01/06/2026
Kali
I have been seeing so many dog grooming clients online with continuous coated dogs saying things like "a groomer shaved our dog short because they were lazy and didnt want to spend as much time with our dog."
Your groomer isn't lazy. You are.
Let me explain. Dog groomers dont go to grooming school to shave your matted dog. I will admit there is the 10% of dog groomers who shouldnt be grooming due to lack of training or just shouldnt work with dogs for various reasons but 90% of us LOVE spending time with your dogs. Thats why we became groomers. We are trained to shave your matted dog short if needed for your dogs well being and comfort if it is matted but we definately don't enjoy it. We went to school so we could work with your dogs. We are passionate about our work. Spending quality time with them while giving them a good experience and making them feel good is why we do this trade in the first place. We do it so we can do beautiful handscissor cuts and breed specific trims or show cuts. Im tired of seeing comments bashing groomers for being lazy for shaving their dog because we are " lazy" and want to spend less time on their dog. I want to educate people on a few things because this narrative needs to switch as its the furthest thing from the truth. Not to mention that people who always say things like this bring their dogs in 1x a year matted to the skin, never brush their dog and then expect a longer haircut no matter the physical stress or mental stress on their dog.
Dog grooming is considered a blue collar job and a trade. We need to be able to physically work on up to 250 lbs of animal while holding and using sharp instruments at the same time for multiple hours at a time. We also need to be able to lift that much weight. We have to worry about being bitten by a dog every day. We put a dogs well being over our own. We stand all day long. I workout and lift weights regularly to be able to do this job. How is that in any way lazy? This job literally kills our body. Many of us do and will retire with carpel tunnel, bite injuries, back issues and some of us even go blind or have eye issues from all the dead skin, dust and dirt in the air. We get cysts from the hair slivers and we have hearing loss from all the noise. There is alot more ill save you the list. We sacrifice so much for this trade its insane. But yet we are lazy?
Matted dogs are harder to work on as they are more uncomfortable and more likely to bite and they flail which can lead to injury for both the dog and the groomer. Working on matted dogs is way more risk to the groomers livelihood and business but also to the health of the dog. It's also way harder on our equipment making it dull faster and costing us more money to keep sharp and clean. It's counterintuitive to say that its easier to shave a matted dog. We actually hate it. Our tools hate it. Your dogs hate it. It's loose loose honestly.
Further more; We don't shave dogs super short unless they are matted or the owner specifically requests it. I have clients who's dogs have never been shaved, I have clients who's dogs get longer in the winter and shorter in the summer and I have clients who do short all year long because they want lower maintenance. My clients who do short all year long still come on the same schedule as the dogs who do longer and they still brush their dogs at home in between grooming appts.
Saying that your dog got shaved for no reason and that your groomer is lazy really only reflects one thing.... that you need to take accountability for the condition your dog comes to the groomer in. You need to take a good hard look in the mirror and paint yourself with the brush you try to paint us with. Even if your dog sees us every 4, 6 or 8 weeks for a haircut the responsibility for brushing at home falls on you. We can only work with the condition of the dog you bring in. Telling us to torture your dog by dematting them because you want a longer haircut is disgusting. If your dog goes longer than 8 weeks for a haircut then you need to change your schedule and expectations. Going 3 -12 months in between grooms is going to ensure your dog has a horrible time and hates grooming, that it probably has major skin irritation, matts to the skin, super long nails, has trouble standing and potentially ear infections too. And yet we are the lazy one? This way of thinking blows my mind.
Any good groomer will tell you that regularly grooming your dog ensures it enjoys the process, that you get the haircut length you want, that it costs less because your not paying for us to shave the neglect off your dog like a rug and that your groomer doesn't fire you. We absolutely hate clients who neglect their dogs. We will fire you so fast. And unfortunately your dog pays the price. It's better for our health as well if your dog comes more often and more regularly.
Do better. Ask your groomer what tools you need to maintain at home and have some accountability when your dog has significant matting.
All my groom dogs are required to come in every 8 weeks for a haircut and even with brushing at home sometimes the dogs have some matting. But if the effort is done at home the likelihood of us saving some length is more likely. If I can brush out a couple of matts with the dog staying comfortable and not irritating the skin I will do so. But wether or not I can do that starts with effort at home.
Stop saying we are lazy. We are work horses and we love spending time with your dogs.
Sincerely every dog groomer ever 😉
