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Michelle Smith’s Story

Michelle Smith saw a need in her community south of Traverse City, Michigan, for dog grooming. As a recent graduate of the Paragon School of Pet Grooming, she opened her own business and dove right into working. Shortly, she gained a heavy workload, and Michelle found Learn2GroomDogs.com to be a lifesaver. “Learn2GroomDogs seriously saved me big time, it saved me anxiety and stress, it was exactly what I needed.”

In the past, Michelle has worked in multiple professions, including jobs in corporate America, and owning a horse farm. She became interested in grooming because of her love for animals and a desire to work from home. She then started her profession of dog grooming at the age of 55 and opened her in-home shop, Boardman Bath and Brush. She found that the close, home-like environment also works to make the clients feel comfortable in a safe and personal environment.

“I wanted it to be more of a family feel,” Michelle said. “I’ve been booked solid since I opened in November after graduating from Paragon. People are loving it.

“Many people in my area love the home shop more than corporate shops,” She continued. “People like the smaller, in-home and clean feeling. It’s also easier to build trust. I honestly haven’t even advertised; it’s been word of mouth and recommendations.”

The Paragon graduate found that being involved with the horse community before starting grooming helped find a community of people who also loved animals, making it easier to spread the word about her home business. Through this community she found herself grooming many farm dogs and educating people on grooming needs of the many breeds who run around farms.

“Farm dogs are a big [client for me],” Michelle said. “People wouldn’t probably consider bringing their farm dogs into a groomer. Because I’m smaller, I try to go all-inclusive and take care of them the best I can. That really draws people.”

Michelle said that jumping into a business so soon after completing Paragon’s program made her hesitant to start working. However, the resources Paragon offered in their program and Learn2GroomDogs.com has eased that pressure and given Michelle a new confidence in taking care of dogs.

“I’ve gone through [Learn2GroomDogs.com] for hours,” she continued. “It is a huge reliever and confidence builder. It’s continuing education to the MAX. You can select your level of expertise, and if the customer wants something special, I have the option to learn more in depth things.”

Michelle said her favorite part of the job is the dogs. Even with more energetic clients that are tough to groom, she finds joy in loving on animals and building trust with the pet owners.


New Spotlight Sessions: Grooming Trends, Smooth Finishes, and Towel Drying

The Importance of Towel Drying a Pet Prior to High Velocity Drying

In this spotlight session, Judy Hudson demonstrates toweling technique and explains why it’s a good idea to towel-dry before using a dryer. Running Time: 3:49

This Spotlight Session is from the full video: Prep Work on a Poodle

Watch the Spotlight Session

Where Grooming Trends Begin

In this spotlight session, Colin Taylor and Melissa Verplank talk about education, networking, and how trends appear in the grooming industry. Running Time: 5:07

This Spotlight Session is from the full video: Why Breed Standards Matter To Pet Groomers

Watch the Spotlight Session

How to Work With the Coat Growth to Get the Smoothest Finish

In this spotlight session, Kathy Rose shows you how to follow growth patterns for a smoother groom. Running Time: 4:00

This Spotlight Session is from the full video: Short & Sassy Pet Trim on an Open Coated Mixed Breed

Watch the Spotlight Session

JZ10 Coaching Session: How Can I Afford to Hire More People

Joe Zuccarello’s latest video is live for L2GD Members!

In this month’s JZ10 coaching session, Paragon VP and pet business coach Joe Zuccarello answers the question, “How Can I Afford to Hire More People?” Joe will talk about taking a step back and looking at your opportunity costs and turning it into revenue.

Joe is also the host of the “Hey Joe!” podcast where he interviews a wide range of pet industry subject matter experts.

Each month, members get a BRAND NEW JZ10 on a broad range of topics, from keeping your staff happy to nailing your finances. Stay tuned for more!


New Release: Techniques to Make Thick Coated Doodle Grooming Easier & Satisfying

In this video, award-winning pet stylist Irina “Pina” Pinkusevich demonstrates grooming techniques for Doodle-type dogs.

Making Thick Coated Doodle Grooming Easier

How many of you groom big Doodles with soft, heavy and dense coats? Lots or you, right? Making them look good can be tough. Getting them smooth is a challenge. And when do you know you are “done” with the grooming?

If you are rolling your eyes right now, or nodding your head as you read this… this lesson is for YOU!

Irina “Pina” Pinkusevich offers plenty of advice for grooming this breed. She is working on this dog from her south Florida salon, Pash. This young Doodle is huge. His coat is super soft, so it shows every clipper and scissor mark. He also happens to be a ‘farm dog’ with lots of acreage to play on. The owners want a stylish cut, but it needs to be easy to care for at the same time.

There is no getting around it. This is a time-consuming job. But you don’t have to drive yourself crazy. Will it take time to turn this into a stylish trim? Yes. But with the right products, tools and techniques, you can get there much faster than you would imagine.

Start Learning with Pina

If you’re a member, be sure to Log In and check out the video HERE so you can add it to your favorites and get the full details! If you’re not a member, click below to watch a free preview of the video.

Haven’t joined Learn2GroomDogs yet? Good news: enrollment is currently open! Click the button below to start watching, learning, and connecting today!


Misty Gieczys’ Story

Check out this great story from Misty Gieczy, she is a Certified Master Groomer that has used Learn2GroomDogs as her source of education since it first launched!

Misty Gieczys’ is a lifelong learner. She is heavily involved in the dog grooming and competition communities, and any chance she gets to learn new techniques or styles, she jumps on the opportunity.

Misty’s introduction to working with dogs started as a PetSmart dog trainer, but eventually transferred to a groomer. She said she was hooked ever since.

Now, nearly 15 years later, Misty is a Certified Master Groomer, owns two salons, teaches upcoming groomers and still furthers her education to become better at her craft.

“Education is my favorite part,” Misty said. “I also love being able to teach someone my skills and my passion and watch them make a living and trade out of it. It would make me giddy if they surpass me.”

Misty, owner of Designer Paws Salon in Ohio, has been going to seminars and expos to learn more for her business since 2009, has been a subscriber to Learn2GroomDogs.com since it launched. At first, the site became a tool to use for her own education, but eventually became an integral part of her own business and training operation.

“I use it for everything,” she said. “Every time we hire a new hire, I have a list of videos they need to watch before they come to me to train.”

Her passion for learning and teaching does not just extend to her business and new hires. Misty said she is a part of multiple Facebook groups that help with grooming education and consistently tells people that Learn2GroomDogs.com is an important and valuable tool for groomers of all levels.

“I always suggest people get a membership,” she said. “It’s less than a DVD per month, and we get close to 900 videos now. I push that quite a bit for people who want to get into the industry, or people who need to know what to look for. There are so many different videos that people who don’t actually groom can get education from.”

Misty said a reason she recommends educational tools to other people is because she believes it is hard to find education readily accessible to groomers to refresh their skills or learn new things without going to Expos, back to school or potentially learning the wrong technique from a YouTube video.

“I don’t think a lot of people in our industry know where to get our education from,” she said. “Some think it’s just the expos, but there are seminars right at the tips of their fingers on Learn2GroomDogs.com”

Realizing there is a need for accessible education, Misty makes it a point to host seminars at her salons and continues to spread positive quality education to groomers who are looking to get into the industry and are experienced in grooming.

Misty falls into a routine of watching videos before competitions or grooming new breeds, some videos she says she has seen a hundred times, and still seems to glean extra information that she didn’t catch before.

“With repetition, you soak it in,” she said. “I recommend Learn2GroomDogs.com to literally everyone. [Learn2GroomDogs.com makes] it a lot easier for people to access that education.”

Misty is continuing her education by pursuing more certifications within the grooming industry and continuing to take her competition grooming to further levels.


New Spotlight Sessions: Pattern-Setting, Contest Dogs, and English Springer Spaniel Rear Assembly

How to Use a Guard Comb to Set the Correct Pattern on a Pet Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier

In this spotlight session, Lindsey Dicken shows you how to properly set a pattern with a guard comb. Running Time: 6:03

This Spotlight Session is from the full video: Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier in an Easy Pet Trim

Watch the Spotlight Session

What to Look for in a Certification or Contest Dog

In this spotlight session, Kathy Rose breaks down the requirements for Certification and Contest dogs. Running Time: 5:21

This Spotlight Session is from the full video: Preparing a Poodle for Certification Testing or Contest Grooming

Watch the Spotlight Session

Styling the Rear Assembly and Tail of an English Springer Spaniel

In this spotlight session, Irina “Pina” Pinkusevich shows you techniques for styling an English Springer Spaniel’s rear assembly and tail. Running Time: 5:02

This Spotlight Session is from the full video: Grooming A Show Style English Springer Spaniel

Watch the Spotlight Session

Quick Tip – The Round Foot

In this Quick Tip video, Lorri Keller (CMG), demonstrates how to create a nice round foot on a drop coated dog that gets a scissored leg.

Tip: Set in the foot with straight lines to create a square box. Go back with curved shears and take off the corners of the box.


JZ10 Coaching Session: How to Handle Bad Reviews

Joe Zuccarello’s latest video for is live for L2GD Members!

In this month’s JZ10 coaching session, Paragon VP and pet business coach Joe Zuccarello talks about “How to Handle Bad reviews.” This can be a tricky subject, but it is always important to remember that there is always a ‘thing behind the thing!’

Joe is also the host of the “Hey Joe!” podcast where he interviews a wide range of pet industry subject matter experts.

Each month, members get a BRAND NEW JZ10 on a broad range of topics, from keeping your staff happy to nailing your finances. Stay tuned for more!


New Release: Body Contour Trim on a Fuzzy Senior Golden Retriever

New Learn2GroomDogs release for Members! Lisa Leady is an award-winning professional pet stylist and popular grooming demonstrator. In this video, she shows you a great shortcut to get the perfect Golden Retriever contour in a flash.

Dealing With a Heavily Coated Golden Retriever

Golden Retrievers are a favorite purebred. We see them in our grooming salons all the time. Most of the time they are a simple bath and brush style dog. Easy to do. What happens if the dog’s coat exceptionally thick? The coat is shedding? And the owners want some of the coat removed – but not shaved? What do you do?

In this lesson, Lisa gives you some great ideas on how to deal with a heavily coated senior Golden Retriever. The owners were frustrated with all the loose coat in their home. Lisa shows you how to retain the natural beauty of the coat while bringing it under control at the same time.

Lisa shows you how the right tools can eliminate much of the loose undercoat. She then demonstrates how to trim the feet, ears and feathers for a shorter, but natural look. As she’s working, she shares with you the products and tools she loves to use with this type of work. She also gives you solid handling tips when dealing with an older, large type dog.

On a dog this fuzzy, it WILL take some elbow grease before the coat is under control. But as Lisa explains, if you get this type of dog on a regular schedule, you only must do the heavy work once. After that, it’s just easy maintenance to keep the dog looking and feeling their best.

Start Learning with Lisa

If you’re a member, be sure to Log In and check out the video HERE so you can add it to your favorites and get the full details! If you’re not a member, click below to watch a free preview of the video.

Haven’t joined Learn2GroomDogs yet? Good news: enrollment is currently open! Click the button below to start watching, learning, and connecting today!


Quick Tip – Getting a Nice Rear Scissored Leg

In this Quick Tip video, Lorri Keller (CMG), demonstrates how she accomplishes a nice scissored leg (rear) on a Shih Tzu/Maltese mix. Scissored legs can be an easy way to give your clients a nice stylized look that your customers will LOVE!