id not clip out a BC or a beardie, i dont even like them excessively trimmed. We have BSDs & they cope just fine in the hot!!!! Better than the collies.

I DO agree with trimming older dogs knickers,as they can get messy easily

I had a double coated dog, unfortunately she loved to roll in fox poo and would not let anyone brush her.. rather than let her get matted and not being able to wash the poo out, we clipped her. she never had a problem with the heat despite being white and didn't have to go through the stress of daily grooming, or getting mange from the poo. worked well for us

I had to shave ....5f & 7f a border Collie, dog was 14yr a few months ago had a few strokes and the owner stopped grooming, (don't ask me why) Made the owner stay with me due to health reasons and he saw the problems trying to dry and brush her out, not to mention the pain she would have had to go through. I made the decision to clip her right down, afterwards she acted like a puppy.
Sometimes there is a need.

My salon has been open for one week, and I have clipped a badly matted bc, a really badly matted yorkie, a really really badly matted gsd and a lhasa that could have been a cruelty case. I agree that in some cases clipping may be beneficial to the dog, but it seems to me that a lot of the time it's an alternative to people brushing their dogs. Some people don't run a comb through their dog's coat between each visit to the groomers. I would think that if a person didn't want to keep their long coated dog long coated and well groomed, maybe they should consider a smooth coated breed? I have already had a complaint that I charged too much for clipping a tibetan terrier last week, because it took an extra hour to remove all the mats (which the owner insisted weren't there). If she didn't want to attend to her dog's coat daily, she shouldn't have got a tibetan terrier!

Welcome to the world where you realise that the vast majority of dogs are not properly cared for! I've not yet had a Tibetan Terrier in that wasn't matted as their owners seem to be completely oblivious to their grooming requirements.
Becky

yes, oddly I thought I would be mainly grooming well cared for dogs. not so huh?

Real world....

Ohh so true....Having worked in 3 groomers....you really apprieciate the groomed ones who come in as they are so few and far between!

I never accept a badly groomed dog without an extra charge. I have them read my policies before they leave the dog for the first time, to which I have also sent all of my clients a letter also stating the charges. I also offer 2 evenings a month a dog clinic where they can come and get their toes clipped, ears cleaned and shown how and what to use to kindly unmatt their pet. If they don't come on the 1st and 3rd Wed. not my problem and they can't say I am not a good groomer for not helping to educate them. If they don't want my help, that is there choice, therfore I charge.

The majority of my dogs are fantastically well groomed, the rest automatically get their checque book out! I never let anyone off with it, between £5-30, when you hit owners in the pocket they get on board!

Grooming at home is Free, Groomers charge. ....Simple!

I would have thought it was those of us who DO regularly groom our dogs would be the very ones who would take the trouble to get them into the groomers on a regular basis? The woman I always used with mine said how very well groomed he was when she first did him? You would think that people who don't bother and let them get all matted, are the ones who wouldn't know what a grooming parlour was wouldn't you, and certainly wouldn't want to pay up for de-matting them coz you'd think they wouldn't care enough!

I really like that idea of your dog clinic 2 evenings a month, I must enquire whether my own groomer does this, I'd definitely be going

In theory, yes. You would think that only the caring responsible owners would take their dog to be groomed. My eyes have been well and truly opened! tbf a lot of the dogs that come in are ShihTzus and Lhasas which are in good condition, but a lot of people don't seem to see grooming their dog as part fo it's normal care routine, and then suddenly decide it looks a mess and stinks six months down the line! I think they generally do care, but don't realise that not grooming their pet is neglect.