While this is fresh in my mind

I'd call and simply ask what exactly he meant, that you were a bit suprised and hurt by it...and what has changed lately. Try at first..to be nice about it...maybe something has changed in the business like ownership or an incident and they are now tightening up on things? Bummer that it made you feel bad, tho.

You obviously trust this business, and they should be able to tell you what is going on in a straigh-forward way.  Talk to them!  Ask them if anything around there has changed recently.  Are the staff always the same?  Are they using the same tools, and are they using them the in the same way they always have?

Is it possible Willow's mouth is bothering her from the dental work being done?  It could explain why she's being fussy about it.  It's really not a Groomer's job to scale teeth.  Brushing is fine, but not effective if done less than once a week.  Removing all the plaque out from under the gumline is the most important part, and there are very few dogs that will tolerate it without anesthesia.  As well-trained and experienced as your groomer may be, they won't be able to see and understand potential dental problems the way a vet or vet technician will.  Maybe Willow may have some other oral problems, and is being fussy becasue she's in pain?

I don't think the growling is acceptable either.  I've only had two dogs growl at me in my lobby, and while one of them was only putting on a big show, the other one was impossible for me to safely handle. 

Sorry Lori and I'd feel the same way as you do. I wonder if it was there way of nudging you to work on the growling issue, and nothing more. I think that Gina's right about giving them a call or even going back there and chatting with them. I think it's important to hear what they have to say, but I also think it's important for them to know how concerned you are.

I think Jacob makes good points too. I'm not sure what kind of a teeth cleaning a groomer would do, but I'd guess it shouldn't be much more than brushing. Both my girls are pretty good at the vet these days, but I doubt they'd be very tolerant of a lot of work being done on their teeth without anesthesia.

 I don't blame you for not saying something right then. I'm really bad at responses when I'm taken off guard like that. I think that you should call him up and explain your feelings then ask what he meant and discuss it.

that is a very strange thing to say indeed, and i would have been taken completely offguard as well. i agree, the growling is unacceptable, beut its not like you are a new customer and it seems that there are about a million ways to explain it better than how he did.

 if you only have her teeth brushed every 2 weeks, then the brushing is really pointless. unless you brush at least once a week, brushing is not going to do much. also, i dont really know what he is doing when he says he cant finish the back. its really not that hard to brush the teeth if you can get the dogs mouth open. and even if he cant physically brush the teeth, most dogy toothpaste (at least any that i would ever use) is saliva activated and will work regardless of the teeth being brushed.

i would def. call them and ask them exactly what has been going on during her grooms. something has changed and willow obviously isnt happy with it. it could even be that she was more matted than usual and didnt like the extra brushing, something little like that. i would also maybe look into something being wrong with her mouth, that is if this is the first time shes been really bad and hasnt had much of an issue before now.

 it could also be that your groomer was in a bad mood that day. who knows. you wont until you call them.

Thanks for the responses.  I am going to call him.  He wasn't there today.  I've got his e-mail too so I might do it that way if I have the time to type it all out to him later. 

I just wanted to address the teeth cleaning too.  He is scaling them, he brushes them too, but the reason I take her is so he can scale them.  It's not the first time he's done it and they look perfect after he does it.  That's what he meant by the back not being done.  He didn't have the time to do the back.  He said he did a few teeth and stopped, did a few more, stopped.  So, he did what he could. 

Also, she's fine for the services as far as I know.   I've never had them tell me there were any issues other than with her nails.  It was in the waiting area when he came to get her from me that she growled.  But, again, his comment took me completely off guard because although I agree it's inappropriate behavior it's also somewhat expected of her--they've known her entire story from day one.

He did open a second shop so now I'm wondering if he doesn't care about us anymore now that he's got new clients there. 

Wow, I don't agree that growling is all that inappropriate. It's not like she lunged, snapped, or bit the guy. Just growled. Growling doesn't always mean "I'm going to bite", sometimes it just means "I'm a little stressed", or "Hey, why're you coming towards my Mom?" lol.

Honestly, I have no problem with Cherokee growling, and don't "work on" growling at all. I only worry about snapping, lunging, barking viciously...you know...

I think it's really bizarre that someone who knows Willow would be that freaked out by a growl.

chelsea_b

Wow, I don't agree that growling is all that inappropriate. It's not like she lunged, snapped, or bit the guy. Just growled. Growling doesn't always mean "I'm going to bite", sometimes it just means "I'm a little stressed", or "Hey, why're you coming towards my Mom?" lol.

Honestly, I have no problem with Cherokee growling, and don't "work on" growling at all. I only worry about snapping, lunging, barking viciously...you know...

I think it's really bizarre that someone who knows Willow would be that freaked out by a growl.

actually growling is a big deal. it is a warning to whatever the growling is aimed at. growling could or could not lead to a bite, but it is almost always a warning thing with dogs. im not saying you should correct it, disciplining that out of a dog could make the dog just bite instead, which isnt a good thing. but it is an indication that something is going on that the dog doesnt like.

lvdgs24

it is a warning to whatever the growling is aimed at.

Yes, thank you, I'm aware of that, but I still don't agree it's that big of a deal. I don't ignore Cherokee's growling. I usually remove her from the situation, or else I remove whatever's freaking her out. Cherokee's growling has never led to a bite. I've had this dog for almost 9 years, and she's done a LOT of growling, and not once has it ever progressed beyond that. She has bitten a person once, but ironically there was no growling (it was totally a fearful flight kind of response..not at all like her normal aggressive/reactive displays).

Clearly this is not true for all dogs, but Willow and Cherokee are alike in a lot of ways, and since Willow's growl didn't worry Lori too much, and the groomer guy KNOWS Willow, I still think it's really bizarre that he reacted the way he did.

Yesterday I still didn't feel right about what happened.  So, I called but he wasn't there.  I did speak with the woman who normally grooms her every two weeks.  I told her what happened, how I felt.  And, she said she has no problems doing Willow.  She knows what she can do with her and what she can't.  She said he was probably just in a mood and that sometimes he says things and doesn't even really realize what he's saying. 

That's fine but I still will be speaking to him about it.  I spend waaaay too much in his salon for him to be acting like that--after three years!

I do feel a lot better that the people that are there when she goes every other week have no problem with her being there. 

The only reason she saw him was because he's the only one who can do her teeth.  I don't think I'll be having him finish the back now anyway.  I'd rather not if he's being like this.

Lori

chelsea_b

lvdgs24

it is a warning to whatever the growling is aimed at.

Yes, thank you, I'm aware of that, but I still don't agree it's that big of a deal. I don't ignore Cherokee's growling. I usually remove her from the situation, or else I remove whatever's freaking her out. Cherokee's growling has never led to a bite. I've had this dog for almost 9 years, and she's done a LOT of growling, and not once has it ever progressed beyond that. She has bitten a person once, but ironically there was no growling (it was totally a fearful flight kind of response..not at all like her normal aggressive/reactive displays).

Clearly this is not true for all dogs, but Willow and Cherokee are alike in a lot of ways, and since Willow's growl didn't worry Lori too much, and the groomer guy KNOWS Willow, I still think it's really bizarre that he reacted the way he did.

 exactly, you do something when she growls b/c it is a warning that something may happen if nothing is changed, thats all im saying.  it IS a big deal. im not saying its bad, im just saying it is a big deal and willows mom should def. figure out what caused it b/c she doesnt want that growl to become something worse. any dog, when put into a situation they do not like can bite, even the nicest dog in thw world. it is a natural response, and it doesnt mean the dog is bad. it doesnt sound like this guy who did willow does her very often. so if i were doing a dog that i do not do very often and the dog growls, i would def. take it as a warning that the dog is not happy and will probably do more if he/she is pushed further. if i know the dog well, like the groomer seems to. i wouldnt be as freaked out by it, but i would def. take note of it and be more careful.

 it sounds like you have a sensitive dog who was in tune to the fact the the man was not having a good day. he may have unintentionally been rougher, or less pateint and willow maybe didnt like it, or just didnt like the change in his personality. dogs can pick up on that. it really does sound like that is what happened, but i would still talk to him. im glad you talked to the groomer and that she has no issues with willow. it does sound like an isolated incident to me. i would still tell him that the way he talked to was wrong, and what he said was wrong.

Hi Lori It's been a while, but I'd like to offer a bit of insight into this situation if I may.

 I don't think it's Willow at all. I know that dogs are very intuitive and pick up on the slightest of "moods" in people and we groomers are not without our stress. Perhaps Willow was reacting to HIS stress level and she was uncomfortable with it, thus the growl.

 My personal experience has been that when I am stressed, the dogs are not as well behaved. There are several reactive dogs that I do (without muzzles) and I can definately tell when MY emotions are coming across to them. This guy obviously was not in the right frame of mind that day or he wouldn't have said that to you. I know I'd never insult a client that has been coming to me every other week for THREE YEARS, even IF the dog was having problems. I'd use some tact to explain a difficult situation if need be, but not in the cold natured way he did to you. There is a little mini poodle that I've been doing for three years every two weeks and this little one is such a pain in the butt to do her feet, I catch myself getting stressed just thinking about her coming in that day. I have to step back and think positively in order to not relate my stress to her. She's still a PITA, but it's easier to get through it if I'm calm.

 I agree with you, if he is reacting this way, I'd probably not get him to work on her again. Willow WILL pick up on it and it could escalate further.

I don't think it's Willow at all. I know that dogs are very intuitive and pick up on the slightest of "moods" in people and we groomers are not without our stress. Perhaps Willow was reacting to HIS stress level and she was uncomfortable with it, thus the growl.

I'd request the lady who's been working on her, and not worry about her teeth. Personally, I won't scale teeth. Scaling without buffing can cause bigger issues, and I haven't met a dog yet who will let you buff it's teeth. Emma's dental was done with an ultrasonic scaler (no scraping), THEN her teeth were buffed. A little knick with the scaler (it's sharp!) can allow the nasty tooth bacteria to cause much bigger issues. I allow the vet to handle those things. The only dental service I offer is brushing with Petzlife gel and a finger brush, and their dental spray. I recommend daily spraying and weekly brushing, because it's working so well for Ems.

jennie_c_d

I recommend daily spraying and weekly brushing, because it's working so well for Ems.

That stuff is amazing, isn't it? Cherokee HATES the spray, but I torture her anyway because it works so well.