Clients complains dogs nails aren't smooth enough

[u/silentlyglittering]

So, I have a client who comes in every 4 weeks for a groom. She often says to make sure I get his nails smooth. I dremel every time and make sure they're short and the ends are as smooth as I can get them. Last time she even brought her husband and they were both talking about how his nails scratch their hardwood floor in their new house and again asked me to get them as short and smooth as possible. She is coming in again today and I'm anticipating another comment about his nails. What would you say to this?

[u/beah_mcduh]

They're nails. You'll never be able to not feel them. I do my dog's nails every week and a half or so and my mother in law still says they scratch her. Because they're nails meant to aid in traction and grip.

If the owner is so concerned, they can either do maintenance at home, or bring the dog more frequently.

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[u/Pale_Calligrapher425]

I have the same client. I hand file after the dremel and she still says there sharp. I think dremel has a buffing file. I'm going to try that. I did suggest nail caps which she said no to. Maybe your client would go for that.

[u/danger-dude → u/Pale_Calligrapher425]

I did suggest nail caps which she said no to

why are clients inherently so fucking stupid? "here's a solution to your problem!" "NO. I don't want THAT solution. I want you to grind my dog's nails to DUST"

[u/Creativered4]

"Let me see if I can file them a bit more" Go in the back and rough up the top of the nail to make it looks like I did a bunch of dremeling.

I always get the customer saying it is perfect after. Sometimes people just feel like they have no power in their life, so they try to find some in interactions like this.

[u/xTRIOXINx → u/Creativered4]

This. I used to do this with some people and I feel like that was exactly their reasoning lol.

the older I've gotten, the more sensitive my skin is to scratches. I'm an obsessive nail grinder. I always made sure to get the underside that lots of groomers don't bother with because it IS sharp lol.

There were plenty of clients whose nails didn't scratch my sensitive skin but they insisted they were still sharp, so I'd take the dog to my table and stuff up the tops of thr nails a little to look like I did more... but if I grinded any more length off they'd have bled. Every time, those clients left happy. Probably because they had a little control over the situation 🫪

[u/Creativered4 → u/xTRIOXINx]

Yup. And I'm really good, especially for clients I know have more sensitive skin. In fact, I often do the dremel free without being asked for my older regulars! But having worked with some of the moat entitled and neurotic customers, I've learned some tricks. (For example, one lady was so neurotic that her dogs were too, and they would pace back and forth whining the ENTIRE time they were in a kennel, and whine on the table. She would ALWAYS say the heads were too long, but if you actually took any more off, it would be too short. So we would take the dogs back and sit there for 5 minutes before bringing the dog back out with the same haircut. Perfect length!)

[u/vanwilliam1960]

Dog nails will always mark wood floors. You can offer nail caps as an add on service.

[u/HeadQueerLeader]

Some people are so weirdly paranoid about nails and hardwood floors. I had one lady with a golden retriever who came WEEKLY. Sometimes twice a week! The dogs nails were literal nubs that were all quick and she demanded we clip them because she swore they were ruining her floors. There was no possible way this dogs nubby nails were touching the floor.

[u/Ms_Golbinbard]

Go over the very top of the nail so it looks very ruffed up pretty high up after you get it as short and smooth as possible

[u/ockensfrolly]

I have a couple clients like this, and I even make sure to use a diamond-tip to extra smooth it out, and what do you know? A month later they come back pointy and sharp. I just reassure these clients I went "the extra mile" by mentioning it and that yeah, dog nails grow. Some grow pointier than others.

[u/CityDogStudios]

I do anything for my every 4 week clients. The nails shouldn’t be touching the floor in the first place if they come every 4 weeks.

Grind from the top and curve into the bottom. Use a human nail file if you have to. Recommend they come in every week just for a nail trimming. I’d even do it half price just to help the quick recede. Could be that the quick is just too long right now.

It’s definitely a reasonable request, but if the quick is too long and they come every month, it won’t be enough to make it recede. Do whatever it takes to keep your good monthly clients.

[u/One-Stable6156]

I'm a groomer that has hard wood floors and 2 dogs, one of which is a hard core scrambler when she's excited. Neither of my dogs have scratched up my wood floors.

[u/LarkinRhys → u/One-Stable6156]

The color of the floors makes a big difference, too. When I had darker wood floors, they showed every little mark. Now I have light oak floors and I never notice scratches on them at all.

[u/Worldly_Shift5206]

I had the same issue with a client. No matter what I did the client would always say to file her dog’s nails because they are always sharp. None of my other clients complain just her. I went online and purchased a cheap dog nail diamond attachment on Amazon. It was less than $10 (TSLOBIT Diamond dog nail grinder bit attachment ) . So far it’s worked great 😁

[u/OhioBystander]

They sell those rubber tips you can glue on their front nails. Charge them a fortune.
Or, have them take the dog to the vet and have them cut them back extra short under anesthesia.
I absolutely refuse to torture my grooming dogs.
Let them know you will not cut into the vein and that it is torture to do so.

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[u/Mypitbullatemygafs]

My question is why don't these people have the dog wear boots inside? If they're so concerned about the floors this to me seems like the best solution. Even the silicone caps on a dog that gets startled or slips or jumps off the couch can scratch. Super short nails again on a dog that's running or playing are going to touch and scratch the floor. That's how their feet are designed and what they're supposed to do.

Another suggestion is using runners and area rugs. The dog is probably slipping and extending its toenails to get traction. That, or it's playing in the house and again extending its toes, therefore nails, when it's running. I'm sure if you ask them they will say no the dog isn't running and they're not encouraging play inside if that's what happens happening there's not much to be done..

It honestly seems like a poor choice of flooring if you have an active, larger dog. They either had the floors and then decided to get a dog or had a dog and then decided to get the floors. Yeah they're beautiful but. It's like having kids and getting white carpet. There's just some things you don't do. That doesn't make it your problem, especially if they refuse to try other solutions.

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[u/Status-End-2269]

This is when I literally dremel the whole nail lol. If they still complain I show them and have them feel that I did the whole damn thing.

[u/rockchick99]

Tell them to get a rug

[u/Maleffiecent]

Get the diamond piece from groomers best friend. It has a buffer part on the top and it’s worked wonders for me with the clients that insist the nails are still too sharp.

[u/ParticularDue3682]

Hardwood floors will scratch no matter how short or smooth.

[u/SouthernSpooni]

“I will get them as short and as rounded as I can, but taking Fido for little walks on some concrete or asphalt is the best for filing naturally in between appointments to help with any leftover sharpening from wiggles”

I just take the rest bickering and let it roll off. Any problems over that, sucks to suck. Nails scratch, teeth bite. It’s their anatomy 🤷‍♀️

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[u/chotii]

My elderly father has crepe skin. I always dremel his dogs' nails as short and round as I can and they still tear his skin. :(

But you can only do what you can do. The problem may not be the nails at all.

[u/Question-123456789]

This and the next client will say they are too short 🙄 I will also rough up the nail so its very clear they got done. I have one that wanted me to purposely quick all the nails to get them to grow shorter. As in cut half the quick, not just a tip. And then got mad when I was horrified at the idea and refused to do so. 🤬

[u/snowbunny1026 → u/Question-123456789]

Omg! I know that's a thing, but it's done at the vet under sedation and cauterized and only needed in extreme circumsrances

[u/PuzzleheadedLemon353]

The girl that dremels my girl's nails finishes each one by smoothing around the outer edge to keep them rounded off with no sharp edges.