A Groomer's World

Shop Talk: Wednesday

Wow!  Wednesday was a whirlwind.  I did 5 dogs in 4.5 hours! Some of you may be saying, "Big deal..." but I am the pokiest groomer around.  So it is a big deal to me.  I love days like this, though, because the practice of having to groom so fast really does increase my overall speed.  I had a couple of "terrible terriers," a lab, a yorkie mix, and a poor old Bichon that I always have to do straight through.  If I let this dog have even 30 seconds of idle time she starts scratching and chewing her skin off.  I think it may have started as an allergy problem, but now it seems to also be a neurological problem.  The owner always brings her E-collar in case I get done before they return and have to crate her for whatever reason.  Here's the grooming pictures lineup:

First we have those terrible terriers.  On the left we have Spike:  A schnauzer mix who really does not enjoy having his feet messed with, so he has to be muzzled for that bit.  Otherwise, he's a pretty good boy.  To the right is Jordan:  He is a humongous Schnauzer (not neutered) who tries to eat me when I pick him up, touch his feet, snag a hair, and pluck his ears.  He and the muzzle are good pals as well  :)  Jordan looks a little unkempt because he was just a santi/feet/face/bath.  No scissor finishing for him today.

My pretty girls today included Sarah the lab, Dulce the Yorkie-Poo, and Sally the Bichon.  Sadly, I forgot to take a picture of Sarah!  But to the left you'll see Miss Dulce who got to have her "cool weather cut" today, along with poor little Sally who always has to be stripped bald with a #15 all over.

I know what you're wondering, and the answer is:  No!  I did not take a picture of Sally in her silly E-collar.  Give the girl a break! Sheesh...  ;)

Grooming Product Review: Ulti-Mat Bath Mat

Some groomers use the fancy stainless steel tubs with grates and doors and lifts and bells and whistles galore.  The rest of us use the old-fashioned raised "human" bathtub  :)   Bathtub users:  I think I have finally found the perfect bath mat for groomers!  It's called the Ulti-Mat Bath Mat.  It covers the whole length of the tub!  It's 39.5" long and 16" wide.  It has TONS of large, very strong suction cups.  Also, it has lots of "drainage" holes that actually work.  I've tried mats in the past with drainage holes that basically just pooled water and suds so that the poor dogs' feet just soaked in the soap throughout the whole bath.  I was always afraid this would irritate their feet, and it was so hard to get those feet properly rinsed!  There's no "poolage" with this mat!  If you look at the picture at the top, you can see the big, raised-bubble texture.  It looks cool and really helps the dogs keep their footing.  I just love this mat!  They'd better keep producing this thing because I don't think I'll ever use a different grooming tub mat.  I'm spoiled, now  :)  In my opinion, this is definitely the best bath mat for pet groomers! 

I actually ordered my first Ulti-Mat from a "baby stuff" catalog.  However, I've looked around to find a better price and I did!  You'll get it about $5 cheaper than I did if you click on the link below.  I'm so jealous of you!  I'm such a miser that I'm mad I didn't find it at this place first...  Live and learn, right?

Pros:  This mat covers the whole tub, which is great for bathing larger dogs!  It drains well and does not pool water and suds.  It really is mildew resistant.  I've had it for months and it is still clean.  I just lift it and rinse at the end of the day.  If it does get dirty then it's machine washable!!!  It looks good - I love the geometric look of the big bubble pattern.  Cons:  Honestly, I have nothing to say here!

Have you used this mat?  Have an opinion?  Leave your own review in the widget below! 

Grooming Products on RateItAll

Shop Talk: Tuesday

There's only one thing notable about Tuesday:  I had a no-show that I pretty much figured would happen.  Doesn't that drive you crazy?  This client is one of those "pain-in-the-butt" clients that I just don't worry about because her dog only takes half an hour to do.  She'll call every few months and dramatically declare that her dog is in such awful shape that she has to get in today!  Well, it's a Jack Russel, lady, and it has been three months!  It can't be that bad!  So I'll make her appointment within the week, and she doesn't even show up  :p  Fire her?  I just can't.  It takes something pretty extreme for me to fire a client, and luckily I've only had to do it once!  I guess I'll save that story for another time  :)

So who did show up today?  My handsome cousin Norton P. McSnortin.  Isn't he a good looking guy?

Then there were the beautiful Zoey and Suzy.  Zoey is a Shih-Tzu who gets to keep her fuzzy "puppy face," as her Mom calls it.  She does NOT want me to trim her stop, and that's fine because it doesn't irritate her or collect eye boogies.  Suzy is a Lab/Chow mix, we think.  She is so "jumpy," literally.  She never walks anywhere - she darts.  If she sees a table, she just suddenly goes flying onto it.  A cage:  into it.  A tub:  into it.  My baby's pack and play (including sleeping baby) a few months ago:  Almost into it!  I didn't see that one coming but I jerked her back just in time!  I didn't mean to get so wordy there  :)  Here are the girls:

Finally, there was pretty Miss Tasha.  Her Mom likes her in a short cut.  Don't worry:  I fixed those ears after I took this picture.  I shaved the inside of the leather with a #15 and then scissored them closer.  One great thing about this blog is that since I'm taking and sharing pictures, I analyze my grooms closer and in different ways than I ever have before.  It's good stuff!   

As always, clicking on the pictures will open the full-size versions in a new window, and if you have questions or comments feel free to leave them!

Shop Talk: Monday

It's time for Monday's pictures and shop talk!

I had one cancellation, my other four showed, and I did a full Soft Paws application!  I was so excited  :)  I just started the Soft Paws program for dogs, and so far I really enjoy it.  It's a great benefit for the seniors, especially, since their babies have a tendency to rip their thin skin wiiide open.  I'm not charging much:  $10 for two paws and $15 for four (haha, buy 3 get one free?) but I'm still making money from them and gaining clients.  It's so hard to set prices in our area because so many of our clients are wonderful low-income clients who really care about their critters and want to take care of them.  I just have to stay away from those pricing surveys for a while, I guess.  If (when!) I get my own place, though, there will have to be a total pricing restructure.  But anyway, about Monday:

This is going to be a short one, because I am still not in the habit of taking pictures of everyone!  I had a... Cock-a-Tzu?  Followed by two black poodles and a yorkie, with a Soft Paws application somewhere in the middle.  Everyone was good, and I only have pictures of one of the grooming clients, so he can be the Before and After star of the day! 

Coalie's Mom wanted to try out square ears and, so they are in transition from round to square.  She also wanted me to do the crazy shaving above his eyes, but it actually turned out handsome on him.  You'll see Coalie before, Coalie after, and then a picture of Button with her snazzy new Soft Paws pawdicure  :)

      

Espree Special of the Month: Cucumber Melon Shampoo!

Espree has a new shampoo out on the market, and it's on sale!!!  Mmmmm...  I can't wait to try this one!  Cucumber Melon dog shampoo?  Who'd have thought?!  I bet it will go well with that Bark2Basics D-Mat conditioner that smells so yummy, haha!   

Groomers, if you have never been to the Espree website, you should check it out here: http://www.espree.com/  If you are a "grooming stuff" junkie like I am then you will love these guys!  Just browse through and see what all they have.  Because we are professionals in the biz, Espree will give us a discount if we sign up and tell them who we are. 

My favorite part:  The monthly specials.  This month they're offering a great deal on the Cucumber Melon shampoo.  I've always been a CM fan so you know I had to snatch up a gallon.  Of course I will post what I think after I've used it on a few pooches!

Has anyone else used this shampoo, or the Cucumber Melon cologne?  What do you think?  Let me know! 

Update:  My review of this dog shampoo can be found here.

Fellow groomers, please help!

I have a Bichon client who is very long, and I cannot figure out how to style her to "fix" this problem.  Any advice?  I've tried leaving her legs longer (fluffier) than her body and scissoring closer on the very front of the front legs and very back of the back legs.  I'm not sure if that's the right way to go.  Maybe I should leave the belly longer and the legs shorter?  I just don't know!  The client does not want the dog's coat too long or "foo foo", so I can't leave myself much hair to work with. 

Advice, please!  The photo is the "short on belly, fluffy legs" attempt...

It's a Cannon miracle!

Hahaha!  A raspberry to all of my doubters!

*Admission:  The lens isn't coming out like it's supposed to, but I bet I can get a camera techie to fix that easily enough!

But it's on!  And it reads the memory card!  So it works!!!  Hahaha!  Pthpthpthpthpthpthpth!

Friday's Before and After grooming photos

Rusty on top; Little Guy on bottom:

 

Shop Talk: Friday

I took it pretty easy today.  This week has just felt like a long one.  I've been working my buns off on this blog, and literally working my buns off with the diet & exercise program my husband and I started on Monday.  Oh yeah, to get back on topic:  I've been pretty busy at the shop, too  :)

Today I had a couple of Shelties:  Maggie (left) and Rusty (right).  Maggie is a spry young  lady who enjoys bouncing around and driving her elderly friend Rusty insane.  She wants to play, while he wants to sleep.  You know the story. 
They are both farm dogs who come in monthly (rare, right?) and they're usually covered in fleas and cockleburs.  I've tried the Frontline speech a few times to no avail, so I gave up on that one.  These two dogs would be great Comfortis candidates, but the owner thinks it's too expensive for "just a pill."  In my [unspoken] opinion, it's better to pay the same amount for "just a pill" that will actually help your dog than to waste that money on top spots when they are not working due to skin condition or user error or whatever the case may be.  I'd rather see the dogs comfortable.  Ugh, moving on...

I only had one other dog today, and he was a very matted Maltese named Little Guy.  I was actually going to hang his pelt over my grooming arm and take a picture for dramatic flair, but The Groomer Behind Me swooped in and pitched the thing while I was bathing the dog.  I don't hold it against her because the thing was crawling with fleas.  The picture I'll post of him here is my favorite.  Do you see that smile!  He obviously feels much better  :)
I really hope I don't have to do any strips next week.  I am so stripped out!

***I'm going to have to give a big "Thank you!" shout-out to my friends at Novartis today.  Thank you thank you thank you for developing an inexpensive pill that I can pop into a dog to kill his fleas while at my shop rather than dousing us both with those yucky flea dip chemicals.  Capstar was my hero today.

Friday's adventures in Dudeland

What a silly boy!  Apparently I forgot to close the baby powder that I   used last night to keep my hands from slipping on my yoga mat.  Toddlers don't miss a thing, do they?!  I'll just call this another one of his works of art  :)

On the right we have a bonus nose-picker picture - just for fun.  He hasn't starting picking, yet.  He just stuck that finger in there for about 5 minutes and hummed.

mmmmmmmmmmmmmm

mmmmmmmmmmmmmm

mmmmmmmmmmmmmm

mmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Ask the Groomer: Why isn't Frontline Plus working for my dog?

Dear Kendra,

My groomer told me that my dog has fleas.  I don't understand why this is happening!  I use Frontline Plus every month - sometimes even twice per month, and I keep her very clean.  I wash her at least once a week.  Please help!

Love, 

A growing number of your clients  :)

OK, so I wrote the question myself, but it's just a paraphrased version of a conversation that happens between my clients and myself at least three times per week.  Everyone wants reliable flea control, and I'm here to help.  Here we go:

I believe that Frontline Plus is a great product.  I'm going to list some facts for you that you can check for yourself at Merial's website.  This stuff will kill all of the fleas on the dog in less than one day, and it continues to kill them for at least a month.  It also prevents the fleas from reproducing.  The "Plus" is all about the tick control.  It really does help my woodsy clients with their tick problems.  They might come in with a couple of ticks, but before they were on Frontline Plus they'd have TONS of ticks.  I've never had any clients have adverse reactions in their dogs or themselves related to their use of the product.  Also, if you use it right your pets will work for you as mobile flea assassination units in your home.  Any fleas hanging out in your house will see the yummy critter, jump on, bite, and die.  So, like I said, it's great.  Well, it CAN be great...

Here are some kickers:

#1:  You really have to use the proper dose for your pet.  There are some people out there who "divide" the largest dose among their pack of small animals.  This does not work well at all.  Ultimately, you are wasting your money on that large pack because it's not going to be effective.  You'd have to really analyze the required dosages and deliveries required for each of your pets in order to have any success with that method, and most people (and the very few vet techs who allow thier clients to do this) just don't.

#2:  Read the fine print yourself, or ask you veterinarian to demonstrate proper application technique.  The product must be applied to the skin, and between the shoulder blades where the dog can't lick or rub it off.  If you're putting it on a double-coated breed you are really going to have to dig down and part the hair and find that skin.  It's worth the effort!  Just as importantly, you should not apply this product at least 48 hours before or after a bath.  We tell people 72 in case they are "just a few hours" cheaters!  More about the reason behind this coming right up:

#3:  This is the one that my clients are having problems with:  Frontline relies on your pet's oil system for distribution.  If your pet is dry by nature, you probably will not have good results with Frontline and should try something else, such as the Revolution spot-on by Pfizer, or the Comfortis pill by Lilly.  Devoted Frontline fans can always try the Frontline Spray, though I assume you'd have to administer it after every bath.  If you are bathing your dog once a week or more, you probably will not have good results.  (You really shouldn't give your dog such frequent baths anyway, but I'll save that discussion for a later post  :)  Frequent bath offenders should try to only bathe once per month, three days before Frontline application.  If you just can't stand to wait that long between baths, consider one of the alternatives above.

I hope that helps some of you who are having problems with Frontline.  Good luck, and feel free to ask questions or comment about your experience with flea control!

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Small update on the camera

Alright, so my darling Chocolatemilkified camera has been washed and I'm sure it has had ample time to dry.  I gave it a good look-over.  There seems to be a little rust in the battery compartment.  How can that be?!  ;)  I see that the little "button battery" is pretty corroded, so I'll take it to Wal-Mart and get a new one.  I'll scrape the rust out of the compartment, pop in some new batteries, and see what happens!  Wish me luck. 

Poor camera! 

Off Topic: Purex deal at Walgreens!

  OK, so I'm slowly starting a deal blog ("Let's throw another iron in that fire!" ha!), but it's not up yet so I'm going to post this here!

At our (Harrisburg) Walgreens, Certain bottles of Purex Ultra Concentrate laundry detergent are on clearance for $2.75.  A couple of the varieties are in a 20% more bottle.  If you are a coupon clipping maniac like I am, you might have a $.50 off coupon from the August 10th paper.  Combine the coupon and the sale, and you're getting 40 loads worth of laundry detergent for $2.25, or a little less than $.06 per load!  Do the math for your current cost per load.  I bet you'll save a lot of money!

If you can catch deals like this on your everyday items on a regular basis, you end up saving a TON of money.  Stay with me because I'm working on that blog.  Have questions?  Comments?  Just ask  :) 

Grooming roster for Wednesday

So today I was WAY too busy to mess with the camera phone.  Sorry, all.  I know you love those pictures! 

I had Yogie and Maggie:  Yogie is a cute little geriatric Yorkie while Maggie is a cute little geriatric poodle.  They are so tiny, cute, sweet, and OLD!  Then there were the two kitties:  Miss Kitty and Spooky III.  I shaved that poor Miss Kitty bald and she was not happy about it.  I didn't even get to Spooky III because Miss Kitty took such a long time.  She was so good for the first half of the groom, but when I got to her rear and her legs those fangs came out.  Last but not least, there was Sable, the 7-month old "puppy's first haircut" Shih-Tzu.  She was a good girl. 

Oh yeah, I had another surprise client that I forgot to write down!  Mr. Oscar the Shih-Tzu came in at noon.  This usually only happens a couple of times per year, not per week!  I don't know what's wrong with me lately  :p  Too many irons in the fire right now, perhaps?

Read this interesting fact:  I used to work about 8 hours and would groom 5-6 dogs per day.  I've cut my hours down to 5 (give or take half an hour) and I do 4-6 dogs per day!  Is that not crazy?  It's hectic and the answering machine works overtime, but I'm being forced to work more quickly and I like it  :)

Tuesday's lineup

Today was a fun-but-stressful day!

Groomers, have you ever has a "surprise" client come in?  One to whom you feel you should give the benefit of the doubt, because it's possible that you misunderstood something in the "appointment" phone call, or perhaps you forgot to write it down?  Well, I had one of THOSE today.  She came in at the exact some time that I had scheduled a squeeze-in.  Whoops!  So anyway, I was rushed and freaked out that I wouldn't get done in time to pick up Dude before the daycare locked him in for the night, but I made it  :)

Today I had:

Maggie and Izzy, my two beautiful little furcousins.  Maggie is a Bichon and Izzy is a Malti-Poo.  Did you notice Izzy's eyeliner?  One is pink (Malti) and one is black (Poo).  So cute!

Sadie, who is a Border Collie, whom I forgot to photograph.  Sorry!

Oakley the Shih-Tzu.  Doesn't he look like a man of leisure?

Finally, another Miss Izzy.  This one is a Yorkie-Poo.  She deserved a before and after.  You can click on most of the images on my blog to go to the full-size version.

If you'd like to know the tools/techniques used on any of these dogs, just ask!  Also, if you have constructive criticism then fire away.  I'm always learning!