Sometimes it’s a good thing to brush up on basics. Maybe a fundamental grooming skill that you were never taught or one you were taught but sort of forgot about. Sometimes it is something you know about, but it is so ingrained that you do it without thinking, so you can’t teach someone else about it. In this case, the topic is about letting the force of water and air help you create the look you desire when grooming pets.
This is the time of year the big shedding breeds come in. They’re often the ones that haven’t been groomed in FOREVER. You know the ones – Goldens…arctic-type breeds…Saint Bernards. They have that coat that totally trashes your salon. Call me crazy – but we just love the transformation in this type of job. Here are my tips for de-shedding:
We bend, lift and shift. We brush, scissor, detangle, and scrub. We spend much of the day on our feet. There is no arguing the fact that pet grooming is a physically demanding job. Even young, fit pet stylists report feeling aches and pains, and those of us who are older compare notes about our physical ailments at an astonishing pace. But help is available to keep our bodies working at their optimum capacity.
There are some moments when dealing with customers that teach us important lessons. Pass out the compliments; they don’t cost a thing.
If you have been grooming pets for more than five minutes, chances are that you have had some unusual requests. Sometimes it is as simple as “Please don’t trim the eyelashes,” and you look to see the dog in question has lashes that are so long they hang halfway down his face and must make blinking a challenge. Or it may be something a bit… more.
Have you ever had the experience of trimming the ears on a drop-eared dog only to find that you simply can’t manage to get them even? Either one ear is shorter than the other, or you keep finding straggly pieces that you missed on one or both ears. It can be frustrating and sometimes end up with the pet having far shorter ears than you had initially planned as you trim one, then the other, in an attempt to get things perfectly matching.
Pet grooming towels have a “ruff” life. Not only do they dry dogs and cats, but in a pinch, they are sometimes used to clean up bodily fluids that stink. Then they get tossed into a hamper to stew a while before they get washed. So it’s no wonder they sometimes don’t smell all that great, even after a spin through the washing machine.
Here are some tips to keep your grooming towels fresh, despite their stinky job.
When marketing your grooming business, there are ways to get the word out without breaking the bank. The first thing to do is focus on “thinking local.” You want to pitch the information about your grooming to a targeted audience. In our industry, your best investment is to focus on potential customers close to where you operate.
There are a plethora of ear cleaners on the market. Which one should you use? We all have our favorites but here’s a few thoughts to keep in mind.
Introducing puppies to the experience of being groomed can be lots of fun but can also be challenging.
