It can sometimes feel a little confusing when you are perusing a grooming supply catalog for clipper blades. For instance, some blades from size 7 to 3 ¾ have teeth that, instead of all being the same length, alternate every other tooth from long to shorter. These are known as "skip tooth"blades, and I don't mean to date myself, but those were all that were available when I was a new groomer. I had been grooming for a while before being introduced to "F" or "FC," or finish-cut blades.
The dog on your grooming table is excited to be there, wagging, dancing, and panting. In your face. And it's breath? Strong enough to peel paint. Many dogs have the beginnings of dental disease as early as age three. This seems to be more typical in small breeds, but dental disease can be found in all breeds and sizes of dogs. Early signs are a buildup of plaque on the teeth and unpleasant-smelling breath. Left untreated, the dog can experience pain, and the bacteria in the mouth can circulate through the pet's body, causing damage to vital organs.
One way to maintain an upbeat, excited attitude about choosing grooming as a career is to dream up and work towards achieving new goals. Doing so can cancel out the drudgery of day-to-day work patterns and habits and give us something to look forward to with happy anticipation. Here are some examples of things groomers set their sights on and pursue that make life more exciting and have career-building payoffs.
A new photography app on the market is a massive hit with pet groomers. It is called PhotoRoom. You can take it for a test drive for free for a week; after that, it costs around one hundred dollars a year. This app enables groomers to snap a photo of a freshly groomed dog on their table or wherever convenient. The app then removes all the background clutter, including the grooming post and loop, the brush and piles of fur you forgot to remove from the table, your cup of coffee and half-eaten donut from the shelf behind your workstation. From there you can choose from an enormous variety of backdrops.
“How can I groom pets faster?” is a regularly asked question by both new and established groomers. One key to increasing grooming speed is to establish a routine that is used on (almost) every pet. In our shop, we groom pets one-on-one and (usually succeed) in grooming each animal in a one-hour appointment. To make this schedule work, we have found that a routine approach to each pet helps us work swiftly and thoroughly. We have a fifty-pound weight limit, but our method could work with larger dogs by extending the appointment time to one and a half or two hours.
Do you have a favorite comb? One that you have had so long it is like a well-loved pet? One that you tend to use on every single animal you groom? True confession time, I do. Mine is old, and the model is no longer made. If you tried to take it from me, you'd have a fight on your hands. I love how it feels, how it goes through the coat, and its size, weight, and shape. But since they don't make it anymore, I often buy other combs, trying to find one I like as well. I haven't yet, but I have discovered some dandy combs that work great for specific purposes.
Most groomers try their hardest to make every dog they work on look the best it possibly can. But sometimes, we must be happy with a groom that is merely "good enough." Here are some examples of these times.
As a new groomer, I had one favorite type of slicker brush. I used it on everything from tiny toy breeds to giant hairy breeds. It worked just fine, but with time and experience, I realized there were other options that might make my job easier. As tools go, slicker brushes are not expensive, so purchasing a variety of styles can be done without breaking the bank.
Sanitizing hand tools between grooming pets can seem like quite a time-consuming chore on a busy day, but it is important to do so in order to prevent bacteria and fungi from being passed from one pet to the next. One simple, inexpensive solution is to keep some rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle on hand.
Sometimes, when I am grooming a dog, I think, "Oh, it would look so pretty if I left the coat longer." Then I must remind myself that this particular dog walks in the woods often, swims sometimes, and never, ever gets brushed at home. That means that if I leave the coat longer, there is a good chance that it will come riddled with mats and tangles when I see it six weeks later.
