The most crucial grooming tool you have is your body. Pet grooming can strain the back, hands, feet, and legs tremendously. It is not too late to start if you have not taken good care of yourself up until now.
Here are some ideas that will help you support your body.
As an apprentice groomer in the 1980s, I was taught to pluck every last strand out of the ears of any pet that had hair sprouting from that orifice. Back then, groomers went through ear powder like crazy, and many of us sported calluses on our thumbs from the hemostats we used to pluck all that ear hair. Fast forward 40 years, and times have, thankfully, changed.
Most groomers would love to be a little faster at their work. That whole "Time is Money" thing is easily illustrated in a grooming business. But rushing is a bad idea. Because dogs and cats are so sensitive to our moods and actions, a harried, hurried groomer can cause the animal she is working on to act up and behave in ways that slow the process down.
For many years I worked at an upscale grooming salon where several groomers shared one space to complete finish work on pets. It was great because we could all chat and visit while we worked, and it was also terrific because it meant that there was more than one pair of eyes looking at every dog before it got off the table, eyes that could see each pet from a different perspective.
The best way to keep your blades sharp and ready for use is to clean and oil them regularly and often. They will stay sharp longer if maintained properly and less likely to cause clipper irritation (commonly called clipper burn but it’s caused by dull or dirty blades or poor clipping technique more often than hot blades – or just by supremely sensitive skin on a dog).
In the military, they have a saying, “Two is one, one is none.” I scratched my head the first time I heard this, but what it means is that if you have one of an item and it breaks, you have nothing. However, if you have a spare, you are back to having one. What does this have to do with pet grooming? For example, if you are clipping a dog and it kicks the clipper out of your hand, and the clipper hits the floor and is broken, you are out of business unless you have a spare clipper on hand.
I’ve lost track of how many groomers have told me, “I hate clipping poodle feet.” Trimming poodle feet can be done quickly and safely with the right tools and techniques. With practice, a skilled groomer can clip four beautiful feet in around 5 minutes.
Unless you started your grooming career with long haired show dogs, you probably use a slicker brush as your go-to brush. I’ve heard groomers scoff at pinbrushes saying they didn’t do anything but smooth the hair. Used incorrectly that may be true but in practiced hands it can be as useful a tool as any in your tool kit. And there’s one important thing that it tends NOT to do – break and damage coat.
Scissorwork is an important skill to master if you're a professional groomer! Here are some tips to help you develop and master the skill.
Groomers work too hard, too long, and without paying attention to care for themselves. Overall, this can lead to emotional burnout or even affect physical health. As a busy stylist, your most important tool is yourself. You deserve to take good care of yourself, so you can continue to take good care of the pets you love. Here are some simple steps to consider incorporating into your daily routine to support oh-so-important YOU.
