Matted Dogs - Educating Clients + Charging Appropriately
We’ve all been there – when a client arrives for their groom and either doesn’t understand that their dog is matted, or doesn’t understand why it costs them more money.
The common question “why are you charging me more if you’re going to shave it off anyway?”
A great tool to have in your arsenal is a matting form that the owner needs to sign on intake. A form that outlines the risks in grooming a matted dog, the extra time it takes and the damage it does to your equipment.
We love our dogs and their owners but the harsh truth is: we didn’t put the mats there, but we are responsible for their removal.
It’s not comfortable for the dog! We’re pulling their hair, skin can be bruised with extreme matting, hematomas can develop on matted ears – so more often than not, dogs will get irritable and aggressive during the process, which adds to our difficulty.
This brings us to our next point - KNOW YOUR WORTH!
Time is money, tools cost money and no one has ever gone into an office wanting to be bitten by their client so why should that change just because you work in a different environment?
Our tips:
Highlight the severity of matting to the owner on in-take. It can help to have a comb with you and demonstrate the action of a blade, showing how you can’t clip through matting but have to go under it.
Have the client sign a matting form that indicates you are not liable for any injuries resulting from mat removal or any underlying issues with the dog's health that can't be identified prior due to the coat condition.
Charge accordingly! Blades get dulled when grooming matted dogs, and cost money to get sharpened. You take more time and care to ensure the safety and minimise the stress level of the dog, and in some cases, deal with increased bad behaviour, so ensure you are getting compensated proportionately.
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