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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

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

Most grooming salons in America are feeling the post-holiday slowdown after Thanksgiving. You’re just dead in the water. Your appointment book is extremely light with bookings. The phones are quiet. You’re worried.

Don’t be. Enjoy the lull before the next wave hits. Your clients are just waiting. They want their pooches to be fresh as the holiday festivities ramp back up. We generally found the two weeks prior to Christmas to be a total whirlwind. Every one of your regular clients wants an appointment within those last two weeks prior to Christmas. So do you’re non-regular customers. And then there are always a few new prospective customers who can’t understand why they can’t get appointment with your salon two days before December 25. There will be plenty of fur flying. Lots of clean, gorgeous pets ready to greet friends and family.

However, have you thought about what’s going to happen in January and February? For those of you that live in warm climates, you don’t have the same problem those of us that live in a snow-belt area.

Typically, a grooming appointment book is very light during this timeframe. Owners just don’t feel it’s necessary to have their dogs groomed when there’s cold outside or there is snow on the ground. But with a little education you can turn the tide. You can have a full roster if you do a little pre-work when you’re busy. And that time would be right now.

There are two plans of action that work well. One is education. The other is a special offer if a client rebooks within six weeks.

Even though the weather might be cold, it doesn’t stop the pet from needing to be groomed. Remember you are a problem solver. These are typical problems most people experience what their pets during the winter.

Education:
1. Dry, flaky skin.
a. Offer a moisture enhancing treatment to combat dry, itchy and flaky skin.

2. My pet will get cold.
a. Many owners put sweaters and jackets on smaller pets during the colder    months. If they’re wearing coats and jackets, it’s important to maintain a regular grooming schedule to keep the fur mat and tangled free.
b. Opt for a longer trim style. This allows the dog to maintain a little bit more coat and the owner can enjoy a fuller trim but still keep the dog looking great
c. Opt to do a bath and brush in-between grooming’s. This is a great problem solving solution. Not only will you see the pet regularly but you’ll be able to package together a number of services to keep the dog skinning coat in top condition. You can offer a moisture enhancing shampoo and conditioner along with thoroughly brushing the coat, nail trimming, ear cleaning and minor trimming to keep your client’s pet in top condition.
d. Moisture + Long Fur = Mats. Snow is moisture. If the pet is romping in the snow and their coat is long, they need to be bathed and thoroughly brushed out on a regular basis so they don’t turn into a matted mess.

3. My pet doesn’t need a haircut and the winter
a. During the colder months, the coat growth does slow down. Bump the client’s appointment out a week or two beyond what they normally do and opt for a bath and brush in between haircuts.

Offer a Special:
1. If your clientele is price-sensitive, offer a discount off the pets grooming service if it’s booked within six weeks

2. Offer something free like an upgraded spa service. Place a value on it so the client knows what type of monetary value they would be getting. Limit the offer to 6 weeks out from the date of the current appointment.

Take a lesson from the fast food chains – they always ask. The worst the client can say is, “No thank you.” You’re not being pushy. You’re just looking out for the best interest of the pet.

No matter which angle you opt to go for, it will be critical that you ask each and every one of your customers to rebook their next appointment before they leave. In the next few weeks you’re going to see the bulk of all of your regular customers in a very short window of time. Take the opportunity to rebook them NOW!

Yes, in the snow-belt areas, your appointment book will be a little bit lighter. But if you are proactive now, during this peak holiday season, you’ll have plenty of dogs to groom in January and February. There is nothing like having an appointment book that is 40% to 60% pre-booked. That’s job security.

Happy Trimming!
~Melissa

Most of you with any experience under your belt in the United States – just complete Phase 1. Phase 1 of the holiday marathon grooming. Getting all those pooches ready for family and friends.

Those of you in the United States, you have just gone through grooming marathon Phase #1 for the holiday season. Thanksgiving.

How did it go? Smooth as silk? Or would you like to make improvements as you move into Phase #2 – Christmas and Hanukkah?

Most of us are involved with the pet industry are here because the passion. We simply love working with the pets. However, even the most passionate groomer can feel the pressures of the holiday demands.

If you are one of those professionals who felt the pressures of the Thanksgiving crunch, take heart. It’s time to review what you did right — and areas that could use some improvement in the areas of time management in the grooming salon.

Here are My Top 10 Tips for Getting Through Your Day with Easy
#1. Mental Control
Stay focused. Pay close attention to what you are doing at all times. You’re working with live animals and sharp instruments. Chatter between your coworkers and pets breaks your focus. You lose time and you make mistakes when you don’t stay focused on the pet.

Always practice the three C’s; stay calm, stay cool, and stay collected. When you’re working with a pet you want to be friendly but aloof. You want to correct any undesirable action before it becomes a major problem. Frustration and anger have no place in a professional salon setting. If you feel yourself getting frustrated, take a break. Breath. Step back to the grooming table when you have regained your composure.

Work methodically with all pets. Don’t get flustered. Set an even and steady pace when it comes to handling, bathing, drying, brushing, clipping, and scissoring. Set time goals for every step of the grooming process and strive to achieve them.

#2. Invest in Yourself and Your Equipment
What is the condition of your equipment? Are you working with top-quality equipment?

It’s amazing how much time you can save when your equipment is in top condition. Or when you splurge on that new pair of blenders that cut like butter. Or you have a high velocity dryer that has plenty of punch. Oh, and all of your shears and blades have sharp edges on them — correct? There’s nothing more frustrating than working with dull and ineffective equipment when crunch time is on. Right now you’re in crunch time.

#3. Organization in the Salon
Do you have a smooth process for client check-in and checkout? If you’re computerized, is it easy to pull up client records in a flash? If you’re still working with a card file, are all the records pulled the pets that are scheduled for that day?

Most stylists in a salon setting find working in a minimum of three or four hour blocks of time can be highly advantageous to time management. The more you have to stop to check-in or checkout clients the more you lose your focus on the pet that is on the table. By working in blocks of time, you can check multiple pets in and out in tight windows of time when it comes to dealing with customers.

Do you have a method to track all the collars and leads that accompany the pets? This is no time to be looking for that lost collar or lead! Do you have a bright assortment of those pre-made? Do you have festive bandannas cut and ready to go on the dog?

#4 Mental & Nutritional Stamina
When the rush is on, you need to be at your peak — mentally, physically and nutritionally.

You’re not going to be at your peak if you’re not getting enough sleep. I know … I know. With all the demands between work, family and holiday festivities, slumber can be hard to come by. Normally, a professional groomer is so physically exhausted that when your head does hit the pillow — sleep comes easily. Just make sure you’re getting enough hours each night so you can perform at high levels the next day.

With the holidays upon us, most salons find themselves overrun with holiday treats from their clients. Be careful with this one. Personally I learned the hard way you are not good to feel your best if you consume all those goodies all day long!

I learned in my early 20s to pack healthy food options to keep me nourished all day long. I was mobile so in between every client by reward was to eat. If I had healthy options at my fingertips, it was easy to keep my energy level in high gear. In a salon setting, this might be a little bit more challenging. Still, eating healthy small amounts on a regular basis is the best way to keep you both mentally and physically content.

Pack a nutritional lunch plus snacks. (You know your days are to be long!) Or do a potluck between staff members. We’ve done this for years at the Paragon School of Pet Grooming with great success. The rule is: Healthy, quick food options only. No sweets. No desserts. Our clients do a great job with that. The potluck is set up so everybody can grab a quick bite in between dogs quickly and easily.

If you’re not a cook – have a stack of local takeout menus available. If they deliver – BONUS!

The holidays are a great time to really test your skills. We’ll find out quickly just how successful you are. If you have a full book and struggling to fit into just one more pet each day, you know you have arrived. Be thankful for creating a service that your customers desire. If you take care of them well — they’ll take care of you. That’s what successful customer service is all about!

Happy trimming and happy Thanksgiving!

~Melissa

If you need a brush up on any time management lessons, here are a few titles from Learn2GroomDogs.com that could help you.
Video Title                                                                       L2GD Training Partner
• Building a Grooming Code — the Card Game                       Melissa Verplank
• Preparing for the Holiday Rush                                               Melissa Verplank
• Speed & Efficiency — Monster Sized Dog in 76 Minutes           Lisa Leady
• Speed & Efficiency — Daisy Dog in Less Than 45 Minutes       Suesan Watson
• Speed & Efficiency – Shih Tzu in 45 Minutes                             Suesan Watson
• Anything from the ‘queen’ of Gettin’ er Done – Judy Hudson    Judy Hudson
• Melissa’s Best Time Saving Tips                                                  Melissa Verplank
• Tails from Holidays Past                   Suesan Watson, Lisa Leady, Marc Lafleur,     Melissa Verplank
• What I Know for Sure (this one will just make you feel good!)    Judy Hudson

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

How many of you do this?

You are out shopping. You see something you want to buy; a great pair of shoes or maybe a meal out at a nice restaurant. You see the cost of the item. You automatically transfer it to dog numbers. You think to yourself, “I would have to groom two and a half dogs to get that.”

If you have groomed dogs for any amount of time, my bet is you play this game with yourself all the time. I know I did!

I stopped thinking this way when I started understanding the bigger picture of my customer’s value. I discontinued thinking of the value of a single dog (although it remains important). Instead, I started looking at the bigger picture –figuring out the value of my clients over an entire year. Once I put my pen to paper and punching numbers into my calculator (I was never very good at math unless there were dollar signs in front of the numbers!)I discovered something amazing. I revealed a client’s potential revenue stream once I started crunching the numbers. I had a gold mine in my client roster, I just didn’t know it!

The key number IS NOT the actual price of a single groom. The golden number is the FREQUENCY you service the customer.

Then take it a step further. Have you ever thought about the value of your clients on an annual basis? What about over the lifetime of the pet? Pay attention to the frequency number when combined with the groom price.

Checkout the chart below for a small to medium sized haircut type pet:

Annual @ $50.00 each       Visit Times       Over 10 Years
                                                    per Year
8 week client = $300.00          6.5                      $3,000.00

7 week client = $350.00          7.2                       $3,500.00

6 week client = $450.00         8.6*                     $4,500.00

5 week client = $500.00         10.4                     $5,000.00

4 week client = $650.00          13                       $6,500.00

Coat Maintenance Program @ $28.00 each visit
2 week client = $728.00          26                       $7,280.00

Coat Maintenance Program @ $15.00 each visit
1 week client = $780.00          52                       $7,800.00

*On 6 week clients, normally you will see the client 9 times per year due to the holidays.

If you want to find a gold mine in your business or in your established clientele, boost the number of times you see your customers annually. The most financially successful groomers and stylists are those that see their clients once a week, twice a week or even once every three weeks.

The healthiest skin and coat on a pet comes from keeping them clean and tangle free. With today’s gentle shampoos and conditioners, bathing a pet weekly or bi-weekly isn’t a problem anymore.

When we pitch this in our salons, this is a problem solving tactic that works well for us: First we ask if the pet sleeps with any of the family members. If they answer yes, then we ask, “How often do you change your sheet?” Typically, most people say weekly or every two weeks. We suggest they are bathed at the same frequency. Their eyes get huge but it offers the perfect opportunity to tell them about your ‘Coat Maintenance Program’ along with its benefits and the cost. Most people spend more on their morning coffee shop habit than what they would on having their pet bathed weekly!

What would you rather groom? A pet that comes in once or twice a year – whether they need it or not – or a client that you see frequently?

Remember, you would need to adjust the numbers based on your current pricing structure and the size of the pet, but you get the idea. Grab your calculator and pen. Crunch the numbers for yourself.

Hands down I’ll take the higher frequency every time. These are your loyal clients. They are easy to do. They are fast to do. They are your golden ticket to financial success in your grooming business.

Happy Trimming!

~Melissa

I don’t know about you – but I was a crummy student in school. How I ever got through high school, I’ll never know. Anything but basic math was a total mystery to me. Comprehending a foreign language? Forget it. And science? Ha. I spent my time doodling images of horses.

But get me outside the classroom and I excelled. I could never get enough of anything that had four legs and fur. Ship me to the barn for days on end and I was a very happy girl. Send me to a horse show and things were even better – I enjoyed improving my skills. I loved the arts and photography. I loved the outdoors. I loved creating things in the kitchen. Business intrigued me. Hard work never bothered me.

I had passion, it just wasn’t for academics. Typical classroom learning bored me- I just couldn’t understand why I needed to learn things I would never use in my life. However, one of my high school counselors always believed in me. It didn’t matter what my GPA was. She knew I had passion. She said “If you can do something you love, you are going to be really good at it.”

Luckily I found my calling even before graduation from high school. However, I didn’t know it at the time. I had landed a job at a kennel. I scooped a lot of poop and was thrilled. A few years into the job, the groomer was released. I had a new job at the kennel. I was the groomer – and I didn’t have a clue what I was doing.

My new job fulfilled my passion on many fronts. And the more I did it, the better I got. The more I learned – the more I wanted to know. My passion had been ignited. Success was at my fingertips.

Over the years, I’ve learned you don’t have to be the best student to excel or to succeed. Anyone can excel if you have passion.

Everyone has unique natural talents. But at times, you must step up to the mirror and ask yourself a very important question. Are you doing everything you can do to become everything you can be? If you become passionate about reaching your full potential, you can’t help but stay motivated.

Key to any success is passion. Maybe it’s with your career. Maybe it’s with your family. Or your health. Or a charity. Nothing can be successful without passion.

What I have learned over the years, success is more about passion than talent or having a great GPA; it’s more about reaching YOUR potential than being gifted.

So where is your true passion? More importantly, have you lit the match to set it on fire yet?

Happy Trimming!

~Melissa

For every purebred dog, there is a written standard developed by parent breed organizations that outline what the “ideal” dog of that breed should be. That “essence” is significant for maintaining the proper condition for peak job performance. In other words, to help it be all it can be.

With any purebred dog, there is a “look” or general feeling you want to capture, if possible, while grooming. The trim style can be for the show ring or modified into a pet trim. In either case, you want to pull the “essence” out of the breed standard and apply it the dog.

These are key points from the official breed standard of the Poodle that influences me when I groom and/or evaluate a Poodle trim. The professional pet stylist accentuates or detracts these points according to styling tactics. The more familiar you are with proper canine anatomy, movement, and terminology, the easier it will be to have a positive impact on any pet you groom.

The Poodle
The Poodle is a very stylish, squarely built dog of great intelligence. They have a sophisticated air of distinction and self-esteem. Their athletic and proportionate build allows free, fluid, and elegant movement in their gaits.

The poodle comes in three sizes: Toy, standing below 10 inches; Miniature, standing between 10 and 15 inches; and Standard, standing over 15 inches in height at the withers. A squarely built Poodle should be as long as he is tall from the breastbone to the point of rump and from the highest point of the withers to the ground.

The eyes should be dark and almond shaped. They are deeply set and separated enough to yield an intelligent expression. The ears should be at the same level, or slightly below, the eyes. The cheekbones should be flat. The head of the Poodle should be well balanced with the length of the muzzle from the nose to the stop, being equal to the top skull, from occiput to stop. They have a slight stop that indicates the separation between the muzzle and the top of the somewhat rounded skull.

The neck is long enough to carry the head proudly with an air of dignity. The depth of chest should be equal to the length of leg to create a sense of balance. The legs are straight and parallel when viewed from the front or rear. When viewed in profile, the elbow falls directly below the highest point on the withers. The rear is well muscled and angulated to match the forequarters. The feet are small, pointing straight forward. The ribs are well sprung. The topline is level with a tail set that is high on the rump. The tail should be long enough to balance out the overall portrait of the Poodle.

The coat is curly, very dense, and crisp to the touch. The thicker and curlier the coat, the better it lends itself to a wide range of trim styles. The Poodle can come in any solid color. Their skin tones range from black, brown, and pink, with the lighter colors, normally the more sensitive the skin will be.

Happy Trimming!

~Melissa

Artist Credit: Lisa VanSweden

I hear this all the time. Students close to graduating from our 600 clock hour program hit the panic button. They are frustrated. Frustrated with themselves. Frustrated with the program. Frustrated with their trainers. They feel they haven’t learned enough to start out in their new careers.

But in most cases – they are wrong. Way wrong.

If you are attending a quality grooming school, they put a lot of effort in creating a comprehensive program. That program would be designed to allow the learner to accelerate at a constructive pace. A pace that is safe and productive for both the student and the school.

If you have opted to hasten your new career by attending grooming school – make sure you do your research. Just like everything else, there are good and bad schools out there. Personally, I highly recommend you tour the school you are thinking about attending. The following things are what I would look for when researching a grooming school:

•  Ideally, their staff should have at least one certified master groomer on staff by one of the voluntary testing programs within the pet industry.

•  Does their staff (or at least one staff member) have a competitive grooming or conformation show background?

• Look at how many years they have been in business.

•  Are they licensed by their state department of education?

• How many dogs are supplied to you for practice?

• What is the quality of their text books?

• How to they handle lectures?

• Do they require continuing education of their staff through trade shows, seminars, workshops, videos, webinars or grooming competitions?

• What does the facility look like?

• Is it clean and well organized?

• Are the pets being treated with dignity and respect?

• Ask for references from past graduates.

• What types of training programs do they offer? What are the goals and objectives of each of those programs?

Bottom line: trust your gut. This is your future on the line. Currently there is no mandatory licensing for professional pet groomers. You CAN teach yourself how to do this as a career if you are extremely committed. However, a good school can take years off your learning curve.
Even if you have selected the best school – there still is a catch. The school is responsible for 50% of the learning – the student is responsible for the other 50% of the learning. There is no magic wand that can be waved over you to transfer the knowledge. There is no injection that will pump the skills into your system. It takes a quality program and a lot of effort on the student’s part.

Even if you enroll in a great school – you are still going to have to FOCUS and WORK! A student can monitor their end of the educational process through their attendance and their GPA. Strong attendance and excellent GPA’s go together. That’s nature. If a student has high absenteeism, I guarantee they have a low GPA.
It is not the responsibility of the school to supply you with every breed of dog or cat you will groom during your career. It IS the responsibility of the school to teach you the basic technical skills you will need to groom the majority of the pets out there. The foundation of all good grooming stems from the basics. I call them core skills.
Melissa’s Core Skills:

• Basic Anatomy & Terminology
• Basic Breed Identification & Conformation
• Tools & Their Use
• Bathing
• Drying
• Brushing
• Combing
• De-matting
• Nail trimming
• Ear cleaning
• Clipping
• Thinning Shears
• Basic Hand Scissoring
• Basic Hand Stripping

If you can master these techniques in a training program, you have a fabulous head start on your new career. But just because you have graduated from grooming school does not mean you are done with your education. Oh no. You are just getting started.

 
Most grooming schools are only a few months long. They are designed to get you started – not turn out a polished professional.

 
If you went to medical school – do you think you can jump right into your own practice straight out of school? If you went to business school, do you think you are you going to be hired by a major corporation to be their CEO? Heck no! You have to gain experience – lots of experience.

 
You need to keep learning throughout your career to stay on top. Top professionals – no matter what the field, know this – and do this. Going to grooming school is just the start of your career – not your entire career. If you want to truly succeed – continue to study and learn way beyond any formal educational program you start with.

Happy Trimming!

~Melissa

We were headed out of Michigan on our three week annual fall ride with our horses last week. Our big horse trailer and truck were packed to the limit. (Horses have LOTS of stuff!) Our passion is to horse camp and explore trails around the Tennessee area. We’ve made this trek every fall for the past 12 years. We love it.

So we’re cruising down I-75. We’re somewhere near the border of Kentucky and Tennessee. It’s getting mountainous. The sun is shining. The truck is humming along like a champ. Our book on CD is getting to a really good spot. My hubby and I are really starting to relax even before we’ve hit our destination.

Then we hear it… it sounded like an explosion behind us. Crap. We’d just blown a tire on the horse trailer. On I-75. In the mountains. On a hill. This wasn’t good.

We get the rig as far off the expressway as possible and hit the flashers. We go back to verify what we fear. Yep. Blown tire. Marc, my hubby, was a Boy Scout. He goes to work. This man lives by the Boy Scout motto: Be prepared. Out of that monster silver box in the bed of the truck come the tools we need. Flashing warning triangles, trailer lift wedge, hydraulic jack, tire iron… whatever he needed, he had it. In less than 40 minutes, we were back on the road.

I’ve changed my share of flat tires over the years. But I was thankful. Marc was NOT going to let me deal with this one. Believe me – I was totally OK with that! Instead I had the opportunity to watch and worry about the traffic that was zooming by at a very high speed. I stood in admiration with each snafu he ran into yet had a solution. I thought back to the last time I had to change a tire and was I as prepared as he was??

During my mobile grooming days, I changed a lot of tires. With a fleet of six units, flat tires just happened. So do water pumps, electrical issues, broken clippers, high velocity dryers and a whole host of other items. If it’s mechanical or a piece of equipment, at some time it’s going to stop working correctly for you.

In our field, time is money. Do you have the tools, replacement items and knowledge to correct the problem on the fly?

At one point in my life, I didn’t. The way I fixed problems was to call a repair company. After a couple of times of doing that – I learned quickly if I was going to stay on time and keep my appointments for the day, calling a repairman for basic problems wasn’t the best answer. I needed to live by that Boy Scout motto: Be prepared.

It doesn’t matter if you are in a mobile grooming unit or in a high end salon. Stuff breaks. Are you prepared? Can you finish your day with barely missing a beat? Here is a short list to get you thinking about some of the basic items that can cease working for you at the most inappropriate time. If they are not working – you are not working:

•  Clippers: If you don’t have spare pair with you at all times, you are dead in the water if your primary pair give out on you.

• Shears & Blades: They go dull and stop cutting at the most untimely opportunity. Or worse yet, they fall to the floor and are rendered useless until they go to the sharpener. You need a full back up collection of most of your sharp tools.

• High Velocity Dryers: What would happen if yours stopped working in the middle of an eight dog day – and one of those dogs is a Newfoundland? Do you have a back-up HV dryer that can be put into service?

• Basic Electrical Knowledge: I’m not talking full-fledged electrical issues – I’m talking the basics. Stuff you could find in any home repair book. Like how to replace a cord? Or a plug? Or how much power each electrical items draws when in use. What your breakers are rated for? You can’t plug a powerful dryer into a 15 amp plug. You are going to blow the breaker every time.

Mobile Groomers – you have a whole host of added items. You have to consider all the above, plus:

• Water Pumps: There can only be a couple things wrong if your water stops flowing. Every water pump that I’ve seen comes with a great troubleshooting guide. Memorize it. Carry a spare pump. My first water pump took me over two hours to change out and a lot of tears of frustration. However, before too long I could instantly identify pump problems at a glance (or a listen) and know the solution – including flipping out non-working pump for a new one in less than 10 minutes (and no tears!).

• Generators: Maintenance – maintenance – maintenance. If your generator goes out, have a back-up plan. Normally that would be a landline power source that plugs into your van. When all else fails – carry a long power cord. Run it from the client’s house to your van. At least then you can power the key items you need to groom the dog by plugging is directly to the extension cord. (A power strip in the van is also very helpful) It may not be ideal, but you can get the dog(s) done while you seek professional help on your generator.

• Mechanic: Again, maintenance – maintenance – maintenance. Personally I LOVED having a mobile mechanic. I only had to have vans towed to a service center a few times for big stuff. Everything else was fixed at the base or roadside by a mobile mechanic service.

• Jumper Cables: It’s inevitable – at some point your battery is going to be dead. It’s a lot easier to get a jump if you have cables with you and/or a battery charger to keep a tired battery going until you can get a replacement.

• Tires: If you drive a vehicle – it’s going to happen to you. Flat tires come with the territory. #1: do you KNOW how to change a flat tire? #2: Do you have all the times you NEED to change a flat tire? #3: Do you have the safety gear to put out in the event your flat tire happens in a high traffic area to warn other drivers you are stopped?

Anyone that has been in the grooming business for any amount of time knows the value of being prepared. Time is money. Dull, broken or non-functioning equipment cost us not only time – but money.

If you abide by the Boy Scouts motto, you’ll be back at the grooming table in no time – just like we were last week on I-75 with our flat tire and horse trailer!

Happy Trimming!

~Melissa

I’m always looking for ways to stay motivated. I love the little books put out by Simple Truths. My latest one I just finished was called Charging the Human Battery by Mac Anderson.

There is one section that really got me thinking. I’d like to share it with you.
Committing to excellence is not an act, it’s an attitude. It’s an attitude that is captured in the short thought titled:

And then some…

These three little words are the secret to success.

They are the difference between average people and top people in most companies.

The top people always do what is expected… and then some.

They are thoughtful of others; they are considerate and kind… and then some.

They meet the responsibilities fairly and squarely… and then some.

They are good friends and helpful neighbors… and then some.

They can be counted on in an emergency… and then some.

I am thankful for people like this, for they make the world a better place. Their spirit of service is summed up in three little words… and then some.

As I reflect on the thoughts in this passage, I started thinking how it applied in life and in business. I can’t think of a single successful business that does not apply this principle. I can’t think of a person I enjoy being with that does not apply this concept to how they treat others. Career movers know how to apply this technique as they move ahead in their profession.

Think about the times that you’ve had excellent service. Has not the company or the service provider done exactly what is outlined above?

We’ve just come off a pretty major road trip. We’ve eaten in a lot of restaurants. We had the full range of service from the waiters — from those that could barely get our food to the table to those that practiced those three little words… and then some. What a difference our evenings were based on what type of service we were given at the restaurant. One of the restaurants we even went back to the next night as the food was so good and the service was excellent.

Stop and think about how you can apply this to your own life. Do you muddle along doing just enough to get by? Or do you live by the words above? I can almost guarantee every successful person, whether it is on a personal or a professional level, lives by the credo of… and then some.

•  In the grooming salon, are you getting your dogs done on time or even a little ahead of time?

• Are you working in a manner that regularly earns you generous ‘tips’ from your customers?

•  What do you do for your clients that goes above and beyond just grooming their dogs?

• What are you doing for your fellow team members that makes you a winning player?

• What are you doing for your team supervisor that minimizes the amount of effort they have to put into you as an employee?

• If you are a boss, what are you doing for your employees to make the workplace enjoyable?

How do you apply the attitude of …and then some, to YOUR life? These questions can go on and on. Step back and think about it. I know I am.

You can apply this phrase in every aspect of your life. My bet is once you start to apply it on a regular basis — the rewards will come back to you tenfold. It’s a commitment to excellence. It’s not an act, it’s an attitude. It’s an attitude that will bring joy to others as well as wonderful harmony to you.

Happy Trimming!

~Melissa

The first time I saw a rescue makeover grooming competition I became all choked up. There’s close to 50 dogs in the ring. Every single dog had been abandoned for one reason or another. They came in every shape and size. Their coat conditions varied greatly. Some dogs looked like they had been groomed recently, while others were an absolute disaster. However, by the end of the class every dog was clean, appealing and ready to be adopted. This was ‘real life’ pet grooming for every salon around the country.

Since I saw my first class a number of years ago – I’ve seen many more. I’ve even had the opportunity to judge the class myself. I absolutely love this class. This is the most rewarding grooming competition any show can host. And the best part; almost every single dog finds a new forever home well before they call ‘scissors down.’

Over the years, there’s been quite a bit of pressure for us old-time grooming champions to step back into the ring. Every one of us has adamantly said, “NO WAY!” All of our lives have changed since we were top stylists. We’ve lost our edge and we know it. High-caliber grooming takes lots of practice almost on a daily basis. We have continued our careers with knowledge we gained at the grooming table — but most of us don’t groom more. Or if we do, it’s very limited.

Personally, I haven’t spent a full day at a grooming table in over 15 years. I’ve become a serious desk jockey. Sure, I’ve never stepped far away from the grooming industry. Everything in my life is wrapped around grooming and running pet related businesses. Many of those businesses focus on education for the grooming industry. I just physically don’t do it anymore — but I live it and breathe it every single day.

The last time I put in a full day grooming was at The Paragon School of Pet Grooming. It was the ‘98 or ’99 holiday season. Most of our advanced students had graduated in the weeks prior to Christmas. It was all hands on deck to get through our client load — including me. It’d been years since I’d stepped up to the table in that capacity. I put into practice everything that I teach. I got through 16 dogs with relative ease — until I went to the restroom and discovered I had seriously stressed all my glutes. Sitting without the use of a handrail was impossible! Once I stopped, I realized how sore I really was — all over.

Recently my chiropractor described professional pet groomers as occupational athletes. No joke. We bend. We lift. We twist. We stretch. And we get into the most awkward positions imaginable to ensure our pets stay safe and we can perform a quality job. When I groomed every single day I was buff. I was fit. I could lift dogs that weighed more than I did! I still have an old pair of 28 x 32 501 red tag Levi’s that I wore until they were totally threadbare. I question how I ever fit into those!

Fast forward to the All-American Grooming Show in Chicago — 2013. Apparently there were a few seasoned stylists enjoying dinner after the show one evening. (I’m sure adult beverages were involved.) The idea was hatched. Host a Celebrity Rescue Rodeo grooming contest at a major show. The competition would be an ‘invite only’ class. Who would be eligible for an invitation? Only 10 retired top pet grooming competitors.

The class will be hosted as an evening festivity at Intergroom 2014. Details are still being worked out. There will be great prizes but more importantly — it will be a fund-raising effort for pet rescue. Keep your eyes peeled for updates on this worthwhile event.

My husband and I went to the All-American grooming show for only one day this year — Sunday. As soon as we walked through the doors, the team that had hatched the idea grabbed me. They gave me the brief rundown of what they were thinking. Then they asked, “Are you in??” Without missing a beat I exclaimed, “ABSOLUTELY!” And then I instantly thought — what am I thinking??

I immediately knew I needed a theme song… I’ve been a desk jockey for way, way too long. I have a host of physical issues that make it almost impossible for me to groom anymore. I know all my issues can be overcome if I was a bit more disciplined. I need to get healthier. Of course the only theme song that I could think of is from the movie Rocky …

Over the years I’ve learned diet and exercise can be magic for the body. When my hand seized up at the height of my career and I had no health insurance — I repaired it myself through diet. I drank a concoction of tea made out of herbs and barks prescribed to me by a South American medicine man. I was ‘eating clean’ before it even became a household term. I got my hands back in time to represent the United States in world team competition as a member of Groom Team USA. However, my day-to-day grooming days were over.

I don’t believe in taking a pill to fix something. I believe in getting at the root cause. Whenever possible, I look for natural alternatives to remedy a problem way before I elect taking a drug or surgery. And the amazing part — there are many natural alternatives to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

I feel fortunate that I’ve always been intrigued by diet and exercise. Although I have to admit, I don’t practice a healthy lifestyle as much as I should. I love to cook so cooking healthy meals is not an issue. Portion control? That might be another story. And exercising? That’s going to take some discipline! I’m also a workaholic. I’ll need some serious discipline to uproot me from my computer!

I have a team I can turn to in order to help me keep my body functioning the way it should. I have the resources to practice my grooming skills. I certainly hope I have the support from a vast sea of extremely talented pet stylist from my companies and within the Training Partners of Learn2GroomDogs.com.

For me, it’s time to start practicing some serious discipline. It’s time to become a competitor again.

This time when I step into the ring, it’s not about winning. It’s about doing what I’m passionate about (and being able to stand at a grooming table for 3 hours to make it happen!). I love to make dogs look and feel amazing. To win their trust and cooperation. To keep them safe and comfortable throughout the grooming process. And in this case – to find a new forever home for one single dog while raising money to assist in the care of these pets.

What a brilliant way to get a group of retired, seasoned pet grooming competitors back into the ring! For the lucky few that got an invitation to Intergroom 2014 Celebrity Rescue Rodeo, none of us missed a beat when we said, “We’re in!”

If you want to track my progress you can catch me on the Learn2GroomDogs Facebook page. (No self-portrait mirror shots of my figure to track my progress – honest!!)

Happy Trimming!

– Melissa