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.
Well-made grooming shears are an expensive necessity. No one wants to make a mistake by purchasing a shear that is not right for them. Even if you know what length you prefer and what style, it can still be confusing when you read the description for each one. For instance, what is the difference between Japanese and German-style shears? You certainly can’t tell by looking at the pictures.
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!
Many pet groomers have been surprised to be working on a pet and suddenly discover what looks for all the world like a claw growing out of the dog's skin. Sometimes the claw-like discovery is very thin; other times, it has a thicker base and tapers towards the tip, like a tiny horn. Most commonly found on the back, tail, and legs, these odd growths are widely called cutaneous horns.
Many pet groomers are experiencing busier than usual schedules these days. It may be because so many people got new pets during the Covid lockdown, or it may be that there are just not as many groomers as the population needs, but whatever the cause, scheduling can be a tremendous challenge.
The dog on your grooming table has been bathed, conditioned, dried, and brushed. Its nails have been trimmed, and if it was in for a haircut, you have done your best to make it look just the way the owners requested. Your work is done. Or is it?
Some dogs come in to be groomed, looking like their feet have not touched the ground since the last time we saw them. They are still clean. They are still fluffy. They look like they have not had a bit of fun. Most come in dirty. Like they have been having a doggy life. Playing at the dog park, walking down dusty roads, running through the pucker brush. And some come in not only very dirty but with serious grossness on specific body parts.
It almost always seems to happen when you are taking just one last tiny snip as you are nearly finished with the groom. The dog's tongue pops out at the exact wrong moment and gets an unfortunate nick. Tongues are rich in blood vessels, so even a tiny "scissor kiss" will bleed a lot.
