poor puppy started to yelp so I gave up. It took hours to do this dog, then I had to contend with the thousands of fleas on him. Literally, his skin was crawling with them! When I washed him the water ran red due to the blood from the fleas, I wouldn't be surprised if he is anemic.I wrote up a report for his owner explaining exactly why he had to be clipped off and also berated her for his condition. If he comes to me in that state again I'll refer her to someone else, I was in bloody tears yesterday while I had this dog, he was in agony. His legs were matted to his body so he couldn't even walk properly. When I got his coat off and bathed him he was such a happy little chap, he wouldn't stop licking me, it was like he was grateful to me. Poor little mite. I hate jobs like this, its very heartbreaking and emotional work sometimes. ;) Oh well, at least he is comfortable now...until next time. This is why I am not a groomer anymore ;) Wet clipping actually works quite well with cases like this. Gets some of the fleas out first too. You might need to go quickly back over the coat once dry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bingo Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 Well I just had to charge $60 yesterday for a shih tzu X who came to me matted to the skin! This dogs coat had to be clipped off, there was nothing else I could do. I tried brushing him out with a les pooches slicker and also tried using my matt splitters but poor puppy started to yelp so I gave up. It took hours to do this dog, then I had to contend with the thousands of fleas on him. Literally, his skin was crawling with them! When I washed him the water ran red due to the blood from the fleas, I wouldn't be surprised if he is anemic.I wrote up a report for his owner explaining exactly why he had to be clipped off and also berated her for his condition. If he comes to me in that state again I'll refer her to someone else, I was in bloody tears yesterday while I had this dog, he was in agony. His legs were matted to his body so he couldn't even walk properly. When I got his coat off and bathed him he was such a happy little chap, he wouldn't stop licking me, it was like he was grateful to me. Poor little mite. I hate jobs like this, its very heartbreaking and emotional work sometimes. ;) Oh well, at least he is comfortable now...until next time. ;) What you only charged $60 you probably saved the poor things life! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuzzy82 Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 I actually like the completely shaved look for my poodle x. She is cute when she's fluffy, but I have a weak spot for sighthounds and my poodle x is long and lean and I just like the look of her body when I can actually see it all. My JRT x doesn't get clipped at all, being double coated. He gets really hot tho, so I am trying to find someone who will strip him, but there aren't a lot of groomers in my area and I don't want to have to drive 30 minutes AND pay $80 for it. I would drive 30 minutes if it was cheap, or I would pay $80 if it was just down the road, but I'm not gonna do both. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danielle Posted February 9, 2011 Author Share Posted February 9, 2011 Jules - by wet clipping do you mean a preclip? (that's wat I call it) I did that, there was no way I could dry him with that coat on, it was too thick and solid. It was awful Jules, it broke my heart, I felt so sorry for him, he is only about 8 months old, just a baby for gods sake. I think these ppl bought a cute little puppy, it was fun while he was little and now that he's growing he's been shoved outside. The novelty has worn off now. Bingo - I charged her $50 last time I groomed him as he was pretty much Matt free and had no fleas, I fined her $5 for flea treatment and $5 for extra time spent due to the state of his coat. It's written on my price list that extra charges may be added if puppy is in a bad way. I know the job was probably worth $80 but I didn't feel right about it. Next time if he is in a state like this I'll either turn her away or charge accordingly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frufru Posted February 10, 2011 Share Posted February 10, 2011 No, she actually means clip the dog while it is still wet - I have never done this as I am too worried about being electrocuted LOL but I know several who do. From your description the dog in the blog was not as matted as your little client. My favourite blade for clipping badly matted (I get these through rescue to do) is a 7 skip tooth - I find it a lot better than a 10 ) This is a random blog I found http://groomblog.blogspot.com/2005/03/more...wo-studies.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DBT Posted February 10, 2011 Share Posted February 10, 2011 yes for severely matted coats where you're looking at least a 10# shave down and possible discomfort to the dog....just put the whole disaster into the bath and wash it as best as possible , then just get it out of the bath and blot it a bit, lay a towel on your table and go in with the 10#. It will peel off like butter when its wet, and save a lot of stressfull pulling and tugging at the dog. After removing the pelt, re wash the dog, dry it and finish whatever needs finishing. Wet clipping is also a great tool for salvaging length on somewhat matted coats. say if youre looking at a 7# on the dry coat for a pre clip. if you wash it first, you will find most likely you can get the bulk off with a 4# or even a dark blue SS comb, then re wash, fluff dry and you'll be amazed at how much coat you have left on for a nicer finish! Its not for every groomer, and not for every dog, but worth having in your armoury Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JulesP Posted February 10, 2011 Share Posted February 10, 2011 Others have replied :rolleyes: It works nicely. I still had one border collie that was so matted that I had to cut a clipping path first with the scissors. Grrr. I never really understood that one as this boy sat still and never budged for the whole ordeal of getting his coat off. He would have been a breeze to brush. Idiot owners just got him clipped once a year instead. I don't even know how a border can get that matted in the first place. Must have been from the clipping. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dju Posted February 10, 2011 Share Posted February 10, 2011 Minimum wage is about $35 an hour isnt it?If you're spending an hour and a half of your time on a dog, charging less than $50 is charity. That doesn't even factor in costs of equipment and product. Maybe explaining how long it takes might make people rethink how cheap they want it done for. I imagine some think you give the dog a 10 minute shave to the skin and that's it. $19 :rolleyes: I also think you should explain how long it takes/the processes involved/etc. If it were my business, just for fun, I'd draw a chart of what would be done to the dog from the minute he steps into the facility from when he exits. Easier than explaining, fun little graphic. That being said, I don't know if $50 is a lot or not, since my breed doesn't require "grooming" other than cutting the nails and trimming around the pads of the feet, both of which I can do myself. I say charge whatever you can get away with charging, but that's the capitalist pig in me talking. If you get customers at $50, then it shouldn't worry you what a few oddballs say to you. You should see how abusive some people can get (behind my back and in front of me) when I tell them how much I charge for my artworks! But it doesn't matter since I get customers at that price, so there's no point in lowering/changing the price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danielle Posted February 10, 2011 Author Share Posted February 10, 2011 Ok wow! I've never heard of wet clipping, I'll definitely keep that in mind if I ever need it. Thx! Do you find that wet clipping rusts your blades? That's the only thing I'd be worried about. And yes I agree, the skip tooth blades are soooo handy when it comes to matted dogs, but I could barely even get a skip thru this poor little bloke. :rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JulesP Posted February 10, 2011 Share Posted February 10, 2011 No wet clipping didn't seem to damage the blades. I obviously immediately cleaned and oiled them afterward. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swain Posted February 10, 2011 Share Posted February 10, 2011 I live in Ballarat and pay $50 for my 2.6kg Pomeranian to be clipped. Money well spent i say!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koemi Posted February 10, 2011 Share Posted February 10, 2011 Wet clipping is faaaaaaantastic, managed to save an oodle's ears today by wet clipping the inside and then combing the outside. The owner was actually thankful, which shocked me! We charge $66 for a swf. At my old workplace, I dictated the prices and charged $50. Guess which client base complained more? The cheaper one!!! The clients that followed me (or tracked me down, rather, as I find taking client lists to be a tad unethical even tho I built it up) refuse to pay a special price and want to pay the new full price. That's why I love them! I do worry about the quality of my work tho. Our 'poodle guy' is just THE most fantastic groomer (and person) and we have a girl who has been grooming for only a year who poo poos all over my work. It scares me to think that people bring their dogs in expecting something really good and then get my substandard shit. Lol. Danielle, I can't even imagine what it would be like working near a CMG! My training manager is a CMG and I am just in awe of her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
becks Posted February 10, 2011 Share Posted February 10, 2011 I actually like the completely shaved look for my poodle x. She is cute when she's fluffy, but I have a weak spot for sighthounds and my poodle x is long and lean and I just like the look of her body when I can actually see it all.My JRT x doesn't get clipped at all, being double coated. He gets really hot tho, so I am trying to find someone who will strip him, but there aren't a lot of groomers in my area and I don't want to have to drive 30 minutes AND pay $80 for it. I would drive 30 minutes if it was cheap, or I would pay $80 if it was just down the road, but I'm not gonna do both. This is a job that should be done by someone who knows what they are doing or a coat can be ruined, it can be painful for the dog or they can end up with a rash or hotspots, someone who knows about stripping will keep it pleasant for the dog and take care of the skin. It is worth paying the high fee and travelling to someone who can do the job properly - bare in mind this is a very intensive and physically demanding job to do compared to a clip or scissoring type groom and most groomers don't charge enough for doing stripping - which is why a lot end up not offering the service at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MalteseLuna Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 I pay well above $50 to get my 3 kg Maltese (with no matts) bathed and clipped. I would be very very happy to find a groomer to was competent and charged only $50. Of course I live in Sydney so expect prices to be higher - but then I also hope the quality of the clip is in par (often it isn't). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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