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.
As the year comes to a close and the winter holidays are on the horizon, savvy groomers know that the coming weeks will be busy ones. Many people are motivated to have their pets groomed this time of year because they will be entertaining company and want their dogs and cats to look and smell their best.
Dogs can lose their visual acuity from many of the same woes that humans suffer. Cataracts, retinal problems, diabetes, and glaucoma can all cause dogs to lose some or all of their vision. Groomers can take some simple steps to help dogs with low or no vision to be more comfortable and confident during their spa sessions.
Picture the following scenario. Mrs. Barr brings her eight-month-old Maltese puppy to you for its first-ever grooming appointment. You greet her and little Fluffster, and it takes about a nano-second to realize that the pup is very tangled. "I just want a little trim," says Mrs. Barr. You tell her that the puppy is matted. "I brushed him yesterday," she says. You tell her you must cut hishair short because of the mats. "I just want a little trim," she repeats. And here is where a terrible mistake occurs. Wanting to avoid a confrontation, you say, "I'll do the best I can," and send the customer on her merry way.
Grooming customers are familiar with dogs undergoing a heavy shed of their winter fur in the spring, but some are surprised when pets also shed their coats in the fall. The shortening days trigger dogs to let their summer coat go to make room for heavier winter coats to grow in. If you have some appointment space to spare this fall, market a seasonal shedding treatment to your customers to help fill those time slots.
When a customer comes to you with a Golden Retriever, Rough Collie, Shetland Sheepdog, Australian Shepherd, Pomeranian, or other breed or mix with a similar coat, choosing a Silhouette Trim for their grooming session is often an excellent choice. A Silhouette Trim leaves the pet looking like a much neater, tidier version of themselves. Here is how to execute a lovely Silhouette Trim on the pets you groom.
Look through most groomers' toolboxes, and you will find that they use regular shears and thinning, blending, and chunking (or texturizing) shears. Each of these tools performs differently and is used to achieve unique results.
“Do you get bitten often?” people often ask me when they learn what my profession is. The truth is that I have not had many bite injuries in the four decades I’ve spent grooming, but I have had other grooming-related injuries. The most frequent is being scratched. Cats are the obvious source of some of my more memorable scratches because smacking out with a paw is a time-honored defense mechanism for felines, but the worst scratches I’ve endured have been from dogs.
When it comes time to purchase grooming shears, the choices can be mind-boggling. There are various metals to choose from, different cutting edges, multiple blade lengths and widths, and even numerous handle styles, from offset to swivel, with or without finger rests, and more. The ability to become confused is real!
If I told you that you could invest around one dollar and have a versatile tool that can prevent a dog from slipping its collar and getting loose as it enters the business, assist you in safely removing a dog from a crate, can be used to guide a dog from point A to point B during the grooming process (for instance, from tub to table) can be turned into a makeshift muzzle in a pinch, can be used as a safety loop or a haunch holder for a brief period or even given as a thoughtful gift, would you believe me?
