Hetty, the groomer and the big mistake
In many ways, having a dog is similar to having a child. They challenge you, you are always learning and sometimes you make mistakes.
Hetty is a cockapoo – half cocker spaniel, half poodle. Cockapoos don’t shed their fur, which is a good thing – no dog hair on furniture or clothes! The downside is that they need haircuts. Some people choose to do it themselves, but a lot of people – including us – take them to a groomer.
Hetty first went to a groomer in May last year, when she was nearly six months. She went again in July and again in September.
My husband decided that she wouldn’t go again until March this year, which seemed a little crazy. His reasoning was that she could keep a nice long coat to keep her warm for winter.
We made it through November and December and her fur grew and grew. She looked like a great big, cuddly teddy bear. She was so cute that she got attention wherever she went.
We loved having a big, furry cute dog.
But just before Christmas, her fur started getting matted. I do brush her every day, but her fur was so long that the brushing was no longer effective. Once she’d started getting matted, it went downhill very quickly.
She needed to go to the groomer!
So Hetty went to the groomer early in January – four months after her last haircut.
She was gone for two and a half hours, we were charged an extra £10 (£50 rather than £40) and she had nearly all of her fur cut off.
This made me feel both sad and guilty. From our big cuddly teddy bear, we were left with a tiny, skinny little dog. We’d known she was a lot of fur and not that much dog, but we hadn’t realised just how much fur and how little dog!
It made me question myself. Was I feeding her enough?
She’s an 8kg dog and has been for a long time, so I feed her the recommended amount of food for an 8kg dog. She also gets a fair amount of treats on top of that.
But my husband suggested that maybe she’s an 8kg dog because she’s only fed enough for an 8kg dog.
In my defence, I used to take her to see the vet’s nurse monthly for her flea treatment. When she was only seven or eight months, the nurse said she was unlikely to grow much more and would probably stay around the 8kg mark. (The ‘normal’ weight range of a cockapoo is in 10 to 15kg, but cockapoos’ weight is harder to predict than purebred dogs.)
The nurse was right. She didn’t grow much more.
So I didn’t worry. She’d remained at the same weight and was eating the right amount of food for her weight. Transitioning from puppy food to adult dog food didn’t make her weight go up or down and she’s a very energetic dog.
But she really did look VERY thin after her haircut, so I’ve increased her food a bit.
She’s also wearing a jumper or coat when she goes out to keep her warm. Our plan to keep her warm for winter truly backfired. She’s now less warm than she would have been if she’d been to the groomer six weeks earlier and had a normal amount of fur taken off.
From now on, she will be be going to the groomer every two months in summer and every three months in winter. Hopefully she will never get so matted again!
Well, I’m here to make you feel better. This EXACT thing happened to us! I was happy with a cuddly, shaggy cockerpoo but the matting got out of control (she hates being brushed). The groomer said it was like shearing a sheep. She was rude to me and made me feel like a bad dog owner. I took home a fragile, thin looking dog that didn’t feel like my dog at all. She’s a picky eater but we increased her food and got her a coat. She goes (to a new, lovely groomer who gives me lots of tips about dog hair and general care) every couple of months. She has a shorter cut in the summer and they leave her a bit longer in the winter for warmth.
She does actually moult which wasn’t part of the ‘getting a cockerpoo’ plan but hey ho, she’s perfect in every other way
Thank you! I am so relieved that it isn’t just me. Your situation really is exactly the same. That is just how I felt – that she wasn’t my dog at all. It was a strange feeling.
Sorry to hear the groomer was rude to you. I didn’t actually pick Hetty up, my husband did, but I don’t think she was rude to him. I felt like a bad dog owner myself though!
Hetty is also a picky eater. We’ve increased her food a bit, but now she has days when she hardly eats anything. I just have to assume/ hope she is having the right amount for her though.
Ahhh yes a common mistake with Poodle crosses, so many people don’t realise the dedication it takes to care for their coats. Your lucky yours doesn’t shed as those that do shed matt up so badly and so quickly as the loose hair stays in the coat. Hetty is such a lovely girl xxx
Thanks very much. She is a lovely girl! I definitely won’t be making that mistake again. That’s interesting that hair which has been shed can also get tangled up in the coat.
Oh dear, she looks a bit scalped. Friends of ours had the same issue with their cockerpoo as well re the overgrowth. Most people we know just get the clippers out themselves though, then you can do it whenever. Hopefully it grows back fast
She really looks scalped, poor thing! I don’t know anyone who trims their dog themselves. We did consider it briefly, but decided it would be too challenging and took the easy (but expensive) option.
It is growing back well, but a month later and it is still shorter than it normally is after she’s been groomed.
Aww! Bless her. She does look so different when she’s had a haircut. At least you know now when is the best time to go to the groomer. x
Thanks very much, she looks so different! We definitely won’t be making that mistake again! x
Exactly the same thing has happened to my boy yesterday! I was so upset o felt like I’d really let him down. My groomer was so kind though and said she thinks it is the transition from puppy to adult coat! I’m hoping he’ll start look like himself again in a couple of weeks!
Thank you for letting me know the same happened to your dog! It helps me to feel better about it. That is a good point about it being transition from puppy to adult coat. Hetty was only 13 months at the time, so that would make sense. I’m glad your groomer was nice about it. Ours certainly wasn’t, so we never went there again.
I hope your boy looks more like himself very soon!