Positive Images
How can you increase your grooming business, polish your reputation, delight your customers, and have a little fun all at the same time? The answer is, by taking and publishing photos of your customers’ pets. And it’s easy.
Daryl Conner
Splitting Hairs
When I was a new groomer, it was common practice for customers to bring badly matted dogs in, fully expecting that we would dematt the animal. And we did. It was a routine event for groomers to invest hours removing tangles, and rarely did we charge extra. It was all in a day’s work.
Spanish Water Dog Style
Medium sized, curly dynamos pets of this breed, with their unique grooming requirements, are becoming more frequently seen on grooming tables across the country.
Accepted by the American Kennel Club in 2015, the Spanish Water Dog is appreciated by its fanciers for its intelligence, athleticism, and ability to excel at many competitive canine activities. Historically used to gather and drive small hoof stock such as sheep and goats, they were also known to assist fishermen and can be strong swimmers.
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Creative Style with ‘Pluck’
“It began when I saw my friend Patrick Lakosh Marceau creating designs on both people and dogs with a clipper.
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Spring Cleaning
It’s that wonderful time of year again. The days are getting longer, the hard, cold winter is behind us. It’s the time of year where generations of people have dug deep into the ritual of spring cleaning. Wiping the dust, scrubbing the grime, polishing the… EVERYTHING… to banish winter and embrace the bright days ahead. Here are some suggestions on how you can make your work space, be it a mobile unit, a portion of some other pet–based business, a home–based place, or a regulation storefront, really shine.
Teaching Talent
“My mother was a public school teacher,” said Debi Hilley. “She taught first grade and Head Start. She instilled in me the importance of education and went over and above teaching her kids. Maybe her work has something to do with me wanting to help teach other groomers.”
Grooming The English Shepherd
You may have had this breed of dog on your table before and never known it. English Shepherds, also known as “farm collies,” “old time collies,” and “farm shepherds,” were brought to America by early British settlers. They put the dogs to work on farms and homesteads, guarding both livestock and property, as well as herding and hunting.
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Groomers Behind Bars
“Kristie and I were initially kind of worried when we went to prison,” said pet stylist Emily Rupe. Kristie Kingsland, owner of As the Tail Wags Grooming in Oviedo, Florida, joined Emily in doing some time. But it wasn’t hard time.
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Back to Basics: Poodle Trims
“I hate to clip poodle feet.” I’ve read this on internet grooming forums many times. And when I do grooming demonstrations at trade shows, countless groomers will approach me and ask, in a whisper, “Can you show my how you do feet?”
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Striving to Style
“I was 12, I can confidently say, when I really attached myself to dogs. I had a terrible adolescence: my family was broken with divorce, my brother beat my mother and me daily, and I took care of my baby brother while my mom went to work or was out partying. We were very poor,
Primping Puppies
Last week I groomed a very nice, well behaved dog. I complimented his owner on his excellent grooming manners and she said, “When he was a puppy, the groomer where I used to live had me bring him in every week for a while. They would put him on the table and play with him, trim his nails, give him a little brushing.
What We Give…
“We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.” — Winston Churchill
When I lived in Memphis, I operated a house call pet grooming business for many years. One of my favorite customers did a good bit of community volunteer work, including delivering Meals on Wheels.