We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, groomers are more often than not, empaths. It’s what makes us great at what we do, but can also make the job more difficult. We’re people pleasers and puppy pleasers, but how do we find a balance between the two? And more importantly, which comes first?

Well for starters, we need to determine who is the real client, and to whom do we owe a duty of care?

Cambridge Dictionary defines client as ‘a person who receives services’, but perhaps more pertinent to us as groomers is the Merriam-Webster definition of ‘one that is under the protection of another: dependent’.

It’s a very niche situation, dealing with clientele that can’t speak to us but need our help, all while having to please the parents with their own opinions about how it should go and their desired outcome.

As detailed through a quick Google search on the matter, the 5 pillars of ‘Effective Client Communication’ are Transparency, Empathy, Self-Awareness, Context and Flexibility. If we had also searched the 5 pillars of “A Dog Groomer’s Personality” we suspect we’d have a very heavily overlapping Venn-diagram on our hands.

What we need to remember before each intake is that our ‘client’ is actually the one with four legs rather than two. In an ideal scenario, we get to please both, but sometimes we are forced to choose between the two in the name of humanity over vanity.

Yes, our client’s parents may want a longer haircut, but on a matted or knotted coat, how can they expect you to do in 3 hours what they didn’t do in the 3 months prior? But how do we communicate to our clients' parents that we can’t or simply aren’t willing to achieve exactly what they want?

COMB
The undeniable mat-detector. There are no secrets that can be kept from a comb! A steel comb operates in the same way that a blade does. The only thing a comb won’t do when caught on a mat that a blade will, is drag the skin in between its teeth, which sounds horrendous but is unfortunately true and should be communicated to your client’s parents.

MATTING FORM
Matting forms can not only make sure you’re not liable for any pre-existing injuries lying underneath the surface but also helps to communicate to your client's parents the risks associated with grooming matted dogs as well as the harm and stress dematting can cause.
We have a sample Matting Form available in our WHS for Dog Groomers course.

ADDITIONAL FEES
In cases where you are prepared to do some dematting, make sure you charge accordingly and where possible, pre-warn your client's parents. Sometimes they will prefer a shave off over a more expensive haircut, which is a better option for all involved!

The important stuff:

What is most important when it comes to our matted clients, is that we do provide a service in order to help them feel better. We explored the dangers of turning away a matted client in our article ‘The Ethics of Matting’.

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