People are the oddest breed of all..

I love my job for many reasons, one being that I get to work with dogs all day.
Dogs are simple. If they are mad at you and don't like what you are doing, you will know it. If they are excited to see you, they run up to greet you.
People on the other hand are not so simple. They often hide their feelings, so you may think everything is peachy when really they have hated you from the minute you met. Or even the opposite is somtimes true. You can go on thinking that someone really dislikes you, when really they think you are great and you just don't understand their humor.
You also never know what to expect with people. You can't really catagorize them to know who they are based on certain things about them, though many people try to. Stereotypes never fit completely with any one person.
Dogs on the other hand almost always fit their stereotypes. While they do have their many differences from eachother, I have never met a husky that didn't sing when it got its nails done.

What groomers want you to know.. so ill tell you

To clarify, I am not a showdog groomer. I work at petsmart and am your everyday household groomer.
I see (on a very regular basis) great owners who love their dogs very much, but are absolutely clueless when it comes to their grooming. This is not uncommon and you should not feel bad if you are one of these owners.. as groomers we know you mean well and its not your job to know everything about how your dog should look. Its ours.
Not everygroomer will say certain things to a client, even I have held my tongue to keep owners happy.. but here are the most common things we say to eachother or wish we had said to you the second the door closes behind you

SOME DOGS ARE NOT MEANT TO BE SHAVED
Any dog that is double coated (Huskys, Chows, Goldens, etc.) : So many times will an owner bring in a double coated dog and ask that we shave because it sheds too much. If you insist that we do it we will, and some shops won't even attempt to talk you out of it because its an easy cut. What you should know is that first off, shaving your dog will do nothing to reduce shedding. It may seem like it because you are getting all the loose undercoat out by shaving it off. You can get all the undercoat out by brushing and blowing it out with a high velocity dryer. Secondly, if you shave a double coated dog its hair may never come back the same. Some dogs will grow their coat back and you wont see a difference.. others may come back with a different texture (usually more coarse) some dont ever fully get their coat back and will have bald spots. And lastly the shedding that does continue is more annoying. When you shave a dog, it sheds the same amount only now the hair is short and sharp. Its harder to get out of your clothes and furniture, and rather than just looking like your covered in hair you will feel it too. Trust me it itches like crazy.

SOME DOGS HAVE TO BE SHAVED
You may not like it and it may look stupid, but if your dog is severely matted or doesn't do well with brushing then often times the best thing you can do for your dog is shave it.
Matts that are not brushed or shaved out get tighter over time and if they get wet, they get worse. As a matt tightens to the skin it pulls on it, cutting off oxygen flow. This can cause issues such as hair loss, skin infection, and often times hides bugs or cuts.
So.. if you go to get your dog groomed and the groomer recomends shaving. you can think we are crazy but this is our reasoning
1. trying to brush out a matted dog is painful for the dog, and can cause brush burn that can cost you alot in vet bills
2. Dogs get very impatient when you put them through extensive brushing and are much more likely to bite us
3. If you do convince us to brush it all out, depending on the matts, it can break the hair causing split ends, or thin it enough to see bald spots
All in all you have two end results, one being that we shave your dog, it looks goofy for a while till it grows back out and you get a fresh start. Or two being that we put your dog through pain, cause skin issues that cost you money, your dog will hate grooming for the rest of its life and because aggressive when getting brushed, and will probably still look goofy from the hair being so damaged and thin
...still think we are crazy and just want to make your dog look dumb?

NOT EVERY BRUSH IS FOR EVERY DOG
You just got a puppy, and you want to spoil it by paying lots of money on every tool you see.. Ive been there lol so no judgment. BUT.. some brushes will either do damage or nothing at all
If you have a long coated dog : You want a slicker brush and a comb. If your dog is matted you may want a dematting tool but you should use caution with these for they are generally made up several sharp blades that can cut you or your dog if not used properly
If you have a short coated dog : rubber brushes such a a zoom groom is great. you may also like a shedding blade tool such a furminator
If you have a double coated dog :You want a undercoat brush (marz combs are awsome) a comb, and depending on the bread you may also like a shedding blade tool such as furminator

TIPS :) WE LIKE THEM
We are doing a service just like your hairdresser, waitress, or the person that parks your car at a fancy restaurant. Its obviously not mandatory and the amount you give us should be based on how well you like what we did and the price you paid

.. I am not the worlds best groomer, and I dont know everything, but if you have any questions that I might be able to help with please dont hesitate to ask. Also please dont hesitate to leave a comment if you agree or disagree with anything Ive said :)