The days are growing longer; the groundhog says we will have an early spring, and heavy-shedding double-coated dogs are getting ready to blow those coats! Once pet owners see clumps forming, they will call to schedule a grooming appointment. If you have many of these dogs on your client list, your arms and shoulders are already bracing themselves for the onslaught.
Most people can’t resist the look of brachycephalic pets. Bulldogs, French Bulldogs, Pugs, Boston Terriers, Persians, Ragdolls, and Himalayan cats, to name a few. Those squishy faces. Those big eyes. They trigger something in our brains that makes us go, “Ohhhh!”
Pet groomers have their hands on every part of every pet they groom and, in most cases, see that pet on a more regular schedule than the animal’s doctor sees it. This being said it is no surprise that groomers often discover potential medical problems
As pet groomers, most have experienced lifting a dog to put it on the grooming table or in the tub and feeling a twinge in their back. Many dogs are less than excited about being lifted and show their displeasure by twisting and squirming, which makes that lift much more challenging. There are steps groomers can take to help keep their backs healthy.
Your customer arrives with his dog and a bottle of shampoo from the veterinarian. “Can you please use this? Thumper is one itchy dog, and his doctor wants us to try this to see if it helps.” Read on to see the best way to proceed.
Novice groomers often struggle with setting patterns on breeds such as Schnauzers, Scottish and other terriers, and Spaniels. Properly blending pattern trims like these is an essential skill that will elevate a groom from “meh” to “marvelous!”
There are some radical differences between pet grooming a few decades ago and today. Tubs and tables that move up and down, high-velocity dryers, bathing and vacuum systems, and other contemporary tools make grooming far more efficient and less strenuous. But perhaps the most significant difference is the advent of modern oral and topical flea and tick control.
Rowdy, the Beagle mix, comes in for a grooming appointment. You wash and condition his coat, remove so much shedding fur you half-fill your trash can, clean his ears and trim his nails. He looks good, feels good, and smells like a cupcake
After giving dogs a great bath, with shampoo chosen to work best on their coat type, should you also use a conditioner? In most cases, the answer is yes. By choosing to follow a thorough wash with a conditioner, you will find that you can accomplish several things...
There is nothing that will bring a grooming client to you more urgently or more desperately than the smell of a client’s pet after it has been sprayed by a skunk. My grooming shop Love Fur Dogs, on the North Shore of Chicagoland, is located in one of the most heavily populated places in the nation for skunks around dogs. We have seen it all!
