maybe she will learn next time

[rainingcats&dogs]

so yesterday i groomed a tiny mini poo,who was last in 7 months ago,and i told mom she needs to be on a regular schedule due to matting and the dog is horrible(only been groomed 4 times and shes 3)screams,bites,rears up,i can only do so much to her,well we both lived thru it,she didnt look that cute but thats not my fault,she was so matted,i left what i could,but 7 months ago i told mom if she brings dog back in this condition i was going to charge her,50 for grooming and 25 for special handeling fee,cause this dog is just horrible,i thought that would make her consider coming back sooner,and i told her i would work with her dog to get her used to grooming cause i want grooming to be a nice experience for her,not fighting the whole time with her.
well she didnt listen and i charged her 75 bucks at first i felt guilty but i did tell mom i was gonna do it,and maybe it will be a wake up call to her,she really didnt seem to mind paying the 75 bucks even tipped me so who knows it could be a losing battle its a shame the only one that loses is the dog

[groomingfool]

Next time make it $100, and up it by 25 every time the dog comes in that horrid condition. I really get tweaked when people don't seem to care that their dog that the profess to love so much is in pain from all those mats. You're right, the poor little dog loses. What makes people think that dogs need to be groomed only twice a year whether they need it or not? Grrrr. At least she's comfy now.

[Debbiedogs]

Carrot vs. stick

How about telling her that the dog can come back in 4 weeks for a "kindergarten" visit (bath and tidy) that will really be SO much easier on the dog and let her start to realize that grooming is much easier than what she has experienced so far. And this special treatment and wonderful learning experience will be only $35-40!! And if you do it in another 4 weeks, it's easy on the dog again but she may need a bit of a haircut for just a few dollars more! And by that time there will probably be some trust and relaxation going on with the dog...

[rainingcats&dogs]

i tried to explain to them if they bought dog in more often it wouldnt be so much money,but they said they had no time both have weird hours at work,yada yada,many reasons why they cant put pup on a schedule,dont even know if i want to do her next time she comes in if its longer than 8 weeks,shes very difficult,one dog that tries your patience

[skye97]

I agree that you should keep upping the price until they get the message. Or, if you don't feel like messing around with that, you could always fire them. I just don't get it when people come up with all of these excuses and then expect you to clean up their mess. If they aren't going to put any effort into keeping their dog properly groomed (or trained, for that matter - it sounds like a little beast!), and you have enough clients that losing one isn't a big deal, then I'd think it's not worth your trouble.