Monday
Aug122013
It's Been a Day
Monday, August 12, 2013 at 6:53PM 
I spent hours grooming that I didn't count on so no photos. When I do and you like what I do, I hope you at least let me know if you can't see fit to give me a small tip. I like the words too. Dematting is hard on a dog and on the human who is doing it and takes a lot of time and does cost extra but usually if its an unusual thing brought on by an event I just do it that first time.
Sorry for the biach. Yeah, I am in some mood and my hand hurts. <sigh>
Reader Comments (16)
Sweet photo.i can only imagine dematting.stella saw a new groomer a couple of months ago I got a big discount because her coat was in beautiful condition.i comb her through almost every day,she is worth it to me.
Dematting should be extra. Most groomers will give you a lecture and a large bill
if you bring in a dog that has mats. Removing mats without cutting them out takes a lot of time and the poor pooches they just learn to dread seeing the groomer.
Val, even though Kona has a slightly shorter coat now, I still brush and comb him through at least every other day. He doesn't like knots and I hate having to
take them out. It hurts both of us.
Darlah, I hope you get to rest your hand for a few days.
Levon gets groomed tomorrow, so he'll be matt-free on Wednesday when he arrives! He's also going to be sporting a much shorter cut. Even with brushing him regularly, I can't keep up. I feel like I manage to brush out one matt and he wakes up with three new ones. Part of the problem is that he has been getting into burrs (I can't seem to find all of them no many how many weeds I pull out of the gardens!) and part of it seems to be how thick his hair is. Shadow never matted, but with Levon it's a constant battle and I am losing it - and I feel teriible for him every time I find a new matt.
Can not imagine not tipping the groomer. That Ripley is happy and not frantic to leave tells me my groomer is making it a good experience for him. I pay for the job, the tip is for making my guy happy. I am with Shannon- the hair length needs to be whatever you can manage best.. Matts are uncomfortable for the dog and then giving that job to someone else is just mean!
I am just being crabby.
Shannon Levon is never bad. This was due to a spay - well the neck part was and I 'get' that but if I spend a few hours dematting I like to know the hard work was appreciated. That's all.
By the way if a short coat gets you enjoying him and spending less time brushing and combing, then that's a good thing. Don't feel bad about a short coat. You are not showing him where he has to have an uncut coat. I also think he looks cute short.
Thanks Darlah for all you do. Give Rafi a big hug from us. We miss him a lot and look forward to your photos.
Sharon, Rafi is having a blast. We have Pepper here today. I will try to get some photos. I didn't have my lenses. I am now nagging Nathan to get the show photos off the sticks so I can go back to clicking.
I was finding that I couldn't keep on top of the matting as well. The way Timmy and Lilly play and grab at each others hair and then roll.....yikes! So now they both have short cuts but with full head hair. They feel a lot better and so do I because when I had to work out the mats it hurt both of us too. I found a groomer that I adore because Timmy and Lilly both gave her kisses as we were leaving......and she didn't even have to ask for them! She also said that if all her clients were that well behaved during grooming, her job would be so easy! By the way Darlah, she charges $25 extra per half hour of de-matting. It IS hard work!
Yes, my usual charge is $40 an hour. It's hard work and I do not mind it but a thank you, a tip something goes a long way.
I am so glad you went short, Irma as now you can just spent less time grooming and more time playing. Plus hair grows back. The way those two play it was a losing battle. But its so fun to watch that play.
hi, in fairness, i do not have children to look after, probably a good thing, leaves me all evening to obsess over stella,lol. our tricks class has been cancelled that was starting this week, too many people away. i will register her again.
Laci and I both began to "dislike" grooming b/c like many of you, it hurt us both as well. I really tried my best and felt inadequate for not being able to keep on top of things. One thing that may or may not have been mentioned is that dematting encourages new mats. Why??? B/c when "most" remove mats they break hair and the uneven lengths will mat easier and all the faster in the future. If a lot of dematting has been done it's likely best to cut short and start all over again w/ healthy unbroken hair. I learned from doing this process over a few times that there is a magic length that we can't go beyond or matting/knots begin and well . . . then it's a slippery slope. I'm sure it varies per dog due to hair type and the skill of the person. Darlah - if you have a way of dematting w/o breaking hair, I'd love to know how you do it. :-)
Re Dematting Fees - Our groomer charges $11.25 per 15 min for dematting including a full brush and comb out. 60 minutes for the same is $45.00.
I agree, it's well deserved as no one likes to demat. I'm sure groomers don't look forward to the extra $$$ for this service.
I like the dog to like me not think - oh gad she's dematting me again. If you have one that charges by the 15min, treasure her. Most do a half hour rate minimum. Some charge an hourly fee. Some won't demat at all and will shave the dog down. I am good at dematting but you can't do it daily. You will put your hand/arm out of commission. It's hard work. Say thank you to your groomer if they did a good job.
Debi: You can't not damage the hair but there are techniques that minimize damage. There's nothing wrong with short hair. If you are new to grooming you sort of have to go through learning as you go. The product, how often the dog is washed and how often you comb not just brush plays a part. That reminds me, I have to tell Gerda how I maintain Shoshi's hair. Just been too busy. She rarely gets a mat but I do line comb her after a bath and it makes it last so much longer. It's too easy with hair like hers to miss a knot or a start of one. Good thing her coat isn't the usual. If Risa or Fiona knot, I can take scissors and cut through the center of the knot and pull it apart after saturating it. You will never notice it but you must cut in the direction the hair grows. If you did that on a thin coat you wouldn't have any hair left. If you do it on a thick coat you never notice.
After damaging hair it always makes sense to cut the ends.
Yes, I treasure my groomer. If anyone is looking in the Durham area, Manuela is a gem. All 3 of my dogs have loved her and like Irma's experience, they always kiss her good-bye. Now that's a good feeling. :-)
I did well grooming my Bichons and incorrectly assumed I would do just as well w/ my new little Hav. It's just a new coat and a learning curve. That's all. I think it takes time to accept what you can and cannot do, not necessarily meaning skill, but time, etc. There's a lot to consider.
It takes a while but I like where Laci and I are now. She has her summer coat for swimming and we're about to grow in to our fall and winter coat. I do have to watch myself though as it's tempting to continue to grow past what I seem to be able to manage. My biggest challenge is not stressing over a little mat or tat. If I could accept them more easily and just deal, then perhaps I'd do better. We're all a work in process. LOL We'll keep working on it.
ALMOST FORGOT! lol What a precious photo of Terra & Adele. Now that's the cutest. :-)