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The Importance of Rebooking Appointments

Rebooking clients is one of the easiest ways for groomers and pet stylists to boost their income. Encouraging clients to rebook on the day of their service will help keep a steady stream of pets coming into your salon.

It’s a fact that clients who rebooked before they leave, return on a much more frequent basis than those who do not. Let’s face it. Life gets busy. Personally, if I did not rebook my own hair appointment before I left the beauty salon, I’d be there a lot less frequently than every five or six weeks! Our pet owning clients are no different.

Many groomers don’t push their customers to rebook their pet’s next grooming. They think the client will come back when they are ready. That might be true. But it’s more likely the client will not return as often as they should.

As a professional, it is up to us to educate our clients how often they should return based on;

hygienic needs of the pet

coat condition

trim style

activity level

level of home maintenance between appointments

Most pets that are considered a ‘part of the family’ require regular grooming. These owners share their lives, their homes, and sometimes even their bets with their four-legged family member. These pets benefit from weekly or biweekly bathing. Ideally, pets that require haircuts should be trimmed every 4 to 6 weeks. How often you handle handstripped pets will vary greatly. Based on the coat type and the technique used to strip out the dead coat, they will need to be groomed anywhere from weekly appointments to a couple times a year.

Pet professionals who understand the impact of rebooking realized that is not just a courtesy, but more importantly, a business building strategy. Educate your clients about the rebooking process. Encourage them to setting aside time to keep their pet’s coat in peak condition.

Client retention is equally important to the salon owner and pet groomer or stylist. It is significantly less costly to keep a current client than find a new one. So if you’re going to invest time, money and effort to attract new clients, follow through with excellent customer service that will pay off in client retention.

Rebooking Benefits

Benefits to the Pet Professional

substantially increase your revenue stream

minimize natural peaks and valleys in your schedule

develop a positive bond with the pet and its owner

gain control over your schedule

reduce advertising costs

Benefits to the Pet Owner

keep the pet consistently looking, smelling and feeling great

maintain a healthy skin and coat for the pet

reduce shedding

schedule at their convenience

offer premier appointment slots around major holidays and events

plan around social and business events

Here are 4 Tips to Ensure Your Clients are Rebooking with Every Visit

1. Stress Maintaining a Schedule — As a professional pet stylist, it’s your job to educate your client. You know what it takes to keep their pet’s coat in peak condition. Find out how the client would ideally like their dog to look and their budget. Talk to them about how much at-home care they are willing to do between grooming appointments. Discuss the lifestyle of the pet. Once you know the answers to those questions, you can suggest the ideal number of weeks the pet should go between professional grooming’s.

2. Suggest Dates — Don’t just ask the client if they would like to ‘rebook their next appointment.’ Tell them. Suggest an ideal appointment date when you should see their pet next. Have your calendar ready to book that appointment, including a time. If the client is on the edge about rebooking, politely letting the client know your schedule is already getting booked can help tip them over the edge of booking their next grooming appointment.

3. Offer an Incentive to Rebook – Small incentives can be a great way to keep clients coming back. Offer a small monetary discount if they book their next visit within six weeks or less. Or offer them a free service with their pre-booked appointment. If they rebook on a weekly, biweekly or every third week — offer them a special discounted rate to maintain their frequency levels of their visits. (Do the math — you’ll probably be shocked at how steeply you can discount a weekly or biweekly client off their regular grooming price and still make more money on an annual basis.)

4. Train Your Staff — Rebooking clients is a courtesy to them – and a benefit to you. Make sure your entire team understands the importance. The key to success is to ask EVERY client to rebook their next appointment before they leave.

Having an appointment book that is 50% to 70% pre-booked is like money in the bank. It’s a security system that allows you to breathe easily. It insures you will not lose clients or revenue from light client bookings. It is one of the easiest ways to guarantee your income week-after-week, month-after-month and year-after-year.

Happy Trimming!

~Melissa

Independent Contractor or Employee – Who Do You Hire?

A lot of people were asking me about this topic this weekend at the Atlanta Pet Fair. I’ve posted this before but it’s such an important topic, I’m posting it again in my blog this week. If you are a business owner, this is an important topic when it comes to finding people to help you build your company.
I’m just like most of you. My first business was a mobile van. I was extremely successful. Within less than a year I needed a second van. I needed someone to run that unit. I didn’t want it complicated. I just needed help. I figured the easiest route to go was to find the person that could groom and send them out in a second rig. I didn’t need to file all that mumbo-jumbo with the government. Heck, this person was going to run solo — it was theperfect situation for an independent contractor. After all, everybody else was doing it!
Fast forward three years. I now had four rigs. I had hired an accountant. My accountant suggested I hire a CPA to do my taxes. Throughout the years I knew in my heart I was running close to the wire with my independent contractors. My father had been harping on me. My accountant was concerned. My new CPA really set me straight using a very effective tactic — fear.
If you work with independent contractors within your grooming organization, do you really know the current tax laws? The IRS is very strict with its rulings concerning employees vs. independent contractors. Being naïve is no excuse. If you are ever caught, it will be the IRS that makes the ruling on whether you actually have an employee or an independent contractor.
There are a number of different ways to get caught. It might be an audit of your business or one of your workers files an unemployment claim, a disgruntled worker simply turns you in are a few of the common ways but there are many more.
I know — I know. You can’t afford to hire employees. All those taxes you have to take out of the employee’s paycheck and all the taxes that you need to pay into the government both state and federal plus Social Security and Medicare for each employee. Whew – it’s a paperwork and budget nightmare.
But trust me, if you have your workers misclassified, you can’t afford not to have them as employees if that’s what they truly are. The IRS has no qualms about coming in, slapping you with heavy fines and penalties equal to the amount of all the back taxes owed plus all the interest on those back taxes. Plus, the IRS may turn you in to your state government as well. In one single sweep, your business and your livelihood can be destroyed.

Shortly after I switched from independent contractors to employees I started hearing real life horror stories from within our own industry. One of my personal idols virtually lost everything due to incorrectly filing with the IRS. They lost their business, their home, their personal relationship — everything. They confirmed the fear that placed into me by my CPA years before. The IRS will – and can – destroy your life if you do not play by their rules. The stories that were shared much later only reaffirmed I had made the right decision years before.
So here’s the scoop. The laws are complex, subjective, and inconsistently applied, but knowing the rules can keep you and your workers safe. So here they are, in a nutshell: Under United States common law, a worker is an employee if the person for whom he or she works has the right to direct and control the way he or she works, both as to the final result and as to the details of when, where, how, and in which sequence the work is to be done. It is the IRS’ view that the employer need not actually exercise control. It is sufficient that it has the right to do so.
Here’s a list of 20 questions the IRS uses to determine if a worker is an independent contractor or an employee. A ‘yes’ answer to any of the questions except #16 may indicate your worker is truly an employee. Take a look. Be honest with yourself — you can’t afford not to. (and yes did raise my grooming prices!)
IRS 20 Questions: Independent Contractor OR Employee

Is the worker required to comply with instructions about when, where and how the work is done?
Is the worker provided training that would enable him/her to perform a job in a particular method or manner?
Are the services provided by the worker an integral part of the business’ operations?
Must the services be rendered personally?
Does the business hire, supervise, or pay assistants to help the worker on the job?
Is there a continuing relationship between the worker and the person for whom the services are performed?
Does the recipient of the services set the work schedule?
Is the worker required to devote his/her full time to the person he/she performs services for?
Is the work performed at the place of business of the company or at specific places set by the company?
Does the recipient of the services direct the sequence in which the work must be done?
Are regular oral or written reports required to be submitted by the worker?
Is the method of payment hourly, weekly, monthly (as opposed to commission or by the job?)
Are business and/or traveling expenses reimbursed?
Does the company furnish tools and materials used by the worker?
Has the worker failed to invest in equipment or facilities used to provide the services?
Does the arrangement put the person in a position or realizing either a profit or loss on the work?
Does the worker perform services exclusively for the company rather than working for a number of companies at the same time?
Does the worker in fact make his/her services regularly available to the general public?
Is the worker subject to dismissal for reasons other than non-performance of the contract specifications?
Can the worker terminate his/her relationship without incurring a liability for failure to complete the job?

Happy Trimming!

~Melissa

Scissors Are Like Shoes

Hello!

We are excited to have Colin Taylor with us this weekend at the Atlanta Pet Fair where we will be selling his new book “What Would Colin Do?”. If you are in the area, please stop by the Melissa Verplank booth and get your copy signed by Colin. This is such a great book, I’ve included an excerpt to give you an idea of his unique and humorous style! Enjoy!

Happy Trimming!

~Melissa

Excerpt from the book “What Would Colin Do?” by award winning British pet stylist Colin Taylor. Used with permission.

I admit it. I’m a sucker for good scissors. I know I’m not alone. Male or female. Young or not-so-young. Gay or straight. Scissors are like shoes. We just can’t resist a wonderful pair. The shapes. The curves. The colors. My fingers twitch with excitement when I come across a new set. I start to see them in my dreams. Creating beautiful shapes.

Yes, like shoes, scissors come in an array of sizes. Colors. Makes. Models. But, like shoes, they also need to fit. However much you might need that particular pair, right now, if they don’t feel right, don’t try to convince yourself you have to have them.

The color of the scissors won’t improve your scissor work. And after a few days, the euphoria of our purchase will reside. We might still love them. But, fundamentally, scissors have to be comfortable. They have to be practical. We need to be able to use them with ease. They are the extension of our hands. The instruments of our talent. Our training. Our expertise. So don’t be swayed by the salesman’s perfect pitch. Go with the feelings in your hands. But also your gut.

Let’s say you have acquired that prized pair of scissors. You have to keep them in good working order. You have to make sure you use them only in ways that will protect their balance and sharpness. It’s hardly any wonder that heated arguments break out when a pair of scissors is borrowed without permission. And fights over scissors — sharp tools, remember — can be a frightening thing.

Use a wider bladed shear for scissoring dirty hair. These blades can take the wear and tear of cutting heavy dirty coats. And then go for a lighter or Japanese style shear as your finishing scissors. The technology of scissors, the materials used in the construction, is complex and scientific. Look out for the ‘Rockwell’ hardness of the metal used. A harder Rockwell hardness means stronger metals have been used. Which is what you’ll want.

When I buy a pair of scissors, this is what I do: I always feel them in my hands first. To check for a good, natural fit. I check the Rockwell hardness. I want something that is going to be strong and durable. I don’t get distracted by how glamorous or pretty they look. I concentrate on the potential performance. But it takes enormous self-discipline.

I try to go for an off-set shear when buying a pair of scissors. This means that the thumb hole is higher than the finger hole.

My collection of scissors include:

Curves: To get nice angles and lines.

Straight Shears: All purpose.

Thinning Shears: To blend in lines.

Texturizing Shears (chunkers): Create a more jagged/textured look.

Scissors also have tension screws. Adjust this so it feels right. But resist fiddling with it too much.

When I store my scissors, I make sure they don’t bang against each other. I also don’t store them in the wet room area of the salon. There is a lot of condensation here. I need to put them in a cool, dry place.

I have so much experience buying and using scissors, I should create my own pair. I’ll call them ‘Precious.’

To get a copy of Colin’s book, follow the link to MelissaVerplank.com or catch us at select trade shows in the United States. Colin Taylor will be in Melissa Verplank educational booth at the following grooming shows.

The Atlanta Pet Fair March 7-9

Intergroom April 4-6

GroomExpo Sept 19-21

by Guest Blogger, Colin Taylor

How to Get the Most from a Hands-On Grooming Clinic

Caption: Workshop participants learning how to clip the belly of a cat with celebrity pet stylist, Danelle German at The Paragon School of Pet Grooming.

One cruise through the TV channels and you’ll find all kinds of celebrity chefs sharing their skills. Pick your cuisine or cooking style and you can find someone to inspire you – whether it is via TV or by attending a class hosted by a local celebrity chef.

In the pet grooming industry, we have the same thing! There are many stylists that have proven their skill level on a national and on an international scale. This is the crazy part. Most celebrity pet stylists can still be found at their grooming tables every day, just like you, grooming regular clients. However, many enjoy teaching seminars, clinics and workshops around the world.

Have you ever had the opportunity to train with a celebrity pet stylist? It’s a great way to improve your skills and get super energized!

Many of the top professional pet stylists love to help up and coming pet groomers and stylist. Sometimes those teaching opportunities are just demonstrations or lectures. Other times, they are workshops –which are really fun! You supply the dog or cat plus the grooming tools. As you groom, you’ll have the opportunity to be personally coached by a celebrity pet stylist.

So how do you get the most out of one of these coaching sessions?

#1. Make sure your core skills are strong. Core skills are also known as foundation skills. The two terms are interchangeable.

Core or foundation skills would include;

proper coat preparation

1. bathing
2. drying
3. nails trimmed
4. ears cleaned
5. 100% tangle free coat

knowledge of basic anatomy
basic (and correct) usage of tools; brushes, combs, clippers, scissors and carding tools and stripping knives

#2. Supply the best pet to learn with.

If you do not come to the session with an adequate pet to work on, you only hurt yourself.

select a dog or cat with enough coat to demonstrate your skills
they have a temperament that is easy to work with
they are a good representative of the breed

Like celebrity cooking chefs, there are a wide variety of very accomplished pet stylists. Many specialize in a certain breed, grooming technique or topic. The better prepared you are to participate in the hands-on workshop; the more you’re going to get out of it. Step into the session with a very open mind.

If you are young and fresh to the industry, sometimes these clinics can be almost overwhelming with the amount of information shared. Be the driest sponge that you can be — soak up every bit of knowledge that you can.

As your knowledge and skills advance, the clinics won’t be intimidating. They become a great tweaking session for your skills. They will keep you abreast of advance grooming skills and trends. Plus, these types of functions are a great way to invigorate your career.

These principles remain valid for many forms of advanced learning in the pet grooming industry. Maybe you don’t have the opportunity to do a hands-on training session. There is a wealth of information to learn from these all-star pet stylists. You might be in the audience at a trade show, pet grooming competition or watching a grooming video lesson featuring one of these top stylists. The better you can execute the core skills with your everyday grooming, the easier it will be to successfully transfer their lessons to your own grooming table.

If you are not as accomplished as these award-winning and highly successful pet groomers are — take note. You can learn a lot from their well-developed skills. Learning new skills, tips and tricks make grooming pets all that more fun!

Happy Trimming!

~ Melissa

The Westminster Dog Show is Just Around the Corner

This time a year I always get excited. The Westminster Kennel Club dog show is just around the corner! For almost as long as I can remember, I have firmly planted myself in front of the TV for two nights. I would watch the show in its entirety. Why?

Because, the Westminster Kennel Club dog show is the “Superbowl” of the dog world. It is the best way to stay up to date with the latest trends and styles. I would throw a Westminster party. I loved inviting my entire grooming team over to be glued to the TV for two nights as the show aired. For days after the show, we would talk about the newest breeds that had been accepted by the AKC. The unique haircuts we saw. The latest style trends on established breeds.

The show was important for me. I was actively competing in the pet grooming contest arena. In the old days, we would record the show. I can’t tell you how many times I would review those tapes before I stepped into the contest arena. By watching some the most spectacular dogs in the country compete at this level, I was able to get a clear image etched in my mind before I stepped into the ring at a grooming competition. Visualization is a key to success.

Secondly, I used the Westminster Dog Show as a way to help keep my grooming staff up-to-date with the latest styling trends. Once I opened The Paragon School of Pet Grooming, we continued to use the show as a key learning tool for students. The annual dog show was instrumental for students learning breed identification and trim styles. Today you can order a high quality DVD of the entire Westminster Dog Show — commercial free.

Tune in this year and enjoy the 2014 show. The Westminster Dog Show airs Monday, February 10 LIVE ON CNBC from 8-11 p.m. and Tuesday, February 11 is LIVE ON USA from 8-11 p.m. For streaming videos of each individual breed class, visit: http://www.westminsterkennelclub.com. All Hound, Toy, Non-Sporting and Herding breeds will be judged on Monday, February 10 with their corresponding groups being televised LIVE on CNBC from 8-11pm. All Sporting, Working and Terrier breeds will be judged on Tuesday, February 11 with their corresponding groups being televised LIVE on USE from 8-11pm.

Happy Trimming!

~Melissa

Ten-Year Anniversary of Notes From the Grooming Table – Time for an Update!

Where does the time go? It seems like just yesterday Lisa and I were buried within the creation of Notes From The Grooming Table. Notes was designed to be a reference guide for the professional pet groomer. With every breed, I identified the “correct” grooming method for the AKC confirmation show ring. However, in the book, I gave basic pet grooming directions and how to maintain the integrity of the breed using pet grooming techniques with clipper’s and scissors.

In total, Notes From the Grooming Table took over three years to write. At the time there were 150 breeds recognized by the American Kennel Club. Those were the dogs that we included with Notes. When we first started working on Notes, we had no idea the global appeal this book would have on our industry. We sell almost as many books abroad as we do here in the United States.

Since Notes was first published in 2004, the AKC has accepted almost 50 new breeds in just 10 years. A number of those breeds come in multiple sizes and a variety of coat textures. 10 years ago, the Miscellaneous Group was so small, we didn’t even opt to include in the book. Today there 15 breeds in the miscellaneous category of the AKC! We have opted to add them to the updated version of Notes From the Grooming Table.

Ten years ago, the Internet wasn’t even close to what it is today. The amount of research Lisa (my illustrator for Notes) and I had to do with individual breeds was mind-boggling. Finding reference material about each dog required book after book — magazine after magazine — and many dog shows. Today, research is much easier via the Internet. But as you know, not everything on the Internet is totally accurate. It still requires an awful lot of reviewing, sorting and double checking before I feel the information is accurate.

I don’t want to think about how many drawings and sketches Lisa created to make Notes come alive. When she felt she was close on the drawing, she would bring it to me for review. I know she hated this, but it worked. I’d pick up my scissors, tape, a red pen and my trusty AKC book. I’d read the standard, measure the dog out and then start cutting the dog into what look like puzzle pieces. Lisa watch from the sidelines horrified. I cut it apart, re-measure it, change body shapes and tape it back together. I’d hand her back her draft drawing and tell her, “Do it this way.” And she always did very willingly – although I’m sure there were times she was cursing me under her breath!

When I first wrote Notes from the Grooming Table, certain tools didn’t exist. They weren’t even an idea yet. Or if they did exist, there have been huge advancements with the piece of equipment. The tools that are high on my radar list are the extensive variety of attach-on guard combs. Wow. Those have come a long way! Battery operated detailed trimmers are another piece of equipment no groomer should be without. Another tool that has gained wide acceptance are the large blending shears. When Notes hit the press, I’d never even seen this item!

Back in 2004, we never anticipated we would have a global market. We never address the different styling techniques and trends depending on what continent you’re grooming salon is located. And not only are the styling trends different, in some countries we are starting to see docked or undocked tails along with cropped or uncropped ears. These variances are sometimes personal preference or laws from the individual countries. Whether the dog has a tail or not is going to dictate how that tail is going to be handled in the grooming salon. Same thing goes for ears on many breeds.

Ten years ago, the art of hand stripping was just starting to take root in the professional pet grooming salons. Today, we see more and more pet stylists applying hand stripping techniques to pet dogs than we’ve ever seen before.

What’s up with all the hairless breeds? We’re going need to put an entire section and how to care for dogs that don’t have any coat to protect their skin. They certainly have different needs than the coated varieties!

How many of you realize what kind of deadline we were under to get Notes published for the first time in 2004? We had done a large PR bit announcing the release at a major tradeshow. Of course, our timing wasn’t going quite as planned with the final printing. There were issues. Lots of issues.

In order to get this book on the press in time to make our debut trade show, we only had 24 hours to proof the entire book. I opted to keep the first run of Notes From the Grooming Table a small run. Good move on my part. It was riddled with typos. If you are one of the early purchasers of Notes, check it out. It’s pretty funny because some of the typos are absolutely blatant. (Like the color of the Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier.)

Luckily, many of you were gracious enough to simply point out our typos. For the first few years, we continued to keep our print runs small. Every time we went back to press, we would fix a couple more typos. One of the typos I can’t believe has totally slid under the radar for all ten years has been the spelling of the breed Schipperke. It’s still wrong today. Whoops. Go ahead – grab your book and check it out – I’ll wait. Needless to say, that will be fixed in our revision of Notes From the Grooming Table!

For our tenth year anniversary, we are working on revising Notes From the Grooming Table. Lisa and I are excited to be able work on this project again. For the first time in years, I am literally going through Notes From the Grooming Table page by page. I have a highlighter, a colored pen and lots of sticky notes. It’s hard to believe there so many new breeds to address. We’re enjoying updating the styling trends that have changed slightly on established breeds. It’s fun being able to share with you so many new tools that make grooming dogs so much easier.

This is turning into a major undertaking. However, with this revision of Notes From the Grooming Table, we want to take our time. There will always be opinions on what is right or wrong with all aspects of the style and trends of professional dog grooming. We want to make sure we give you lots of options to create a dog that is well groomed – even if you have never physically groomed that breed before. Armed with Notes From the Grooming Table, you will have the most current and up-to-date pet styling book available anywhere in the world. Look for the revised edition of Notes coming out late in 2014.

Happy Trimming!

~Melissa

New Year’s Resolutions Can Be Dreams with Deadlines

A recent study divided people who made New Year’s resolutions into two groups.

1. Those who made New Year’s resolutions and wrote it down.
2. Those who made a New Year’s resolution but neglected to write it down.

You know what? The results were amazing. For the group that did not write down their New Year’s resolution, only 4% of them kept their resolution. However, for the people that wrote down the resolution, a whopping 44% of them had kept their New Year’s resolution.

“You can’t hit a target you can’t see” says motivational speaker Brian Tracy. And he is so right. A dream is a wish. Most people don’t write down their wishes – Thus, most wishes don’t come true.

Another one of his famous quotes is, “Goals in writing are dreams with deadlines.”

So have you made your New Year’s resolutions yet? Have you put pen to paper or your fingers to keyboard? If you’ll just take a few minutes and get your dreams down on paper, your odds for success are going to increase tenfold.

So what are your goals — what are your dreams — what are your aspirations? If you really want to make them happen, put together a plan.

Do you want to go for doing six dogs a day to eight? Have you divided your day so you know how long you have to spend on each pet and still get the job accomplished? Maybe your plan includes dividing the types of dogs you take each day in order to accomplish your goal. This division might come from the size of dogs you take. Or it might be the degree of difficulty. Obviously it’s going to be easier to wash a Beagle than it is to do a full scissor job on a poodle.

Do you want to become a certified master groomer or enter the competition ring? What type of knowledge do you need to gain before you’re successful at that endeavor? Do you need to learn the foundation of dog grooming first? The foundation would be anatomy, structure and movement. Next will come mastering technical skills like; bathing, brushing, dematting, drying, clipping, scissoring, hand- stripping. Once your foundation work is down, now it’s time to take a breed. Pick one breed — and one breed only. Focus on that single breed. Read the books. Watch videos put out by top professionals on the breed. Study with professional breeders and handlers. Go to conformation dog shows. Attend workshops and seminars. Once you master one breed, you’ll find it much easier to learn additional breeds.

Do you want to own your own business? What will it take to make that happen? Outline the steps it’s going to take for you to gain the experience necessary to open your own salon or to go mobile. Once you have the experience, then it’s time to create a full-fledged business plan. A well thought out business plan will be your roadmap to starting your own business successfully.

Whatever your goal, the important part is to get it down on paper. The style that you get it down will be all your own. Some people do better doing outlines. Other people do better with simple lists. Others find mind maps work extremely well. Whatever your style, write it down. The more detailed you are about the necessary steps required, the more likely you will succeed.

Then, post it where you’re going to see it. Set a timeline to it and then energetically take action to complete each detailed step. The steps can be small — and sometimes smaller steps are good. It gives you a sense of accomplishment each time you get to move up the staircase of success.

2014 is just around the corner. What do you want to accomplish? Make those New Year’s resolutions. No matter what your goals, remember that just by simply writing them down are more likely to happen.

Happy Trimming!

~Melissa

Grooming Speed Trick = Wrap-A-Pet

This is the best speed trick around for a professional grooming salon. Wrap-a dog. Women have been doing it for years.

If you’re gal and have had long hair at any point in your life, you know what I’m talking about.

You shower. You wash your hair. You step out of the shower and towel off. But before you do anything else from that point forward, you flip your head over and wrap your hair tightly in a towel. As you stand up, you flip the twisted towel toward your back. You are now sporting a turban style head wrap. You go about your routine letting the towel absorb the moisture in your long hair. Depending on the thickness of your hair, you might leave the turban in place anywhere from 5-20 minutes. By the time you’re ready to dry and style your hair, the towel has done its job. It has removed a large portion of the moisture from your hair. You‘ve greatly reduce the amount of time it will take to dry your hair simply by letting the towel do the work.

A pet grooming salon is no different. Using this trick can shave off loads of time over the course of an entire day. Even if you’re just doing six dogs, and you could save 5 to 10 minutes per pet in the drying process — you are saving anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes of time. Time is money, so it really starts to add up fast with each pet! Times that by multiple stylists and the savings really start to pile on.

There are other problems that come with not using a towel efficiently prior to starting the drying process with any type of dryer.

The bathing area of any professional pet grooming salon is always humid. If you opt to high velocity the dog prior to utilizing a towel to remove the moisture, you’re putting all that extra moisture into an already humid environment. The more humid the environment, the harder it is to ultimately get the dog dry.
In a highly humid area, it will be almost impossible get a beautiful fluff dry finish on any dog.
Moisture will be going all over the walls and floor. Not only does this create a mess, it also creates slick floors which are dangerous.
If you are in an environment where there is another bather working alongside you, you were getting their pet wet from the spray coming from the dog you are working on. (tisk-tisk!)
It takes longer to dry a dripping pet straight from the tub – the longer the pet is on the table, the harder the grooming process could be for many pets – especially older ones carrying a lot of coat.

This method of drying works well for any pet stylist or groomer. I started applying this method when I was mobile – doing one dog at a time. Even then it saved me time. I would finish the bath, towel dry the dog well and then wrap it tightly in a towel and let it sit for a few minutes. I would write out my receipt. Clean up my van. Make bows. Answer messages. Even having the pet sit for just 5 minutes was a huge time saver. I would save at least 5 minutes in the drying process and save myself 5 minutes doing all those other things. Total time saving per pet: 10 minutes.

When I moved to a high volume salon, the same trick saved us boat loads of time. We would have 30-40 pet per session. (We offered half day grooming for most of our clients. Thus we had two shifts of pets; morning and afternoon.) In a high volume salon, we affectionately called the term of wrapping dogs as “wrap n stack ‘em.” We would bath all the pets, and then start putting them in our bank of kennels in the drying room. It became a very fun game.

At the foundation of every high quality groom, is the bathing and drying process. To ensure the maximum quality of groom on the finished pet, it is critical the dog is ‘squeaky clean’ and 100% dried using the optimum drying method for the coat type prior to it going on to the finished grooming process.

Here are the basic guidelines for the game. Every game (day) will be a bit different based on the type of pets you have coming in. My personal goal when I move to the high velocity drying process is to have now moisture coming off the dog. Not always possible but that’s my goal.
Basic Rules for “Wrap n Stack ‘Em”

6 week or less; pets go directly to the tub. No pre-clipping or brushing needed.
The largest and thickest coats hit the tub first – smallest and lightest coats last. Tub priority will be totally based on the size and coat density of the pets being bathed during that session.
Towel-dry the pet by hand first. Then wrap in a fresh, dry towel. Secure the towel with clips. (office style large bull dogs clips work great)
Small dogs can normally be wrapped in a single towel. Larger dogs need to be wrapped in two towels plus have one to sit on.
Place the pet in a secure area where they cannot move around too much as they are wrapped tightly in a towel. (kennel or wall tether)
Bath all the dogs first while the others sit wrapped in towels.
Once all pets are bathed, and then move to the drying process. Reverse your bathing order. Start with the smallest and lightest coated dog. Unwrap the pet and start the high velocity drying process.
If the pet has sat for too long, they will be 100% dry before you get to them. You will need to re-wet the dog and start the wrapping process over. (typically this can happen on small, light coated pets)
If the dog needs hand fluff drying with a heat dryer – do not move to that process until the pet is about 90% dry with the high velocity dryer.
Dry each dog fully once you start the drying process so it’s ready to move on to the finished grooming procedure.
Once the dog is dry, place dog in a non-humid environment to ensure the coat does not curl up or get moist from the humid air.

Here are the steps to wrapping a small dog:

#1. Use a large dry towel. Drape center of the towel over the dog’s back.

#2. Draw one end of the towel hide the belly of the pet, the other end draw it across the chest.

#3. Pull the towel snuggly around the pet’s belly and chest.

#4. Secure both ends of the two close to the withers of the pet with some type of clip.

#5. Let the dog sit for a short amount of time to let the towel absorb the bulk of the moisture from the coat.

Note: On larger dogs, use the same concept on the front part of the dog. Use a second large towel for the rear. Wrap it much the same. However, when wrapping the rear, do it close to the spot you are going to secure them while waiting for the high velocity drying process. Wrap the rear and then encourage them to sit. Once the dog sits, they will naturally pull the towel snuggly around their rear end.

There is nothing more gratifying than seeing the bathing and drying process whirr along at a smooth, consistent and highly efficient pace. It doesn’t matter if you are a solo stylist or part of a larger team in a salon setting. It’s all about working smarter – not harder.

High quality bathing and drying is at the heart of every successful grooming business. Every grooming shop is slightly different, work out a system that you can employ the wrap-a-dog drying method and I guarantee you save yourself time while enhancing your bottom line.

Happy Trimming!

~Melissa

The Strength of Pet Grooming Foundation Skills

Photo Caption: Can you envision a Scottish Terrier trying to do the job of an Alaskan Malamute?

I’m up to my eyeballs in research for the 10th year anniversary of Notes From the Grooming Table. When I wrote Notes in 2004, there were 150 breeds recognized but the American Kennel Club – with a few coming in multiple varieties.

In just ten years they have added 47 breeds with one of those new breeds coming in 2 varieties!! OMG. My artiest, Lisa VanSweden and I have our work cut out for us!
But guess what? As I look at all these new breeds. I was pleasantly surprised. Not one of these dogs intimidates me from a grooming standpoint. Why? Because I possess a strong foundation of grooming expertise. I can read AND interpret the written breed standards. I understand structure. I know basic anatomy. I have the technical skill knowledge to deal with any coat type.

Armed with that knowledge – there isn’t a breed of dog I can’t groom with confidence. I know I’m going to be able to come close to making the breed look like the breed it’s supposed to – at least if the owners bring me something responsible to work with. (matted fur is matted fur no matter what breed it comes on – as long as I’m not dealing with a Bergamasco!)

So the bigger question for competent pet groomers and stylists, how strong are your foundation skills?

Can you quickly scan through a breed standard and translate it into a visual picture? Can you isolate key points of the standard you can influence to enhance the looks of the dog through grooming?

Can you decipher this? What breed is this? “…the height at the withers equal to the distance from prosternum to buttocks. The bone is medium and the body is dry, lithe and muscular, with an off-standing, curly coat.”

Or what about this one? “…The head must be in proportion to the body and give the appearance of power and strength. It is approximately equal to the length of neck and not less than 40% of the height of the dog at the withers.”
Is it Greek to you? It sure was Greek to me for a long time!
Learning to the official breed standards and interpret into grooming language is just like learning a foreign language. It can be challenging at first. But once you learn a little – you understand how valuable it is to learn more. Once you learn some of the core elements of breed standard language, it becomes easier and easier to understand the terminology.

Hand-in-hand with interpreting breed standards is structure and movement. You won’t be able to visualize the standard unless you can visually ‘see’ the term. What does an ‘almond eye’ look like? What does a ‘well-laid back shoulder’ look like? If a standard requires the breed to be ‘deep in chest’ or ‘well-developed brisket,’ what does that mean? Or more importantly – what would that look like?
What I love about pure breed dogs is at one time they were breed for a purpose. Before modernization, most of the breeds (excluding the Toy Group) they were breed to do a job. Help man survive. I love that. They had a purpose. Their temperaments and physical structure was developed by man through selective breeding to excel at a specific job.

You would never dream of hooking a team of Scottish Terriers to a sled and expect them to haul a load 50 miles across an arctic landscape. Nope. Not happening. At the same token, you would never see an Alaskan Malamute dive into a tight little burrow, going after some tenacious little vermin and extracting it. Nope – not happening.

Once you learning how to interpret a breed standard, your curiosity might get peaked. Most of the top pet stylists are intrigued by why dogs are built the way they are. They are passionate about learning the finer details of each purebred dog. Why a breed is built and bred the way it is.

Everything has a purpose. Purebred dogs were the tools of yester-year. The better they were built for the task at hand, the more efficiently they could do their jobs. Just like a well-built tool today, the better it is built, the faster and easier it will get the job done.

I was just listening to one of our Learn2GroomDogs.com Training Partners. She said if you haven’t been out learning about the new tools in the past 10 years, you are really missing out. She was so right. As we update Notes From the Grooming Table – tools are getting updated along with all the new breeds. The foundation skills haven’t changed, but some of the tools have.

Clippers have become smaller and more powerful. Many of the best clippers for certain jobs are now cordless.

Limited sized old fashion guard-combs have become a thing of the past. Now there are a wide variety of sizes and shapes. Some are super durable metal. Others have magnet attachment features. All make grooming much easier.

Have you worked with assortment of rakes on the market now? They can make short work of maintaining a harsh coated pet dog or removing soft undercoat.
Dryers have gotten more powerful.
Shampoos, conditioners and hair enhancement products abound. These products allow us to get the pets cleaner, condition the coat better and can get a less than perfect coat to do amazing things by enhancing texture and body.
Once you have a solid understanding of the foundation skills involved with professional pet grooming – you can build on those skills. No job will overwhelm you. You will never be fluster by a new breed you have never seen before when it lands on YOUR grooming table.

Building strong foundation grooming skills is a lot like the Chinese Proverb, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”

Knowledge builds confidence. Artful execution of well learned foundation skills creates a rewarding job. Combine the two and you’ll have a wildly successful career.

At least this concept did for me. It has for every one of our awarding winning top stylists Training Partners at Learn2GroomDogs.com. Who knew when I was 18 year old and shoveling kennel runs at a boarding kennel – someday I would write one to the most respected grooming books in the industry? Not me.

However, armed with a solid foundation core grooming skills, update Notes may take time – but it’s far from intimidating. Actually – it’s fun to learn about all these new breeds. I just wish I spent more time today with my hands in fur to get the gratification of taking a dirty messy dog and turning it into something beautiful!

Luckily for those you standing at your grooming table, you get to have that extremely rewarding job satisfaction!

I get the gratification of making it easy for you to get the pertinent information on all the currently recognized breeds in the American Kennel Club by updating Notes From The Grooming Table.
Books & Sites I Recommend for Learning Foundations Grooming Skills
• Notes From the Grooming Table by Melissa Verplank
• The AKC Complete Dog Book
• The American Kennel Club web site at : www.AKC.org
• Canine Terminology by Harold R. Spira
• K-9 Structure &Terminology by Edward M. Gilbert & Thelma R. Brown
• www.Learn2GroomDogs.com with over 350 grooming demonstrations presented by top professional pet groomers from around the world.

Happy Trimming!

~Melissa

Corrective Grooming

Photo: Award winning pet stylist and Learn2GroomDogs.com Training Partner, Irina “Pina” Pinkusevich, is a true master of corrective grooming tactics as she turns a Poodle into a Bedlington Terrier.

Corrective grooming is an art. It’s the art of accentuating the positive aspects of the pet while minimizing their faults. In order to be effective at corrective grooming, it’s important to understand canine anatomy, structure and movement plus correct breed profiles. Having an eye for balance, style and proportion is also critical.

Not all dogs or trims are candidates for corrective grooming. You must have an owner who is willing to leave some coat on a dog in order to hide its defects or accentuate the positive aspects of the pet. If a client opts for a short, low maintenance trim — you’ll not be able to apply corrective grooming tactics. However, if the client is willing to let you leave the pet in a slightly longer trim, there is much that you can do to accentuate the physique of a dog.

Corrective grooming is all about the illusion of creating a dog of perfect proportion and body structure to fit the correct breed profile of that dog. Once the stylist understands how to read and interpret a breed standard, they have a blueprint of what the pet should look like – if it was perfect. Many breed standards will actually outline the correct size, length, and proportions of the pet’s individual body parts in relationship to each other.

Once you can interpret the breed standard it’s just a matter of connecting the dots. Stealthy trimming can accentuate the key points of the pet while detracting from their faults. A talented professional pet stylist is actually an artist – a sculptor of fur.

Understanding how to do this will change the classification between a “groomer” and a “stylist”. A groomer only cleans the pet. They remove the coat with no focus on styling the fur. A pet stylist, on the other hand, is well versed in breed profile trimming. They have outstanding technical skills clipping and scissoring. They have a solid understanding correct structure and movement. When trimming the pet, they adjust the amount of fur left on the dog to highlight their best features while minimizing their weak points.

Many professionals are happy with just being a competent groomer. However, what really creates a salon that is in high demand? Have at least one talented pet stylist in your grooming department. An experienced, and correctly trained, pet stylist can easily go on to upper levels of the grooming world. Many are Certified Master Stylists under the voluntary certification testing organizations in the United States. Others go on to be successful in the AKC confirmation ring or the pet grooming contest arena. Some high achievers can be found in all areas; certified stylists, exhibit dogs on the conformation world plus show off their styling skills in the competitive grooming ring.

Here is a list of the typical areas we can influence with every day pets. Armed with a solid understanding of the canine species, a talented pet stylist can hide common defects while emphasizing the best features of the animal. The more you know about proper canine anatomy, structure and movement and breed profiles, the easier it will be to apply corrective grooming applications. It is also critical you have excellent technical techniques along with an eye for balance, style, and proportion.

Outline
• square or rectangular body shape
• topline
• undercarriage
• tail set
• neck length
• head

Bone & Body Structure
• front and rear legs
• front and rear assembly
• feet
• skull shape
• jaw length
• ears set
• tail set
• eyes
• neck

Coat
• texture
• color
• density

Happy Grooming!

~Melissa

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To get a copy of Colin’s book, follow the link to MelissaVerplank.com or catch us at select trade shows in the United States. Colin Taylor will be in Melissa Verplank educational booth at the following grooming shows.

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