Madi Tucker is a professional dog groomer at Woofgang Grooming in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. She trained at a grooming academy after years working in kennels, and has since built a reputation for patience with anxious and reactive dogs. We talked with Madi about what really goes into a groom, what the Lowcountry climate means for your dog’s coat and ears, and what owners can do between appointments to keep their pets comfortable and healthy.
Before You Walk In the Door
Grooming is one of those services where owners sometimes walk in with their guard up — worried about cost, unsure what’s involved, not always sure their dog is in good hands. What do you want those owners to know?
A lot of what owners are reacting to is misconception — especially things they’ve seen on social media. The reality is that grooming is skilled, physical work that requires real training. I went to a 16-week grooming academy that cost close to $8,000. There were weekly tests, a final exam, and a final groom evaluated by my instructor from start to finish. Most reputable facilities require a test groom before they’ll even hire you, and some have senior groomers check every dog before it walks out the door during your first 90 days. You don’t just wake up one morning and decide to be a dog groomer. It’s a commitment.
As for the trust piece — I think about it this way: if you were a hairstylist and your clients were biting at you and screaming while you worked, you wouldn’t keep doing it unless you genuinely loved it. Groomers are the same way. The dogs are the reason we’re there.
How did you become a groomer?
I was working as a kennel tech when our groomer announced she was retiring. My boss asked if it was something I’d want to learn. I wasn’t sure, so I shadowed her for a few days first — and I instantly loved it. He ended up paying for my grooming school, which I’m grateful for. I don’t think I would have found it otherwise.
What do you wish every owner knew before dropping off their dog?
That grooming is not a quick process, and it’s not easy. There’s a lot going on — the bath, the dry, the cut, managing the dog’s comfort the whole way through. Owners who understand that tend to have much better experiences, and so do their dogs.
The Lowcountry Factor
Is there anything different about grooming dogs in a coastal climate like HHI or Charleston versus somewhere inland?
Definitely. Sand, saltwater, and humidity are hard on coats and skin in the same way they’re hard on human hair. Salt and sand dry things out, and moisture gets trapped everywhere — especially in ears. Floppy-eared dogs in particular are prone to ear infections here because wet ears that don’t dry properly become a breeding ground for bacteria and yeast. Regular deshedding appointments matter more here too.
The big one I always tell owners: rinse your dog thoroughly after every beach trip. Saltwater left in the coat dries out the skin over time, and sand that stays in the coat works like sandpaper.
What do you see more of in summer specifically?
Owners becoming more open to shorter haircuts, which is actually a good thing. People who’ve kept their dogs long and voluminous all year start to think about the heat and ask to take things shorter — and for most breeds, that’s the right call in summer. Think about having thick hair in July. Now imagine that covering your entire body.
The exception is double-coated breeds. I had a client bring in an Australian Shepherd and ask me to take him short because it was hot. I had to explain that with a double coat, the secondary layer actually helps regulate body temperature — shaving it off makes the dog hotter, not cooler, and it can permanently alter the texture when the coat grows back. So the answer isn’t always “shorter.” It depends on the dog.
What about sunburn — is that actually a concern?
It is, particularly for dogs with white or light-colored coats and pink skin underneath. Those dogs are noticeably more prone to sunburn, so going too short on a light-coated dog in direct sun is something to think about and discuss with your groomer.
Ears, Skin, and Coat Health
Let’s talk about ears. What’s the breakdown between what owners can do at home, what groomers handle, and when a vet needs to be involved?
Think of it in three levels. At home, owners should be cleaning ears regularly — at minimum wiping the outer ear with a cotton ball. Some breeds need weekly attention; others are less prone to buildup. Groomers go a step further: we clean more thoroughly and sometimes pluck hair from the ear canal, which helps with airflow.
The line for us is when we start seeing redness, yeast buildup, or a foul odor. At that point, we won’t touch the ears — not because we don’t want to, but because cleaning an infected ear without medicated drops can push the infection deeper into the canal and make it worse. That’s a vet visit. Once there’s an actual infection, it needs a medicated treatment, not a groomer.
What about dental care — where does the groomer role end and the vet’s begin?
Same principle, different body part. We offer teeth brushing at the salon — toothpaste, toothbrush, a good scrub. What we don’t do is scrape plaque, and we don’t put dogs under. That’s veterinary dentistry.
The thing I remind owners is that you don’t only brush your teeth at the dentist. Dogs are the same — brushing at home at least once a week, or every other week, makes a real difference. When we start seeing significant plaque buildup or signs of gum disease, we’ll tell you it’s time for a professional dental cleaning at your vet.
What problems do you see regularly that could have been prevented at home?
Matting, almost without exception. It’s the most common thing I see, and it’s largely preventable with the right brushing routine. The tricky part is that different coat types need different techniques and tools — what works for a poodle mix is completely wrong for a double-coated breed. If you’re not sure, ask your groomer. We’re happy to show you what brush to use and how to use it, because it genuinely helps the dog.
What concerns you most when a dog comes in?
Severe matting, because you never know what’s underneath it until you get there. I’ve found open wounds hidden under mats before. In one case, I stopped the groom entirely and called the owner to come get their dog — the wound needed to heal before I could safely work around it. Skin irritation is the other one, for similar reasons.
Handling Difficult Situations
How do you handle a dog that’s anxious or having a hard time?
Every dog is different, and the approach has to match the dog. If it’s a bad day — severe anxiety, the dog just isn’t coping — we stop. We put them in a calm, open space and monitor them until their owner arrives, and we try again another time, maybe when the shop is quieter. No groom is worth pushing a dog past what they can handle.
What’s your approach to sedation?
It’s not something I reach for easily. I’ll try a range of other approaches first — adjusting the environment, taking more breaks, working more slowly, building trust over multiple appointments. But I also recognize that for some dogs, sedation is genuinely the most humane option, and in those cases I work closely with the owner and their vet to figure out the right plan. It’s a last resort, not a first one.
Have you ever refused to groom a dog?
Once. A dog came in and when I got through the coat, I found an open wound that had nothing to do with the groom — it was pre-existing. I wasn’t willing to risk irritating it, so I called the owner to come pick him up and told them we’d get him back in once it had healed. That’s the right call. The groom can wait.
When owners stand at the window watching — does that help or hurt?
Honestly, it depends on the dog. For some dogs, seeing their owner nearby is reassuring. For others, it makes them more worked up — they want to get to you, and the frustration of not being able to makes everything harder. There’s no universal answer. If you’re unsure what’s best for your dog, ask your groomer.
What’s the conversation like when you have to deliver bad news to an owner?
Most people are receptive, especially if you explain it clearly and give them something actionable. Nobody wants to hear that their dog is severely matted, but if I can also show them what brush to use and how to prevent it next time, the conversation usually goes well. People want to do right by their dogs — they just don’t always know how.
What Keeps You Going
Most memorable groom?
I have a client I’ve been working with for a few months now — a dog who used to be extremely reactive during grooming, especially when I touched her front legs. She’d bite, panic, shut down completely. I took my time with her, kept things calm and positive, and let her set the pace. A few months later, she runs in the door to see me, and when I’m ready to groom her front paws, she picks up her paw and places it in my hand.
That one sticks with me.
What are you most proud of?
Less a single moment and more the arc of it. No matter how long you’ve been grooming, there’s always more to learn — new techniques, new styles, dogs that teach you something you didn’t know. I’m proud of how much I’ve grown in the past year, and I think the best groomers are the ones who stay humble about how much is still out there to learn.
Madi Tucker is a professional groomer at Woofgang Grooming in Mount Pleasant, SC (1055 Johnnie Dodds Blvd). She specializes in anxious and reactive dogs and has completed formal grooming academy training. Follow her on Instagram and TikTok.
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