As many of my clients know, I now only groom small to medium size dogs now. Throughout my grooming career, I have groomed Bouviers, German Shepherds, Royal Standard Poodles, Irish Wolfhounds, Bernese Mountain dogs, Newfoundlands, St. Bernards and the list goes on …… but every once in a while I make exceptions. I feature two fantastic Golden Retrievers on my website, please see gallery 1 in my portfolio and most recently a received a request to groom a black Chow Chow named Big Boy.

His owner had never had him professionally groomed for fear that a shop would be scared of him and treat him poorly. So, his dog walkers were bathing him at a self bathing place without any brushing and combing prior to the bath. This went on for four years!! YIKES. So, when Betty called me through a dog trainer referral and describe the situation, yes “the situation” I was very worried to see Big Boy’s coat. Well, needless to say poor Big Boy was matted to the bone. It was a complete and utter mess. Betty begged me not to shave him, as all the other groomers said must be done prior to calling me. Dematting is my forte. I will do everything not to shave a dog if it is within my ability. SO ….

I told Betty that I would dematt him over four grooming sessions, three hours each. Not only did I have to patiently pick through his coat 1/4″ by 1/4″ but I also had to train him to
accept the grooming table and learn to stand. He had never been on a grooming table so he was a little scared and tentative. I never use a “rake” but, methodically cut through the mats with my very, very sharp shears on the vertical/with the grain and then use my slicker brush and then comb. That process had to be done on his entire body. It is meticulous work, almost like surgery. There is a rhythm to my dematting process that allows the dogs to trust me. My hands and the dogs body almost become one.

I have now groomed Big Boy for over a year now and his coat is magnificent and I go every three weeks like clock work. I have trained him to jump into the tub for his bath and he stands patiently. I use a large dog grooming table with the Metro Master Blaster Dryer and he now behaves like a perfect grooming client. I am very proud of him! Below is a little video of his magnificence.