The Matted Dog/Cat Issue
Lastly, and perhaps the most difficult situation to deal with is the matted dog (or cat). In this situation you want to be the compassionate and humane professional that you are and do what is best for the animal. That being to remove the tangled and matted fur in such a way as not to cause the pet injury, further discomfort, distress or aggravation and most importantly not put any staff members at risk.
I say that last part (not putting staff members at risk) due to the fact that in many cases the process of removing of matted fur from a moderately to severely matted pet can be an uncomfortable and downright painful process for the pet. In all likelihood no matter how careful you are the pet is likely to get nicks, scrapes or even moderate clipper burn from the process. I suppose the best descriptive example would be to imagine attempting to remove a wool sweater that was super glued to the skin of the pet. While this may sound somewhat extreme, in many cases this is not very far from the truth. I have dematted dogs wherein the end result was that I was left with a pelt that could be laid across the grooming room table that clearly showed the legs, tail, body, head etc. Just one giant thick interconnected web of fur that must be painstakingly and meticulously removed inch by inch over the course of hours to free the animal of this furry prison.
With animals that are severely matted it can be a challenge just to find an entry point to start the process of stripping off the matted coat. I typically hope to find a spot on the back between the shoulders that will allow a clipper to get through and down to the skin under the matted fur. As the coat grows from the skin outwards, the only option in many cases is to get underneath the existing matted fur, and into this new growth. This being the result of the fact that clippers cannot cut through matted fur. In order for a clipper to cut, some hair must pass between the non movable outer teeth and into the path of the rotating inner teeth where it can be sheared between the two. As the only place to find hair permissible to allow this to occur is close to the skin and under the matting; that is where you must go. Once you find an entry point and actually get to the unmatted hair beneath, it can be an hours long battle as you clip an area while lifting up on the matted hair to create a little separation to allow you to clip a little more, inch by precious inch.
The other issue is that in many instances the skin beneath the matting is severely tender, inflamed and or otherwise less than healthy. It is not uncommon to find pussy sores, blisters, scabs, or other injuries under the matting especially in high friction areas like the inner flanks, feet, or behind the ears. All of these things hurt, and the pet may react in such a way as to let you know that it hurts, such as biting you. They may also thrash about and injure themselves or staff members trying to escape this painful process.
That said, the very sad reality is that most pet owners are woefully ignorant of their pets coat condition, the maintenance process, the removal process and may be in denial or have unrealistic expectations that just cannot be met.
I suppose the most common example would be those involving “Oodles” or “Poos” of any type or size, to include Poodles, Labradoodles, GoldenDoodles, YorkiPoos, MaltiPoos, WhoKnowsAPoos etc. In many instances, no matter how professional you are, how well you explain the situation, how much care you take not to injure the pet, or how knowledgeable you may be; the owners of matted pets are not going to be happy having their dog shaved down. Accept it and don’t take it personal, they may call you names, write bad reviews, curse you, absolutely throw a temper tantrum etc. Ask any groomer and sadly it’s not that uncommon for owners to unleash their own self loathing at being unable to care for a pets coat upon you in a furious tirade of insults and bad behavior.
Back to the issue at hand, “Oodles” or “Poos” unlike many other breeds (with hair that grows to a set length, sheds out and is replaced by a new crop), have hair that continuously grows much like our human hair does. If left uncut it will just get longer and longer and longer, until it tangles into something similar to full body dreadlocks. The other issue is that “Oodle” or “Poo” hair is thinner and curlier than that of most other breeds. If you consider the hair of a Black Laboradore to be the bristles of a wire brush, by comparison poodle hair would be to replace those bristles with sewing thread. The end result being that it tangles easily and without regular maintenance will transform from soft and fluffy to an interwoven hardened mass that encapsulates the entirety of the pets body.
Many owners of matted pets are in denial, serious need 12 steps kind of denial when they enter your salon for grooming. They will blame neighbors, friends, family members etc. for letting the pet become matted. The most famous (ask any groomer excuse) is that “they let a friend watch the pet” and that is the reason its matted. Even if you make them sign a “matted pet waiver” admitting and owning up to the fact that the dog is severely matted and must be stripped, when payment time comes they will deny the dog was ever matted to begin with. Again accept it, and don’t take it personal it’s their issue not yours. As long as the pet is healthy and no longer suffering you did your job.
The undeniable fact of the matter is that a dog can only become matted through coat neglect. As a pet owner we are responsible for all facets of our pets care from the very basic food, water and vaccinations, to vet bills for injury, etc. With “Oodles and Poos” lack of coat maintenance can become a serious medical issue and an issue that causes the dog extreme pain and prolonged discomfort. In many instances its tantamount to abuse; as you gain some experience and see the sad state that many dogs will be in when brought to your facility, you may lose sight of need to please the customer and find that your compassion for the misery of the dog manifests itself as hostility towards the customer for being so neglectful and ignorant of their dogs needs by allowing it to suffer under the torture of a full body hair cast.
It is really hard to quantify in words on a webpage the type of suffering that an extremely matted dog feels. Imagine taking duct tape and covering every part of your body and then walk around like that for days, weeks or months. Oh’ and yes you have to cover your private areas, so that when you use the restroom it dribbles all over you and gives you ammonia burns or just squishes between your hindquarters and dries like a rock between your thighs eventually rubbing them raw. You can’t wipe either you just have to leave it till next time.
The other issue is unrealistic expectations, in that they believe that no matter how matted a pet is that it can simply be brushed out. Along with unrealistic expectations, they also mistakenly believe that you are in this business simply for the love of animals, profit be damned and should provide things for free. Tat every pet should be charged the same regardless of coat condition or the inordinate amount of time that may be required to correct it. It seems to be an unfathomable concept for average pet owner to accept the fact that a dog that takes 6 hours to dematt and groom should be charged more than a similarly sized or same breed dog that was maintained and only takes 2 hours to groom.
In my personal opinion, (which when combined with .99 cents will buy you a cup of coffee at McDonalds) the vast majority of these types of pet owners don’t want to accept responsibility for neglecting their dog. They take it overly personal and instead of accepting that they were an irresponsible pet parent that allowed their dog get to this point, they enter denial and pin the blame on your lack of knowledge or monetary greed. They tend to equate the reality of having neglected their dogs coat with them being painted as an animal abuser or stupid and feel attacked and consequently a need to lash out against the groomer or establishment.
I understand that things happen, money gets tight, other things take priority; there are more important bills to pay etc. I also understand that they are making an effort to correct the situation by bringing the dog in to remedy the issue. What you as a groomer need to understand is that regardless of how much empathy you exhibit, how well you try to convey your sense of understanding to the situation the end result in many instances will be bad behavior on the part of the owner towards you and your establishment. Again this is on them, owes to their own insecurities and lack of understanding and you should not take it personal or view it as a reflection of your abilities, or the service you offer.
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