My husband and I got a Golden Retriever puppy in April, and this is the first dog either of us have had as adults. We both had dogs as kids but obviously neither one of us had much responsibilities with them.

On to my issue - we decided we wanted to take him to a dog groomer. As a Golden he obviously doesn't need much - all we really wanted was his paws trimmed (snow keeps getting packed in there), the hair around his ears trimmed due to matting from ear infection medication, and a good brushing (I hate brushing him in the house and it's too cold to do it outside!)

So, I made the appointment a few days ago and my husband brought him in this morning. He was told that it would take 4 HOURS. I think they were going to do more than we needed which is fine, but 4 hours?? Now, fast-forward 4 hours and my husband goes to pick him up. Apparantly they told him they needed 25 more minutes because so far all they've done is give him a bath! I am FURIOUS because I'm guessing that my poor little baby has been sitting there for 3 1/2 hours waiting for someone to pay attention to him. I would have much rather had him waiting at home than in some strange place all by himself. Plus, neither of us thought the people who worked there were very friendly, so who knows how they treated him.

Anyway, after they told my husband that he obviously was upset. They told him that it is normal for a dog to be there all day. Is that really normal? I guess I figured that they would schedule their appointments appropriately so they don't have that issue. Some wait, yes, but 4 hours seems completely ridiculous to me (although what do I know).

I know that this isn't a very serious issue, but we really do treat and think of our dog like our baby(although we have an actual baby on the way). I'm seriously almost in tears thinking of how confused and lonely he probably was. Any advice anyone has would be very helpful!

I groom our dog myself, but my parents and co-worker both take theirs to the groomer. It is typical for them to take them in at lunch time and pick them up after work or take them in first thing in the morning and pick them up at lunchtime. I know some who leave them all day.

As for the groomers, I think you need to find a different one if you were not comfortable with them and their attitude.

As someone who used to work in the pet care industry I can tell you that 4 hours for a large dog is reasonable. In order for a grooming shop to make money, they need to stagger appointments so that the groomer works on one dog while others are being bathed, dried, etc.

Depending on the coat your dog has, he may also need extra drying time. Blowdrying a dog is not easy, and it very time consuming. What most grooming shops do (at least the one's I worked in) is blow dry the dog to take care of the bulk of the water and then put the dog into a kennel with a dryer to finish the job. If a dog is afraid of the blow dryer (this is an industrial strength dryer that is loud) then he'll require more drying time in the kennel dryer.

Honestly I don't believe that your dog was confused or lonely. Most dogs are very occupied checking out all of the dogs around them and all of the new things they don't see everyday. If you are concerned about him being lonely, then maybe you can bring a toy for him to play with next time.

As to the groomers not being friendly, it is going to depend on the groomer. As in any industry, there are going to bad seeds, but pet grooming is a hard job and you really have to love animals to be in it for the long haul. It is a physically depanding and down right gross job at times, and you really have to love animals to put up with all the fleas, drool, and other fun stuff.

If the groomer has other animals to do with limited staff, they have to stagger the steps. Also, I think it goes by first there, first served.
It took me forever to find a groomer after I moved. I now drive 50 minutes to my groomer and yes, she's worth it.
Just shower him with tons of lovin's and he'll be fine! But I agree with TJ. You really do have to shop around.

We take our dog (MaltiPoo) to our vet for grooming and all dogs are dropped off between 7:00 when they open to 9:00 at the latest. Being an earlybird, I generally drop her off right at 7:00 and she is ready sometime around noonish. She sits in a crate in a room with other dogs as far as I know and she doesn't seem to mind. Goes right off with the groomer, only looking back once.

If you aren't comfortable with the groomer you used, find another place. Took one of our dogs to a groomer a few years ago and refused to take him back there. The groomer spent 5 minutes lecturing me on how to take care of my dog and why was I 5 minutes late We like all the groomers where we take this dog so it's worth the time and money. Which reminds me, she is due for another trip there.

Thanks everyone! After talking again with my husband, I've realized that it is the actual place/people that I have a problem with. When I went in to make the appointment, I got an uneasy vibe from the woman. She wasn't rude by any means, but she acted like she could care less about my dog (and I agree with a pp that anyone working with animals should love it). Not only did my husband get that same feeling, but it turns out our dog did too. He absolutely refused to even go in the door. My husband had to actually pick him up (he's 75 pounds) and carry him in. He has NEVER done that anywhere else before. When my husband was paying, Hunter was pulling on the leash trying to get out the door. And this is a dog that practically rips my arm off when we go to the vet because I'm not getting him inside fast enough! Sometimes I think dogs have a better sense of people than we do, and we will not be taking him there again!

I feel much better about the time thing and thank you for explaining why it takes so long. I guess I hadn't thought of how the actual process works (I was sort of thinking it was like when I go and get a hair cut - obviously not the same thing!). We actually do a lot of stuff ourselves (nail clipping, ear cleaning, and teeth brushing) so maybe I'll give paw trimming a try! Otherwise, if anyone is in the southwest metro area (Twin Cities), I'll happily accept referrals!

Thanks again!

MN Banker, your vet may have a recommendation for a good groomer or have a groomer on staff. When I lived in the Cities my dog was usually at the groomers all day. That is until I walked in to pick her up one time and could hear the groomer yelling at someone else's dog she was grooming. I paid my bill, gathered up dog and never went back. Before she was due for her next trim I had purchased a clipper and a grooming book and took care of it myself from then on.

First thing I saw in your post was the 'we treat him like a baby even tho we've got a real one on the way'. May I suggest you watch the Dog Whisperer on the National Geographic channel?

I've had dogs all my life and I thought I knew it all. I've shown dogs in obedience and worked them in agility. Ceasar has taught me so much about what a dog needs from its owner. His mantra is 'exercise, discipline and then love'. Especially with a child on the way, Hunter needs to have the security of knowing what his place is in your family pack and believe me, even with a breed as great as Goldens, you don't want him to think he's the baby.

As far as grooming, you're right, Goldens don't need much and you can probably handle it yourself. Your vet will trim his nails if you don't feel comfortable doing it. I trim two of my dogs who have clear nails but I'm leary of doing the one with the dark nails so she goes to the vet.

I take my dogs in the shower with me and have my daughter standing ready with a towel when they're done. Especially in winter, I need to keep my dogs' paws trimmed and that's really easy too. One trick is to sit on the floor (like when you're watching tv) and handle your dog's paws. Do this a few different times until he doesn't even know you're doing it. Then next time, trim the hair. nbd.

If you do think you need a groomer, I agree with the suggestion to ask your vet. Or ask a neighbor who has a dog if they have or know a good groomer. Don't be afraid to stop in and ask to see the place BEFORE you book an appointment. A good groomer has nothing to hide.

btw, Hunter's reluctance to enter and eagerness to leave sound like a perfectly normal response for a first time experience. He didn't want to go in because it was all new to him. He wanted to leave because groomers don't have time to love and baby the dogs the way you do. While I agree you should feel comfortable, I just don't think this sounds abnormal. (Maybe pregnancy hormones kicking in? )

Good luck with Hunter and congrats on your upcoming family expansion.

Exceptionally well said! I'll just add.... DITTO!

I have a great groomer. I take my dog, or fosters as the case may be, and refer everyone I know who has a dog to her. She's there so I can drop my dog off on the way to work, has two rooms with 2 1/2 to 3 foot walls separating them to put them in with a few crates for those special guys who can't get along, and puts them in groups together but keeps watch over everyone. She also keeps her two dogs, Sergeant and Nibbles with them. These two are police dogs in the sense they break up anyone fighting over toys and are sweet but loveable but very much dominant to other dogs in an oddly non-aggressive way. They just take the lead and every dog I've seen there follows. And, she's CHEAP! If you're in the Cincinnati area, ask and I'll give you a referral!

I totally agree, and I think we do a pretty good job. Part of the problem is that we got him about a week after miscarrying our first baby - so we unintentionally put him into that role. We do give him structure and discipline and he doesn't get away with much. My biggest issue is getting over the fact that he's a dog and doesn't think like humans - he thinks like a dog! I've done a ton of research on bringing a baby home to a dog (including looking at Cesar Milan's website last night - how ironic!), and so far we're doing pretty good.

The strange thing about him not wanting to go into the groomer is that he has never done that ANYWHERE before. Anytime we've gone somewhere new he's been so eager to check it out. But, I guess most of those places he went for the first time when he was much younger, so maybe he is getting more apprehensive as he gets older (if 10 months can be considered "older")?

I think I will look into getting a dog grooming book. Like I said, we already do pretty much everything except trim his fur and he really only needs that around his paws. We made sure when we got him that he was comfortable being touched everywhere, since we knew we'd have a baby in the house eventually (plus I have several nieces and nephews that visit a lot).

Thanks again for the responses everyone - I'm going to agree that it is probably the pregnancy hormones kicking in!

I had forgotten that when our first dog was a pup, we took him to obedience classes and the instructor was also a groomer. We had him groomed there a couple of times after class while we waited. She actually let us help and ended up showing me how to groom him myself. She was a "Dog Person" and she loved working with animals - I would have felt totally at ease leaving him with her all day if necessary.

MN Banker...I sent you a PM

I'm glad I could shed some light on the grooming process for you. Hopefully you can find someone you're more comfortable with or learn how to do the basics yourself at home.

I groom my dogs at home myself now, but I still have a lot of my old equipment to help me out. Luckily the hairy dog I have to contend with is a pom.

My dog's groomer has this posted on their door:

20 reasons why your dog's haircut is more expensive than yours, and takes twice as long

1. Your hairdresser doesn't give you a bath.
2. Your hairdresser doesn't give you a manicure and a pedicure.
3. You don't try to bite, scratch or maul your hairdresser.
4. You don't wiggle, spin or try to jump out of the hairdresser's chair.
5. Your hairdresser only cuts whats on your head, not your whole body.
6. You don't try to hump the hairdresser.
7. Your hairdresser doesn't wipe boogies from your eyes.
8. Your hairdresser doesn't pluck and clean your ears.
9. Your hairdresser doesn't squeeze your anal glands.
10. You don't poop or pee while you are getting your haircut.
11. Your hairdresser does not remove fleas or ticks.
12. You don't go 6 weeks without brushing or washing your hair.
13. Your hairdresser doesn't brush your teeth.
14. You don't try to bite the scissors, clippers, brush, nail clippers or dryer.
15. It doesn't take 3 people to trim your nails.
16. Your hairdresser doesn't have to de-matt your hair.
17. Your hairdresser would never wash your butt.
18. Your hairdresser would never give you a "sanitary trim"
19. Drying your hair doesn't blow hair all around that gets on everything.
20. You don't howl or bark while having all this done

Now that's funny.

Thanks, I needed a laugh today

I would be willing to pay extra for this service.

Funny but true!! Thanks for sharing, I'll have to send that on to some of my friends with dogs

I had to pass that on to a groomer friend of mine, cute!