PetGroomer.com Magazine Fall 2018 by findagroomer

October/December 2018 Vol 8 Ed 4 eGroomer Journal January / March 2014

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On the Doorstep of Pet Grooming Part 1

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE FALL 2018

14 15 22 31 38 41 51 57 60 71 80 95 102 2

Industry Calendar Finding the Right Grooming Job for You Powering Your Mobile Grooming Van Grooming as a Reiki Practitioner Choosing a Color Palette for Your Store Artificial Intelligence on the Doorstep of Pet Grooming GroomFit: The Balanced Barber Saving Ears Pet Dryers: Overview and Details What is the National Beauty Tools Sharpeners Guild Grooming Wages Myth and Fact Crispy Legs Cat Grooming Sponsors OnlyCopyright Buyer’s Guide and Website © 2013 Find A Groomer Inc. All rights reservedDirectory Subscribe www.egroomer.com

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With training, hands-on education and the acquired skill sets our students develop, our pupils graduate with the ability to successfully seek and maintain employment as highly accomplished pet groomers or assistant groomers. Learn more at our website or please contact us.

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EDITOR Stephen Mart PUBLISHER Find A Groomer Inc. EDITORIAL OFFICE PO Box 2489, Yelm, WA 98597 contact@petgroomer.com 800-556-5131 360-446-5348 ADVERTISE IN PETGROOMER.COM MAGAZINE

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Learn More https://petgroomer.com/advertise-petgroomer-com/ PetGroomer.com Magazine is published as a download digital file quarterly by Find A Groomer Inc., PO Box 2489, Yelm, WA 98597. Reproduction in whole or in part is strictly prohibited. PetGroomer.com Magazine makes every effort to provide information that is reliable and practical. It is not intended to replace diagnosis or treatment from a veterinarian or other qualified pet or pet care professional. PetGroomer.com Magazine does not assume any legal responsibility. Readers should always consult qualified healthcare providers for specific diagnosis and treatment. Information provided is not intended to replace formal grooming training, pet safety and care. Viewpoints and commentary expressed in PetGroomer.com Magazine do not necessarily reflect the beliefs or opinions of its advertisers, the publisher or associates. Use of any content or services of PetGroomer.com and PetGroomerMagazine.com, including both digital and print copies of PetGroomer.com Magazine, is governed by additional guidelines, disclaimers and privacy policies and notices available at: https://petgroomer.com/legal-notices/ eGroomer Journal www.egroomer.com Subscribe Free PetGroomer.com Magazine www.petgroomermagazine.com Subscribe Free

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July / September 2018 PetGroomer.com Publications

INDUSTRY CALENDAR OCTOBER 2018

FEBRUARY 2019

October 2 to 6, 2018 IBPSA Pet Care Services Conference St. Louis, MO www.petcareconference.com

February 14 to 17, 2019 Groom Expo West Pasadena, CA www.barkleigh.com

October 26 to 28, 2018 33rd NDGAA Annual Fun in the Sun Orlando, FL www.ndgaa.com

March 21 to 24, 2019 Northwest Grooming Show Tacoma, WA www.barkleigh.com

NOVEMBER 2018 November 9 to 11, 2018 New England Grooming Show Sturbridge, MA www.nepgp.com

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MARCH 2019

APRIL 2019 April 11 to 14, 2019 Intergroom Secaucus, NJ www.intergroom.com

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Finding the Grooming Job Right for You Angela Clark, American Grooming Academy Know what you want!

benefits. To help you determine which job factors and benefits are either “must haves” for you or deal-breakers, I have created a Job Inventory Checklist shown on next page. Download a copy here.

Start your search for the ideal grooming job by knowing what you want from it. How else could you recognize it? Grooming jobs have diverse duties and responsibilities along with varied employer exKnowing your ideal job’s “must haves” pectations. Compensation plans are and “deal-breakers” allows you to match (Continued on page 17) eGroomer Journal for both wages Copyrightand © 2011 Find A Groomer Inc. All rights reserved 15 likewise diverse PetGroomer.com Magazine www.petgroomermagazine.com Subscribe Free

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JOB FACTOR INVENTORY CHECKLIST GROOMING JOB FACTOR

MUST HAVE

OPEN TO DISCUSSION

DEAL BREAKER

Good Shop Reputation Policies in Place for Safety and Handling Location: Close Distance from Home Receptionist Groomers Answer Phones on the Job Professional Dress Requirement Work Alone Work with 1 to 3 Other Groomers Work with More than 3 Groomers State-of-the-Art Equipment Safe Working Environment High Prices Average Prices Low Prices Hourly Pay Commission Pay Salary Employee Independent Contractor Required Customer Contact Steady and Consistent Business Growing Business Clear Job Expectations and Description eGroomer Journal www.egroomer.com Subscribe Free PetGroomer.com Magazine www.petgroomermagazine.com Subscribe Free

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yourself with the best fit employment. Print a copy of this checklist. Review each of the list’s job factors common to most grooming jobs. Rate each one as either, 1) Must Have, 2) Negotiable or 3) Deal-breaker. Once done save your checklist for later review. Later you will be able to compare your answers with job offers as they arrive. Now you will know more clearly which job offers best match your desires. The next step is to find grooming job offers. Your search is likely to involve grooming company websites, classified ads, referrals and results from networking in the grooming community.

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

Professional or Alumni Organization 41%



News Media - 39% (Gallup State of the American Workplace Report 2017)

Additional statistics 

Job seekers said they use an average of 7.6 job sites during job searches. (GlassDoor 2016)



79% of job seekers said they are likely to use social media in their job search (GlassDoor 2013)



18% of job seekers said they would check out hiring managers on social media platforms while job hunting. (CareerBuilder 2016)

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After finding a job offer, 64% of candidates said they research the company online. Thirty-seven percent said they move on to another job offer if they can’t find information on the company. (CareerBuilder 2016)



5% of recruiters said social media has changed their recruiting results. (2016 Recruiting Benchmark Survey)



29% of recruiters said they are investing in recruiting via social media platforms. (Jobvite Recruiter Nation Report 2016)

Job Search Statistics Where do job seekers look for jobs? 

Company Websites - 77%

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Referrals - 71%

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Personal Networking (friends and family) - 68%



Online Job Sites (Monster, CareerBuilder) - 58%



Publications or online sources in a field - 57%



Search Engines (Google, Bing, Yahoo) - 55%



Professional networking (Linked-In) 47%

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

60% of recruiters said they are investing in company career websites. (Jobvite Recruiter Nation Report 2016) 28 of recruiters said they are investing in recruiting via job boards. (Jobvite Recruiter Nation Report 2016)

Groomers Are in High Demand Professional groomers are in high demand. Here is even better news. You are not limited to applying only for published job openings. Good groomers are hard to find across

October / December 2018 PetGroomer.com Publications

the United States. Even growing salons not actively searching for groomers are sometimes willing to add new groomers to their staffs when the fit is there. Your dream job may come about simply by pursuing grooming jobs not yet listed. A good groomer is always a welcome find for a growing business. To find your dream job create a research plan! 

Network with other groomers



Read Yelp reviews

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

Connect with the company website



Observe grooming company’s Facebook pages and other social media



Research Better Business Bureau



If possible, make an impromptu visit before you apply. In this way you get a realistic peek at normal day-to-day operations

October / December 2018

hopefully, you will soon secure interviews. In the next two articles of this series, Landing Your Dream Grooming Job, I will share employment application and job interview tips. ▀

www.AmericanGroomingAcademy.com

Armed with your resume and portfolio you are now ready to pursue your employment goals. Begin the application process, and

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Powering Your Mobile Grooming Van The available power sources for mobile grooming vans and how they work is a very important part of operating a successful mobile business. However, these options seem to be unclear to many groomers. At GoMobile Conversions, we give our customers the option to choose how their van is setup and designed. But this

leads to the question of what power source(s) to choose. There are many factors that play into which power source would work best for your mobile van. We’d like to give you a simple explanation of the most common forms of power, their pros and cons, and when you might use them.

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What is an inverter and when would I use it? An inverter is a device that takes 12v “battery power” (DC – direct current) and converts it into 110v power (AC – alternating current). The inverter will send this 110v power into the outlets in your grooming van, which allows you to power your equipment. The size of the inverter needed is based on the size/power draw of the equipment being used. The size and quantity of batteries, along with the size of your

October / December 2018

equipment, will determine how long your equipment will be able to run off this power source. Battery power will be depleted as you use your equipment. The larger the power draw from the equipment, the faster the batteries will be depleted. For example, a high velocity dryer will pull significantly more power than clippers.

PROS 1. Quiet. 2. No regular maintenance needed. 3. Easy to recharge batteries by plugging into a shoreline outlet after work.

CONS Although a good source of power for mobile groomers, it is not unlimited. It is not a good power source to run an air conditioner because of the large amount of power needed by ACs. When needed, ACs would still need to be plugged into a shoreline or run off a generator.

(Continued on page 24)

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What is a generator and when would I use it? A generator is a gas, diesel or LP (liquid propane) powered engine that creates electricity. Outlets in the grooming van are supplied with power from the generator. This setup can provide enough power to operate the entire mobile shop including the rooftop AC. The size of the generator will determine how much power is created, which in turn determines how much power you can use at once. For example, a rooftop AC might require 3500 watts on startup and a high velocity dryer might require 2200 watts. This

October / December 2018

would total 5700 watts to run both pieces of equipment together and would require a large enough generator to create sufficient power.

PROS 1. Can create constant power as long as the generator is supplied with fuel and is in good working condition. 2. Many generator sizes and brands provide options for groomers’ needs and budgets. 3. Allows groomers to be self contained without the need of a shoreline.

(Continued on page 25)

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CONS

1. The entire mobile shop can operate off of shoreline power.

1. Noise (higher quality generators have lower noise levels).

2. The AC only can be powered by a shoreline.

2. Maintenance and fuel use.

3. Or you can have the option to switch between shoreline and generator to power the same equipment when a generator is installed.

3. Higher cost upfront vs. an inverter or shoreline. While on the topic of generators, there’s also the option of using a van’s engine to generate power instead of having a separate generator (mostly done with diesel engines). We do not recommend this method. Even though the wheels are not spinning and accumulating miles on your vehicle, leaving the vehicle run all day puts a lot of hours on the engine itself. Although there are multiple factors that go into the equation (hours run, maintenance, and more), in general, wearing out the vehicle’s diesel engine is far more costly to replace than an independent generator.

What is shoreline power and when would I use it?

The shoreline option also has its limits. The power is there for the taking, but the amount available at one time is limited by the size of breaker in the home. For example, if you plug into a home outlet that is on a 15 amp breaker (usually garage outlets are on a 20 amp breaker), you have a maximum of 15 amps you can pull from for your equipment. If your AC pulls 12 amps, you have almost reached the breaker’s capacity. Some of the large dryers pull 1719 amps.

PROS 1. No noise. 2. No equipment to maintain or replace. 3. Very budget friendly up front and ongoing.

CONS

1. The amount of power available depends on the home. For example, if Shoreline power is power supplied from you plug into a 15 amp breaker the customer's home to your grooming you’re limited to 15 amp or less if the van by an extension cord. Using shore customer is running something inside power in the grooming van can be setup home on that same breaker. 25 to operate eGroomerseveral Journal ways. Copyright © 2011 Find A Groomerthe Inc. All rights reserved

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2. Little additional time needed to plugin upon arrival and then rollup the cord when finished at appointments.

Can solar be used? Yes. Solar panel(s) can be connected to the battery bank that feeds the inverter system. This will provide a small charge for those batteries. This source of power is supplemental and NOT able to operate your entire shop. For example, one panel might provide 170 watts (far cry from a 7000 watt generator). This is a small amount, but can provide a constant trickle charge into the batteries for use in the grooming shop.

So what power supply should I choose?

PROS

Consider the following factors:

1. A good way to advertise that you're "GREEN."

Climate. If you are in a very hot climate where AC is needed more months of the year than not, a generator would be more suited for your needs.

2. Gives a small, but constant charge to your batteries to power grooming equipment. 3. No noise.

CONS 1. Must be used with another power source because of the small amount of power generated. 26

Or if you’re only needing AC a couple months of the year, perhaps an inverter with a shoreline backup would suite your needs. Budget. Shoreline power is the most budget friendly option followed by an in(Continued on page 27)

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verter system with a generator being the highest up front cost of all three. Convenience. If you’re not wanting to bother with plugging in a shoreline and want a constant power supply, the generator will be the most convenient option to power the mobile shop.

Knowing how the different power sources work will give you a better understanding of what to look for in a mobile grooming van when purchasing and how to better operate your mobile shop once acquired. We wish you the best with your mobile business and choosing the power source that will “energize” the journey. ▀

Another option to consider: If starting on a budget but would really like to have a generator onboard, you can have your unit setup initially with a shoreline and/ or inverter system along with the wiring completed for a generator. This way it is a lot easier to hook up a generator once fundseGroomer are available to purchase Journal Copyrightone. © 2011 Find A Groomer Inc. All rights reserved PetGroomer.com Magazine www.petgroomermagazine.com Subscribe Free

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Handstripping and carding techniques are well known in the show ring. They are techniques that are done on show dogs as per the breed standard. There are many benefits to these techniques. The dog’s coat and skin will be healthy and vibrant. Jodi will show you how to modify these techniques for your pet trims. Not only will your dogs coat look healthier but their skin will be healthier as well. Jodi will discuss the theory of hand stripping and carding and why it benefits the skin and coat. These techniques will help your trims look natural. Your client's will notice the difference! Available Today

JodiMurphy.net ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jodi Murphy is a Master Pet Stylist. She has been a member of Groom Team USA for four years ranking within the top four groomers in the country. In 2004 Jodi was ranked the number one groomer of the United States. Jodi was awarded Best American Groomer in 2005 and 2006 for her multiple wins in the contest ring. She captured the World Championship title in the prestigious Oster Invitational Tournament of Champions in 2006. Jodi stamped the International contest ring in 2004 where she won both gold and bronze medals in Barcelona, Spain. In Milan, Italy Jodi defeated the best of the world in a competition consisting of 13 countries of world renown groomers and walked away with yet another gold in 2007. After achieving all her goals in the contest ring she is now here to share her years of knowledge and experience. eGroomer Journal www.egroomer.com Subscribe Free PetGroomer.com Magazine www.petgroomermagazine.com Subscribe Free

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by Erica

Salvemini

Grooming as a Reiki Practitioner A New Age in Pet Care I think I’m in good company when I say the world is getting harder to navigate. For instance, why is it difficult to find safe, professional & compassionate pet care today? I work in the pet grooming industry as a shop owner, groomer and Reiki practitioner, which is why I can ask this difficult question. Not many want to tackle this question. However, if we look at the state of the unregulated

grooming industry, the larger the operation, the harder it seems to manage. Because grooming is an unregulated industry, it can be much like the Wild West, where pretty much anything goes. Anybody who is worth their salt as a reputable groomer today knows the kinds of places I’m talking about. Big or small, it doesn’t matter.

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Some grooming facilities are simply negligent with little to no safety procedures in place. Underpaid and inexperienced labor works on pets. Some of my best groomers are excorporate employees. These are good people who left their grooming jobs because of the stressful environment that is so often fostered. I’ve learned some unfortunate things in this business about how animals are treated. Things that I wish I could erase from memory. Ultimately I’m not sorry I know, because that is how change comes about. It seems when pet care employees are making poor choices for the animals it’s usually because they’re undertrained, overworked, underpaid, underappreciated and disenfranchised. Employment policies such as these are obviously inappropriate. Human nature alone will lead some groomers to make mistakes. Unfortunately, it’s also human nature to follow group think. These groomers aren’t hired to think outside the box. It’s not what they’re paid so little for. In my opinion the big box world of groomers are set up for failure upon hire. They are made to work terrible shifts, on holidays, on Sundays, and for very little pay and few incentives. In fact, these groom-

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ers are de-incentivized by forcing them to act as receptionists. They overbook and feel pressure to “up-sell” the clients on more packages. If they don’t do all of these things they face potential penalties. So regardless of how many “new, better, safer” policies are put in place it’s clear that the practice of putting profits before lives continues to be at the detriment of the animals. My philosophy on this matter is simple. I believe we can do better and we have a moral obligation to do better. I don’t know how to write a bill for Congress, but I do know how to offer love, comfort and some bodacious hairstyles for the pets I handle and groom. I also support pet parents endeavoring to make their pets’ lives better. I serve pet parents by practicing Reiki for pets. I also teach this energy healing modality to students who come through our school’s doors. In our small corner of the world that is Just 4 Paws Pet Spa & Academy. We’ve chosen a gentle approach to caring for our pets. We’re trying to make a difference every day. Our care and methods always seemed a no-brainer. We approach pets from a place of love,

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respect and unity; meaning we’re all one. We’re all in this together. This gentle pet grooming approach bestows upon us the gift of a shared connection with these wonderful pets. When we earn an animal’s trust, and the favor is returned in the form of a successful grooming session, this is where we can see the flow of life working its best magic. This form of energetic give-andtake in the pet grooming world just makes good sense. It is also the core of my business’ success. Consider this. If everyone shared and enjoyed some level of positive energy

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with the pets they groom, wouldn’t this become a better industry? And when we groom, don’t we share our energies with each other anyway (both groomer to pet and pet to groomer) regardless of what our intentions, thoughts or feelings are at that time? As groomers, whether we go to work in a great mood, or we just got into a texting argument with our spouse on the way to work, we still have to groom pets. In my pet spa we always strive to be mindful pet guardians. We center ourselves before approaching any pet. Of

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we are having an off day forgetting to be mindful it likely shows. Either someone gets bit or grooming quality suffers. As a grooming shop owner and Reiki practitioner, I’ve learned that prior to greeting our pet clients, it’s best to first harness and hone our internal energies. We must transmute and transform any negative energies we may be holding before working on pets. It’s a way to turn bad moods into good ones. Everyone has rough days, weeks, even lives. Our goal is to at least try to neutralize the energy by lightening things up for ourselves. I personally understand this concept. It’s why I needed to learn spiritual practices to help me get through life and still be happy and balanced. I am happy to report success! That’s why I want to share some of this revealing information that has helped me along the way in pet care and customer relations. Here is one way to center yourself before starting a groom. It is a breathing and visualization technique that only takes a few minutes. It yields powerful results provided your intentions are positive.

October / December 2018

light from above, filling your wholeness. Hold the breath for a count of two. Exhale for a count of four while visualizing all the dense, heavy energies leaving you from the bottoms of your feet. You are releasing the emotional and mental stuff that tends to bog you down during the day. It can even relieve us of lower vibration emotions that sometimes aren’t even ours; like worry, fear, anger, frustration, jealousy, etc. How wonderful to behold the vision of all that darkness leaving you from a simple intent and procedure. Give back to the Universe by asking it to help with transmuting all your dense, dark energies into light. You can do this out loud using the power of the spoken word, or as silent thought. We are helping not only ourselves but others. We don’t want to dump our energetic garbage leaving it out there floating around for others to fall prey to. Choose to recycle. Energy cannot be created or destroyed, but it can change form. In school we learned this as the First Law of Thermodynamics. You are the key to raising the vibrations of energy lighter and lighter. Set positive intentions for yourself every day while working with pets. It is a very powerful practice to enhance the value of your daily life

Take five slow, deep breaths. First Inhale for a count of four while visualizing eGroomer Journal Copyright © 2011 Find A Groomer Inc. All rights reserved PetGroomer.com Magazine www.petgroomermagazine.com Subscribe Free

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(grooming or otherwise). If you can see and feel the lighter, more positive energies, then you can embody and become them. Our energetics allow us to hone our skills of manifesting that which we desire. No one is left out. Everyone can follow these practices and benefit with our powers over energy. Once you use your powers for good, then greatness and success can be achieved. This is true whether learning to groom your own fur-baby at home, becoming a professional pet stylist, or owning and operating your own pet care franchise. Whatever the choice is, make it your personal best! ▀

October / December 2018

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Erica Salvemini is the Creator (and also Chief Pet Stylist) of Just 4 Paws Pet Spa in Lyndhurst, NJ. She left the corporate world of software marketing in 2004 to pursue her passion to work with animals. Erica decided to grow the Just 4 Paws Pet Spa brand by starting a Franchise in 2015 and an Academy in 2018. Erica’s choice to expand arose from her desire to elevate the grooming and pet care industry. She is doing this through sharing the methodologies and philosophies she has crafted over her 15 years of experience in working with animals and their people. Being a Master Reiki Practitioner, Erica has also been utilizing Reiki (a gentle healing therapy) as a way to calm and heal her pet clients since 2005. See www.just4pawspetspa.com.

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Choosing a Color Palette for Your Store Opening a pet business or adding a new location can be a daunting task for many small business owners. If you are like many pet groomers and small business pet retailers, you’re likely designing your store by yourself. This can be very gratifying and also very daunting. There are so many decisions that need to be made. Below we will cover a few steps

that are extremely important when designing your salon/store for pet services and pet retailing. What is the inside/outside architecture and design of your new building location? Is the building a Spanish bungalow,Tudor style, a country barn, or a city warehouse? In order to have the most successful store design, taking into account the actual architecture of the outside of the building, and landscape along with the interior store design can save you countless headaches. You can’t fit a square hole into a round peg so make it easier on yourself by designing your space by utilizing the existing architecture when you can. This tactic doesn’t work for every location but it can help “set the stage” for the rest of your design decisions. This technique ultimately simplifies the rest of your design decisions and gives you a specific design direction. Where is your business located? Are you in the city? Are you suburban or urban? When speaking to my clients I often recommend a certain color palette and design that will go with that particular location along with several other factors.

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A city location is generally a bit more polished and modern where a country local can be rugged and casual. These designs are not exclusive to their location but their consideration is very important. Remember your target audience. You are designing for THEM, not for yourself. WHO is your clientele? Are they mostly Women or Men? Are they young hipsters, or a retired elderly population and empty nesters? Are they young and affluent or middle aged and wealthy? Knowing WHO your target market will also widdle down the design decisions and your color palette. Softer colors, pinks, pastels, and bright white spaces often work well for Women. Men on the other hand like wood, hardware, blues, grays, and more muted and natural tones. Knowing your clientele and taking them into account will definitely pay off in the long run. Small business owners competing with corporate and online competition need to design spaces that have great ambiance. Designing for your specific clientele goes a long way toward building a brand that your community can get behind for years to come. In addition; providing a well designed space that your clients can use to brag about their favorite local business on social media is marketing gold! How do you choose your color palette? You’ve got your design “theme” chosen eGroomer Journal

October / December 2018

based on your architecture, you’ve nailed down your clientele based on your neighborhood… so now, let’s choose your colors! Taking into account the aforementioned tools to find your colors, do you have an “inspiration” piece that will help you limit your colors? Do you have a favorite piece of furniture, painting, pillow, tapestry, or any other item that you absolutely love? An inspiration “piece” can help your simplify and choose the color palette you need for your design. One of my favorite tools is the “ColorSnap” Visualizer by Sherwin Williams. I took an inspiration pic that included all the design elements and colors my client and I discussed. Then I uploaded it into “Colorsnap” and then chose the colors that would fit this project. We have our base neutral colors, mid-tones, and accent tones all in the same app. This simplifies the design process by choosing your colors so you don’t “over design” your color palette. Consistency is Key! Now that you have your color palette, make sure you’re consistent with the use of these colors including hardware finishes and accents. Start with a couple of neutral base tones (whites, greys) and then add in your mid tones and finally limit your accent colors (Continued on page 40)

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though I absolutely LOVE this process, I know it can be a very daunting task for most. Although I’d gladly give away my design sense every day of the week and twice on Sunday...my husband would like you to know that I am available for grooming, designing, and retail merchandising consulting. ▀ LEEL MICHELLE, ABOUT THE AUTHOR Leel is the owner and designer behind the award-winning Pet Groomer Apparel brand, Retro Stylist Wear and the grooming salon and boutique, Bow Wow Beauty Shoppe. She (generally darker colors) so that you is a San Diego native also calling Los Angeles, New York and Italy home. Formal educadon’t overwhelm your design. With loud tion in fine art, art history and fashion design accent colors, less is more. If you are led this animal loving entrepreneur to bring using a dark wood grain to bring in all her passion, talents and knowledge tosome nature, keep that wood grain congether to create a memorable and beloved sistent. Mixing oak, for example and retro business for pets and their owners. In 2006, following 2 previous careers in corpocherry wood in the same space rarely rate retail, and corporate amusement park look good together. If you are going to management, Leel graduated pet grooming use silver hardware, try to keep the finschool to create and manage an awardishes in the same color family. Brushed winning pet grooming salon and pet boutique. nickel hardware doesn’t mesh very well Leel has also grown the Bow Wow Beauty Shoppe brand to include custom luxury kenwith black wrought iron most of the nels and product lines in production to help time. I find that keeping your color the average small business groomer and pet families and finishes similar creates a retailer increase their business profit margin very professional and well designed by improving their pet retail merchandising. space. Although there are plenty of inMost days you will find Leel Michelle at her shoppe, inspiring other groomers & pet retailstances when you can mix and match ers with live Facebook posts on “Pet Boudifferent finishes, this generally retiques,” with her family, or at a trade show quires a design professional to pull it making the world more Fabulous-one smile & off well. In closing, I hope these few tips smock at a time! See will help you to simplify your store dewww.retrostylistwear.com. Read more from herreserved GroomWise℠ at sign Al-A GroomerLeel 40 opportunities and challenges. Copyright © 2013 Find Inc. Allin rights SubscribeBlog www.egroomer.com www.groomwise.com. PetGroomer.com Magazine www.petgroomermagazine.com Subscribe Free

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July / September 2018 October / December 2018

ARTIFICAL INTELLIGENCE ON THE DOORSTEP OF PET GROOMING A.I. PERSONALIZED & FORMULATED       

SKIN CARE PRODUCTS PET SHAMPOOS “SMART” TOOLS CAGE MONITORS “SMART” DRYERS PET TRACKING LAB GROWN MEATS

The Next Big Influence on the Pet Grooming Industry - Part One According to Wikipedia, ”Artificial intelligence (AI), sometimes called machine intelligence, is intelligence demonstrated by machines, in contrast to the natural intelligence displayed by humans and other animals.” Quite often you experience it and probably think nothing it. Do you have a Facebook page? AI is there. FB is not the only social media provider using AI. What about product or service recommendations in your Netflix or Amazon accounts? That’s AI. Moving closer to pet care, did (Continued on page 42)

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you know AI apps are already transforming the cosmetic and hairstyling industries? We got some groomers together and researched the latest AI offerings for the hairstyling industry. All of them are a perfect fit the grooming industry. In this first of a series of AI-related articles we are going to share our research. Get ready for a ride into the near future where AI will revolutionize not only pet shampoos and conditioners, but also how we sell services to pet owners. Finally we will take an initial peek at the future of our grooming tools, equipment and caging made possible with AI.

AI in Today’s Hairstyling Industry According to an Inc. Magazine article, “Soon you may find AI in an unlikely place: your shampoo bottle.” The key factor is personalization of products for customers. Already pioneering companies are formulating shampoo and conditioner products unique to each customer. AI products are not off-the-shelf standard beauty products. AI is challenging the future of standard off-the-shelf beauty and shampoo products found at drug stores, markets and online.

October / December 2018

lations have a high price of perhaps $30 to $60 per product. But increasing sales volume could lead to lower of prices. Prose is a beauty startup selling shampoo and conditioner products with AI. Their software app analyzes 85 data points for every customer. Using the data the Prose app recommends customized hair formulations. No off-theshelf product offers such personalization. Here is how Prose works. As you would expect basic hair characteristics are entered as data points, such as straight, curly or dyed hair. But Prose goes much further with dozens more data points. For example, some data points identify environmental factors such as lifestyle, the presence of smog, regional weather and even eating characteristics such as being a vegan. It considers natural and organic product ingredients. Consultants assist customers to properly enter their data into the Prose app for analysis. Prose then delivers instructions for a custom ingredient formulations, and orders for the products are taken. What about a Prose-like app for pet groomers? Collecting several dozen

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data points for pet hair and skin would be a similar process. Environmental data points would likely include if the pet is largely indoors or outdoors, and weather patterns where the pet lives. Other data points would consider for double-coated dogs, shedding characteristics, proneness for matting and styling requirements. Pet owner preferences would round out the many data points pet nutrition considerations, personality traits and lifestyle. For example, does the dog swim in pools, or run on sandy beaches and play in saltwater? Grooming consultants enter the data points and let the pet care AI app create custom formulations. Orders are taken for the personalized products. Groomers can take delivery of the products or pet owners can take delivery at their homes. Doesn’t that sound fun?

October / December 2018

At present Prose uses 76 natural ingredients for its hairstyling formulations based on the 85 data points analysis. More than 50 billion combinations are possible. Salons (as would groomers) partner with the AI app company (Prose), earning commissions from the sales they make. At present Prose pays a 25% commission to salon owners ordering formulations. Adapting such apps to pet grooming is not a far reach. AI is not more valuable than the groomers. Their styling experience is critical to ensuring their customers correctly answer all the data point questions for their pets. If this information sounds a bit out there. It isn’t. Here is a short list of major names in the beauty industry that are well on their way to AI products and sales. They include:

As this process gets increasingly auto L’Oreal mated AI product prices would remain  Coty higher than standard off-the-shelf prod ModiFace uct yet mitigate with volumes of orders.  Sephora Who knows? Maybe retailers and groom Estee Lauder ers will offer the app on kiosks and take  CoverGirl orders for customized formulations. Perhaps groomers will simply run the app Perfect Corp debuted its first Global AI (Continued on page 44) on their business eGroomer Journal computers. Copyright © 2011 Find A Groomer Inc. All rights reserved 43 PetGroomer.com Magazine www.petgroomermagazine.com Subscribe Free

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Challenge inviting innovators to develop beauty tech solutions using AI for all product categories, everything from cosmetics, nail polish to toothpaste. What else is AI doing to beauty? Nanotechnology involves microscopic AI creations which are invisible to the naked eye. Our next article in this series will peer deeper, microscopically, into AI and nanotech joining forces in product formulations, and even nanobots. Let’s move on. AI could potentially affect our grooming tools and equipment. Some of the AI tech required has already been in research and development for years.

Star Trek “Tricorder” Smartphone to “Tricorder” Tricorders use AI. They were first suggested in the Sixties in the TV series Star Trek. They provide scientific and healthcare analysis of the living and inanimate. They were compact and very mobile. Earlier this decade a contest offered millions of dollars for a modern healthcare version of the Tricorder. In April 2017 two contest winners were announced. One winner was awarded $2.6 million and the other $1 million.

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Here is a link to read more about the contest and winners.

Not Quite Yet - AI Body Scan Tech It is just a matter of time before smartphones crossover into healthcare devices with abilities to do some health scans of our bodies. Using the fundamentals of Tricorder contest winning models it is easy to see this is the future. It will change healthcare thanks to AI. Imagine scanning your body head-to-toe with your AI healthcare app on your cell phone. Next you phone the results to your doctor’s office without having to make an office visit at this point. AI is likely to go much further and even begin to make initial or potential diagnoses confirmed thereafter by licensed medical professionals. All from the comfort of your home.

What Does This Have to do with Pet Grooming?

October / December 2018

would indicate skin conditions not readily seen by the naked eye. Vet referrals would be in order. Groomers could send scan results direct to each pet owner’s veterinarian. AI could be a boon for groomers offering better assurance pets are in tolerant shape for grooming procedures. In fact vets could even send grooming instructions and recommendations along with referrals. Magnification from phone cameras could help groomers determine possible skin issues, and then scan them. Of course all this would be for safety only. Groomers would not be making diagnoses which are the territory of veterinarians. Securing veterinary clearances for grooming could be more quickly achieved with these AI apps sharing data between vets and groomers.

How Will Body Scan Tech Affect Grooming Tools and Equipment?

Obviously this AI human medical techWith basic pet health scans in place for nology is adaptable to apps for veterigroomers surely this tech will advance nary medicine. We suggest a simplified the design and use grooming tools and version of a vet app for pet groomers. It equipment. would be greatly abridged to simply proHere is what we came up with. At first vide groomers with some basic informain this initial article of a series, we contion such as pet body temperatures and (Continued on page 47) 46 rates. Infrared, UV Copyright © 2013scans Find A Groomer Inc. All rights reserved Subscribe www.egroomer.com heart and other PetGroomer.com Magazine www.petgroomermagazine.com Subscribe Free

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sidered what could be done with simple scans for pet heart rates and body temperatures with AI analysis. Imagine a cage bank, as well as single unit cages. Equip each lodging space with a pet health scanning device. Also, imagine a daycare area with multiple pets being simultaneously health scanned from a room-based scanner. Every device would communicate with the business’ Wi-Fi equipped computer running an AI app.

October / December 2018

seizures. In fact AI might predict seizures before they happen.

Cage Dryers with AI Apps Have you thought of this one already? How about equipping cage dryers with health scanning apps? Overheating could be greatly reduced. The entire time pets are in cage dryers the monitoring app would be reading heart rates, body temperatures and environmental temperatures.

There are grooming businesses that continue to cage at least some pets out of constant human observation. That is a floor plan issue we discuss in our book, Floor Plan Concepts for Pet Groomers. Experienced pet care professionals know that not every distressed pet makes a loud noise and must be visibly recognized for being in distress. Scanners could detect distress symptoms.

Cage dryers could be wired to send alerts when temperatures (air and body temperatures) exceed safety levels. If there is no immediate response, cage dryers could simply turn themselves off until reset by groomers making an inspection after being alerted.

Some pets do make auditory alerts but they may not be heard over excessive decibels of noise by loud dryers or vacuums. Visible scan data pets in a commotion.

Grooming Tool AI Notifications

Pets burned alive in such cage dryers would become tragedies of the past. AI can save lives.

Recently we heard about upcoming paper thin stickers applied to plants in gardens. They have micro Wi-Fi connections and will inform property owners perhaps via “Alexa” when they need watering.

Constant health scanning in cage banks, play areas or grooming tables would alert groomers when pet reading indieGroomer Journal Copyright © 2011 Find A Groomer Inc. All rights reserved cate distress and health alarms, such as PetGroomer.com Magazine www.petgroomermagazine.com Subscribe Free

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Certainly grooming tools could benefit from AI too. Blades that get too hot and cause burns could inform the clippers to shut off until blades are replaced. Blades could warn of damaging humidity and the need for oil. Shears could advise you when they require sharpening or cleaning by adding intelligent nanotech molecules in molded metals. Perhaps embedded nanobots will keep them sharper longer. In our next issue we will have more to share on the future of AI in pet grooming services and the tools of the trade.

Lab-Grown Meats According to an article in the Washington Post, “Lab-grown meat is in your future, and it may be healthier than the real stuff.” For years AI has been assisting scientists and businesses working full steam on lab-created meat. Some say it even tastes better or it is indistinguishable. Raising livestock for billions of people is anything but environmentally-friendly. How many thousands and thousands of miles of forest were destroyed to raise beef for fast food burgers?

October / December 2018

today. Apparently lab grown meats would reduce the need for land by 99% and the need for water by 90%. Electrical power requirements are not a positive factor. However countermeasures are being taken to override the electrical demands. What does this have to do with pet grooming? Many places that provide grooming services also sell pet foods. Even more groomers sell treats with some meat components. We agree that it is very likely that in the next decade pet groomers will be selling cultured or grown meats in retail pet foods and treats. Some people are bound to find the idea distasteful for their consumption, at least at first. These meats are very likely to make it into processed foods. Will that have to be disclosed? We have talked with someone who has actually eaten some and said the taste was not distinguishable from today’s livestock meats.

What made this possible? AI. The entire growth process is monitored by AI. In the next issue of PetGroomer.com Magazine Winter 2019 we will explore In this same article it mentions there is more AI potentials for the pet grooming 48 2013 Find A Groomer Inc. All rights reserved a 56% demand for moreCopyright meat©from Asia industry. ▀ Subscribe www.egroomer.com PetGroomer.com Magazine www.petgroomermagazine.com Subscribe Free

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by Vera Needham

The Balanced Barber Most pet groomers take balance for granted never thinking about the bag of tricks it takes to get through the day. A normal day in the life of a groomer requires pets to be carried from the washing area to the grooming table. Carrying a thirty pound weight on a slippery floor

can be a recipe for disaster. Adding the squirm factor is something only a groomer can understand. The consequences of falls can be severe. A common slip and fall injury is a broken wrist from placing the hand out to lesson im-

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pact. Many groomers are self-employed or independent contractors. An injury like a broken wrist could severely affect their livelihoods. For this reason balance training is very important. Do you find yourself using handrails on stairs, leaning against walls or resting on the back of your chair or countertops? As we age we use subconscious balance "cheats" that encourage instabilities by weakening the system. To achieve balance our brain processes information received from our inner ear, our sense of touch, and our vision. Information collected through these receptive pathways is sent via the central nervous system to the motor system which responds with appropriate movements needed to carry out activities. Our feet are among the most nerve-rich parts of your body. This fact alone should demonstrate the importance of touch to walking, and the benefits from going barefoot when you can. When standing and walking, the sole of your foot is the only part of your body connected to the ground. Sensory information from the foot is used by the brain to make subtle adjustments to protect

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October / December 2018 PetGroomer.com Publications

bones and joints all the way up your body. Shoes can impair biofeedback and ankle and foot strengthening properties that are important for balance. The feedback from your feet and joints to your brain is the reason that you can step off a curb. Within milliseconds your brain has both received the essential information and performed the sophisticated computation needed to help you readjust to stay balanced. When we perform a complex movement it throws off our center of gravity so our body and brain have to work overtime to keep us stable. Normally balance control is accomplished automatically without conscious thought. Our balance is compromised when we are tired. There is a higher probability of falling at the end of the day when ankle, knee and hip muscles are fatigued. Often we are not fully aware that we may have weak balance until we try balance exercises. Balance exercises can be done every day or as many days as you like and as often as you like. Preferably adults should do balance training three or more days a week.

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Balancing improves neuromuscular coordination by getting the brain to talk to the muscles. Balance is divided into two types static and dynamic. It is important to start with the easier static exercises before progressing. Static balance has very little movement. A great static exercise is to stand at a countertop and lift one foot. Try to lift one hand away from the countertop and then the other. Next see if you can let the hands hover over the countertop. Try to hold this position for 30 seconds before switching feet. We can challenge the visual aspect of balance by closing our eyes for a few seconds. Next try turning your head side -to-side as you balance. WALKING THE LINE Heel-to-toe walking is a great way to challenge balance. Start by holding onto a secure surface and as you progress you can challenge yourself with a 2x4. I like to walk the abandoned train tracks near our house. (see picture, right) GOLFERS LIFT

a ball? The body mechanics they have been taught to use can benefit groomers as well. As well as being a great balance exercise this is a spine sparing method to pick up dropped equipment. Face the object that you are going to pick up. Place all your body weight on the supporting leg. Use the hand on the un-weighted side to lean over and pick up the object. Make certain to keep your back straight as you bend forward at the hips. As you bend let the unweighted leg come off the floor in line with the upper body.

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October / December 2018

For starters hold onto a stable surface with your free hand to help maintain your balance. BALL TOSS A less sturdy base challenges balance by forcing us to make adjustments in order to keep our center of gravity over our base of support. These type of exercises help improve our ability to adapt comfortably to changing surfaces and other environmental obstacles encountered in day to day life. One piece of equipment that does this quite well is a Bosu (see picture, right). The Bosu is a half ball with a flat platform. If you don’t have access to a Bosu, you can easily modify by folding a mat in half and standing on it or using a piece of foam. Any kind of unstable surface will do. able movement such as carrying a pet. Start this exercise standing with both feet together, with one foot up using just the floor. When you feel stable on the floor then you can add a challenge like a piece of foam or Bosu.

Be certain to move slowly with balance and stay safe. It's easy to incorporate balance hacks into our everyday life such as standing on one foot while brushing your teeth.

Try bouncing the ball against the wall or throwing it in the air for a more funcYour dog can be your best ally in the baltional grooming challenge. Groomers ance game. When I walk my boys I inneed to be able to work Copyright with unpredict(Continued on page 55) 54 © 2013 Find A Groomer Inc. All rights reserved Subscribe www.egroomer.com PetGroomer.com Magazine www.petgroomermagazine.com Subscribe Free

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corporate heel to toe walking, heel walking, walking on my toes or rocking from heel to toe. Imagine the challenge of one-legged tug of war or ball toss? ▀

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Vera Needham is a Medical Exercise Specialist, Pilates Pro Trainer and creator of the Barber Stick. She has been a professional dog groomer for over 30 years. Who better than a dog groomer to know the vulnerabilities of the trade? We seem to accept pain as a way of life. With proper exercise and a Barber Stick it doesn’t have to be. For more information: groomfit@yahoo.com.

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October / December 2018

Saving Ears by James M Connors, Director Dog Grooming School of Pennsylvania All too often when we start to groom our cute little canine friends, whether a Shih Tzu, Maltese, Havanese or perhaps a Coton we find a common challenge. Most of the coat may be fine, but we discover to our dismay the ears are tangled, knotty and even matted messes! Time to save the ears. (Continued on page 58)

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Unlike a Schnauzer or Kerry Blue, where you would shave the ears, these small dogs look their best with fluffy ears. Even when filling requests for short summer haircuts, customers usually like to see more hair on the ears. Unfortunately, too many of these pet owners have made no effort to comb or brush their dogs’ ears at home. Now it is your grooming problem to solve. Don’t despair. With the right tools and a little perseverance and skilled ingenuity, many a messy ear can be salvaged. Start with an examination of the ears. A quick attempt to comb out the ear with your steel comb will show you what you are up against. Small knots, tangles, mini-mats may abound, but don’t torture the poor dog by trying to comb them out. First, try a small slicker brush with rapid downward motions. Check the ear again with your comb. Still matted? Try a tool that I’ve had a great deal of success with. The V-Rake by Aaronco. But rather than “raking,” it is better used as a pick. A quick series of downward “picking” strokes will often separate much tangled knotty hair. If it cannot be combed at this point, then reach for the mat splitter. The one with the small steel comb blades will usually suffice. Be careful, for yourself and dog! These can cause cuts if carelessly used.

October / December 2018

try to cut a mat that is on the skin! You will likely cut the dog. You need to see daylight between the knot and the dog’s body to be safe. However, if the mat is tight to the dog’s ear, you will need your clippers with a #10 blade or equivalent. Often these mats are on the bottom edge of the ear. I suggest, shaving the underside of the ear first. Support it with the other hand and go over the flat area. Do not attempt to shave the edge of the ear with the clipper blade. Taking hair off the ear edge should be done with small round-tip scissors while protecting the ear leather between your fingertips. Look at the topside of the ear. You can lift, comb, or brush that hair upward and out of the way to uncover the mat. Then come in with the clippers and shave the mat off going from the center toward the edge. You can then brush the excess hair down and cover the shaved spot. As a final test, take your flea comb and comb through the hair on both sides of the ear to separate all the hair. All knots should be gone. Never send a dog home with mats anywhere on its body. You can finish trimming the excess hair overhanging the ear leather with your curved or thinning shears. Again, always know where the edge of the ear leather is. Ear tissue is easily cut if you

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are not careful. I tell students, “Better a little fuzzy than a little bloody.” If it is not a show dog it doesn’t have to be “perfect,” just acceptable and not sloppy. Remember if you cut a dog, no matter how perfect your groom the wound is the only thing the customer will be concerned about. Even a small nick will distract from the rest of your work. Not to mention that it will also hurt the dog! Don’t forget that small double fold of skin on the inside of the dog’s ear near the base of the ear. It can get covered in matted hair and get cut with your clippers if you are not looking for it. I suggest students avoid using the #7

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October / December 2018

blades or longer around the ears because these blades have more space between the teeth increasing the chances of grabbing thin skin like we see on small and medium dogs. “Fear the Yorkie ear,” I say. It is the number one candidate for ear injuries in my experience. Saving the ear is a twofold task. We seek to save hair on the ear when it is matted or has knots. We also want to save the skin from injury during the grooming process. Use a great deal of care around the ears. Don’t be a sloppy or reckless groomer. Our little doggies will thank you for it. ▀

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PET DRYERS Overview and Details by Gregory Crisp, Double K Industries

The knowledgeable selection and proper use of dryers is one of the many important challenges a successful groomer faces today. Ironically, the initial purchase price of any dryer represents only a minor percentage of its “related costs.”

life expectancy of the dryer. While Labor costs are much less pronounced for the cage dryer category, the principle holds nonetheless for all categories of dryers. Foundationally, it is important for groomers to recognize that their most precious asset is their time and to a lesser extent the time their employees spend working.

The most substantial related cost of any dryer is labor. There are also direct operating costs, and costs related to maintenance as well as amortization or 60 Copyright © 2013 Find A Groomer Inc. All rights reserved PetGroomer.com Magazine www.petgroomermagazine.com Subscribe Free

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Many shops have the equivalent of one employee drying most of the time. With a wage of only $13 an hour (plus taxes, insurance etc.) at five hours per day, six days per week the annualized cost would be $23,400. If the use of a more effective dryer would save only 10%, it would of course represent a $2,340 savings to the shop owner. More critically, if the owner is spending 20% of her or his time drying and a more effective dryer selection could save 10% of their time (presuming an eight hour day) the savings annually would be 250 hours or over five weeks! That is precious time that could be devoted to business development or other productive activities. SINGLE OR TWO MOTORS A common illustration of this principle is when a groomer selects a single motor forced air/high velocity dryer because of the lower cost as opposed to a two motor forced air dryer. Most reasonably effective two motor forced air dryers will dry animals about 30% faster than their counterpart single motor dryer. In this scenario the savings per employee would be $7,020 annually and/or the owners time saved would be 750 hours or over 15 weeks annually!

October / December 2018

counsel to them has always been that while we considered our product superior to all others, it was academic unless they absolutely could not afford a two motor dryer. Our position was and remains that if we gave them the dryer at no cost and replaced it at no cost whenever it became necessary that it would generally not make sense for them to use it. This was and is simply because of the critical labor saving advantages of the two motor dryers. It should be noted that the exception to this rule would be the groomer who just does small dogs or just a couple of dogs a day or truly cannot afford the more expensive dryer and intends to utilize the single motor dryer temporarily while they develop their business. Direct operating costs, while less critical, are still substantial. Most effective two motor dryers operate using about 15 amps of electricity at 120 V. This is equivalent to 1800 watts during operation. A kilowatt hour is equivalent to 1000 W for one hour of operation. So the two motor dryer uses 1.8 kW per hour of operation. At an average cost of electricity in the US of 13.3 cents per kilowatt hour the two motor dryer operating at five hours per day will cost $7,182 in electricity annually.

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There are measurable distinctions in drying time/performance between many similar products by different manufacturers in the marketplace. One important point here is that even modest differences in effectiveness can easily result in a product paying for its direct operating costs with a greater number of dogs dried and the resultant increase in revenue. Dryer maintenance and product lifecycle are the least financially critical of the issues to consider but here again can still result in a superior product paying for itself in relation to a less effective product one or two times over in its lifecycle.

October / December 2018

understood by visualizing the quantity of cubes – 12 inches on each side (see illustration below) – a dryer could fill with air for each minute of operation. Operational temperature is defined as the increase in discharge temperature over ambient (room) temperature. Velocity is the speed of the discharge air measured in linear feet per minute (FPM). Pressure is the amount of force

BASIC DRYER PRINCIPLES While some groomers research their dryer purchases diligently in advance and many by instinct or experience gravitate toward the most logical purchases an overview of some basic principles followed by some more nuanced detail may still be helpful. Firstly, while all dryers are air moving devices, the determinants of an effective dryer are: air volume, operational temperature/heat, air velocity/speed and pressure. The air volume a dryer produces is measured in cubic feet per minute (CFM). This principle may be readily 62

pushing the air or that the discharge air exerts. The amount of pressure a dryer produces can be measured scientifically in “inches of water lift”. How far the air pressure can push or pull (by vacuum) water up a 1 inch diameter tube is the metric that defines its true “force”/pressure. The “professional” categories of dryers have price ranges from about $100 to

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about $700 depending on quality, materials cost, the number and capacity of motors, versatility, sophistication and manufacturers business models and strategies. FORCED AIR DRYERS An important category in the industry is “forced air dryers.” These are invariably high pressure, moderate air volume and potentially high air velocity products. They typically have “commutator” type motor/fan assemblies which have relatively short life expectancies. Motor brushes generally last between approximately 500 hours and 1,400 hours of operation before requiring replacement. Replacement motor brushes generally last 20 to 30% less time than the preceding set with motor viability usually limited to three brush set changes. This results in motor life expectancies generally between about one thousand hours and 2,500 hours depending on intrinsic motor quality/durability and compliance with proper brush changing techniques.

October / December 2018

Just because each of two motor fan assemblies produces 105 inches of water left does not mean you will get 210 inches of (water left) pressure out of the dryer. The two motor units nonetheless produce substantially more pressure than the single motor units as a whole. The forced air dryers generally produce between 60 and about 170 cubic feet of air volume per minute. A motor fan assembly that produces 124 cubic feet of air on a laboratory bench will not produce that much in a dryer because of “resistive elements.” The resistive elements include air filters, the dryer body, hoses and nozzles all of which the motor/ fan assemblies work to overcome thereby reducing the amount of air produced by the dryer as a whole. Forced air dryers are invariably hot or warm air dryers though most have no heating elements. This is because the air flows through the motor fan assemblies cooling the motors while heating the air simultaneously. A typical single motor dryer will raise the ambient temperature between 25 and 40°F. The typical two motor dryer will raise the ambient temperature between about 40 and 75°F.

Single motor dryers generally produce between 70 inches and 105 inches of water left. Two motor dryers generally produce between about 100 and 150 The elements described above allow inches of water lift. This is important some two motor dryers to produce because air velocity is dependent on air warm air velocities of up to 20,000 ft./ pressure. (Continued on page 65) 64 Copyright © 2013 Find A Groomer Inc. All rights reserved Subscribe www.egroomer.com PetGroomer.com Magazine www.petgroomermagazine.com Subscribe Free

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October / December 2018

m, which is about 227 miles per hour while utilizing a narrow opening high velocity nozzle. Care must be taken of course when employing high velocity air with eyes, ears and other sensitive areas on animals.

Forced air dryers are also widely used with hoses attached and directed into the cages. “Squirrel cage” dryers, generally without heat are also commonly used with hoses directing air into the cages.

I would note here that some manufacturers have advertised their products for years as producing up to 58,000 ft./m. This is impossible as that would be air velocity of 659 mph and would be extremely destructive and dangerous in any case. This illustrates some of the challenges groomers face when researching products and making informed selections.

The greatest misunderstanding and controversy regarding this category concerns heat/temperature. There is legislation in several states and cities prohibiting or limiting the use of this category of dryer. Much has been written about this and the issue of heated dryers in general and cage dryers specifically is a regular topic in social media. It is very important to understand that the use of regulated heat in any drying process is beneficial for animals being dried, reduces risk and speeds the drying process.

Having said this, the short motor life expectancies notwithstanding the two motor forced air dryers still represent the workhorses of the grooming industry for great penetration of thick or double coats, quick drying, stylistic flexibility and the labor and financial advantages referenced earlier. CAGE DRYERS

With respect to cage dryers, the great majority of heated dryers used on cages have inadequately regulated heat. This allows heat accumulation in the cage and the risk of hyperthermia (high body temperature) and its associated consequences including the risk of animal death. The absence of heat in the cage drying process is almost always distressing for the animal and while not as dangerous as unregulated heat creates physiological risk nonetheless including the risk of death.

Cage dryers may represent the least understood and potentially most profitable category for groomers. They fall into three primary categories. The portable units are typically mounted on grooming, veterinary or travel cages. These are generally higher air volume dryers with the most wide-ranging temperature and air volumeCopyright controls. eGroomer Journal © 2011 Find A Groomer Inc. All rights reserved PetGroomer.com Magazine www.petgroomermagazine.com Subscribe Free

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A regular consequence of no heat cage dryers is hypothermia (low body temperature) because the evaporative process while the animal is being dried generally chills the animal and they commonly shiver uncomfortably in the background during the process. A reasonable illustration would be someone putting their wet head out the car window with an outside temperature of 74°F which would result in chilling. Again, while serious risk associated with no heat cage drying is substantially lower than unregulated heat cage drying, older animals or animals with heart conditions can still succumb to the chilling effects of the no heat cage drying process. Double K industries some years ago worked in collaboration with Dr. Joseph Bogarab to research the optimal temperature to maintain in a cage while drying animals. Dr. Bogarab wrote the standard and still most popular textbook on veterinary surgery in use today. Our work concluded that 107°F was the optimal maximum target temperature for cages in which animals are being dried with circulated air. This eliminates the risk of both hypothermia and hyperthermia and creates a comfortable “apparent temperature” for the animal being dried. It also substantially speeds the drying 66

October / December 2018

process over dryers with no heat. The dog’s body temperature generally ranges between 101 degrees Fahrenheit and 102.5°F. The 107°F maximum target cage environment was determined to be completely safe with an operational timer on the cage dryer even if an attendant forgot about or neglected the animal. Double K Industries model 560 cage dryer is the only portable cage dryer existing capable of achieving this objective. It is meaningful to note that virtually all forced air dryers used as cage dryers are using unregulated heat with associated hypothermic risk even though the dryers may have no heating element. Safe and effective cage drying represents one of the greatest opportunities for groomers to save labor and generate revenue. It can easily reduce drying related labor (costs) by half and many thoughtful groomers or already taking advantage of this equipment STAND DRYERS Stand dryers have upright/elevated architecture generally with rolling bases that allow “hands-free” drying with animals on the tables. Increasingly, forced air dryers are mounted on stands with generally reduced motor

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related life expectancy but usually allowing increased versatility including high velocity drying. “Conventional” stand dryers with induction motors as a rule have substantially longer motor related life expectancy because motor life is bearing dependent with motor bearings typically lasting 10,000 to 15,000 hours. Virtually all these units have heat either from heating elements or “through flow” motors in the forced air category. It is important to point out that there is a corollary between air volume and/or velocity and noise. All other things being equal a stand dryer producing twice the

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October / December 2018

air volume will be considerably louder but dry the animal much more quickly. Some manufacturers have invested considerable effort to mitigate “acoustical insult” or excessive noise and a challenge for groomers is to select a product that dries quickly and effectively but is still relatively quiet in relation to air volume and velocity production. On balance, dryer selection is one of the most important decisions facing the discerning pet grooming professional and if pursued thoughtfully can result in direct and proportionate reductions in labor and increases in income. ▀

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What is the National Beauty Tools Sharpeners Guild (NBTSG) by Jeff Andrews, Northern Tails Sharpening The National Beauty Tools Sharpeners Guild (NBTSG) was started years ago as an industry trade group established to advance the knowledge and skills of beauty and grooming tool sharpeners. The organization certifies sharpeners of shears, scissors, thinning shears and clipper blades in order to establish a fair and unbiased evaluation of their sharpening abilities. The guild also provides resources as-

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sisting certified sharpeners with support for optimum business practices, training and the advancement of the sharpening industry. Seminars are held in different areas of the country allowing all sharpeners to test and hone their abilities. Many sharpeners promote themselves as “factory trained,” but what does that mean? To most people it likely means the sharpener was trained (Continued on page 72)

Jeff Andrews is "One of America's Favorite Sharpeners." Along with his years of grooming experience in two of his own shops, he is a "World Class Sharpener" that can sharpen all grooming equipment to better than new condition. Jeff is an author and pioneer of many maintenance and grooming video's and articles. They are for groomers who want to make their equipment last longer and save money on their sharpening costs. These videos and articles are on his website free to download and keep for reference. www.northerntails.com Copyright © 2011 Find A Groomer Inc. All rights reserved 71

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in every aspect of the sharpener’s job, and the company deemed them an “expert” with their products and services. I have been factory trained by eight different companies. The factory invites you to their technical department, or they send a factory representative to your shop. They show you the procedures to maintain their products. For example, they showed how to sharpen a shear and a blade. When they are sure you understand the procedures, and can acceptably observe you performing 72

the procedures, they give you their certification. Nothing else.

Is being certified by a factory enough? NO! Even after being shown factory approved procedures sharpeners may develop bad techniques which lead to poor sharpening. Perhaps it would be otherwise if the factory checked back with the sharpeners ensuring they are still restoring items to factory standards. But they don’t.

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Factory-trained sharpeners may be sharpening incorrectly because no one checks up on after initial certification from the factories. In fact there is no continuing education. Factories have never checked up on me or even called me about my training and present status.

Enter the NBTSG Why is the NBTSG different? To begin with they promote continuous improvement with regular training and several levels of certification. They don’t take sharpening lightly. They offer the training to get a sharpener to a “Master Level” and beyond. It is simply up to the eGroomer Journal

January / March 2018

sharpener to continue training and testing. The NBTSG holds seminars and training all over the country to its members and prospective members. Certification testing is not easy. You have to bring tools back to factory standards within a time limit. Shears or blades used for certification testing are bent, scratched, out of alignment and dull. The insides of blades are messed up too. Taking these tests you have to figure out what the problems are, and bring shears or blades back to the same con(Continued on page 74)

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dition it was when it was manufactured.

shears or clipper blades.

So why am I bringing up the fact that the NBTSG exists? Any sharpener that becomes a member, takes the training and gets certified is not only held to a high standard, but regularly encouraged to maintain their high standards.

The next level is “Certified.” This means a passing score in sharpening and repair of shears or clipper blades.

You can feel very confident when you give your tools to them sharpening. They will not destroy your tools like so many have done to you in the past. The NBTSG has several levels of certification. The first level is “Journeyman.” It means a passing score in sharpening 74

The “Master” level represents a superior score was accomplished in sharpening and repair for shears or clipper blades. The top level is “Grand Master” when the sharpener obtained a superior score to become a “Master” in both shears and clipper blades. The next time someone comes into (Continued on page 76)

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your shop and asks if they can sharpen your tools, think twice. Remember this article and what you learned about the NBTSG. Now you have information about the standards of training and certification. Protect your investment in your expensive tools. I would trust a sharpener who has undergone continuous improvement training and testing and can prove it with documentation. Are you sure being factory- trained is adequate for you.

only use NBTSG sharpeners. There are good sharpeners out there who don’t belong to the NBTSG. However I would trust NBTSG members to sharpen my tools any day of the week. Sharpeners that rely on their past “factory trained” designation and have no recent continuing education are a cause of concern. If they don’t do a good job your tools may pay the price.

Ask about their training status. You have the right to protect your tools. You have the right to know where the sharpener was trained and if they continue to I am not advocating that you should their skills. ▀www.egroomer.com 76 Copyright © 2013 Find A Groomerimprove Inc. All rights reserved Subscribe PetGroomer.com Magazine www.petgroomermagazine.com Subscribe Free

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Northern Tails Sharpening, Inc. You Now Have a Better Choice!

Mail-in Prices Clipper Repair ● Veterinarian Equipment ● Beauty Shears Steel Blades

$6.00

Ceramic Blades

$6.00

Beveled Shears

$8.00

Bevel Thinning Shears

$8.00

Convex Shears

$15.00

Refurbish 5-N-1 Blades

$10.00

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$15.00

Convex Thinning Shears $15.00

We are an Andis & Furzone Regional Distributor and Repair Center Check out our website’s free instructional videos and articles helping you to maintain your clippers and blades. It’s free to download!

Jeff is a Master Sharpener and Certified Pet Groomer. He knows how your tools should perform. He won’t sharpen worn out tools which could harm animals. His office will call you if any of your tools look bad.

Please call or visit our website for mailing information. http://www.northerntails.com/

SINCE 1995

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GROOMING WAGES

by Grooming Business in a Box ® Pet groomer wage systems are a mudpassed down from business owner to dle. They have been for a long time. Very business owner, groomer to groomer. few groomers know the origins of pet There are no formal studies of the topic grooming compensation systems. It is a save the research and experience of the difficult topic to research. Whether accuindustry’s few management consultrate, effective or neither, systems of ants. (Continued on page 81) compensation for pet groomers were 80 Copyright © 2013 Find A Groomer Inc. All rights reserved Subscribe www.egroomer.com PetGroomer.com Magazine www.petgroomermagazine.com Subscribe Free

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How many times have you read detailed studies about groomer compensation systems in trade magazines? It is not common. Perhaps publishers want to avoid controversy. Lack of information and standards often leads to muddles. Groomers can be so defensive about their compensation and operational systems they make, or believe, conclusive statements without any proof. When it comes to financial issues involving pet groomer wage systems, don’t count on getting numbers to backup assumptions. This industry wide environment provides the perfect medium for myths and misunderstandings to exist with little or no examination. Here we are going to provide our facts based on over 55 years as business owners and grooming management consultants. We will generally examine popular grooming myths and misunderstandings adopted by thousands as truth, or accepted as “the way it is.” We may be the exception and provide some evidence to counter myths and clarify misunderstandings. Our publication Groomer Wage Systems details every fact with figures and references. eGroomer Journal

October / December 2018

Problems and limitations continue to exist where they are accepted. Effective grooming business owners don’t put up with them or being told this is the way it is. They are problem solvers, and that makes them leaders. They never make a friend of stress and confusion in their operations. The root of our choice to be a pet groomer is the joy of working with pets, aiding their beauty and health. It’s never about mucking up the joy of our trade with myths and misunderstandings. The mechanics of paying great, steady wages can be taught and in the end business owners can still earn reasonable profit. It may not seem so in thousands of operations, but then again, they are in the midst of muddles sometimes originating from popular myths and misunderstandings. Here are some of the more popular examples if grooming industry myths and misunderstandings.

You have to reduce wage levels to cut payroll costs. Obviously if you reduce wage levels there will be savings for the employer. (Continued on page 85)

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The myth arises when we accept wage reductions as the only way to cut payroll costs. Our publications detail with proof how the organization of staff and grooming assignments reduces payroll costs up to 30 percent without loss of quality or humane pet care. In fact, you can increase wage levels for full-charge groomers and still cut payroll costs by 10 percent. In over 1,000 studies of grooming operations we found the key limiting factor to profitability was staff organization and grooming assignments.

Medium and large grooming businesses favor quantity over quality. It is naïve to imply the size of a business determines quality, or implies less concern for quality. Consider this predicament. There are small one person businesses where the groomers do 12 to 18 pets in an average work day without assistance including intake and outtake customer service. They are more common than you may think. Some bathe several and then cage dry several at once. Rarely are any pets meticulously stretch-dried where it would best support styles. HV drying alone does not replace stretch-drying requirements. eGroomer Journal

October / December 2018

That’s about 30 minutes per pet including big and hairy pets. Could this happen in a large grooming operation. Yes. However, we have seen hundreds where the same pets are given more than double the hands-on grooming time, and no cage drying. In our business we did over 500,000 grooms without cage dryers, or fans. No pet was ever dried except by hand the whole way. So why do some groomers put down medium and large businesses? Are they on the defensive? Quality of the grooming experience and the groom is solely determined by the operational standards of the owner and management no matter the size of the business. Our premium experience for pets is not being left alone whether caged or secured in a more open space without traditional caging. Caring pet groomers pro soothe pets through the grooming experience one-on -one the whole way. No time alone. Ironically a good percentage of larger operations operate this way yet they are all attacked, shamed and labeled as greedy and favoring quantity over quantity. Try judging each operation individually for its merits and deficits, small and large. (Continued on page 86)

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Every pet must be groomed by one groomer start-to-finish or quality and humane pet care suffers. Some special care pets benefit from complete grooming by the same groomer. For the vast majority of pets, what is more important is the quality of the training and supervision of the groomers, assistants and bathers. Compassionate, well-trained staff can make pets feel equally accommodated regardless of them being groomed by two groomers. Many of the world’s best salons for people have separate shampoo staff. The critical issue is the attitude and training of the staff providing pet services, not their numbers.

Commission wages originated from employee demand for them. Wrong! Commission wages originated from business owners, not their employees. Today many groomers think it is just the opposite. It was the financial insecurity of business owners that led to commission wages. The same is true today of thousands of business owners with staff. In the mid-20th century most groomers worked in grooming departments within a pet care business, often 86

October / December 2018

kennels. In the 1960’s standalone grooming businesses started to populate Main Streets across the United States. They hired staff but rarely offered steady compensation such as salaries. Owners realized that piecemeal compensation was not going to last long except for bathers, and even that faded away. Paying steady wages like salaries put pressure on the business owners to take marketing far more seriously and professionally. It was extra marketing work for them compared to just sharing a percentage of whatever business showed up for grooming. As a result the groomers were under stress to never really know year round they would have a steady and equal flow of compensation. In other words, owners created percentage or piecemeal compensation for sole benefit and peace-of-mind. Commission was the solution for the insecurity of owners unwilling to create and maintain adequate pet owner demand keeping their salaried staff busy. Owners transferred risk to their employees working on commission. It is as simple as that that debunks the myth that (Continued on page 88)

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commissions were created by the demand of pet groomers.

Anyone paid by commission is an independent contractor.

We hired many of the best groomers in our area because they wanted steady paychecks guaranteed in the form of salaries.

Commission is simply a formula for calculating wages. It is not a determinant for either employment or independent contractor status. Fact.

Salaries should not pay less. In fact we have trained thousands of owners with our seminars and books to pay the equivalent compensation whether commission or salary. However, some owners do indeed pay less when formulating salaries but know this, that is their choice and not indicative of salaries from well-managed fair employers.

A 60 percent commission groomer earns more than a 50 percent commission groomer.

Every job offer must be examined. Salary or commission is no guarantee of earning higher wages. Yet thousands of groomers today believe that commission wages pay better. The salary basis does indeed offer the advantage of a steady income to meet regular household expenses. When pet groomers accept commission based wages they free their employers of risk meeting what would otherwise be salary requirements. Groomers get paid nothing extra for carrying the burden of that risk. 88

Myth. Sometimes this adage is true, and sometimes it is false. When a business paying 50 percent commission charges pet owners adequately higher grooming fees compared to a 60 percent commission wages business, the groomers paid 50 percent commission actually earn higher wages. Groomers working for commission need to pay more attention to the average service fee of the businesses where they interview.

Employed groomers own the clientele they groom for their employer. Myth. Employees never own the clients of their employers. The financial liability lies with the employer and therein due (Continued on page 89)

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to the risk they are exposed to retain ownership of the clientele. If a new employee brings established clients to an employer when hired, an exception may exist for those clients. How this is handled should be addressed in an employment contract or job agreement. An independent contractor generally owns their clientele list since they are self-employed. If the business contracting them provides them with leads the parties may decide among themselves who owns the clients originating in this manner. In all cases, employment contracts whether employed or independent contractor should state how ownership of clientele is determined, including what happens when employment ends. Employers should have confidentiality agreements signed by all employees making it clear who owns the clientele and their records, and access arrangements to the records during employment and after termination of employment. More important, the Internal Revenue Service, has determined and severely fined grooming business owners who classified their groomers as independeGroomer Journal

October / December 2018

ent groomers yet the owner provided them pets to groom that the owner could not groom. Did you get that, the big Catch-22? Read this again stated in another way. If you are a business owner and cannot personally groom every pet in your business each workday, you obviously must use the services of other groomers, and the I.R.S. has ruled they cannot be independent contractors, they are W-2 employees. Why? Because they are grooming the clientele of the owner, whereas independent contractor groomers would solely be grooming their clientele. Boom! Boom! Fact. Nearly all groomers today classified as independent contractors are not properly classified.

Groomers paid by commission control how many pets they groom. This statement is possible. However, an employment contract should be in place stating the expectations of the owner providing employment. Commission is not a determining factor. It is simply a formula to calculate wages. A job offer and agreement signed by employees is the determining factor and should state descriptions of the productivity expected (Continued on page 91)

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of hired employees. Independent contractors generally have more freedom in controlling the number of pets they grooming because they are selfemployed. However, a contract covering the arrangement between a business owner and an independent contractor may be able to state that the independent contractor groomer is expected to be on-site working “x” amount of hours or days of the week, or the business owner can terminate their contract.

Commission paid groomers don’t have an equivalent hourly wage. Absolutely false. We have published the simple formula several times and it appears in our publications on groomer wages. The concept is simple and accurate. Imagine that.

October / December 2018

months and you might find $22 an hour one month, $21 an hour another etc. We would then average those hourly results and say on average this groomer was being paid the near equivalent of $21.50 an hour even though paid by commission. Almost no commission paid groomers today know how much they are earning hourly. Once you know that average hourly wage you can make a salary offer knowing that no matter if they are paid hourly or by commission, their paycheck would be identical if they groom the same pets in the same time. Amazing, but true, this is a revelation for use in employment negotiations and converting commission groomers to salaries. They earn the same, what is the problem?

In brief, look at the gross wages earned Pet Grooming Business Owners by working on commission. For examThat Don’t Groom Can Make Lots of ple, last month a groomer paid by comMoney in Grooming. mission got a monthly paycheck showing gross wages of $2,500 (before payRarely is this true. When a business only roll deductions). How many hours did sells grooming services it must be a the groomer work? Looking at the relarge, efficient operation in order to ofcords we determine the groomer worked fer the managing non-grooming owner a 120 hours. Divide $2,500 by 120 and moderate return. It is more possible the result is $20.83 an hour. This same (Continued on page 92) analysis could be done for several eGroomer Journal Copyright © 2011 Find A Groomer Inc. All rights reserved 91 PetGroomer.com Magazine www.petgroomermagazine.com Subscribe Free

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when the owner establishes a professional pet bathing department and substantial bath-only grooming demand, and all of the bath-only services are done by experienced pet bathers. The gross profit of bath-only pets groomed entirely by pet bathers or assistants is typically double the gross profit of pet groomers grooming bathonly pets start-to-finish. Many of our consultation clients described as nongrooming business owners changed their financial fate by developing major bath-only pet demand and assigning the demand entirely to professional experienced pet bathers and assistants. We regularly recommend non-grooming business owners to forgo opening new grooming-only businesses. We guide them to consider multiple department formats, such as pet boutique with a grooming department. They should expect most of their personal income from the business to be derived from supple-

October / December 2018

mentary non-grooming department(s). Offering grooming services in a multiple department pet business draws regular foot traffic from pet owners patronizing the groomers, and then spending more in other departments. Non-grooming owners going ahead to buy groomingonly businesses do best when they buy existing grooming businesses employing three or more groomers with positive bottom lines backed by solid financials and tax returns. These businesses should also demonstrate the ability to support expansion in the future.

Summary Myths and facts abound on the business side of pet grooming. The profession has been around a long time and only the last 3 decades has business education become so available to motivated owners. Question everything about management and test it for yourself. It is how we went from problems to profits in pet grooming. â&#x2013;&#x20AC;

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Crispy Legs By Danelle German CFMG, CFCG

I am frequently asked about the placement of leg lines on a lion cut. Is there a right or wrong place to put them? What about blending – should it be done or not? And how do you get all four leg lines straight and symmetrical? When I first developed the National Cat Groomers Institute certification program back in 2007, I had to decide on very specific things like placement of lines on a belly shave, sanitary clip, lion cut and more. There had to be a reason to go with each of those specific line placements. The question is not whether the line placement is right or wrong. Instead it is about what is easiest to achieve while still maintaining esthetics and serving the purpose that was intended by the groom style in the first place. Continued on next page eGroomer Journal

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In regard to the placement of leg lines on a lion cut my goal has always been to accomplish three things:

1 SPEED. When working with cats, time is of the essence.

2 SIMPLICITY. When working with cats, simplicity is best.

3 SYMMETRY. A quality groom will be pleasing to the eye. To achieve all three of the above, it helps tremendously to have a point of reference to work with. The closer the point of reference is, the easier it is to be consistent, and in this case, end up with straight, symmetrical lines. 96

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The Dog Spa Academy Norwood, New Jersey NASH APPROVED

Stacey Herbert, owner, is a:     

Nash Academy Graduate Professional groomer with over 25 years of experience Show Groomer Certified Grooming Instructor Online Course Instructor for Nash Academy and Dog Spa Academy

www.gotothedogspa.net

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On the foreleg, it is very easy to set a straight line if the elbow joint is used as a reference point guide. Working in a “back, front, sides” method, shave up and past the elbow approximately ½”. The foreleg must be raised to do this correctly, taking care not to hold it in such a way that the skin gets shifted out of place. (Please note: NEVER shave over folded or wrinkled skin. The skin MUST be pulled taut!) Next, set the line at the front of the foreleg, right at the bend of the elbow. Then connect the back and front lines at each side of the foreleg in a dot-to-dot method. If the back and front sections were done correctly, the start or end of each of those should be visible when looking at the side of each leg. The start and end of the back and front lines serve as the reference point for shaving the sides. Simply connect the “dots.” When completed, reverse-shaved finish (with a #10 blade) should meet up to unclipped hair just below the elbow. This creates a very crisp, defined line. Check to be sure both foreleg lines are symmetrical. If both front and back of the elbow serve as the reference point, and the method of “back, front, sides” is used, symmetry is usually quite easy to achieve. Working a mere ½” from the reference point makes it faster and easier to stay on track, especially when dealing with a particularly wiggly cat. 98

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October / December 2018

For the rear legs, set the line just above the ankle. Going below the ankle makes it difficult to get a straight line because of the contours of the ankle and heel. Placing the line just inside the “dip” above the ankle makes it very easy to get both sides even and straight. Again, reverse-shaved finish should meet unclipped hair at a very distinct line. Stopping the clipper blade just before it would make the turn to follow the contour of the heel/ankle is key here. Once that turn is made, the line is set lower and the whole process of getting both rear leg lines straight, even, and symmetrical becomes something of a challenge. It will definitely require more time. Remember that time is of the essence when working with cats. If the grooming process takes too long, it can mean the groom doesn’t get finished in order to avoid unsavory results for both groomer and cat. There is no need to do any blending at the leg lines. Doing so will make it look cut and will add a lot more time to the groom. Adding more time can lead to disastrous results and a serious cut in pay (since we are paid for our time!).

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October / December 2018

Is it wrong to shave further down the leg than what I’ve mentioned here? No, sometimes it has to be done when a cat is severely matted down the legs. While it isn’t wrong to do this on every lion cut, it certainly does add more time and makes things a great deal trickier. Going back to the three goals of speed, simplicity, and symmetry, sticking close to the reference points makes a big difference. Skip the blending altogether as it will save time as well as create a neater finish that matches on all four legs. Save the blended lines for the dogs! Let the definition of the two finishes (10 reverse shave vs. unclipped hair) meeting up to one another speak for itself. I’ve seen a lot of blended-out leg lines on cats and, personally, I think it looks messy. My customers certainly prefer the crisp definition to a more obscured blended off leg line – they say it looks neater. I’ve listened to that feedback over the past fourteen or so years and performed my grooms accordingly. It has certainly paid off! More than I could have ever dreamed! ♦ Note: The leg lines on a lion cut are demonstrated on several NCGIA DVDs, including Get a Grip!, Cat With a Mat, Here Kitty Kitty, and On the Road With Jodi and Danelle. Visit www.nationalcatgroomers.com for cat grooming school, certification and products info. Danelle German, CFMG, CFCG Danelle German owned and operated CFA’s Bara Cattery from 1999-2005. During that time she produced and showed many National and Regional Award Winning Persians including CFA’s 3rd Best Cat in Premiership in 2005. She retired from showing to focus solely on her felineexclusive spa and resort, The Catty Shack, Ltd. Although the salon has only been open since mid-December 2003, it boasts an ever- growing clientele of over 2000. Danelle is a member of Foothills Felines Cat Club, serving as President and Show Manager for a number of years. She has authored several articles for publications such as “Groomer to Groomer” and “Pet Spa and Boutique” as well as the world’s largest cat grooming book, The Ultimate Cat Groomer Encyclopedia. Recognized internationally as an expert on all aspects related to feline grooming, she has been interviewed for various publications and programs such as Kittens USA and Discovery Channel and has appeared on Animal Planet’s “Cats 101.” See www.nationalcatgroomers.com. 100

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It’s commonly known that all brands of A-5 blades fit any brand of A-5 clippers. What is not commonly known relates to blade sizes. Most brands Journal of A-5 blades have similar sizes, but how they perform varies. differences in order to avoid eGroomer January / March 2014 107Manufacturers must use designPetGroomer.com Publications patent and copyright infringement. The most common difference between brands is the blade thickness. Similar manufacturer sizes may cut at different heights. You could be in for a surprise if you change brands of the same size blade only to discover the cut is different! For your convenience Jeff at Northern Tails Sharpening prepared the multiple manufacturer reference charts below for blades and snap-ons. Be sure to check Jeff’s web site at www.northerntails.com for helpful articles, videos and descriptions of his mail-in sharpening services serving groomers everywhere. ♦

Clipper Blade Cutting Heights by Manufacturer BLADE SIZE

BLADE CUT

MASTER GRM.TOOLS

LAUBE

WAHL

KLEAN CUT

OSTER

ANDIS

Inches

1/125

0.2

0.5

0.2

1/100

0.3

0.6

0.1

0.3

3/50

—

0.4

1/50

0.5

0.8

0.2

0.5

3/64

1.2

1.0

1.3

1.0

1.2

1/16

1.6

1.5

1.8

1.5/1.6

1.0

1.5

10W

3/32

2.4

—

5/64

2.0

1.5

1.0/2.0

2.0

8.5

7/64

2.8

—

2.0

2.8

1/8

3.2

4.0

3.2

3.0

3.2

1/4

6.4

6.0

6.3

6.0

6.3

3/8

9.5

9.6

8.0

9.5

9.0

9.5

1/2

12.7

13.0

10.0

12.0

13.0

12.0

5/8HT

5/8

15.9

16.0

—

16.0

3/4HT

3/4

—

19.0

T-84

3/16

—

2.4

Snap-On Comb Sizes & Cut Lengths by Manufacturer COMB SIZE

LAUBE SELF ADJ & X-LARGE

WAHL STAINLESS STEEL

MDC ROMANI

OSTER UNIVERSAL

MILLERS FORGE

Inches

1/16

1/8

1/4

1/2

3/4

9/16

1/2 3/4

3/4 0

7/8

5/8

1/2

5/8

1 1/4

1 1/4 1 1/2

1/2

3/8

5/16

3/16

3/8

7/16

1/2

3/8

5/16

1/4

3/16

1/16

1/8

1/16

3/4

1 1/4

1 1/2

PetGroomer.com Magazine www.petgroomermagazine.com

1 3/4

eGroomer Journal 1 5/8Subscribe Free S www.egroomer.com

7/8 1

Charts courtesy of Northern Tails Sharpening 251-232-5353 www.northerntails.com

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DOG WASH. Can I Help You? Fifty-seven-year-old Denise Jameson, an awardwinning master groomer who has been plying her trade for over thirty-five years, is the manager of Dog Wash, a grooming salon inside a Your Pets store. Denise works long hours, seven days a week, and her only desire is to see her favorite rock group and favorite singer in concert one day. The salon never has a dull moment with pets of all breeds and sizes, and the employees who help Denise groom the animals. There’s Christine, a groomer who brings her talkative, and at times trouble-making, mynah bird, Diego, to work with her every day. Stacy, the other groomer, has two children and is expecting her third one. Working with the groomers are three grooming assistants. There is Kathy, a gorgeous young woman with a beautiful voice, who is determined to become a singer one day. But her constant singing at work gets on the nerves of her co-worker, Bob, who wants to be a veterinarian. And then there is Cheryl, who is content just to work part-time for Denise and part-time as a veterinary assistant.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

J.L. Campbell is a veteran of the US Army, a retired federal government employee, and has worked part-time in a dog grooming salon in Fairfax County, Virginia. She has used these experiences to create her first book.

Their lives intersect with Tony Lovic, a homeless US Army veteran, who would do anything to be employed again. One day, hungry and desperate, he asked his patron saint, Francis of Assisi, to intercede for him to find a job. Then Tony enters Denise’s grooming salon, and Diego greets him by saying, “Dog Wash. Can I Help You?” It is an action that will change more than one life for the better, thanks to the intercession of the patron saint of animals.

“Author loves animals, and knows her dog pedigree. I don't normally Available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and read fiction, however the characiUniverse Publishing/ ters drew me into their lives. I 109 could ISBN 978-1-5320-3794-8 eGroomer Journal Copyright © 2011 Find A Groomer Inc. All rights reserved not put this book down.” 492 Pages Amazon.com Reviewer