By Cara Evans
Paragon President
Paragon is big on proper prep work.
To some students, it can feel a little elusive.
They’ll say things like:
“The dog is clean.”
“It’s so much better than when it came in.”
“The client is happy.”
And while those things are all important, they don’t actually define prep work.
Proper prep work, in its truest form, is setting the coat up for the finish work. Whether you’re doing a brush out, an all-over trim, or a more advanced style, the work you do in the tub and immediately afterward determines whether the rest of the groom will be smooth and efficient—or frustrating and time-consuming.
So what does prep work have to do with efficiency anyway?
Isn’t it just bathing, drying, and brushing?
Well… yes and no.
Prep work is simple. It’s routine. But it is definitely not one-size-fits-all.
When I was grooming in my mobile trailer in Florida, I had a family with two Doodles on my schedule every three weeks. One was brown and one was white.
The white Doodle and I had a complicated relationship.
He was sweet. His owner was wonderful. He was on a consistent schedule. By all accounts, he should have been an easy groom.
But every time I saw him on my calendar, I found myself sitting in my trailer staring at the appointment and hoping he would somehow groom himself before I knocked on the door.
His coat was a nightmare.
Because he was a regular client, I became determined to figure him out. I bought so. many. products.
His coat was a combination of soft, cottony undercoat mixed with dense, coarse guard coat—and it seemed like every inch of him had a different texture.
He tracked like it was his job.
He clogged blades constantly.
I’d be clipping and suddenly have to stop.
Brush again.
Change blades.
Clean blades.
Oil blades.
Try a different product.
Start over.
Repeat.
For a dog that came every three weeks, he took entirely too long.
The problem wasn’t that I couldn’t groom him.
The problem was that I never truly figured out how to set that coat up for success before the finish work started.
Recently, I was talking with a student who experienced something similar.
She thought she had done everything right. The bath was done. The dog was dried. She put him on the table and started grooming. Then she discovered residue still trapped in the coat, and back into the tub he went.
That’s not a huge problem by itself. But these little setbacks happen every day in grooming salons across the country.
Five minutes here. Ten minutes there. A second brush out. A second bath. A blade that won’t glide. A coat that won’t cooperate. By the end of the day, those minutes add up!! And in an industry where time equals money, every interruption impacts your efficiency, your stress level, and ultimately your income.
Think of it like a factory. Every disruption in production slows everything down. Grooming is no different. The difference is that our production line starts long before we pick up a clipper or a pair of shears. It starts with the quality of our prep work.
I wish I could tell you I eventually found the magic solution for that white Doodle.
I didn’t.
The problem was that I was flying blind.
I was guessing.
And while I may have eventually stumbled onto the answer, I was spending a lot of time and money trying to find it.
What I really needed was someone in my corner who could help me troubleshoot the problem, ask the right questions, and shorten the learning curve.
That’s one of the things I love most about Pro Level Advanced Stylist.
It’s not just about learning new techniques. It’s about learning how to solve problems, think critically, and work through the dogs that make you want to sit in your van (or your salon) and stare at the schedule for a few minutes first.
Because every groomer has a dog like that.
And sometimes the difference between frustration and efficiency is simply having someone in your corner to help you figure it out.