Petsmart grooming

Took my cat to PetSmart for grooming cause she has matted hair on her hind leg and asked for a sanitary trim. She still has matted hair on the same spot afterwards and refuses to let me brush it. I would not take her back to be washed at the same place and I want to wash her myself. Should I get some sedative and bathe her? What is some advice for removing the matted hair? I've read that we shouldn't cut it, is that sound advice?

For the second time I have taken my 3 year old shih tzu to the groomer and it didn't go very well. We have a 3 year old shih tzu (Arya) and a 2 year old bichon/shih tzu (ollie). Ollie was adopted and has done great with grooming. We got Arya from a breeder as a puppy and she has always had an extreme fear of the vet, being groomed, etc. She has been treated exceptionally well all her life but will even duck her head when we go to pet her. When taking Ollie to his groomer, I spoke to the owner about how I would love to take Arya but she was very fearful so we have always scissor cut her ourselves. She recommended starting to take her in for a bath and nail trim and work up from there. We took her in November but our children (1 and 2 year old) have been plagued by illnesses and We've been overwhelmed this winter. Today I took her back to the groomer with Ollie (he goes every 8 weeks), and the groomer came out and said she had to have a talk with me. She said that Arya was very afraid during the bath and so scared she couldn't even clip half of her nails. She let me know that she saw it had been five months since Arya had been in and if I couldn't commit to taking her every four weeks or less for a bath and nail trim she would refuse her from the salon and we would need to take her to the vet for sedation and grooming. Number one we wouldn't do that because we can scissor cut her ourselves and we don't want unnecessary sedation. I did ask her if Arya was aggressive and she said there was no aggression just shaking and being scared but no nips or aggression. She said that it was our fault for not bringing her before 3 years old and she was willing to try to change her bad disposition at the groomer if we were willing to commit to her the groomer but if not she was too bad. Supposedly this girl is the best they have with anxious dogs but she seemed very rude and short.
I feel like her attitude was offensive. She didn't act like that at all the first time and said she did well with Arya back in November (but the owner was standing beside her at the time). I tried over 40 groomers in our area before finding them. No one else was accepting new dogs after the pandemic. This is a brand new boutique so they had openings when we started taking ollie. Our PetSmart does not have a good reputation.
Are there any groomers who have experience with nervous scared small dogs. Is there any advice? Is this what you would say to me as well? New to the grooming experience but I felt as if it was such an attitude and fait accompli to take her every four weeks. I had already talked to the owner about bringing her on the 8 week schedule same time as our other dog. We really don't have the money for $100 bath and nail trim every four weeks, but I don't want to give up on our dog getting groomed professionally. Any advice?

For the second time I have taken my 3 year old shih tzu to the groomer and it didn't go very well. We have a 3 year old shih tzu (Arya) and a 2 year old bichon/shih tzu (ollie). Ollie was adopted and has done great with grooming. We got Arya from a breeder as a puppy and she has always had an extreme fear of the vet, being groomed, etc. She has been treated exceptionally well all her life but will even duck her head when we go to pet her. When taking Ollie to his groomer, I spoke to the owner about how I would love to take Arya but she was very fearful so we have always scissor cut her ourselves. She recommended starting to take her in for a bath and nail trim and work up from there. We took her in November but our children (1 and 2 year old) have been plagued by illnesses and We've been overwhelmed this winter. Today I took her back to the groomer with Ollie (he goes every 8 weeks), and the groomer came out and said she had to have a talk with me. She said that Arya was very afraid during the bath and so scared she couldn't even clip half of her nails. She let me know that she saw it had been five months since Arya had been in and if I couldn't commit to taking her every four weeks or less for a bath and nail trim she would refuse her from the salon and we would need to take her to the vet for sedation and grooming. Number one we wouldn't do that because we can scissor cut her ourselves and we don't want unnecessary sedation. I did ask her if Arya was aggressive and she said there was no aggression just shaking and being scared but no nips or aggression. She said that it was our fault for not bringing her before 3 years old and she was willing to try to change her bad disposition at the groomer if we were willing to commit to her the groomer but if not she was too bad. Supposedly this girl is the best they have with anxious dogs but she seemed very rude and short.
I feel like her attitude was offensive. She didn't act like that at all the first time and said she did well with Arya back in November (but the owner was standing beside her at the time). I tried over 40 groomers in our area before finding them. No one else was accepting new dogs after the pandemic. This is a brand new boutique so they had openings when we started taking ollie. Our PetSmart does not have a good reputation.
Are there any groomers who have experience with nervous scared small dogs. Is there any advice? Is this what you would say to me as well? New to the grooming experience but I felt as if it was such an attitude and fait accompli to take her every four weeks. I had already talked to the owner about bringing her on the 8 week schedule same time as our other dog. We really don't have the money for $100 bath and nail trim every four weeks, but I don't want to give up on our dog getting groomed professionally. Any advice?

I live in Toledo Ohio and I have been a bather for 2 years now and started classes online from Paragon school of pet grooming but there's no groomers looking to teach at the moment. I'm desperate for a job at the moment and am even considering trying to go to petsmart or pet supplies plus

~13 yo Longhair female cat, spayed, about 13 pounds. Previously treated for a UTI and bladder inflammation about 6 months ago. She's been on urinary health food since then. Doesn't get fed people food and occasionally gets churu treats or urinary or sensitive stomach wet food. Had a bout of frequent vomiting about 2 months ago, went to vet, received anti nausea meds and the problem went away. Located in the midwest. No other accompanying symptoms.
I noticed last night that my cats anal region is looking very red and irritated. We just got back from a 5 day vacation and my mom also noticed this while pet sitting. I haven't noticed that she's grooming that area more than usual, but I'll pay extra attention now that I know that she's experiencing irritation. Her poops appear to be normal. We've also noticed that Noelle (the cat) stinks a lot more than she normally does. She's a very fluffy long hair cat and fusses when we try to bathe or trim her fur, so as long as she doesn't have poop stuck on her I don't get too upset if she smells a little funny. The last time we gave her a bath was a couple months ago, and we used the unscented gentle pet shampoo from petsmart. She hasn't had any previous issues when we bathe her.
I'm hoping that this is something that can go away with a bath and some OTC healing ointment. Any thoughts? Thanks in advance!

This is for Grandville, 49508 MI location for Petsmart.
About to finish high school and my family doesn’t support cats financially (the ones they agreed to take in, mutual agreement so I thought they’d care). So I got myself a job although I make 1k /monthly, it’s good enough for now as a high school student. These go half to my cats.
So I took in a stray feral cat (I assume it’s feral cause it hisses at humans a lot and ran when we first found her, she’s still quite aggressive and doesn’t like to be picked up too much, allows pets and scratches. Loves wet food).
I’m worried it’ll cost more if grooming a senior aggressive cat. She also has never been to a vet, couldn’t afford, planning on taking her there next month. And groom salon on a appointment set for May 24 maybe for full body haircut.
She is longhaired and the fur is thick. I didn’t cut it since it’s forking cold outside. She’s outdoor cat too.
Do salons allow aggressive cats? Doing a bath and brush too along with ear cleaning, nail trimming with feet scissoring.
Also advice needed of course: There are also pet training services. Is it possible to train aggressive cat?
I think my cat is also anxious and flinches easily. I’ll make sure to let primary veterinarian know, maybe anxiety medicine exists? Something.

50 lb mix, very anxious rescue. I’ve tried every trick in the book with nail clippers to get her used to them, she won’t have it from me.
Her nails desperately need to be cut. PetSmart won’t do it because she snapped at the groomer before they muzzled her. Went to Nature’s Groom on Convention a few months ago & they were able to do it, but I wasn’t super comfortable with the fact that they wouldn’t let me inside. I’d go back there but only as a last resort.
Any suggestions? My vet won’t do it as a stand alone service. She doesn’t need to be washed or any other spa treatments. All we need is a nail trim.

Can anybody recommend a good cat groomer? I've heard mixed reviews about Petsmart/Petco grooming services so I'm hesitant to go to one of them. Any suggestions would be great.
I have a longish hair cat that I recently adopted that needs some dematting/thin out. I contacted a place in Boston that does house calls as I thought it would be easier on my 16 yo, skittish girl, but their price was WAY out of budget. I've decided a house call may no longer be an option. So I'm just looking for a good quality, not too expensive groomer more local.

Can anyone explain the process of being hired by and trained to groom at petsmart? i'm looking into it and feel like this is my best option right now.

Hello, I'm currently working private but thinking of applying to PetSmart as a groomer. I have about 1.5 years experience with very basic grooms. What is the hiring process like for those with prior experience, not applying as a bathegrooming trainee ?

i've been wanting to become a dog groomer for a good couple of years now, and i finally found a place that was willing to train me. i started this job just under 2 months ago (jan. 17th). prior to that, for about 3 years i was a bather, often times in between jobs because of (cruel) excessive drama stemming from bosses, or getting injured twice at one job (im talking about you petsmart). but at all my jobs i often watched the groomers on any down time i had to try and figure out what they were doing. i got a lot of good tips and advice from them, and i loved trying out new things that they taught me, or trying different products. now fast forward to my current job. my boss is a very nice lady, and im extremely grateful for her taking me in and putting in the effort to train me, even while she is still grooming her own dogs. however im starting to realize she is not really as nice as she seems, and has a bad habit of turning very little simple fixes into huge problems. 1. she is extremely controlling 2. she cannot admit when she is wrong 3. you have to walk on eggshells around her for example: yesterday i had a dog aggressive german shepherd mix on my table that was honestly the size of a freaking wolf, who was even getting a little antsy about the groomers dogs on their tables (there is 4 of us total; 3 groomers, 1 bather, small shop) but i was still able to groom her. she is also very kennel aggressive. then out of the blue my boss told the other groomer to tie her last dog (a golden ret.) to her table because the pet parent didnt want her in a cage. she was really confused and tried explaining to her that that wasnt a good idea because of dakota (my dog). she just talked over her and told her to tie the dog up anyways. the 3 of us looked at each other and i held my dog and got frustrated because this honestly was just bs. she couldnt wait 10 more minutes for me to finish the dog. guess what? my dog ended up flipping out. im sitting there holding this dog back with everything i have, the bather is helping me and im visibly pissed off at this point because this is all so unnecessary, and all my boss says to me is "whats the problem?" i just looked at her and said i cant finish my dog, and she rolls her eyes at me and comes over to "control" my dog. surprise! she couldnt. then she starts getting pissed off at me, and yelling at me cause im not finished with the dog and told me to put it back in a kennel, then afterwards proceeds to stay pissed off at me because "i gave her an attitude" you see what i mean about walking on eggshells?
now to wrap things up, she is now getting irritated with me, because my hand scissoring, and faces arent perfect, and only gives me 1 hour (sometimes less) to dry, prep, brush, shave, and cut. and theres literally no reason for it. so i messaged her this yesterday, and this was her response (im going to leave out the names):
me: "hey ***, im texting you this because i needed a minute to gather my thoughts. if you dont want to talk over phone thats okay i can wait until tuesday. too many times i am getting frustrated because i dont understand your thought process with me, and what you communicate with me is completely different than what happens. i understand this is a job where stuff can be thrown at you out of the blue, but this morning you told me i could take my time with lou bear and then at dropoff only give me an hour to work on him. i dont understand why you do that. there are also other times where i feel like you expect perfection out of me, like the cavapoo face from yesterday. i hadnt done a cavapoo face before and really needed a guide but you went to the computer instead and just said regular face. afterwards, it just seemed like you got angry with me because i didnt get it right. even *** noticed and told me cavapoo faces can be pretty difficult. i have only been there for less than 2 months. all of this is still new to me even with time management and bathing and drying the dogs to grooming. im fine with you having expectations of me and setting goals but somedays i feel like you are too hard on me, and i just dont understand why. again, if you want to wait until tuesday i understand, enjoy your weekend."
her response: "yes we can talk tuesday. im driving up north right now. but what happened today is that 3 of ***'s dogs canceled. so she could not stay with you until 3. ---((mind you im always done at 2 because how much she pushes me))--- both of us done at 1:30. so i told her we would be out at 2 so she didnt get stuck with you. then 4 dogs showed up at 12:15 that we did not expect due to my bad computer skills and we had to stay and get them done. once that happened you could of asked for more time ---((she did not tell me ANY of this when it happened))--- just could have called owner instead of getting upset. you had 2 hours and 20 minutes for 2 dogs. was plenty of time but i understood how easy is can be to get behind!"
WHAT IN THE ACTUAL FUCK!?

Is that possible? I cut his nails last time and one bled and it took forever to stop. I’m too scared to ever do it again. And I think he’s also scared to let me. Can I just bring him in to Petsmart to get them to cut him? Without doing a whole bath/grooming? Is that an actual service offered? How much?

How much money on average per week do you make grooming at petsmart, tips included? How much do you make while training?

I have never been in any pet oriented industry but I had 2 great interviews yesterday. One was with a local groomer to be a bather. The schedule is indefinitely the same. The other was with PetSmart. I had applied with PetSmart to be a bather but they informed me via preliminary phone interview that I would start out as retail but they've got a couple bathers starting grooming academy soon and I could possibly become a bather in the near future. I just have to do the background check and I'm in. I am not sure how the scheduling works but I know with retail it can be like pulling teeth to get a consistent schedule, which I need because the daycare my kids go to needs their schedule for the entire month, not just weekly. If I end up having a choice between the two, what opinions do the people of the industry hold on who I should work with?

Have a 9 month old pit bull- Only mentioning because some groomers don’t like to take certain breeds.
He is the sweetest thing in the world, loves everyone, but refuses to let me clip his nails. He screams and screams and jerks his feet around and yelps and thrashes and sounds like I’m slowly cutting his feet off with a pair of dull rusty scissors.
Last time I tried he almost broke his shoulder jerking away. I’ve tried treats, love, everything in the world to make this pup comfortable but nothing is working.
His nails are far too long, this can’t go on. I have to find a professional who can help. I’m not taking him to PetSmart or PetCo so don’t even mention it. I don’t need him bathed, groomed or anything, just the nails.
Looking for a small groomer, local affordable grooming shop who works with scared pup’s feet?

Yesterday, my cat was running around looking for snuggles and doing random cat things.
Today, after a grooming “wash and brush” at petsmart my cat has bloody nails, a swollen/puffy face, and is listlessly laying in the same spot. She is hardly reacting to anything around her. I am heartbroken.
I don’t deserve my cat’s trust anymore since I took her to that horrible place but is there ANYTHING I can possibly do to make her more comfortable. I am already taking her to visit the vet tomorrow but I feel like puking just imagining how my baby was handled to leave her like this. She isn’t eating or reacting to outside stimuli much, I don’t know what to do. She is currently laying with the person she loves cuddling with most, has food and water very close to her, and is in a dimly lit room with random videos playing (she likes to watch).
I feel like an absolute imbecile for taking her to petsmart. I got her from there and she is my first pet cat so I just assumed it would be safe to take her back to where I got her for her first grooming. We have unsuccessfully managed to give her a half bath at home and figured it was time to let the “pros” have a go at it. She is a shorthair but she sheds like crazy so we wanted to clean her up a bit.
Update: I apologize for taking so long to give an update and thank you for all the advice in the comments!
First thing’s first, Lilly is doing a lot better than when I first wrote this post. She is more animated and has started walking around more. We noticed she is more open to being around us and was not bothered with us looking to snuggle with her.
When we took her to a vet she was shivering like we have never seen before, had her face buried in one of our sweaters the whole time. She had gotten her shots updated last month and it was a breeze, super calm and she was purring the whole time so the change in behavior was very apparent. Vet said the nail bleeding was possibly delayed bleeding but they were for sure cut too short. They didn’t really give us a clear answer for the swollen face (it was due to swollen gums we learned). They said maybe a cat fight but she is a single, indoor only cat. They said maybe a genetic disease that flared up for the first time. They also said it could be caused by something that happened during the grooming.
I don’t really know but I am just relieved she is on her way to a good recovery, but still a little worried about possible trauma she may have. She was given a steroid and antibiotic injection and was drowsy for a while after.
As for contacting petsmart we have only had brief contact with them on the second day. They said to give them the vet bill and some apologies. Plan to talk to them again to figure out if they let our cat interact with other pets or was maybe fed something.
Here is a picture of Lilly a while after the vet. https://i.imgur.com/Nm7cbgx.jpg
These are her on day 1, not the best shots but she was in that spot with her paws covered all day. The side profile just shows a bit of the swelling she had on her face, she was struggling to eat. All her paws had blood, she had some blood further up her leg too. https://imgur.com/a/wkxJSHF/

I’m hoping to groom at PetSmart but I was wondering what someone should wear when grooming and if PetSmart supplies a uniform.