Do You Know What Your Shears Are Made Of?
Our grooming shears, the scissors with which we do our finest work, are among a groomer’s most prized possessions. Along with our clippers, often they are also among our most expensive investments.
Groomer's Guide
Grooming the Hairless Cat
Hairlessness in cats is rare but has become a breed-standard coat type for certain cat breeds. The hairless gene in cats occurred randomly and naturally, just as it did in dogs and in many mammalian species. Their distinctive lack of coat means unique grooming routines…
A Basic Checklist for Buying or Selling a Grooming Business
Whether you are buying an established grooming business or selling one, there are many details to address in such a process. The following is a checklist of tasks, processes and tips to consider for both buyers and sellers, though all may not apply to every…
Friend or Foe? Fragrances From a Dog’s Perspective
An important part of being alive is the experiences of our senses: sight, sound, taste, touch and smell. Most mammals share these same senses but in varied ways. For dogs, they live by their noses.
Understanding the Groomer’s Role in Vaccine Enforcement
Rabies is a zoonotic disease, meaning that it is transmittable between people and animals, and once symptoms appear, it is almost always fatal to the animal or the person. The rabies vaccine is legally required for all dogs and cats in all 50 states and…
Virtual Assistants: Affordable Help to Lighten Your Load
It shouldn’t be lost on any of us how much easier our lives are because of the internet. It allows us to advertise our grooming services using engaging social media for little to no cost, and it makes it so much more efficient to use…
The Fraudulent Groomer: Understanding and Overcoming Imposter Syndrome
“I wasn’t invited back to that international show because of my hand-stripping skills, they wanted to boost their international presence.”
Certification, Certificates & Licensing: The Quest for Grooming Credentials
Pet grooming is a skilled trade requiring both knowledge and extensive hands-on skills and training, comparable in many ways to electricians, plumbers, truckers, roofers and our closest cousins, cosmetologists in the human beauty or barber industries. However, one difference is that all of these other…
Salons & Strays: An Inside Look at India’s Dog Population
The nation of India and its place in the world is changing dramatically. Less than three years ago in 2023, India surpassed China as the largest nation in the world by population. And while it has historically had high rates of poverty, it is booming…
The 8 Commands: Using Consistent Cues for a Safer Groom
Every one of us must learn the universal “rules of the road” when we first take our driver’s tests as teens and earn that all important driver’s license. We come to know that a red octagonal sign means to STOP, a yellow triangular sign means…
Building a Grooming Community, Page By Page
Take a moment to remember back (if you are as old as me) or imagine back to a time long gone when there was no internet, no cell phones, no social media, no grooming trade shows or competitions, no state associations, few grooming schools, and…
Do You Do the “Flippy Dryer” Thing? (And Why You Should Stop)
The invention of the high-velocity dryer was an innovation that has forever changed and bettered our grooming industry. These high-velocity, or “HV,” dryers are so effective and universally used today that most younger groomers have never known grooming without them.