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concerned after grooming

jojow

New member
Hello all.

We took Indy for his first visit to the groomer. He was going in for a puppy visit- just to bathe, clip nails, clean up ears and sanitary trim. I am new at this and wanted a groomer where I could stay with him. Apparently ( according to this groomer) that is not done as we tend to baby our dogs. I went against my instincts and left him, requesting he not be crated and call when he is done. She said no problem.

When I picked him up he was in a crate, I did not realize the schnauzer face looking back at me was our Indy. We were not cutting his face- he is a sable and would lose his color and this was made very clear. She cut him in a schnauzer cut and I was so shocked(but very quiet) that I missed the other cues that things had gone terribly wrong. She then said he did not like his face messed with and was nippy ( only at the eyes). She implied she taught him a lesson with the dryer. She then went on how he was so good and patient about everything else ( ears, nails, etc) I ushered him and my 3 year old and just wanted to get home. When we settled in at home- I started seeing other issues. His private parts had cuts that were scabbing and he was behaving funny. We thought- ok this was stressful, he is reacting. We are now on day 4 and while he is always affectionate- he now is velcro. He will not leave us. He has to be pressed against one of us at all times. He is displaying a very submissive, almost afraid attitude. I am devastated. I am so worried that I just subjected him to something traumatizing. People mention depressed pups or a stress reactions- but now I am starting to get really concerned. My hope is that I am totally over reacting and nothing awful happened.
 
😱 Oh my word -- I am so sorry that you ended up with this groomer and this awful situation, it's really shocking. I'm not completely sure, but it sounds as if Indy is a shnauzer puppy? I am guessing you don't mean you have a cavalier that was trimmed by a groomer around the face and now looks like a schnauzer, as I can't imagine how a groomer would trim anything off a cavalier face. Everything about this groomer sounds unprofessional and frankly, totally ignorant about how to handle dogs and she doesn't sound like she even likes them or knows much 😳. As for "that is not done as we tend to baby our dogs" ... that just makes me :hedb*ng:

I would take some pictures if you haven't yet, of the areas in which he was nicked or where he had any other issues, just to have them on file 'in case'. And I'd never return to that person. I'd ask around for recommendations for a really good, kind groomer -- the breed club in your area should have some ideas, if you don't know any other owners? If and when you start some puppy training classes, you will be able to ask other people in the classes for suggestions too.

I am sure Indy will start to come back to his more outgoing and confident self given a little time, and be sure to talk through this traumatic experience (especially that bizarre and alarming comment about doing something with a hairdryer) with a good knowledgeable groomer when you find one as they will likely want to simply give him some gentle non-invasive experiences to get him used to grooming the right way.
 
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