Customer Complains Dog Smells After Bath

[sudzypaws]

I'm a Mobile Groomer, went to a local boarding facility owner is a (PITA) anyway said she had a complaint from a customer that the dog smelled bad after he got groomed. This was weird to me because I groomed other dogs that day no complaints. Oh and to make it worse it was the day before Christmas Eve and she had company and know one wanted the dog near them. The dog is a Golden. So I told the PITA that I would groom the dog again at no charge. The lady wouldn't go for it. Whatever!!!!! I told her(PITA) that maybe the shampoo I used oatmeal baking soda just didn't jive with the dogs chemistry. Like not all perfume that woman wear smells good on them or not all deoderant works the same for all people. So anyway the owner will not give me a 2nd chance. She owns a business in town and I'm sure she never had any problems or complaints and I'm sure she never had to redo anything because I'm sure she is perfect RIGHT!!!!!!!!!!. I said I was sorry thru (PITA), but do you all think I should send her a note saying I'm sorry or return her money?
(PITA) said I'm also getting complaints about dogs not being completly dry well when you give me 3 Goldens to do in 2 1/2 hours they maybe still damp somewhere this woman drives me crazy. I'm going to try to hang in there with this lady but I don't know how long I will last. And have any of you have the stinky dog after bath problem and do you think it is a chemisty thing?
Thanks, Sudzypaws

[kats_melody]

Three goldens in 2 1/2 hours? Sweetheart, you are setting yourself up for failure.

NO pet should leave damp. If that means you slow down to do the job right and make sure the pet is completely dry, that's what you have to do.

If your customer doesn't want to use you anymore, there is not a lot you can do about it. Press on and get on with your business.

[brownlikewoah]

HMMM, well, if it were me I think I would just let it go. You offered to make it right and she is being difficult. If the dog did not have an extreme funky smell before you washed it, I doubt it would smell more after you washed it, I am going to blame anal glands on this one. That is the only thing that stinks so bad people wouldn't want it next to them at a party. Do you do anal glands during a groom?

[SwissNChow]

I think that each owner does have a different nose, and they may or may not be satisfied with different shampoos. Did she think the dog truly smelled, or did she simply not smell the shampoo and therefore was smelling dog, or worse, wet dog? While I think that it could be possible to have a bad smell reaction, I think it is more likely that she's just picking up on something she doesn't like.

I'd be tempted to directly approach her (since she is a business owner) and point out the fact that she isn't giving you an opportunity to make things right. By her refusing to allow you to redo the dog, she's not giving you an opportunity to fix the issue. It's not like returning a product...you simply can't "unbathe" the dog. You can rebathe for no charge since her satisfaction level was not to your level of expectations.

As for dogs not being dry, well, that's your responsibility to get them dry. It isn't up to the owner as to how many dogs you do in a set period of time. Some jobs do take longer than others, but you have to groom until you have the finished product. If that means doing fewer dogs in that time, or taking more time to get the job done, then so be it.

[BeeJL]

For the first part of the question ditto what kats melody said.
[QUOTE=kats_melody;383699]
NO pet should leave damp. If that means you slow down to do the job right and make sure the pet is completely dry, that's what you have to do.

For the second part, I'm not sure. I don't like the idea of communication through PITA kennel owner so I might consider sending a card to the dog's owner and then leave it at that. Do you have her address?

[lez5001]

Smelly dog

I have a dog of my own that has an odor due to a skin condition. Also lambert and kay oatmeal and baking soda usually kills all odors. If it was only one out of three then it is something with the dog not you. What kind of smell was it. If the dog got upset or too excited it may have been an anal gland issue. DID YOU GET TO SMELL THE DOG YOURSELF?? Is it just her word that says how bad dog smells. Too many questions and not enough answers. PLUS this is all second hand. Have you actually talked to the owner yourself?? Does she own all three goldens. How long were they at the kennel before they went home?? How DAMP were they?? What kind of smell was it?? We can't help by giving advice if we don't know the whole story. I am interested in hearing more of this.

[Particentral]

It really sounds to me like a wet dirty dog smell. That number of goldens in my shop cannot be done and done well. Dogs taht are not dried fully smell and dogs that are not completely clean, even if you think they are, smell. Never had a clean dog smell at all, and never had a problem with a dogs chemistry not mixing with a shampoo.

[mylady]

Could the dog have an ear infection? I did a Golden once years ago and the owner called my boss irate because the dog still "smelled". She brought the dog back in and I had TOLD her the dogs ears needed to be checked (since I can't say your dog HAS an ear infection). Well the dog came back in and I showed it to my boss (non-groomer) that the only odor coming from the dog was from it's ears. Then she accused me of causing the ear infection! OK, jet black crud encrusted ears can happen in 4 hours, didn't you know? So the NEXT time this lady came in I was prepared with a cotton ball. before I took the dog I swiped the inside of the ear and showed her to crud that came out. She looked astonished since she had insisted her dog hadn't come in with an ear infection. Before I checked the ear I had asked her how the ears were and she said "Oh they are fine". After that, showing her how black her dogs ears were, explaining that was not an odor I was going to "get rid of" with a bath, she settled down and finally took the dog for a vet check.

[Doubledogdare]

Was the smelly dog boarded at the kennel? Dogs often will pick up a strong odor when boarded, often a spin-off of whatever disinfectant/cleaner the kennel uses. That, plus the general reek that happens in a boarding kennel due to dogs being dogs during the overnight hours. It can be hard to get off with standard shampoos.

We had a Rott we groomed recently that had picked up a kennel odor. Scrubbed him good but the owner called us up and told us the dog still stank of the kennel. We asked her to bring the dog back and we bathed it again, followed up by a very old-fashioned remedy for smelly dogs - a pine oil rinse after the bath. Left it on for a minute or two then flushed it off really well.

The owner took him home, called us back and said he smelled "absolutey AWESOME!" and asked us to always do whatever we did to him to make him smell so great.

[SiberianLover]

Could the dog have an ear infection? I did a Golden once years ago and the owner called my boss irate because the dog still "smelled". She brought the dog back in and I had TOLD her the dogs ears needed to be checked (since I can't say your dog HAS an ear infection). Well the dog came back in and I showed it to my boss (non-groomer) that the only odor coming from the dog was from it's ears.

Ears were my first thought too, when I read goldens! lol

And def. getting the dogs dry.

[Debbiedogs]

Don't offer freebie

If the dog smelled, it could be the dampness, could be that it picked up "kennel smell" from boarding (most likely - and that takes WEEKS to wear off and will be more apparent if the dog gets wet, even just by a bit of rain), and other things, as many have mentioned.

Lady doesn't need a freebie. Just tell her that if she comes again, you will use a shampoo with stronger odor AND you need more time so that the dog can be dried thoroughly.

OR - just don't do Goldens or other big hairies??

[odette]

What everyone said and set boundarys, one person can not do 3 anything properly in 2.5 hours! Maybe chis, you need the word of mouth to be good,or you wouldn't be doing it, so inform miss pita what time frame you need to do the job properly and stick to your guns! You wnt be considered a pro, so start acting like one,then you will get the respect you deserve and not a second sooner.

[ferretlov]

Another thing

I run the daycare side of our shop and I can tell you sometimes on a humid day a clean dog can downright stink the minute the walk outside.
the second they come back in I smell them....I live in Florida and we have a lot of humidity .I really try not to let the groom dogs outside once they are clean but some of them stay all day for day care and the owners will forget to tell me when they are picking up so i may roll the dice and wash them too early man I hate that.

Also , My boss takes the towels home to wash them and once in a while I think we get a load that didnt get put into the dryer right away and they will stink as soon as they are wet.but that is another issue all together.

[SwissNChow]

I have to say something here. If you have a kennel that makes dogs smell to the point that they reek after a bath for weeks, you have a serious issue with the hygene level in that kennel. If there is any "kennel smell" at all, it should definitely be gone with one bath.

[baddog]

damp dog...dirty collar.....yucky smell