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.
Mr. and Mrs. Nobrush drop their dog, Snippy, off for his first grooming session with you. You greet everyone, gather the leash and take him back for his spa session. A little while later, you take him from his crate to put him in the tub. You notice a few things once you secure him and begin to work.
Dematting pets has been a controversial topic in the pet industry and with good reason. Dematting causes further damage to coats that are already in bad shape from being tangled, can cause irritation or even injury to the pet’s skin, and, most importantly, is painful to the pet.
Picture this; you get a pile of clipper blades sharpened and are delighted to groom the day's dogs with them. You picture how the freshly maintained blades will slide through the dog's coats smoothly and cleanly, making your work easier, and the results will look so fine. While a dog dances on your table, you unwrap the first blade and snap it onto your clipper, happily anticipating how well your work will go. Then, to your horror, you find that the blade barely cuts.
