Prickly Dog Grooming Academy

Sarah is the only groomer I allow to groom my Alaskan Malamute. She consistently does a fantastic job and truly takes her time with him! He’s even come to enjoy his time with her and all the attention and scratches he gets, despite his feisty attitude! I’m very particular about the way his hair is cut (due to the high possibility of it never growing back) and she is very knowledgeable about his entire coat and she doesn’t mind putting up with his malamute attitude. I have only taken him to one other groomer in the valley, and I was absolutely appalled at how his hair turned out - luckily Sarah was more than happy to fix the other groomers mistakes. She never disappoints!

Sarah is the best groomer I have found in the Phoenix valley. She is excellent with my samoyed, despite his resistance to grooming. She relates so well with animals and my dog specifically, and takes her time to work through both of his coats of hair. He looks perfect when she finishes with him. I highly recommend her and this business for your grooming needs.

First time customer. The business was very easy to schedule and our family loved the result. Our dog is so much more comfortable. One additional thing: our dog came home happy and relaxed. He’s completely at home at Prickly - I think it’s related to the enthusiasm with which the groomer viewed our pet and her happy demeanor. I *highly* recommend prickly Dog grooming.

Thank you so much for taking such great care of my very nervous mini Bernedoodle puppy. Kassie did a great job with her, and not only does my puppy look so adorable she warmed up to Kassie right away. So happy to have found a groomer!

This morning I attended a one on one, learn to groom your own dog class, that I saw advertised. I'm sharing my experience in hopes you will be better informed and not find yourself in the same situation. First, I will say that I am under no delusion that my dog is an easy groom. He is a rescue with an unknown history and is very stressed by body handling. I use The Cooperative Care approach to gradually desensitize and build trust in handling. I communicate upfront that my dog is a bite risk, and that I expect professionals to put my dog's emotional needs AND THEIR PERSONAL SAFETY above finishing a groom. When I called and inquired about the class I had shared all this history, and I was reassured and encouraged that it would be a positive experience. In hindsight, I did not reiterate my cautions this morning, but I also feel that wouldn't have made a difference. Sarah claims to use only "positive reinforcement" methods while adding and tightening physical restraints. If she even recognized the early signs of stress my dog was displaying she didn't make any attempts to slow down or reward him for tolerating the handling. She repeatedly tried to reassure me by saying things like, "I've been doing this 20 years" and "he just needs to learn that his behavior is unacceptable" as my dog is growling, snarling, and attempting to bite her. My dog's stress only escalated from there so my partner and I called it quits. As my partner scooped up our dog and took him to the car I stayed to pay the full obligation out of respect for her time. She proceeded to show me bruises and bites on her arms as a testament to her compassion for the difficult dogs as well as lecture me on how I was putting other groomers at risk by allowing my dog's behavior to continue. I told her that I felt she was simply trying to change my mind about her techniques, so I told her I wouldn't be convinced. I paid and I left. If you've read this far, I will say that Sarah's technique is probably fine for the majority of dogs in this world. However, if you're looking to learn to groom your own dog because it's fearful and misunderstood then please look elsewhere.

I called to make the appointment explaining that I had a mini schnauzer who needed a grooming. I said "I do not want the Schnauzer cut though, I want his beard left alone entirely and just a trim on his head to get the hair out of his eyes, and square up his ears, and a low uniform cut all around his body". She seemed to get it and we set a date and time. At the end of the call said she'd send me a confirmation text with info. That never came. I showed up for the appointment anyway. I asked her if I could stick around because I don't live nearby and gas prices being what they are. She said I couldn't stay and that dogs get nervous.I explained that he's easy and chill and it would be ok. She still said no. I left for 90 minutes..when I came in she loudly said "I meed at least another 10 minutes" and mumbled something about making him nervous(she clearly doesn't want people watching her groom). I said "he'll be ok" . I saw that she had cut his beard off. I said "um you cut his beard off, I specifically asked you not to do that(both on the phone and in person)". She loudly said "There were knots, and im not gonna leave it like that, I've been doin this for 20 years". I decided not to argue with her after the previous unprofessional responses. I own/manage/run 3 small businesses...and at the end of the day when im discussing what a customer wants,and talking about what I think is best ,I'm going to do as they ask (unless its illegal or will cause harm). This business owner doesn't seem to feel the same way.