Tail Talk Grooming Chronicles with Hound Therapy

Fluff and Honesty: The Real Deal on Pet Grooming

• Shannon & Tanya • Episode 16

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7 Things Groomers Wish You Knew

Ever stepped into a groomer's world and wondered what they're really thinking as they assess your beloved pet? Shannon and Tanya, professional groomers at Hound Therapy, let you know what happens behind the scenes in the grooming salon.

The duo tackles seven essential truths every pet parent should know, starting with the reality that grooming isn't the relaxing spa experience many owners imagine. They candidly address why prices fluctuate between appointments (hint: it's often related to coat condition), and why honesty about your home maintenance routine matters more than you might think. Through real-life examples, including a client who insisted her severely matted dog had been regularly brushed, they illustrate the disconnect that often exists between pet owners' perceptions and the reality groomers face.

Perhaps most enlightening is their breakdown of how coat length impacts both maintenance requirements and grooming costs. Contrary to what many believe, shorter cuts often require less frequent professional grooming, while those fluffy, Instagram-worthy styles demand significant time commitment both at home and in the salon. Shannon and Tanya emphasize that communication is paramount—from being upfront about your willingness to maintain certain styles to informing groomers about health concerns (yes, even your dog's digestive issues). Their passion for pet care shines through as they explain why certain decisions, like shaving matted coats, are made out of necessity rather than convenience.

Whether you're a first-time pet parent or a seasoned dog owner, this episode delivers practical wisdom that will transform your understanding of the grooming process. Listen now to build a better partnership with your groomer and ensure the happiest, healthiest experience for your furry family member. 

Ready to implement these insights? Call Hound Therapy at 469-367-0009 or visit Houndtherapy.com to schedule your next appointment with groomers who truly care.

To learn more about Hound Therapy visit:
https://www.HoundTherapy.com
Hound Therapy
3509 E Park Blvd.
Plano, TX
469-367-0009

Speaker 1:

Welcome to Tail Talk Grooming Chronicles with Hound Therapy, the podcast where we talk all things pet grooming, daycare academy and more. Hosted by Shannon and Tanya of Hound Therapy serving pet owners across North Texas, we're here to share expert tips, hilarious pet stories and the inside scoop on keeping your furry friends happy and healthy. Our motto humanity over vanity. And don't worry, we don't bite. Let's get started. Who let the dogs out?

Speaker 2:

Who let the dogs out, think grooming is just a relaxing spa day. Think again. Shannon and Tanya reveal what pet parents often misunderstand, from fluctuating pricing to brushing honestly, and how coat length equals effort. Welcome back everyone. I'm Sofia Yvette, co-host and producer, back in the studio today with Shannon and Tanya, professional groomers at Hound Therapy. Shannon and Tanya, how are you both doing today? We're good. Thank you Great. Well, it is so great to have you both back on, so it's time that we. What are seven things groomers wish you knew.

Speaker 3:

We're going to start with. We have a dog in here today, actually, and I think it's a great place to start because all seven things pretty much apply to this particular dog. They came in today, which you know it can make for a stressful day for us and for the dog and for the owner. I promise you that is not what our goal is. Let's start with. Grooming is not just a spa day, right? They're not coming in and seeing and it's not like us when we're going. I wish I could go to a spa day and get a pedicure. It's not a massage, I wish it was. We do, we patage them a little bit. They get a shampoo, but I can't say that they all dogs don't necessarily love it the same. Some dogs, you know, have separation anxiety. Some people have separation anxiety. We get a lot of people that their dogs don't like nails done, so it's not just as relaxing as it might seem. Let's why prices change is number two. Prices change on the drop of a hat.

Speaker 3:

I had a lady that came in today. She it's been four months, turns out. She's been getting her dog groomed, I think by another regular groomer where her backup groom facility, and I mentioned to her on a phone call that your dog is going to be more money today because if you want the same groom that we did last time, you've got mats and tingles and you've got a long hair dog. And she said I'm going to stop you right there. My dog is groomed every four weeks. Her groomer is just in and out of the hospital and I brushed her myself last night.

Speaker 3:

I have photos. You can't see them on here, but I'm going to assure you this dog is covered in mats, so she's not understanding what we're saying and she's uncertain, taking in a almost a fence that I would even insinuate that her dog has got mad so that she didn't brush it correctly. I have another client, the same problem, you know. He literally walked out of here after we showed him what, what utensils to use, and he threw his in the trash on his way out the door because his brushes aren't working, but his dog, his in the trash on his way out the door because his brushes aren't working.

Speaker 4:

But his dog came in yesterday and had zero mats in it, so I told him congratulations.

Speaker 3:

So a little education goes a long way. Don't be, don't Don't be offended if somebody you know this dog looks like it has not been groomed in four months Now. I don't know what her other groomer has been doing, and you know she did. There's no way that she brushed her dog last night. So don't lie. Do not lie Groomers do not want to hear you lie.

Speaker 3:

We know it's a lie. I brushed my dog last night. I just combed through it. I bathed it every other day. No, you don't. We can look at it, we can see it, we can smell it. We have eyes, we have nose. Just be honest. We would rather you say look, life got in the way and our dog got put in the back burner. Do what you have to do, but don't come in with a lie. We just found the dog yesterday, but we've got to call her. Her name is Sassy. She sits, stays down. She's really great with our kids. How did you get her yesterday? It looks like you found her under the weeds. So don't lie. We know you're lying. Just be honest. And then let's set a realistic expectation. So if your dog, it happens, life gets in the way Dogs. So if your dog's it happens, life gets in the way Dogs. Coats, you know sometimes they're the last thing that we can afford or do or have. You know the mental capacity to do.

Speaker 4:

Sometimes you just don't feel like it, and that's okay too.

Speaker 3:

You don't want to clean your house before your maid comes. You don't want to groom your dog before you know you take it to the dog groomer. Just be like we left those for you.

Speaker 3:

That's your job, thanks. Coat length is a big the longer. It's a huge topic that we have daily with everybody. Well, what do you mean? If it's longer, it's going to cost more. It takes more time.

Speaker 3:

You know shorter hair for any of my ladies or gentlemen out there that have short hair, you know how fast it grows and in two weeks, oh my gosh, you need a haircut immediately. Two weeks it's so long it's. You know I've got to get it groomed. If your hair is really long like mine mine hair is long I just pull up in a ponytail when it's time it's got mats or it's tangled, I just I can hide it pretty easily. It's the exact opposite for dogs. So the shorter your dog is, the longer in between coats and the shorter time it's at the grooming salon. The longer the hair, the more hard work it is, the longer it's going to take us to do and the longer and more stress it's going to involve on your dog, especially when it's 106 degrees outside. So you live in Texas. Let's go a shorter in the summer. Find something that's easier to maintain. We all understand that. You know. Fluffy is cute, but it's not always manageable for everybody.

Speaker 4:

I always ask people as well of how much work are you willing to put into your dog's coat? Because it does take work and if you want those long, fluffy haircuts, you're going to have to brush and comb them. So if you're only wanting to brush and comb your dog, maybe once a week, if that, a shorter haircut is definitely what you need.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, and then tell us what you want. Yeah, be a hundred percent truthful. Look, I want this and I want easy maintenance yes, or I want to brush my dog. That's the time that you know my five-year-old and I spend together. You know, I come home from work and we sit down and we brush our lawn or doodle Amazing, if that's your amazing time and that's what you do, great. If you're not the kind of people that that's what you're spending your time, then you want short.

Speaker 3:

Just had a baby, loved the dog, but now we have a baby and so shave off the face, the ears, the tail. We still want the dog to be part of the family, but we don't want to have her to. I don't want to keep up with it. Yeah, or we don't have the expense for it anymore. You know things happen. We lose jobs, you change job, we go back to school. You know there's a lot of factors that may not have been in play initially when you had your dog or um, you know that have changed throughout. So just be honest about it. No, we're not judging you. Nobody is insinuating that you have done anything wrong. We just want to be a hundred percent complete, honest and set a realistic expectation so that A we don't want bad reviews of saying, oh, you took in my dog and said you could do it long, and then later we're like, yeah, well, your dog was matted and we shaved it into seven. We really want you to have a very clear vision of what it is that we're doing.

Speaker 4:

Communication is key which brings us to we don't shave your dog for fun or out of laziness. We're not shaving these dogs because we want to. If you want your dog short, then fine, but I'm not going to shave your dog. But I'm also not going to brush your dog for hours In hours For free.

Speaker 3:

For free Right. So if you bring in a dog that's so matted that it's going to be detrimental to their health and wellbeing, then we don't have a choice and in that case we hold our breath because it sets us up for a possible catastrophe. I mean not being able to see what's under that coat. We have to shave that dog like it's in a medical office and it's hard to do. It takes two people. It takes two people. It takes a lot of time, a lot of care and a lot of effort. We don't want to do that.

Speaker 4:

And sometimes it breaks your heart.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, and it's not good for their skin. It's not good, but sometimes it's a better way to restart and you know a better way to move forward. I don't care, I can. I mean, I do dogs for a living, so brushing at dogs is what I do. I, you know, I don't mind brushing at a long hair dog, but don't think that if it takes me 25 minutes to shave a dog and five minutes to dry said shave dog, that if you have a long hair dog that's got six inches or more, three inches, four inches, that I have to de-wake, mat, de-tangle, bathe all more shampoo, more time in the dryer, more time, you know, for me to stand there and pull. It's physically, laborly intensive for me and your dog. For both you pay for our time.

Speaker 3:

In essence, we're not penalizing you for keeping your dog long and I like to brush out a dog. Some of the long hair doodles are my favorite to do. I like to scissor, I like to do those things. That said, in order to do them properly and correctly, it takes time. So the longer it takes us to do the work is what you're charged on. You're not being penalized for keeping your dog long and you're not getting a break or a discount for keeping it short. It just is less time to shave it if it's maintained on a proper basis, so keep that in mind. We're not looking to cast shade anywhere. We love communication too. That would be number seven. If you have a mole, a tick, if you saw something on your dog, if he jumped off, if he's limping, if he's got diarrhea, please let me know. Don't drop off your dog. And then I have diarrhea all over and they're nervous. And then I have diarrhea all over and they're nervous. And yeah, oh yeah, I forgot to tell you.

Speaker 4:

Cause at that point we think something's wrong. It's like detrimentally wrong.

Speaker 3:

Forgot to mention that. Don't forget to mention it. Mention it, Tell us all of it. We want to. We want to know your poop history or your dog's.

Speaker 4:

Yes, your dog's poop history.

Speaker 2:

Well, ladies, that was eye-opening and definitely packed with wisdom. Thanks for keeping it honest, as always. Until next time, let's keep grooming humane and informed. Catch you next time, thank you, bye-bye.

Speaker 1:

That's a wrap for this episode of tail talk with hound therapy. Ready to book your pets next groom daycare stay or grooming academy tour? Call us at 469-367-0009 that's 469-367-0009. To schedule an appointment, or visit us online at wwwhoundtherapycom. Serving north texas with expert pet care. Until next time, keep those tails wagging.