Check out our latest blog posts!
Learn how to improve your skill set or discover the latest news in the grooming industry.
Check out our latest blog posts!
Learn how to improve your skill set or discover the latest news in the grooming industry.
If you were able to join our Facebook Live with the Pup Relief Tour Team, thank you! Here are a few images of their tour-de-grooming-force! Stay tuned for an update on more ways to help this global groomer initiative!
Special thanks to the PRT Team for elevating the profession of grooming!
“DogFather of Harlem” ⭐️ Brian Taylor from Harlem Doggie Day Spa HDDS, and the PRT Ambassadors: ⭐️ Gianna Richardson from Gia Styles Grooming Styles Grooming ⭐️ LaTonya Smith from LC’S Detroit Pet Salon & LC’S Mobile Pet Spa ⭐️ Labree Blaxon from Fluffy By Nature Pet Grooming.
Join Paragon president Joe Zuccarello & VP Lorri Keller June 1st, 7 p.m. EST for a great Facebook Live featuring special guests Brian Taylor, the “Dogfather of Harlem,” and his team of Pup Relief Tour Ambassador/Trainers, Gianna Richardson from Gia Styles Grooming; LaTonya Smith from LC’s Detroit Salon, and LaBree Braxton from Fluffy By Nature.
The team will recap their global groomer training mission to Nigeria that Paragon sponsored. Hear all about what it’s like to train groomer’s abroad in an intense workshop, and bring your questions!
Want a reminder? Click here to sign up for notification at our sister site: Learn2GroomDogs.com
The Westminster Kennel Club is America’s oldest organization dedicated to the sport of purebred dogs. Established in 1877, Westminster’s influence has been felt for more than a century through its famous all-breed, benched dog show held every year at New York City’s Madison Square Garden. Today, America’s dog show has expanded into Westminster Week which includes the Masters Agility Championship at Westminster and the Masters Obedience Championship at Westminster. More than 3,000 dogs entered from around the world make Westminster Week like no other. As Master Groomer and our founder, Melissa Verplank encourages our pet grooming students to watch Westminster as a great way to improve their pet trims! (watch Melissa’s video HERE )We’ve highlighted information to help you tune in.
Learn more @ Westminster
Each dog at a dog show is presented to a judge by either its owner, breeder, or a hired professional. This person is known as the exhibitor or the handler of the dog.
The purpose of conformation shows (also known as dog shows) is to evaluate breeding stock. Judges select winners based on their ability to contribute and improve the next generation of dogs. Dogs start out in the classes competing for points toward their AKC championship title. Dogs win points based on the number of dogs defeated. The more dogs entered, the more points per win. It takes fifteen points, including two majors (wins of three, four or five points), awarded by at least three different judges, to become an American Kennel Club champion.
Breed Groups judged to the AKC Breed Standard include the Working, Herding, Sporting, Hound, Terrier, Toy, Non-Sporting and Herding.
Learn more, including judging criteria, a glossary and terminology, at Westminster Dog Shows 101
Agility is a timed competition that tests a dog’s ability to complete an obstacle course following the commands of its handler. Purebred and All-American (mixed breed) dogs are eligible, to compete in 1 of 5 height classes and are judged on time and completion (minus faults) of the course.
Obedience is a command-driven competition that tests a dog’s ability to comply with the asks of the handler. Commands can include a combination of sit, stay, jump, retrieve and scent discrimination. Purebred and All-American (mixed breed) dogs will compete to showcase the desired skills of a model dog.
Today, Westminster will also host Obedience, Dock Diving, a Breed Showcase & More
Learn more here: Westminster Schedule
The dogs entered at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show each competes within their own breed to be chosen as Best of their Breed/Variety. There are 212 AKC-recognized breeds and varieties.
Junior Showmanship is a competition assessing the handling skills of children 9-18 years of age independent of the traits of the dog. The competition promotes proper training and care to prepare future generations for responsible dog ownership, sportsmanship, and future success in the sport.
Once selected as Best of Breed/Variety, dogs advance to compete within their AKC-recognized Group: Hound, Toy, Non-Sporting, Herding, Sporting, Working, and Terrier.
The winning dogs across the seven Groups compete for the ultimate prize. From those seven Reserve Best in Show is awarded as a runner up, followed by the Best in Show selection.
Times are subject to change. All times EDT.
https://www.westminsterkennelclub.org/2023-dog-show-info/fox-fs1-and-fs2
The Pup Relief Tour in partnership with Paragon is fresh off its mission is to elevate the grooming profession around the world, through excellence in skill development.
PRT mastermind, Brian Taylor aka “The Dogfather of Harlem” is passionate about opening avenues to the grooming profession at home and abroad. The banker-turned-successful grooming business owner became a social media sensation during the height of the pandemic when he spearheaded the non-profit Pup Relief Tour in 15 cities across the United States. The team groomed 1918 pups whose pet parents faced financial hardships and raised awareness of pup health and well-being through grooming.
Check out the video below:
PRT mastermind, Brian Taylor aka “The Dogfather of Harlem” is passionate about opening avenues to the grooming profession at home and abroad. The banker-turned-successful grooming business owner became a social media sensation during the height of the pandemic when he spearheaded the non-profit Pup Relief Tour in 15 cities across the United States. The team groomed 1918 pups whose pet parents faced financial hardships and raised awareness of pup health and well-being through grooming.
For the Nigeria venture, Taylor was joined by Pup Relief Tour Ambassadors, Labree Blaxon, Owner, Fluffy By Nature, (California), Latonya Smith, LC’s Detroit Salon, (Michigan) and Gianna Richardson, Gia Styles Grooming (Virginia). All have successful pet grooming businesses here in the U.S. and are primarily Black-owned.
Together, Paragon and The Pup Relief Tour are committed to raising awareness of the shortage of dog groomers and to help pet lovers discover the lucrative opportunity of a career in pet grooming.
DON’T MISS OUR UPCOMING FACEBOOK LIVE with the PRT Team Thurs. April 27, 7 p.m. EST. SET A REMINDER HERE.
If you missed our Facebook LIVE on “Thank Goodness for Doodles” or would like more resources on becoming a successful and profitable doodle-groomer, here are a few resources that will help you achieve your goal!
Doodles Are Job Security – Melissa Verplank weighs in on why Doodles Are Job Security – Watch the Video
Fair Pricing – The Large Dog – Melissa Verplank discusses the importance of pricing large dogs in your grooming business – Watch the Video
Doodle Grooming Roundup – from Paragon’s “Groominar® Network” at Learn2GroomDogs.com: In our “Doodle” round up, members can find “Groominars®” – instructional videos – on the following topics (and more!): Doodle Roundup
Not a member? Join us for non-stop professional skills development and community support.
– By Joe Zuccarello, Paragon President
Originally published by our partners at IndiePet.
Chew on this! Did you know, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association, it is estimated that by the age of two 80 percent of dogs and 70 percent of cats have some form of periodontal disease? Further, periodontal infections have been linked to diabetes, heart attacks, strokes, kidney disease and other life-threatening disorders.
WOW! What are you doing about this? As a Pet Professional, we have an obligation to the Pet Parents who trust us with their pets’ care to inform them of the severity of this problem.
Most Groomers believe they can only make more money if they take an extra dog on the books, or raise prices, or do more big dogs. All of these methods will work, but what about working smarter and not just harder. How?! Recommend extra services that not only generate extra revenue but also educate the Pet Parent and benefit the pet in one way or another. Oral Care services are a perfect add on which satisfies all of these criteria.
If the business has only Groomer they can groom 8 dogs per day and they make a concerted effort to ask every person who comes through the door if they would an oral care service for their pet, (we’ll talk about services choices in a minute) and only 20% of the clients accept, that can equal an average of $20-$30 extra in revenue per day. $30 per day multiplied by seven days per week generates over $11,000 per year in incremental revenue. What if you had more people working in your salon? What if three or four out of every ten clients accepts?
Now that I have your attention (money always works!), let’s talk about the choices you have in service offerings. First, traditional teeth brushing. Depending on the toothpaste and toothbrush (human toothbrush or finger brush) you use, this service can be easy to start and a fair number of dogs will let you brush their teeth while others will not. Another choice is dental wipes. Yet another choice is the best way of addressing the pet’s oral care needs and that is a variety of products engineered to make the entire process easier for the Groomer and the pet. Based on a “no brushing necessary” position, products such as dental gel, breath sprays and foams, water additives, and a variety of treats and chews not only give you more options to address the concern of periodontal disease, but also gives your clients a choice of products to use at home on a regular basis.
Dental products are perfect additions to your services offering, plus they are a great addition to your retail offering. Many Groomers will say dental services offered in salons on a “once a month” basis has very little effect on the pet’s dental health. I beg to differ. I can tell you from experience you WILL sell oral care services by simply asking everyone who enters your business and you WILL sell oral care products to Pet Parents who wish to take better care of their pet’s teeth since you have brought it to their attention that they should be. The products you carry should make it as easy for the Pet Parent as possible. If the product is hard to use or the process is hard to do, they simply won’t do it.
Hey Joe Podcast – “Dental Awareness with Guest Josh Meyer, TropiClean”
Article – How Groomers Can Help Maintain Dental Health
About Joe Zuccarello
With a long career in the pet industry, spanning over 35 years, Joe began his career in the services sector. Leading a team of over 250 employees and all operations efforts at a multi-unit luxury pet resort, spa, daycare, and training facility for nearly 20 years. He then shifted slightly to begin a 10 year position as Director of Innovation and Product development for TropiClean. Joe now leads the team at the undisputed leader in professional pet grooming education, the Paragon School of Pet Grooming and Learn2GroomDog.com providing career training solutions.
In case you missed our Facebook Live with Business Building tips from Team Pagagon, or if you want to delve deeper, here is a roundup of a few resources to get you started.
And remember, LOVE ON YOUR DOG-CLIENT, and they’ll keep coming back for more!
Guest Article by Gingr
Whether you’re looking for new customers or trying to retain existing ones, a robust marketing approach is crucial to growing and sustaining your pet grooming business. Since clients today have a range of grooming options to choose from, it’s all the more important that you prove to them why they should patronize your business.
To help you do this, we’ve compiled a list of practical strategies for marketing a grooming business. In this guide, you’ll learn how to:
However, because today’s marketing can take so many different forms, these tips will also operate differently depending on where and when they’re used. For each tip, consider how it might apply across major in-person and online communication channels. Let’s dive in!
Powerful software and marketing tools are at the heart of every great marketing strategy. Software can help your grooming business process transactions, report on sales data, and communicate with pet owners. Gingr recommends choosing software that:
Once your software is up and running, you can leverage it to store and analyze customer data. In this way, you can get a sense of who your customers are, what they want from your business, and how you can best engage them. Consider collecting, storing, and analyzing the following customer-related data points:
When you understand your customers, you can better direct your marketing to the right people at the right time. Without this info, you’re making marketing decisions based on hunches that could be both inaccurate and harmful to your business.
Building a positive public perception of your grooming business is directly related to building a thriving clientele. To develop and market a positive reputation, you should:
An essential part of marketing your business is increasing the ways that potential customers can interact and engage with you—both online and in person. Use the following tips to increase engagement opportunities:
Finally, to improve the marketing for your business, consider your customers’ needs and how you might offer additional pet grooming-related services to meet them. By providing a more complete and comprehensive service than your competitors, you simplify your customers’ lives and position yourself to attract customers in a wider range of markets.
Offer additional, relevant services, such as:
As you spread the word about your additional services, make sure to track your results, such as email click-through rate, site traffic, customers acquired, services used, and return on investment (ROI). Then, adjust your services and marketing as needed to increase leads and loyal customers.
Even as you diversify your marketing across channels, make sure to keep your messaging consistent between your virtual and in-person interactions. As a result, your customers will remember your distinct brand and choose your business for their next grooming appointment.
If you follow these recommendations, you’ll put yourself in the best position to engage and retain the customers who most need your grooming services. Good luck!
Are you ready to take your grooming business to the next level? In this Resource Roundup, we’ll show you how to map your plan, improve your workflow, create productive space and expand your team! Cheers to a prosperous New Year!
Check out this Blog from our partners at Gingr, home to great groomer software – How to Manage Pets + People at Your Dog Grooming Business
Guest post by our business partner, Gingr pet-care software
As a small business owner, you probably work like a dog. After all, you work hard every day to create a comfortable and safe environment for your clients, pets, and employees that leads to great service and long-term customer satisfaction. This is a big task, one that is especially tricky to accomplish if you feel like you’re moving forward without a clear direction.
This is why management is not only the most important part of earning customer trust but also holds your grooming business together through thick and thin. That’s exactly why your management strategy should be airtight from the get-go. In this article, we’ll discuss how to optimize your management strategy and create a best-in-class customer experience for your clients and their furry friends. Let’s dive in!
As in any business, your focus should be on making sure your customers are blown away by your service. This is especially true for groomers, as you’re taking care of beloved members of your client’s family. Make sure you fully understand your clientele and their needs before you take them on so that there are clear expectations for both parties. Here are some tips to ensure mutual understanding with your prospective customers:
• Ask and answer questions. Your clients should understand the full extent of your services and benefits. If you’re talking with a new client about your services, make sure to fully answer their questions and ensure that they’re satisfied with your answers. Use visual aids where possible if discussing styles and coat lengths. Keep detailed notes for your team members and make sure you have a system to save and share those notes.
• Conduct outreach. If you’re further along in your small business career, you might already have strong relationships with your customers. Collect data directly from them about how to improve your services and business model. This can be as simple as sending out a survey or as detailed as hosting an informal focus group.
• Talk to your colleagues. If you have connections in the grooming industry, they’re a great resource to get you started on the right foot. Ask for an informational interview to learn more about how they’ve managed and delivered on client expectations to help their business thrive. Join groomer Facebook Groups, participate in Facebook Live events, and network at pet industry conferences such as SuperZoo, Groom Expo or Groom’d.
Clear client communication builds strong relationships with your customers. They’ll appreciate your sincere efforts to make their experience with your business outstanding.
Outstanding customer service is the key to building relationships, receiving referrals, and building repeat business. Implement a customer service protocol with your employees and properly train them on ways to interact with clients. Here are some topics you should cover:
• Active listening
• Displaying a positive attitude
• Professionalism
• Conflict management
• Effective communication
After you’ve trained your employees, your work isn’t done. Monitor their progress and their interactions with customers to ensure they’re properly representing your company. Since you can’t always be around to check in, enlist the help of your clients. Followup with customers by inviting them to leave positive reviews on Google, Yelp, or Facebook, or to reach out if they’re dissatisfied with a service session.
Every business has setbacks, but you’ll stand out by proactively trying to fix them. Meanwhile, hold employees accountable for repeated lapses in professionalism and high-quality service.
With the shortage of professional groomers, you might find it difficult to find a highly skilled pet stylist that also shines at customer service. Skills can be built but “a servant’s heart” is a disposition. First, ensure a prospective candidate aligns with your customer-first culture.
In the interview process, ask your candidates carefully-tailored questions to evaluate if their values align with yours. Be sure to gauge how they’d approach specific situations with customers, coworkers, and management to determine if they’d properly represent your business. Check their references to confirm that they’d be an asset to your business.
Remember that the interview process also reflects on you as an employer. Highlight the parts of your internal culture that make your grooming business an ideal workplace environment. Also, be responsive and respectful of your interviewees’ time throughout the entire experience.
One of the foundations of a positive customer experience is convenience. Technology has made it easier than ever to streamline many aspects of your grooming business. You should take time to ensure your business is up-to-date with tech in all aspects of your operation. If your expertise lies with pups instead of tech, don’t worry, you aren’t alone. However, your customer’s experience starts long before they arrive at your door.
• Make Your Website User-Friendly – Your website is critical for your business to gain traction, reach new audiences, and sell your services. In fact, decreasing load times by just one-tenth of a second can increase conversion rates. As a core representation of your brand, your website should prioritize the user experience along the way to keep your visitor’s attention. Website builders can assist with designing a responsive and visually appealing homepage. Whatever design you choose, make sure your website is informative, interactive, and inspires your visitors to book an appointment.
• Give Your Customers Online-Booking Convenience – Beyond your website, you can integrate technology into your day-to-day activities to make managing employees, customers, and pets easier. Firstly, be sure to invest in dog business software. This gets rid of the hassle of pen and paper and makes way for features such as:
• Streamlined and secure payments
• Online booking
• Automatic rebooking
• Dog Grooming management
• Daycare management
• Boarding management
• Digital customer communication
• Appointment reminders
• Immunization reminders
• Digital agreements
• Recurring payments
• Retail tools
• Digital marketing
• Employee management
• Pet report cards
According to Gingr, automating these processes and putting them all in one place is what will take your organization to the next level. These tools lighten the workload that comes with managing a small business and allow you to achieve more with fewer applications. Give yourself a break and let pet business management software do the work for you!
The best way to ensure a quality experience is to follow tried and tested best practices. This is where continuing education and collaboration with your associates in the space will pay off. Do your research and ask your colleagues to determine which best practices you should integrate into your business model.
Stay current on practices that ensure a safe environment for your clients and their dogs through safety and hygiene certification programs such as the Professional Animal Care Certification Council (PACCC) or WPA’s Professional Grooming Credential program.
Whether you’re just starting out or if your pet grooming business is already booming, these tips will help you effectively manage your customers, employees, and furry friends. Putting your human and pet clients first is the best way to grow your business and provide the best possible care. So, don’t be afraid to shake things up and try something new, like pet management software or new interviewing techniques. Stop chasing your own tail and help your business thrive!
The soft, inner layer of a double coated dog acts as insulation, cooling a dog in summer. After shedding, the undercoat hair that is left helps capture air between the two coats, which helps regulate body temperature. Guard hair (the outer coat) protects the dog from sunburn from UV and insects.
Guard hair is slower growing, taking up to two years to regrow, if it regrows at all. The faster-growing undercoat can crowd out the guard hairs. Sometimes shaving guard hair can cause alopecia, resulting in patches and damaging the coat in perpetuity. Discussing this risk with clients is essential.
It may be hard to tell, but many double coated dogs have extra skin around their neck. Their guard hair or outer coat will be a different texture than the “fuzzier” undercoat.
If you joined our Facebook Live on effectively communicating with clients, here are some of the resources discussed to assist you. Communication is key to happy outcomes between groomers and pet parents!