I join you in groaning when you see an article about the winter holidays when fall is just beginning, but there is a method to my madness! November and December are traditionally a very busy time for groomers. Sometimes too busy.
How can I groom faster?” This is a question both newer and more seasoned groomers often ask me. My first, best answer is this; develop a routine and stick with it. You can and should create a method of doing things that makes sense to you and works well for you, but if you’d like an example, here is the routine I follow on almost every dog that I groom:
Finding customers can be expensive. Even though good pet groomers are in high demand in many parts of the country, most of us still expend a sizeable amount of money to help customers find us.
Everyone makes mistakes. Some are insignificant, for instance, putting a bow on a dog when the owner is someone who prefers bandanas. Some are much larger, and can affect our livelihood.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
“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?”
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.
Grooming Matters
When working with people and animals, amusing things can happen. Sometimes those things don’t seem so funny at the time, but given a little space and room to breathe, they can become great stories.