When Did Disrespect Become the Norm?

When did chasing likes and shares become more important than building trust with our clients?

So many conversations in our industry forums are filled with real and valid frustrations: no-shows, owners who don’t understand the needs of their dog’s coat, clients questioning our prices, or not valuing the work we do. We’ve all felt those struggles. But I wonder—have we ever stopped to ask if some of these challenges are being made worse by the way we sometimes present ourselves online?

Are we showing the world the same level of respect and professionalism that we want back?

I get it. Some owners truly test our patience. The ones who ignore recurring ear infections, who choose high-maintenance breeds but resist the grooming schedules those coats require, or who cancel last minute without a thought for the impact. It’s frustrating, unfair, and yes, it costs us money or often compromises the dogs’ welfare. It’s only natural to feel resentful.

But when that resentment spills out into our social media posts, it can chip away at how the public views our industry. Posts written in frustration might feel like a release in the moment, but to an owner scrolling by, they can come across as unprofessional, even if that was never our intention.

What’s more, those posts rarely reach the people they’re aimed at. Instead, the reliable, respectful clients (the majority) are the ones who see them. Clients who’ve never no-showed, who do brush at home, who value what we do. Suddenly, they’re met with a tone of frustration that wasn’t meant for them, and it quietly dents the trust we’ve built.

Social media can be one of our most powerful business tools. It’s a place to educate, to showcase our professionalism, to remind owners why our expertise is worth every penny. It’s where we can raise the standards of our industry by demonstrating the value we bring. Unfortunately, venting posts often get the quick “likes” from fellow groomers who empathise. But they don’t attract or nurture clients, which is surely the whole point of having a business page in the first place?

If we want more respect, we need to model it first. Not by bottling up our frustrations, but by choosing the right outlet. Tough conversations are often best had face-to-face, one owner at a time, rather than aired as public lectures online.

We need to embody the respectful professionals we want to be treated like. We want owners to listen? We need to start talking to them in ways they want to listen to. We want owners to respect us? We need to act like professionals deserving of that respect. 

We can’t control every owner’s behaviour. But we can control how we represent ourselves and, by extension, how the grooming profession is perceived.

A Thought to Leave You With

Next time you feel tempted to post a frustrated rant online, pause and ask yourself: Will this attract the kind of clients I want more of? Or is this post better placed in a private industry forum? We all need a space to vent, but your socials are not it.
Your socials can be a place to elevate our profession, educate owners, and set the tone for how groomers are seen. If we all commit to raising the bar—even in the tough moments—we can start to create an industry that commands the respect it deserves.