No one leaves their house in the morning expecting to have a medical emergency, be in an accident, or be the victim of a crime. But these occurrences can and do happen every day. The majority of groomers work alone.
If you have an emergency, being able to get immediate assistance can potentially be the difference between life and death.
Groomers all over the world are asking questions about the new product Clipp-Aid. Does Clipp-Aid bring dull blades back to life? Is it harmless when exposed to humans and pets? With all the chemicals groomers use, is Clipp-Aid safe to use in my salon? The answer to all these questions is “Yes.”
We all hold our breath when we drop a clipper, because we hope it still runs when we pick it off the floor. Our clipper is one of the most important tools, so we have to take care of it. We do our monthly maintenance…
We all have a couple of grooming clients we will remember forever. Some clients are reminisced with fondness, others not quite so affectionately. Casey falls somewhere in the middle. She was an adorable, well-behaved Golden Retriever who inspired my love of the breed. Casey would rest her head on my shoulder during grooming and just loved to give kisses.
Gritty blades are the result of the sharpener not taking the time to clean the blade thoroughly after it’s sharpened. Grit sticks to a blade after it’s taken off the sharpening wheel, because it’s “magnetized” from the metal-to-metal contact on the spinning wheel.
A new tool has come into the grooming industry, and it has amazed every groomer that has used it. It is a must have for anyone who grinds nails after clipping. This diamond-coated carbide wheel replaces the paper wheels you’re putting on your Dremel to grind nails. It fits on the mantle you’re currently using on your Dremel,
I have a cattle dog that belongs to a common subspecies of domestic dog—canis manducatione—the chewing dog. He does have a small underbite, which makes me think part of his problem is improper occlusion. I will be fixing that problem in the near future, but for the moment (and for the last 10 months) I have been dealing with a super chewer. That brings up the topic of chew toys.
Many years ago when I first opened my salon, a young couple brought their Toy Poodle, Spunky in to be groomed. We discussed the style of clip they wanted, and as they were leaving, I placed Spunky in a cage so that I could finish the dog I already had on my table.
On some shears, there is supposed to be a noticeable space between the blades. This is called the “set.” On beveled edge shears, it enables the shear to “slice” the hair. Without this space, the hair may fold. As you open and close a beveled edge shear, you can look down through this space and see the blades touch in only one place along the blade. This gives the beveled edge shear that powerful slicing ability that most groomers want.
A Groomer’s Best Friend
Whether it’s true or not – we have all heard that ‘diamonds are a girl’s best friend’. But, if you make your living in the grooming industry, you will find that ‘dryers are a groomer’s best friend’! Time really is money in the grooming profession, and the equipment you use has to help you make the most of every minute.
Recent conversations where groomers gather to share their thoughts found me reading about how frustrated stylists can be with pet owners who do not understand our work. It made me think about other service providers who must sometimes find their customers to be vexing. Then it occurred to me that I bet the folks that sharpen our scissors can find we groomers a bit annoying.
Today, blade manufacturers are painting blades with a certain kind of paint to make them glide through coat. When the blades are used for an extended period of time, the paint starts to flake off because dog hair is very coarse and aggressive. These paint chips are hard to get out of the coat, short of washing the dog again.