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Scissors Are Like Shoes

Hello!

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

Happy Trimming!

~Melissa

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

My collection of scissors include:

Curves: To get nice angles and lines.

Straight Shears: All purpose.

Thinning Shears: To blend in lines.

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

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

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

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

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

The Atlanta Pet Fair March 7-9

Intergroom April 4-6

GroomExpo Sept 19-21

by Guest Blogger, Colin Taylor

Leave Your Emotional Baggage at the Door

In a grooming salon, your four footed clients need your full attention. 110% of it. Every day.

Let’s face it, we love dogs. The last thing we would want to do as a pet professional is hurt a dog (or cat), but there are countless dangers lurking around every corner of a grooming salon for a pet if we are not on top of our game. We work with a wide variety of sharp instruments. Tools that can cut, tear and cause abrasions to the skin if used incorrectly. There are many products that can burn or irritate the skin if not used properly or removed thoroughly. If a pet fell from a grooming table or bathtub, it could cause injury or even death to a pet in our care. Improper and unsupervised drying procedures can kill a dog. Incorrect or rough handling can seriously hurt a pet.

Becoming a pet grooming professional can be an enormously rewarding career but it takes training and practice. Lots of practice. Correct practice. Sure, our role is to clean and make the pet look nice but it’s more than that. It’s about keeping the pet safe. Winning its’ trust. Making the grooming experience as pleasant as possible for the animal.

It’s important to remember that our four footed clients are animals. They are going to think and react like an animal. No amount of humanizing a pet will ever change the fact they are hard wired to be a dog (or cat). When a pet comes through our doors, all their senses are heightened. They are on high alert. They live in the moment – and that moment can change in an instant depending on whom and what is happening to them.

In a dog’s world their current environment is either stable or unstable. They have the same senses we do, but do not rely on them in the same order as humans do. A dog interprets the world predominantly by smell, whereas a human interprets it by sight. Dogs also have a highly developed universal sense where they can feel the energy (emotions) of the other beings around them.

Pheromones are chemicals that provide animals with information about another animal’s emotions, mental state or behavior. Both people and dogs release pheromones and dogs are able to smell the pheromones of other dogs days after they’ve been secreted. Dogs can also detect pheromones in people.

Like pheromones, dogs can pick up the scent of select hormones. Cortisol is a hormone associated with stress in both humans and dogs. Pets can presumably detect stress in people because they secrete the same hormones as stressed dogs. People also release hormones associated with a variety of other factors including sexual arousal, anger, fear and illness or disease. Dogs may be able to interpret the meaning of at least some of these hormones.

Both the wild canine species and dogs exhibit complex body language. Small, almost undetectable tail, eye and facial movements give dogs valuable clues about emotions and intentions. Because dogs can’t speak, they are accomplished readers of human body language. A pet may detect that a person is afraid or angry long before people notice. This is not because of a magical sixth sense but rather a result of acute powers of observation.

Dogs are acutely aware of energy. Energy is a combination of many factors but it combines body language and smell. People understand energy too, but dogs sense it at a higher level due to their enhanced levels of observation and smell.

If you work with pets, it’s crucial that your emotional baggage get checked at the door. I can guarantee your co-workers don’t want to hear about your personal woes. And I promise the pets are going to reactive negatively to your penned up emotions. If those emotions are anything other than calm-assertive energy, the dog is going to know it.

It takes dogs only an instant to figure out what kind of energy you are projecting. If you are working professionally with pets, it’s critical you gain full control of your presence. You want to project calmness. You want to instill confidence. There cannot be a question of who is in charge of the situation.

If your personal emotional baggage crossed into the grooming salon – you are in for a rough day. Experts agree that how we feel has a major impact on how our dogs are going to behave.

Yes, being a professional pet groomer can be highly rewarding. But it also is a big responsibility. With every snip, clip, brush and comb, dangers lurk for your four footed clients. They need your full attention 110% of it every day – and every moment – to win their trust and cooperation while keeping them safe. That’s your job.

Happy Trimming!

~Melissa

The Strength of Pet Grooming Foundation Skills

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Happy Trimming!

~Melissa

Melissa’s Top 4 Tips for Getting Through Your Holidays with Ease

flower If you live in the United States, you have just gone through the first phase of the grooming marathon 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 holidays.

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 focus on the areas that could use some improvement. For many of us, that’s time management in the grooming salon.

Here are My Top 4 Tips for Getting Through Your Day with Ease

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. Breathe. 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.

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 when all of your shears and blades have sharp edges on them, right? There’s nothing more frustrating than working with dull and ineffective equipment when crunch time is on. And right now you’re in crunch time.

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 for the pets that are scheduled for that day?

Most stylists in a salon setting find working a minimum of three or four-hour blocks of time can be highly advantageous to time management. The more you stop to check in or check out 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 time windows.

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 pre-made bows? Do you have festive bandannas cut and ready to go on the dog?

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 going to feel your best if you consume those goodies all day long!

I learned in my early 20’s to pack healthy food options to keep me nourished all day long. I was mobile, so in between every client my 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 on a regular basis is the best way to keep you both mentally and physically fit.

Pack a nutritional lunch plus snacks. Or do a potluck with your staff. 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 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. You’ll find out quickly just how successful you are. If you have a full book and are struggling to fit just one more pet into 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
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)

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)

Are You Prepared?

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

For the Love of Lavender

I love lavender. I’ve always loved running my hands through fresh lavender. Then I’d bring my hands up to my face and inhale deeply. Ahhhhh. What a wonderful aroma!

For the past 30 years, I’ve always had lavender planted in my gardens. I would love to cuddle with one of my cats after they have woven their way through a brush. There is nothing better than snuggling with a friendly feline that smells like lavender!

Recently we were sitting by a beautiful pool. The gardens surrounding the area were thick with lavender. We were all laughing at the Golden that was causally lounging in the pool on one of the steps. She was there for over an hour. When she finally decided she was waterlogged enough, she climbed out of the pool and gave herself a quick shake. Of course she was not 5 feet from us.

We were enjoying a cool beverage poolside and we highly opposed the ‘dog shower’ Nellie was giving us. We all hollered simultaneously, “Nellie – NO!” (Most of us were pet professionals.) Luckily, the dousing ceased, but she quickly tossed herself with reckless abandonment into a huge lavender plant. Feet kicking to the sky, Nellie was thoroughly enjoying her roll!

Unfortunately she was meet with another round of “Nellie, NO!!” from the group. She was totally destroying the lavender plant. She righted herself, smiling that typical Golden Retriever smile. She knew the benefits of lavender. It’s soothing. It enhances relaxation. Plus, she instantly removed her wet dog smell into something that was far more appealing – the lavender scent was heavy in the air. No one minded when Nellie started making the rounds, putting her soggy head on all our laps.

When we first started filming educational video lessons for Learn2GroomDogs.com, one of our first Training Partners was Linda Claflin. She used a calming technique that involves lavender at the grooming table. What a brilliant idea. Its soothing properties take effect instantly – for both you and the pet!

How do you use it on the grooming table? Simply rub a small amount of 100% pure lavender oil onto your grooming safety loop. We watched Linda do this with four different nervous dogs. It helped with each and every one of them. If you haven’t watched the lessons on Learn2GroomDogs.com, I highly recommend them. I love natural remedies and this is a great one.

The scent of lavender has long been used as a folk remedy to help people fall asleep. Research is starting to confirm lavender’s sedative qualities. It’s been found to lengthen total sleep time, increase deep sleep, and make people feel refreshed.

Personally, I love lavender as a sleep aid! Sometimes being at the helm of multiple pet related companies (at last count there were five main companies with many sub-companies in there as well). There are days – weeks – and even months that sleep is difficult for me. After talking with Linda on the L2GD set, I turned to lavender as my ‘go-to’ natural sleep aid of choice. I found a pillow spray that I love. As I climb into bed, I spritz my pillows with my lavender pillow mist. It works like a charm for me.

How do you work with lavender? I’d love to hear your lavender aromatherapy ideas, uses and tips.

Happy Trimming,

~ Melissa

Learn2GroomDogs Members: Catch Linda Claflin as she shows us the uses of lavender when grooming. To view Linda’s demonstrations about working with anxious dogs in a professional grooming setting, click on the video links below!

WATCH: Dealing with Problem Dogs:

Linda uses her years of experience combined with the principles of massage and relaxation to win the trust of two pets she has never worked on before. Both of these pets have a history of nervousness and anxiety. Linda guides you through the steps she takes every day with a new client to win the trust and cooperation of a nervous dog. In this session, she works on a Chihuahua mix and a Rottweiler.

WATCH: Dealing with Problem Dogs #3 and #4:

Are You Working Your Rear Off But ‘Just Getting By’?

I was having lunch the other day with a couple of groomers. One of them was complaining about how hard she was working yet she barely made enough money to scrape by. Does this sound like you?

I was puzzled by this. She has a Standard Poodle that she shows in confirmation. She’s been in the competition pet styling ring and won. She was a talented stylist. Her clients loved her. She had a full roster of pets every week. She was totally immersed in grooming.

Then I asked her a key question,” How much do you charge for a Standard Poodle?” She told me, “Somewhere between $70 and $80.” I cocked my head and asked, “Is that for a shave off for something more stylish with hand scissoring?” She very proudly responded, “Oh no, that’s a full and scissor job.” I then asked her how long it took to groom the Standard Poodle on average. She told me she normally works on them for about 3 to 3 ½ hours. I thought to myself, “Wow, her clients are getting a great deal.”

I then went on to ask her how much you charge to groom an average Shih Tzu in her salon. Her response was, about $45. OK… I then asked, “How long does it take you to groom an average Shih Tzu?” She responded with, “About an hour.”

Hmm… I saw the problem. She loved the Standard Poodles so much, she simply enjoyed grooming them – and she did a knockout job with them. The word spread. She had no shortage of Standard Poodles in her clientele. However, her pricing was way too low for Standard Poodles. She could easily groom three Shih Tzus in the time it took her to do one Standard Poodle. Yet she charged between $70 and $80 for Standard Poodle while she got about $45 for the little Shih Tzu. Her math wasn’t working.

For that same block of time, she would earn about $135 for three Shih Tzus to one Standard Poodle at $80. No wonder she was barely making ends meet! Her eyes grew huge as the light bulb went off in her own head. When presented in this manner, the problem was crystal clear — even to her. Her prices were way too low for a Standard Poodle! And considering she did at least one Standard Poodle a day, she was losing a considerable amount of money each week. No wonder she was working her rear off and just getting by. Sound familiar?

What I suggested to her was not to charge by the hour but to look at her work overall. Have an idea of how long it takes to groom each dog in an ideal setting without interruptions. Set a pricing structure that parallels that ideal time. She knew the Shih Tzus took about an hour to groom and she earned $45 for each of them. If she were to carry that same pricing structure through to her larger dogs like Standard Poodles and Doodles, she should be getting approximately $135 for each one of those dogs.

Most proficient pet groomers and stylists can turn a small and medium-size dog in about an hour or less when working solo. That’s bath, dry and haircut. Standard Poodles take between 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours to complete.

Your rates might be different but you get the idea of how the system works. If you’re one of those professional groomers that has a full roster of pets every week (25-30 pets) yet barely making enough to pay your bills — I strongly suggest you look at your pricing structure. My guess is that it needs some tweaking to make it fair to both the client and to you. If you can’t groom a pet profitably, why groom them at all? There is nothing wrong with getting a fair wage in exchange for your skills!

Happy Trimming!

– Melissa

If you’d like more information about price setting, check out the full video called Establishing Pricing and Times for Grooming at Learn2GroomDogs.com. For just $42 a month, you’ll have full access to the video library of over 350 lessons for the professional pet groomer. All videos stream directly to your computer or mobile device.

Clippers: Handling and Dexterity Skills

The best professional stylists are those who have developed a confident degree of dexterity with the clippers. Moreover, good scissor work is rarely found on a badly clipped dog.

The two just do not go together!

For maximum freedom of movement and improved efficiency, hold the clipper like a large pencil, between the thumb and fingers. “Palming” the clipper makes for clumsy, awkward clipper handling and puts the pet at risk for cuts and nicks. Concentrate on positioning yourself so that the clipper is pulled toward you and held comfortably like a pencil. There are rare times when holding the clippers in your palm will improve dexterity, but this applies to very few moves.

To create the least amount of stress on your fingers and wrist, grasp the clipper at the “balance point” so the weight is equally distributed between each end. Hold the clipper in the correct position, then rotate it between your thumb and fingers. This positioning keeps your wrist firm but flexible, yet allows for almost unlimited wrist movement. This hold offers access to the most difficult corners of the pet with minimum effort. Concentrate on minimizing your wrist action.

Allow the weight of the clippers to do the work. Your hand and wrist are simply its guide. As you move from the top of the pet to make downward strokes, simulate the same amount of pressure that gravity provided on the top.

Your hand and wrist will act as a shock absorber during clipping, leveling out the bumps and dents in order to obtain a satin-smooth finish.

No matter what blade you use, it is important to maintain a consistent degree of “tip” to the blade, also known as “keeping the blade up on its cutting edge.” Imagine a pencil being held right under the blade as you guide it over the body. The closer the pencil is to the teeth, the higher the tip angle; the farther back you keep the imaginary pencil, the lesser the degree of tip. Generally speaking, the closer the blade cuts, the higher you need to tip the blade for it to be effective.

Every top quality stylist knows the importance of a clean pet. It is impossible to obtain a satin-smooth finish on a pet that has a dirty or filmy coat. On most pets, two baths with the correct shampoo is normally considered adequate to produce a squeaky clean coat. Rinsing the pet thoroughly is critical to avoid shampoo residue that looks oily on a dry coat and produces a film you can feel on your hands.

“Setting the coat up” is important to produce the finest clipper work.

This is achieved in a three steps:

#1. THE DRYING PROCESS

The goal is to dry the coat so there is absolutely no curl or wave left in it. The natural coat of the pet – whether curly, wavy or straight – will determine which drying process will achieve the desired result. Correct use of a high velocity dryer can effectively produce a straight coat. Heat will “set” the coat straight. In some cases, the heat of the high velocity dryer, without the condensing cone, held against the skin in the final stages of drying will produce the desired effect. With very curly coats, hand stretch drying or hand fluff drying the coat using a stand type or hand held dryer is necessary.

Curly coats need to be as straight as possible in order to achieve a smooth, high quality finish. With a higher level of heat from the drying source, it is important to keep the air moving within a small section, while brushing in very rapid, light strokes, up to one to four strokes per second, just where the air is blowing. This will straighten the coat, just as a curling iron would curl a strand of human hair.

#2. BACK BRUSHING

Back brushing is done with a slicker brush while brushing the coat against the grain. The pressure on the brush should be very light. The entire pad of the brush should make contact with the skin and coat. Keep the pressure light on the brush so the skin is not scraped, causing a potential “brush burn.” Back brush the entire coat once and make a clipper pass over the pet using effective techniques.

When the bulk of the coat is gone, repeat the process a second time to get a smoother finish. On the third back brush pass, look only for high spots or uneven areas. Minimize the number of passes with the clipper; otherwise the set up coat will be crushed.

#3. BODY ROLL

On drop-coated breeds, when a medium to long guard comb is used to clip the pet, a “body roll” is normally more effective than back brushing. The body roll simulates the natural shake of a dog, setting up the coat in its most natural position. Ideally, the pet will shake when it is placed on the table. Take advantage of this and make the first full pass with the clipper. If the pet does not shake when it is first set on the table, sometimes simply blowing lightly in its ear will encourage a natural shake. A body roll can be mimicked by standing behind the dog and grasping a small amount of coat, low on either side of the rib cage. Tug one side and then the other, making the skin and coat rock back and forth as it would in a natural shake. Most pets do not find this move uncomfortable as long as it is done quickly and gently. On the third pass, use thinning shears to smooth out any uneven areas.

Clipper work is not complete until no more coat is being clipped off and the coat is properly set up. If the clipper has been used effectively, there should be a minimum of thinning shear work remaining to make the pet appear smooth and polished. Areas that may need a bit more detail are around the outside edges of the feet, the ears, around the tail, under the front legs and the face.

The finished pet should have a nice, clean outline when viewed from all angles at a slight distance. Upon closer inspection, the coat should be of a consistent length without any clipper marks. If these steps are followed and the coat is properly set up, the stylist will produce a high quality haircut.

Drying Techniques – High Velocity Drying

Drying Techniques

There are five basic drying techniques that professionals use on pets. They are based on size, coat condition, coat type and personality of the pet. The coat type will often dictate which technique is used to produce the highest quality result. The different drying methods are:

Towel Drying
High-Velocity Drying
Stretch Drying
Kennel Drying
Blanket Drying

Today I’m going to focus on the most important drying method to master: high-velocity drying techniques. Becoming proficient at this drying method will increase the quality of your grooms while decreasing the amount of time it takes to groom each dog. Bottom line: that’s money in your pocket!

High-Velocity Drying

About the High-Velocity Dryer

This drying method produces the fastest results with the highest quality if used correctly on any given coat type.

The pros of high-velocity drying include:

Quick dry time
Very flexible procedure
Adaptability for many coat types
Removes loose coat on shedding pets
Ability to do a large percentage of de-matting on many coat types
Clear view of the skin
Safe procedure for all skin types

The negative points are:

Some pets object to the noise and force of air
It can tangle a long coat
It will produce a mess on heavily shedding pets

As you can see, the positive points far outweigh the negative. Almost all of the negative points can be overcome through proper pet/dryer handling and correct technique.

Groomers, stylists, and bathers who regularly use this drying method should protect themselves by wearing facemasks, goggles and earplugs. These simple items minimize the amount of pet fur and dander that reaches the eyes and lungs, and helps deaden the noise to protect ears from long-term exposure. Pets will appreciate some type of ear protection too!

Using the High-Velocity Dryer

This method should be introduced slowly with any new pet or a puppy. Have the pet listen to the sound before the air is introduced. Help build its confidence. Once the pet seems calm, slowly and from a distance bring the air up around its feet or rear. Do this on a single speed, with no condenser cone. Once the pet accepts that, slowly bring the air in closer and move it up the body. Try not to let the air pass over the pet’s face or in its ears. As the pet grows more accepting, try adding the condenser cone, or, boost the dryer up to a second speed and then add the cone.

Move as rapidly as possible and work forward over the entire pet, excluding the head, watching for spray coming off the coat (the moisture you missed with the towel). Once there isn’t any more visible spray coming off the pet, return to your starting point. Holding a towel behind the spot you are working on can be helpful to reduce the amount of spray getting back on the coat.

Next, focus on getting the pet dry and the coat straightened. Hold the dryer as close as possible to the skin without curling the coat onto itself, causing tangles. Rapidly move the air around in a small, confined space. Watch the area constantly. When you first start on a section, the coat will appear slightly clumped together. As the hair dries, it will separate and become very fine. This is your signal to move to another area.

Leave the head, tail and ears until last. If the pet objects to having air blown around its face, change the direction of the air so that it does not blow over the face and ears. If the pet shows only mild objection, then hold its head for more control. If the problem continues, remove the cone to handle the neck and chest area.

If the coat is slightly matted or the pet is shedding heavily, you will notice the matted hair form a kind of spidery web as the coat begins to dry. Guide the air just behind the webbed section to work it out. Use the condenser cone with as much air force as the pet will allow. You must watch this process constantly to be effective. If the pet will not allow a condenser cone, or if you have worked the loose coat or mat as far as it will go with the air, give the coat a “boost” with a brush and mild air flow. Normally, this will remove the rest of the loose coat with the least amount of wear and tear on you and the pet.

Now that the pet is dry primarily from the condenser cone work, remove the cone and hold the base of the hose right next to the skin. Most high-velocity dryers do not have a heating element, but once they have run for a few minutes, the air they produce will be warmer. Removing the condenser cone and placing the dryer hose right against the skin takes advantage of the optimum power of a high-velocity dryer to “set the coat.” Setting the coat means straightening each hair shaft. Plus, holding the warm air right next to the skin will remove any remaining dampness. Work over the entire dog using the same method as previously outlined, but now work very close to the skin.

Finish the entire drying process at the head and ears. On coats where you want a full head shape, work from the base of the skull – the occiput – forward. If you want the coat to lay tight to the skull, blow the air back towards the rear of the dog.

If the pet is fidgety, grasp the ear at the base. This firm grip offers the most control and covers the ear canal. In most cases, a fidgety pet is objecting to the air going down into the ear cannel. Don’t use a condenser cone for the head and face, but do keep the base of the hose right next to the skin for optimum speed and coat straightening.

Pets pre-clipped shorter than a #7 blade length before the bath will not need a high-velocity drying in the short areas. These areas will dry naturally as other coated areas are dried. Normally, a #7 blade length or shorter does not need straightening to yield the best results in the finish work.

Conclusion

It is important to master all drying skills. There are several drying methods and combinations to choose from, based on coat type, trim and pet tolerance. Incorrect techniques or careless attention to drying will waste more of a professional groomer’s time than almost anything else.

An active form of drying always will yield the best results. Having a beautifully clean and dried coat also will lessen the amount of time it takes to execute the final grooming procedures on a pet.

If at any point the pet objects or becomes difficult to handle, back down to the previous step that produced a positive result. If the pet severely objects to having its face dried, try placing cotton balls in the ears to reduce the air flow into the ears as well as the sound. Just don’t forget to remove the cotton balls.

Always remember, the pet takes its cue from you. Your confidence will communicate to the pet. Work gently, but firmly, using a minimal amount of verbal positive or negative reinforcement. Let your hands and eyes do the speaking for you.

The process outlined above may take just a few minutes or several, based upon the individual pet and your handling techniques. On occasion, a pet just will not accept high-velocity drying and another method will be necessary.

Once you have the pet’s cooperation, you can focus on the most effective way of using the high-velocity dryer on that pet’s individual coat type.

In trims that require a fluffy, smooth finish, you would begin at the base of the tail and blow the air forward, using a condenser cone. On many Terriers and sporting dogs, you want the coat to lay tight to the skin. With these breeds, start at the withers and work with the growth of the coat.

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Speed & Efficiency: Clocks are Your Score Keepers

My husband Marc and I just did a private salon lesson on one of our recent road trips. We asked the salon owner what she wanted us to focus on during our time there so we could be better prepared. The request was simple. Speed.

Most of her staff struggled to get even the simplest trims done in under an hour. Bath. Blow dry. Haircut. Even a basic #7F all trim on a smaller drop coated breed was daunting to some of them.

We walked in and saw a well-organized salon. It was bright. It was clean. The layout allowed for efficiency. The equipment was all top-notch. Hmmm, we wondered. Why was turning a small to mid-sized dog such a challenge for them?

Then it hit us. There were hardly any clocks visible. We only spotted one clock in the main room. A smaller digital wall clock set on military time. The owner of the salon was career military gal who is now retired. I understand why she opted for that style of time keeper. (And thank you Lori for your service to your country!) I’m just not so sure that style of time keeping is the right for a staff of non-military groomers. Plus, when I was across the room, I could barely read it clearly. The clock was just too small!

If you want to be a successful groomer that can pay their bills while bringing customers back again and again – you need to embrace time. Watch the time. Track the time. Race against the time. Everything we do with professional pet grooming involves time. You need to be highly aware of every hour, minute and second. Ideally, a professional groomer should be able to turn a small to medium size simple trim in an hour or less. That includes the bath, the dry, and the trim.

The first thing we suggested to this team was; GET CLOCKS! Nothing fancy, they just needed to be large enough to be easily seen across the room. The simpler, the better. Every room in the salon needed one hung on the wall. By having a clock in every room, it makes it easy for the groomers to track their own time with just a quick glance. But clocks aren’t enough. Every person working on the pets needs to have a watch on too.

For those individuals that are really looking to increase their speed, having a timer at their stations can be really beneficial. Before you can start timing yourself, it’s helpful to know what your starting point is.

Break the groom down into sections. Bathing. Drying. Clipping the body. Trimming the feet. Rounding the feet. Scissoring the legs. Styling the head. If you don’t know how long it takes you to do each one of these items, you’ll never be able to improve upon your ‘best time.’

And it’s far easier to break it down into segments than to look at the dog as a whole. After all, who doesn’t want the opportunity to win at even one or two smaller segments than to get frustrated when they don’t hit the time goal with the overall trim?

Once you know how long it takes you to do each segment — now you can set goals and objectives to beat your ‘best time.’ Push yourself. Make a game out of it. The clock will be your score-keeper. Each time you gain even a few seconds, you’ve won a mini victory! But you’ll never be able to do that unless you can easily watch the clock. Even with all the clock watching, always remember, speed and efficiency can never come at the sacrifice of quality or safety.

News » Pet Grooming -Productivity

Scissors Are Like Shoes

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

Leave Your Emotional Baggage at the Door

The Strength of Pet Grooming Foundation Skills

Melissa’s Top 4 Tips for Getting Through Your Holidays with Ease

Here are My Top 4 Tips for Getting Through Your Day with Ease

Are You Prepared?

For the Love of Lavender

Are You Working Your Rear Off But ‘Just Getting By’?

Clippers: Handling and Dexterity Skills

Drying Techniques – High Velocity Drying

Speed & Efficiency: Clocks are Your Score Keepers

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