Grooming Bichons

I figure by the picture at the top of this page, this is the place to ask about grooming Bichons!

I have a client with a Bichon who really wants his dog to have a Bichon cut (naturally), however, it has been a real challenge for me. It has taken me 3 years (no kidding) to get the owner onto a regular schedule, very 6 weeks, (used to be every 3 month!) but it seems like that still isn't enough. The problem is the dog gets so matted under his ears, on his cheeks and even on top of his head. The owner admits he never brushes. This means that every few grooms I have to go much shorter on the side of the dogs face, or take her beard off etc because the matts are beyond dematting. Then it grows out for maybe one groom, then by the next groom we are back to the same point, and off it comes again. I can NEVER achieve a nice Bichon head.

My question is (yes, there is a point to this!)...I want to lay down the law with this guy and say the dog has to come in every X number of weeks or no go with the Bichon look. What is the best time frame for maintaining a Bichon cut (the body isn't a problem, every 6 weeks is working for his body not being matted). I'm not sure he'll come any more frequently, it has been a chore to get him onto this schedule but since I don't groom any other Bichons, I would like to know what other groomers recommend to their clients.

Any suggestions on what I can do to keep the matting down on her head, in particular on the sides of her face and under her ears?

Thanks

yes those lovely bichon cheeks LOL. What you could suggest is having the dog come inbetween say every 3 weeks for just a brush out or brush & bath. Also you can use "mane & tail" to help dematt. Just spray it on, let it dry and then brush, works great on tails too. I also use Chris Christensen Thick n'thicker afterbath rinse on my bichons, it makes the coat dry nice and straight, stands out for scissoring and the coat stays that way for about 2-3 weeks. Post a picture of your bichon client , we'd love to see him!

Thanks for the tips. I haven't tried either of those products so I will see if they help.

I won't be seeing this client for another 6 weeks, so I will get a picture then. I wouldn't mind some pointers as, as I said, this is the only true Bichon I groom so I don't get alot of practice (as oposed to Bichon mixes, lots of those)

I like shona's idea, but what about going that one step farther, i had a client who didn't brush there dog, (mind you she was an old schnauzer who licked up her feces, ick), but he brought her once a week for a brush, then every second week a bath, then every 6 a groom.

Sounds to me though if it was a fight to get that dog in there every 6 weeks they aren't going to want to make a trip in to see you that often. Make it really worth there while, if you can get them in once a month, every 3 weeks, maybe tell them that you can do a "really" good tidy up, so the dog always looks groomed. Perhaps even, lets say if you charged $50 for a regular groom, why not charge $25- 30 every 3 weeks, and you'll always take a little length off, so your doing more than a bath and brush but never an actual full groom, understand???? I do a wheaton like this, he comes in every 4 weeks, i always do a kinda full groom on him, always looks groomed, and i only charge them $40. He's a good boy, and they are always reccomended my services.

I hope you can talk them into something, its hard when there not really willing to work with you at home. Goodluck.

That's a very good idea. I hadn't thought of it like that. I'll discuss it with the owner next time he is in and see what we can arrange. He's raelly a very nice guy so it's not like he's being difficult. He just doesn't get how much maintenance it takes for that type of style.

Plus, the dog is a great dog to groom so I wouldn't mind seeing her more often. Thanks for the ideas.