PetGroomer.com Magazine Summer 2019 by findagroomer

eGroomer Journal January / March 2014

July / September 2019 Vol. 9, Ed. 3 PetGroomer.com Publications

M A G A Z I N E

GROOMERS... Against All Odds Page 57

11 CBD for Your Dog?

15 Store Rebranding 101

20 Branding Your Grooming Business

29 Set Your Grooming Time Standards

39 Time-Range Grooming Prices

49 Does Grooming Cramp Your Style?

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INDUSTRY CALENDAR

JULY 2019 July 12 to 14, 2019 KenchiiCon 2019 Braselton, GA www.kenchiigrooming.com

July / September 2019 PetGroomer.com Publications

SEPTEMBER 2019 September 12 to 15, 2019 Groom Expo Hershey, PA www.barkleigh.com OCTOBER 2019

July 19 to 21, 2019 Groom Texas Houston, TX www.txgroom.com

October 10 to 13, 2019 New England Grooming Show Sturbridge, MA www.newenglandgrooms.com

AUGUST 2019 August 8 to 11, 2019 All American Grooming Show Schaumburg, IL www.barkleigh.com

August 20 to 22, 2019 SuperZoo Las Vegas, NV www.superzoo.org

October 25 to 27, 2019 34th Annual NDGAA Fun in the Sun Orlando, FL www.ndgaa.com NOVEMBER 2019 November 11 to 14, 2019 Pet Boarding & Daycare Expo Hershey, PA www.barkleigh.com

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July / September 2019

CBD for Your DOG? Does your furry friend whine, cry, or

Whatever triggers fear and anxiety in

bark when you leave the house? Do you

your best friend, you want to help.

come home to find shredded pillows,

You’ve tried everything, from toys to

overturned garbage cans, or a slobbery

distract, weighted vests to calm, music

pile that used to be your favorite run-

to soothe, or creating a safe space in a

ning shoes? If so, you’re not alone:

quiet room. Maybe you’ve even re-

Separation anxiety is one of the most

sorted to prescription medications, but

common behavior problems, diagnosed

are concerned about long-term side ef-

in 20 percent to 40 percent of dogs re-

fects.

ferred to animal behavior specialists. Or maybe your dog is afraid of sudden noises, thunderstorms, or your eGroomer Journal

Have you considered CBD? CBD, or cannabidiol, is a compound

neighbor’s overly loud motorcycle.

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July / September 2019

found in cannabis and hemp. Dr. Jerry

the U.S. alone by 2022. For the love of

Klein, The American Kennel Club’s

their pets and to provide some support

Chief Veterinary Officer says it is essen-

for a wide range of issues, people are

tial to note that in most cases, CBD

sparing no expense and making CBD

does not contain delta-9-

one of the fastest-growing pet-related

tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the com-

markets in the country.

pound that gives marijuana its psychoactive properties. In fact, most CBD products are derived from hemp and not from marijuana.

An alternative approach CBD pet products were born out of necessity. As people used marijuana for their own applications, many tried sharing these same

Even in states where marijuana has not

products with their pets in the form of

been legalized, CBD products are gain-

edibles, often with dangerous results.

ing tremendous popularity. It is only

These products, created and marketed

natural, then, that people want to try to

for humans, contain THC, which, like

provide the same natural relief they’ve

chocolate or grapes, can be toxic and

found to their furry friends. To that end,

even lethal for animals. According to

CBD pet products are popping up every-

the ASPCA Poison Center, dogs account

where, from pet boutiques, online retail-

for nearly 95 percent of pet marijuana

ers, and veterinary clinics.

poisonings.

Sparing no expense

Searching for prescription-drug alterna-

Last year, Americans spent $33 billion on pet food and treats, while sales of CBD pet products quadrupled to $32 million from $8 million in 2017, according to the Brightfield Group. The canna-

tives, an increasing number of pet owners are turning to CBD for their companion animals. According to PetMD , a survey published in the Journal of the American Holistic Veterinary Medical

bis-focused research firm estimates the 12

(Continued on page 14)

market could balloon to $1.16 billion in

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July / September 2019

Association found that, out of 632 peo-

ing, understanding the ingredients, and

ple, 72 percent reported using or hav-

ensuring there is little or no THC in the

ing used a hemp product for their dog

product.

(and 104 tried it with their cat) and 64 percent felt that it helped their pets. Consult with your veterinarian As with any product or wellness regimen intended for the well-being of your pet, you should discuss CBD with your veterinarian. Age, weight, breed, and numerous other factors specific to your pet will dictate ideal daily measurements. And because CBD products are still largely unregulated, quality can vary from manufacturer to manufacturer and even product to product.

Used with careful consideration and common sense, CBD could be the safe and effective alternative you’ve been searching for to help your best friend. Your pup – and your favorite running shoes – will thank you! About Paw CBD Paw CBD offers a variety of veterinarian-formulated tinctures, treats, and topicals for pets. We use only quality ingredients and premium CBD derived from non-GMO hemp that is a result of safe and organic farming methods. Our

It's important for pet owners to under-

unique, hybrid manufacturing process

stand how products work and what

ensures your pet gets all the natural

quality controls are in place to ensure

goodness CBD has to offer in a THC-

safe ingredients and use. Do your re-

free product you can give with confi-

search, and follow some important

dence. Visit pawcbd.com for our full

guidelines like looking for proper sourc-

line of products. ►

Disclaimer: Any information provided should not be considered or treated as medical advice; always consult a veterinarian before changing your pet’s health regimen. Products and information mentioned are not intended to be used as a substitute for medical diagnosis, advice, or treatment. Any links to third-party websites are provided as a convenience only and Paw CBD is 14 Copyright © 2013 Find A Groomer Inc. All rights reserved Subscribe www.egroomer.com not responsible for their content. PetGroomer.com Magazine www.petgroomermagazine.com Subscribe Free

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July / September 2019

Store Rebranding 101 There are different reasons why a company may need to rebrand. Perhaps your lease is up, you need more space, you’re buying a new building, adding services, or you just need a modern brand update to capture a new generation of clients. Whatever the reason for your rebranding it’s important to cover the basics to make sure your rebranding efforts are well executed. When rebranding your business, it’s important to research and

learn from our high profile corporate cousins. This will help us navigate the good and bad examples of rebranding. Many successful companies have come out on top due to their rebranding efforts and even more companies missed the mark completely. The latter tend to be companies that at one time had such big market share, they thought they were “too big to fail.” Think Blackberry vs Apple, Pizza Hut vs Dominos, Sears and Kmart vs Target, and Keds vs Addidas. Some brands also experience periods of loss, bad press, or major restructuring that required a “rebirth” to assist in negating the negativity. This sort of rebranding can also acquire a new group or generation of clientele to give a much needed boost to shareholders’ bottom line.

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15page 16) (Continued on

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In starting the transition of your business rebrand, first ask yourself why are you rebranding? This will often assist you in determining the what, why, and how to rebrand your already established business.

July / September 2019

signer to change all your digital artwork. Look at examples of their work and (Continued on page 17)

Below are some essential steps to get you started in a successful refresh of your established brand. To start your rebranding campaign, make a budget and timeline to execute design, order products, and implement your rebranding. Make a list of everything you have to rebrand such as business cards, logo stickers, shopping bags, envelopes, packaging, store signage, website, uniforms, store price tags, permits, licenses, and more. Are you changing your name at all? Think about your digital footprint. You’ll need to buy and forward domains, update hashtags and social media channels and website links. Hire an SEO professional to assist you. Update your trademarks, business permits, license, DBA, bank accounts, legal documents, and everything that legally needs to change.

Leel Michelle 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 is a San Diego native that has also called Los Angeles, New York and Italy home. Formal education in fine art, art history, and fashion design led this animal loving entrepreneur to bring all her passion, talents and knowledge together to create a memorable and beloved retro business for pets and their owners.

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make sure to get a timeline and contract executed so your expectations can be managed effectively. Next, you’ll have to send your new designs to all your printers for business cards, logo mats, storefront signage, letterhead, store shopping bags, and so forth. Does it still “feel” like your brand and is it recognizable as your already established brand? Did you notify your clients, vendors, and or distributors, and set up an action plan to help make their rebranding of

July / September 2019

your product line successful? Make sure you send a letter or email explaining the reason for the rebrand. This helps to “sell” the rebrand and keep your clients and partners in “the know” so they can share with their own connections on your behalf. Rebranding your business is no small task. A positive take away from the daunting task of a successful rebrand is that it can make your business feel new again. This “newness” comes with the excitement of loving your business like when (Continued on page 18)

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you first turned your passion into profit. Much like an owner falling in love with their freshly coiffed pet walking out of the grooming salon...you will fall in love with your business all over again! Until next time…Happy Pet Retailing! Leel Michelle, Founder Bow Wow Beauty Shoppe (Soon to be Bow Wow Dog Bakery) Retro Stylist Wear Inc.

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Branding Your Grooming Business Angela Clark, American Grooming Academy Whether you are a self-employed entrepreneur or a grooming employee, success in grooming is all about building a loyal customer base. The ability to turn each new customer into a loyal patron of your business is the key to success in

the grooming industry. Branding is a marketing practice creating a business name, symbol or design that identifies and differentiates your grooming business from others.

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An effective brand strategy attracts the kind of customers you want and gives you an edge in the competitive grooming market.

July / September 2019



What makes your business special?



Describe your brand in three words.



What three words do you want your customers to use when they describe

Branding establishes what makes your

your business?

business unique. Start by defining these characteristics in your business plan

Take the time to brainstorm your an-

and describe your marketing strategy.

swers. Here are some possibilities to as-

Branding your grooming business re-

sist you:

quires thought and decisions as to what



Safety and animal welfare

you want your business recognized for.



Evening and weekend hours



Only natural products



Specialized styling skills (such as

Soul search to determine what you are most passionate about promoting in your business. Your brand should reflect

scissoring, hand stripping, or creative

your values.

grooming)

Begin by answering these questions. 

What beliefs and values are important to you as a company?



Quality grooming



Special handling skills for difficult or

What does your business do better eGroomer Journal

than anyone else?

older dogs (Continued on page 24)

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reflect your brand’s values, and generate interest when customers view.

Follow the steps below to design a great business logo. A good logo: 

Attracts people to learn more about your business.



Makes a strong, memorable first impression.



Provides customers information about your brand that says it’s right for them.

 

Feline grooming specialist 

Defines your brand's core personality.



Communicates what makes your

Hand drying



Gentle handling

business unique. Check your competi-



State of the art facility

tion. Discover what makes them dif-



Certified groomers or facility

Once you determine and develop your branding philosophy, design a logo to incorporate into all business marketing materials. Include details of your branding and marketing strategy in your busi-

ferent from you and emphasize these differences in your logo design. The design style is very important. Design categories include: 

Classic



Retro



Vintage



Modern

ness plan. Your business logo’s designing has a major impact on how your customers perceive your brand. Your logo should eGroomer Journal www.egroomer.com Subscribe Free PetGroomer.com Magazine www.petgroomermagazine.com Subscribe Free

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July / September 2019 PetGroomer.com Publications



Quirky

printing.



Hand made and/or handcrafted.

Business cards are still important today.

Colors have a profound impact on pet owners. Colors have certain emotions and ideas attached to them. Do your colors match the qualities of your brand?

Creating a Business Card Every dog (and possibly cat) owner you meet is a potential customer. Every customer that enjoys your service, is a link to a network of their acquaintances ea-

Choose a type font that compliments

ger to provide a similar grooming experi-

and completes your logo. Fonts can

ence for their pet. An effective business

communicate old-fashioned or new and

card placed in the right hands is a busi-

modern, similar to design styles men-

ness building opportunity.

tioned previously.

A good business card reflects your

Here are some final guidelines for your

brand strategy and will generate busi-

logy:

ness as quickly as a bad business card



Avoid generic and/or cliche logos



Keep it simple for a memorable (and printable) logo.



Avoid trends to ensure your logo won't go out of style by next year.

will be tossed aside. Consider these tips to create a business card, that customers will hold onto, as well as pass on to their circle of friends of family. Your business card should:

If your budget allows: logo designers can advise and complete your logo, to



card to create a positive first impres-

give it a professional finish. They will

sion.

also format digital files for your logo enabling it to be used for online viewing

Include enough information on your



such as in a website. For printing in magazines or books they can prepare

Possibly use bullet points describing the pet care skills or benefits that (Continued on page 26)

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make your business unique. 

Be able to generate new customers and remind them of your name, the

January / March 2019

card for accuracy. If the contact information on the card is not correct, the card is useless.

business name, phone number and

Update your card periodically to keep

location and website URL.

the information current.

Keep your card simple and readable.

Although DIY cards are simple to make,

Less is more when it comes to effective

having them printed professionally en-

business cards. Include only enough in-

sures a professional finish and impres-

formation to entice a call to action on

sion. If there is room include your logo

how to follow through to “make an ap-

and a company catchphrase.

pointment.”

Always have your business cards with

(Continued on page 27)

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July / September 2019

you. Keep cards in your wallet, car, and

your logo use for many years. Such as

coat pockets, so you are never without

business cards, magazine or newspaper

them. Every dog owner you meet is an

ads (or articles), coupons and company

opportunity to market your unique ser-

brochures, again for many years. When

vices. They will know how to find you

you seek formal protection from Patent

when it's time for their next appoint-

and Trademark Office they are likely to

ment. You may want to use your logo on

ask to see proof of how you are using,

building signs as long as they are sized

and have used, your logo for many years

adequately. You can use signs with your

passed. You eventually upload scanned

logo inside your customer lobby, possi-

copies of the evidence with your formal

bly a wall mural or hanging banner.

online request to protect your trade-

If you plan to seek formal copyright protection for your logo save examples of

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mark. Your protected mark may add to the net worth of your business if you sell it. Happy branding! ◄

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July / September 2019 PetGroomer.com Publications

How to Easily Set Your Grooming Time Standards Our goal as employers should be to pay the best wages in return for the best grooming labor we are fortunate to hire. “Best” includes productivity, quality, humane pet care, teamwork, steady attendance and good adherence to policies, procedures and performance standards.

Grooming is all about handson labor. We sell pet owners our labor based on time spent and a share of our operating costs. If we hire groomers we pay them for their time. Time is a huge factor in grooming!

There are tens of thousands of grooming businesses yet few have written grooming performance standards for their employees (or independent contractors). Fairness requires grooming employers to set and apply performance standards to avoid the risk of bias and confusion when judging the performances of their employees. There are several types of standards to set for grooming performances. In this article the focus is productivity and its standards based on the fairness of expected grooming times.

So why do most grooming businesses lack written grooming time standards to ensure fair and accurate grooming prices and wages? Once documented, you can use the Time Range Grooming Prices system to ensure profitability on all grooming dogs, tall and small and cats too. Here (Continued on page 30)

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is how to easily document your time standards. We expect high grooming quality and humane pet care from all grooming staff. Faster, meaning shorter grooming times, is never acceptable where there is a loss of quality or humane pet care. Don’t be fooled by those who feel they must defend their significantly extended grooming times as better quality. Extended grooming time alone is no guarantee of better quality grooming or humane pet care. In fact, the longer the groom the more time the pet is separated from its owner. Well-being declines. Very slow grooming opens the door to more separation anxiety. Setting reasonable grooming times and productivity levels requires a common sense approach. 1) Well-trained, healthy, and experienced groomers should have the highest productivity. 2) New groomers have the lowest. 3) Groomers with temporary or permanent disabilities require adjusted productivity expectations. For the benefit of pets, it is better for new groomers naturally taking more time to complete grooms to start their training with small to moderate sized dogs. 30

July / September 2019

Some job candidates want to work on a basis of productivity to which they feel comfortable. If it matches their employer’s expectations, it can work. Use common sense. Productive employees delivering quality grooming and humane pet care deserve the recognition and compensation that matches their standards. They deserve the best wage levels. New groomers require more time to groom pets while they safely raise their productivity levels with hands-on experience and supervision. They should expect to earn less during this phase until they reach milestones you set for time productivity. When done properly all employees are classified according to fair time performance standards. They earn fair and balanced wages based on their grooming productivity. As a result none of the employees should feel rushed or expected to groom more than the productivity basis for their compensation. Employer expectations should be documented in personnel job descriptions and agreements (see From Problems to Profits book for samples). Changes will occur. For example, new groomers will

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reach milestone increases in their productivity and overall performance. Their personnel files should note evidence of the progress and the adjustments made in compensation and sometimes job titles. Unfortunately almost everything discussed thus far does not exist in many independent grooming businesses. Where it may exist in practice, it may not be in documented form. It must be both or employers are needlessly at risk of employment-related problems. Let’s move on the setting fair and variable standards for grooming times. Setting Standards for Grooming Time Time plays a major role in both groomer wage and customer pricing systems. Grooming is all about hands-on labor. Time is something the effective grooming business manager can easily document daily. The operations forms and computer software used by employees should document time spent on every grooming. Using actual figures, instead of estimates or guesses, owners of businesses can accurately determine average grooming times for their pet clientele.

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July / September 2019 PetGroomer.com Publications

Using average grooming time standards employers can more accurately set standards for the job positions they offer. For example, here are some timebased standards set by Madeline Ogle, author of From Problems to Profits, in her business during the years 19611986. Please consider that during this period high-velocity dryers were not common or available yet, as well as the benefits of quick dry products. Experienced Pet Bather Average of 12 pets a day in 8 working hours. Pet bathers prep pets including ears, nails and de-matting when necessary. They bathe pets and hand-dry them, no cage drying. Experienced bathers do Poodle feet clipping where required. They can finish bath-only pets as needed with “bun and bows,” scissor neaten round feet and between pads as required. They note physical and sometimes behavioral observations of pets on their respective Madson Pet Groomer’s Report and Health Alert forms. For every service, groomers and bathers are identified in permanent written or (Continued on page 32)

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computer records. They also contact the manager when observations indicate a potential health condition which may require veterinary care. The manager signs the Madson Pet Groomer’s Report and Health Alert form when conditions warrant a medical advisory recommendation advising pet owners to seek veterinary care. Bathing Department Supervisor Average of 10 pets a day in 8 working hours. The supervisor does fewer bathing services in order to closely supervise the bathing operation. New pet bathers receive instruction and supervision from the supervisor. Other supervisory duties included restocking bathing supplies, mixing shampoos and conditioners and ensuring the department was thoroughly cleaned and in order for the next working day. The position provides assurance for business owners that all people and pets in the bathing department are safe at all times, and quality control guaranteed.

July / September 2019

Entry-Level Pet Bather Average of 4 to 6 pets day in 8 working hours. Entry-level pet bathers do not do Poodle feet, special care pets, scissoring pet feet or intensive de-matting unless they are in training and under active supervision. Today business owners tell us Madeline’s performance expectations in terms of pets groomed are relatively moderate. Why? Madeline’s business operated before the advent of high velocity dryers and improved bathing products. In the end you as the owner will have to evaluate and set your standards for grooming time. Breed Based Grooming Time Averages We suggest you compile a chart of grooming time averages for your operation. A completed sample is provided is here (page 33), and a blank you can copy on page 35. Keep in mind in the next article of this two-part series we use your completed chart to set your Time Range Grooming Prices system in place. Every business should have a list of primary breeds and their expected average grooming times by an experienced pet groomer, or pet bather as ap-

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Bath-Only Grooming Time Standards Breed Afghan

Mins

N/A

Full Groom Grooming Time Standards

N/A

Breed

Mins

60 / 75

Afghan

90 / 120

Airedale

35 / 45

Airedale

90 / 105

Beagle

30 / 40

Beagle

40 / 50

Bichon Frise

35 / 45

Bichon Frise

60 / 75

Chow Chow

60 / 75

Chow Chow

75 / 90

Cocker Spaniel

45 / 60

Cocker Spaniel

90 / 105

Collie

60 / 75

Collie

90 / 105

Dachshund, Long Hair

30 / 40

Dachshund, Long Hair

50 / 60

Dachshund, Short Hair

20 / 25

Dachshund, Short Hair

30 / 35

Dachshund, Wire Hair

20 / 25

Dachshund, Wire Hair

45 / 60

German Shepherd

45 / 60

German Shepherd

70 / 90

Golden Retriever

40 / 50

Golden Retriever

60 / 75

Great Dane

40 / 50

Great Dane

60 / 70

Great Pyrenees

75 / 90

Great Pyrenees

120/135

Husky

45 / 60

Husky

70 / 90

Irish Setter

40 / 50

Irish Setter

60 / 75

Irish Terrier

30 / 40

Irish Terrier

60 / 75

Kerry Blue Terrier

45 / 55

Kerry Blue Terrier

90 / 120

Labrador

30 / 40

Labrador

60 / 75

Lhasa Apso

40 / 55

Lhasa Apso

60 / 75

Malamute

55 / 70

Malamute

70 / 90

Miniature Schnauzer

25 / 35

Miniature Schnauzer

60 / 75

Newfoundland

75 / 90

Newfoundland

120/135

Old English Sheepdog

60 / 75

Old English Sheepdog

100/120

Pekingese

25 / 35

Pekingese

45 / 55

Poodle, Toy

25 / 35

Poodle, Toy

45 / 60

Poodle, Miniature

35 / 45

Poodle, Miniature

45 / 60

Poodle, Standard

60 / 75

Poodle, Standard

90 / 105

Portuguese Water Dog

55 / 65

Portuguese Water Dog

90 / 105

Samoyed

60 / 70

Samoyed

90 / 105

Scottish Terrier

25 / 40

Scottish Terrier

60 / 75

Sheltie

45 / 60

Sheltie

60 / 75

Shih Tzu

40 / 55

Shih Tzu

60 / 75

Soft Coated Wheaten

55 / 70

Soft Coated Wheaten

60 / 75

Springer Spaniel

40 / 55

Springer Spaniel

60 / 75

Welsh Terrier

30 / 45

Welsh Terrier

60 / 75

West Highland White

25 / 40

West Highland White

60 / 40

Wire Fox Terrier

30 / 40

Wire Fox Terrier

60 / 75

Yorkshire Terrier

25 / 40

Yorkshire Terrier

55 / 65

MIXED BREED

Mins

N/A

N/A.

MIXED BREED

Mins

Cockapoo

25 / 40

Cockapoo

55 / 65

Goldendoodle

45 / 60

Goldendoodle

75 / 105

CATS eGroomer Journal Cat, Long Hair

Mins 30 / 45

Cat, Short Hair

25 / 30

Mins 55 / 65 45 / 55

N/A

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plicable. State a range of time not spread by more than 15 minutes. For example, state the time in this format, 45 to 60 minutes. Ranges account for variables in the sizes of pets. There are small Shelties and large Shelties. Ranges are not only required due to pet sizes.   



How modern is your equipment? Are you using high-velocity dryers? Are you using products that speed up the drying process? Are you using low quality scissors instead of high grade scissors? We know excellent groomers including ourselves that found scissoring time was cut by up to one-third when they used better quality precision shears. These are but a few reasons why grooming times must be stated in ranges. Are you distracting your groomers by having them answer phone calls or do front reception duties too? If groomers or bathers are allowed unlimited access to personal use of their cell phones doesn’t that affect your grooming time standards?

July / September 2019

times specific to your state of operation and expectations. We suggest putting a copy of your completed chart in your employee handbook. Have job candidates review copies too. Refer to the chart when you state expectations for the number of pets to be bathed or groomed on personnel documentation. If you state 12 bath and dry services in 8 hours (480 minutes) your expectation is an average of 40 minutes per service. Refer to your chart. How possible is that goal on a regular basis when many of your bath and dry times are well over 40 minutes? Be reasonable. Time Range Grooming Prices Once you set your grooming time standards it’s time to look at your pricing system. Remember you are selling grooming and we have to cover our operating costs too. Using the Time Range Grooming Prices many groomers discover costly errors in their original pricing systems of which they had no idea. Many find prices do not fairly match the time spent by groomers on groomers. It can be an eye-opener.

Don’t use another business’ chart of grooming times without updating the 34

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Bath-Only Grooming Time Standards Breed

Mins

N/A

Full Groom Grooming Time Standards

N/A

Breed

Afghan

Airedale

Beagle

Bichon Frise

Chow Chow

Cocker Spaniel

Collie

Dachshund, Long Hair

Dachshund, Short Hair

Dachshund, Wire Hair

German Shepherd

Golden Retriever

Great Dane

Great Pyrenees

Husky

Irish Setter

Irish Terrier

Kerry Blue Terrier

Labrador

Lhasa Apso

Malamute

Miniature Schnauzer

Newfoundland

Old English Sheepdog

Pekingese

Poodle, Toy

Poodle, Miniature

Poodle, Standard

Portuguese Water Dog

Samoyed

Scottish Terrier

Sheltie

Shih Tzu

Soft Coated Wheaten

Springer Spaniel

Welsh Terrier

West Highland White

Wire Fox Terrier

Yorkshire Terrier

MIXED BREED

Mins

$ Rate

Est. Price Range

MIXED BREED

Cockapoo

Goldendoodle

CATS Journal eGroomer

Mins

$ Rate Est. Price Range Copyright ÂŠ 2011 Find A Groomer Inc. AllCATS rights reserved

Cat, Long Hair

Cat, Short Hair

Mins

N/A

Mins

$ Rate

Est. Price Range

Mins

$ Rate

Est. Price Range 35

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July / September 2019

Time-Range Grooming Prices How Accurate is Your Profitability for Every Groom This is the second article of a two-part series starting with Benefits of Setting Your Grooming Time Standards, see page 29 of this issue. Groomers primarily sell their grooming time to pet owners. Their prices also recover a share of their operating costs for every groom. Since time is the primary commodity sold by groomers there must be an accurate relationship between the amount charged for services relative to the amount of grooming time sold for every groom. Sometimes the accurate characteristic of that relationship is not evident. It also tends to undercut the profitability of the affected groomer. Examples: 

Miniature Poodle, full groom (bath and style). No dematting. “Lamb” style. Time to complete: 60 minutes. Fee: $60 eGroomer Journal



Great Pyrenees, full groom (bath and style). No dematting. Even length all over style. Time to complete: 115 minutes. Fee: $100

Compare time and fees. The Miniature Poodle is easy to calculate. The price is $1 a minute for the groom. The groomer did not actually charge by the hour. The pricelist simply says Miniature Poodles are $60 for a full groom. On the other hand, the price for the Great Pyrenees full groom is not $1 a minute. At $100 for a 115 minute full groom the fee by minute is 87 cents. Most pricing studies indicate that the larger the dog some groomers simply don’t charge the same grooming rate if (Continued on page 40)

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July / September 2019

you break the price down by minutes of grooming time required.

ting Your Grooming Time Standards (page 29).

Are these groomers shy to charge higher fees based on equivalent time? Many of us think so.

These standards are essential to personnel management duties. Entry-level groomers you hire can see the reasonable productivity levels you expect of them as they gain experience. When setting pay rates higher productivity should be compensated more. In other words you could prepare one of these charts for entry level personnel and one for experienced groomers.

It could also be the pricing system didn’t take into account accurate grooming times. Even if this happens once a day over a year period the groomer could easily lose $2,000 or more. Groomers working 5 days-a-week groom 260 days a year. If the groomer doesn’t adequately charge for large dogs and loses $10 a day, that is $2,600 a year. Providing hourly grooming services could the resolve the problem. However, most pet owners don’t want to pay by the hour for grooming. There is an alternative. How grooming time accurate is your pricing system? There is an easy way to better align your grooming prices with the amount of time you spend for each groom. We call it Time Range Grooming Prices.

On the following page is a copy of a completed Grooming Time Standards chart showing a range of time for grooming services by breed and organized by bath-only or full-groom services. Keep in mind these are average ranges of time for pets in reasonable condition not including time for de-matting, special bathing procedures such as a veterinarian prescribed shampoo let sit for 10 minutes or special care charges for behavioral pets. Notice the chart has two available columns per table marked “N/A.” We are going to take advantage of both available columns and label them for calculating accurate time range grooming

The first step is to prepare a chart of your grooming time standards. We showed you how to do that in a previous article of this magazine,Copyright Benefits of Set40 © 2013 Find A Groomer Inc. All rights reserved PetGroomer.com Magazine www.petgroomermagazine.com Subscribe Free

(Continued on page 43)

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Bath-Only Grooming Time Standards Breed Afghan

Mins

N/A

Full Groom Grooming Time Standards

N/A

Breed

Mins

60 / 75

Afghan

90 / 120

Airedale

35 / 45

Airedale

90 / 105

Beagle

30 / 40

Beagle

40 / 50

Bichon Frise

60 / 75

Chow Chow

75 / 90

Cocker Spaniel

90 / 105

Collie

90 / 105

Dachshund, Long Hair

50 / 60

Dachshund, Short Hair

30 / 35

Dachshund, Wire Hair

45 / 60

German Shepherd

70 / 90

NOTE:

Bichon Frise

35 / 45

Chow Chow

60 / 75

Cocker Spaniel

45 / 60

Collie

60 / 75

Dachshund, Long Hair

30 / 40

Dachshund, Short Hair

20 / 25

Dachshund, Wire Hair

20 / 25

German Shepherd

45 / 60

Golden Retriever

40 / 50

Golden Retriever

60 / 75

Great Dane

40 / 50

Great Dane

60 / 70

Great Pyrenees

75 / 90

Great Pyrenees

120/135

Husky

45 / 60

Husky

70 / 90

Irish Setter

40 / 50

Irish Setter

60 / 75

Irish Terrier

30 / 40

Irish Terrier

60 / 75

Kerry Blue Terrier

45 / 55

Kerry Blue Terrier

90 / 120

Labrador

30 / 40

Labrador

60 / 75

Lhasa Apso

40 / 55

Lhasa Apso

60 / 75

Malamute

55 / 70

Malamute

70 / 90

Miniature Schnauzer

25 / 35

Miniature Schnauzer

60 / 75

Newfoundland

75 / 90

Newfoundland

120/135

Old English Sheepdog

60 / 75

Old English Sheepdog

100/120

Pekingese

25 / 35

Pekingese

45 / 55

Poodle, Toy

25 / 35

Poodle, Toy

45 / 60

Poodle, Miniature

35 / 45

Poodle, Miniature

45 / 60

Poodle, Standard

60 / 75

Poodle, Standard

90 / 105

Portuguese Water Dog

55 / 65

Portuguese Water Dog

90 / 105

Samoyed

60 / 70

Samoyed

90 / 105

Scottish Terrier

25 / 40

Scottish Terrier

60 / 75

Sheltie

45 / 60

Sheltie

60 / 75

Shih Tzu

40 / 55

Shih Tzu

60 / 75

Soft Coated Wheaten

55 / 70

Soft Coated Wheaten

60 / 75

Springer Spaniel

40 / 55

Springer Spaniel

60 / 75

Welsh Terrier

30 / 45

Welsh Terrier

60 / 75

West Highland White

25 / 40

West Highland White

60 / 40

Wire Fox Terrier

30 / 40

Wire Fox Terrier

60 / 75

Yorkshire Terrier

25 / 40

Yorkshire Terrier

55 / 65

MIXED BREED

Mins

Times shown for the purpose of illustration. Set your own times please.

$ Rate

Est. Price Range

MIXED BREED

Mins

Cockapoo

25 / 40

Cockapoo

55 / 65

Goldendoodle

60 / 75

Goldendoodle

90/ 105

CATS eGroomer Journal Cat, Long Hair

Mins 30 / 45

Cat, Short Hair

25 / 30

Mins 55 / 65 45 / 55

N/A

NOTE: Times shown for the purpose of illustration. Set your own times please.

$ Rate

Est. Price Range

$ Rate

Est. Price Range 41

Worksheet for Bath-Only Service Rates Breed Afghan

Mins

$ Rate

Worksheet for Full Groom Service Rates

Est. Price Range

Breed

Mins

60 / 75

Afghan

90 / 120

Airedale

35 / 45

Airedale

90 / 105

Beagle

30 / 40

Beagle

40 / 50

Bichon Frise

35 / 45

Bichon Frise

60 / 75

Chow Chow

60 / 75

Chow Chow

75 / 90

Cocker Spaniel

45 / 60

Cocker Spaniel

90 / 105

Collie

60 / 75

Collie

90 / 105

Dachshund, Long Hair

30 / 40

Dachshund, Long Hair

50 / 60

Dachshund, Short Hair

20 / 25

Dachshund, Short Hair

30 / 35

Dachshund, Wire Hair

20 / 25

Dachshund, Wire Hair

45 / 60

German Shepherd

45 / 60

German Shepherd

70 / 90

Golden Retriever

40 / 50

Golden Retriever

60 / 75

Great Dane

40 / 50

Great Dane

60 / 70

Great Pyrenees

75 / 90

Great Pyrenees

120/135

Husky

45 / 60

Husky

70 / 90

Irish Setter

40 / 50

Irish Setter

60 / 75

Irish Terrier

30 / 40

Irish Terrier

60 / 75

Kerry Blue Terrier

45 / 55

Kerry Blue Terrier

90 / 120

Labrador

30 / 40

Labrador

60 / 75

Lhasa Apso

40 / 55

Lhasa Apso

60 / 75

Malamute

55 / 70

Malamute

70 / 90

Miniature Schnauzer

25 / 35

Miniature Schnauzer

60 / 75

Newfoundland

75 / 90

Newfoundland

120/135

Old English Sheepdog

60 / 75

Old English Sheepdog

100/120

Pekingese

25 / 35

Pekingese

45 / 55

Poodle, Toy

25 / 35

Poodle, Toy

45 / 60

Poodle, Miniature

35 / 45

Poodle, Miniature

45 / 60

Poodle, Standard

60 / 75

Poodle, Standard

90 / 105

Portuguese Water Dog

55 / 65

Portuguese Water Dog

90 / 105

Samoyed

60 / 70

Samoyed

90 / 105

Scottish Terrier

25 / 40

Scottish Terrier

60 / 75

Sheltie

45 / 60

Sheltie

60 / 75

Shih Tzu

40 / 55

Shih Tzu

60 / 75

Soft Coated Wheaten

55 / 70

Soft Coated Wheaten

60 / 75

Springer Spaniel

40 / 55

Springer Spaniel

60 / 75

Welsh Terrier

30 / 45

Welsh Terrier

60 / 75

West Highland White

25 / 40

West Highland White

60 / 40

Wire Fox Terrier

30 / 40

Wire Fox Terrier

60 / 75

Yorkshire Terrier

25 / 40

Yorkshire Terrier

55 / 65

MIXED BREED

Mins

$ Rate

Est. Price Range

MIXED BREED

Mins

Cockapoo

25 / 40

Cockapoo

55 / 65

Goldendoodle

60 / 75

Goldendoodle

75 / 90

CATS 42 Cat, Long Hair

Mins 30 / 45

Cat, Short Hair

25 / 30

$ Rate

Est. Price Range

$ Rate

Est. Price Range

Mins $ Rate Est. Price Range Subscribe www.egroomer.com 55 / 65 45 / 55

PetGroomer.com Magazine

July / September 2019

price ranges.

How to Calculate Your Hourly Rate

We will rename the first N/A column to “$ Rate.” Then we will rename second N/A column “Estimated Price Range.” You can see a sample illustrated on page 42.

Enter your hourly rate in the $ Rate column. We used $60 an hour in the illustrated example. It made the math easier. Let’s assume your rate is $65 an hour.

The $ Rate column header has many cells below it. Fill them with the same hourly rate for grooming. In this case we will use $60 an hour.

Enter $65 in all table cells in the $ Rate columns. Figure the minute rate relative to the hourly rate. Here is how to do that.

For each row with breed names you multiply the minutes time range by the hourly rate and the result is the Estimated Price Range.

Divide the rate, $65 an hour by 60 minutes. The rate for one minute is $1.08.

It is a simple calculation when done this way. For example. If the rate is $60 an hour ($1 a minute), and the grooming time range is 60 to 75 minutes, multiply each minute by $1. Therefore, a groom taking 60 to 75 minutes has a price range of $60 to $75.

Now we can complete the Estimated Price Range columns. Let’s assume thegrooming time standard range is “45 to 60” minutes. Multiply 45 minutes by $1.08 = $48.60 Multiply 60 minutes by $1.08 = $64.80 Round the prices as follows: $48.60 = $49.00

Ranges help account for variations in $64.80 = $65.00 pet size, weight and coat conditions, afPut both numbers in the appropriate Esfecting grooming time. If the pet is very timated Price Range cells for bath-only dirty requiring an extra bath or two, you or full groom services with a stated can charge the higher end of the price range of 45 to 60 minutes. Write in range. If the pet is abnormally large for “$49 to $65.” the breed or dominant breed for a (Continued on page 45) mixed breed, charge the higher end of eGroomer Journal Copyright © 2011 Find A Groomer Inc. All rights reserved 43 the price range. PetGroomer.com Magazine www.petgroomermagazine.com Subscribe Free

Worksheet for Bath-Only Service Rates Breed

Mins

$ Rate

Est. Price Range

Afghan

60 / 75

$60 Hr

$60 to $75

Airedale

35 / 45

$60 Hr

Beagle

30 / 40

Bichon Frise

Worksheet for Full Groom Service Rates Mins

$ Rate

Est. Price Range

Afghan

90 / 120

$60 Hr

$90 to $120

$35 to $45

Airedale

90 / 105

$60 Hr

$90 to $105

$60 Hr

$30 to $40

Beagle

40 / 50

$60 Hr

$40 to $50

35 / 45

$60 Hr

$35 to $45

Bichon Frise

60 / 75

$60 Hr

$60 to $75

Chow Chow

60 / 75

$60 Hr

$60 to $75

Chow Chow

75 / 90

$60 Hr

$75 to $90

Cocker Spaniel

45 / 60

$60 Hr

$45 to $60

Cocker Spaniel

90 / 105

$60 Hr

$90 to $105

Collie

60 / 75

$60 Hr

$60 to $75

Collie

90 / 105

$60 Hr

$90 to $105

Dachshund, Long Hair

30 / 40

$60 Hr

$30 to $40

Dachshund, Long Hair

50 / 60

$60 Hr

$50 to $60

Dachshund, Short Hair

20 / 25

$60 Hr

$20 to $25

Dachshund, Short Hair

30 / 35

$60 Hr

$30 to $35

Dachshund, Wire Hair

20 / 25

$60 Hr

$20 to $25

Dachshund, Wire Hair

45 / 60

$60 Hr

$45 to $60

German Shepherd

45 / 60

$60 Hr

$45 to $60

German Shepherd

70 / 90

$60 Hr

$70 to $90

Golden Retriever

40 / 50

$60 Hr

$40 to $50

Golden Retriever

60 / 75

$60 Hr

$60 to $75

Great Dane

40 / 50

$60 Hr

$40 to $50

Great Dane

60 / 70

$60 Hr

$60 to $70

Great Pyrenees

75 / 90

$60 Hr

$75 to $90

Great Pyrenees

120/135

$60 Hr

$120 to $135

Husky

45 / 60

$60 Hr

$45 to $60

Husky

70 / 90

$60 Hr

$70 to $90

Irish Setter

40 / 50

$60 Hr

$40 to $50

Irish Setter

60 / 75

$60 Hr

$60 to $75

Irish Terrier

30 / 40

$60 Hr

$30 to $40

Irish Terrier

60 / 75

$60 Hr

$60 to $75

Kerry Blue Terrier

45 / 55

$60 Hr

$45 to $55

Kerry Blue Terrier

90 / 120

$60 Hr

$90 to $120

Labrador

30 / 40

$60 Hr

$30 to $40

Labrador

60 / 75

$60 Hr

$60 to $75

Lhasa Apso

40 / 55

$60 Hr

$40 to $55

Lhasa Apso

60 / 75

$60 Hr

$60 to $75

Malamute

55 / 70

$60 Hr

$55 to $70

Malamute

70 / 90

$60 Hr

$70 to $90

Miniature Schnauzer

25 / 35

$60 Hr

$25 to $35

Miniature Schnauzer

60 / 75

$60 Hr

$60 to $75

Newfoundland

75 / 90

$60 Hr

$75 to $90

Newfoundland

120/135

$60 Hr

$120 to $135

Old English Sheepdog

60 / 75

$60 Hr

$60 to $75

Old English Sheepdog

100/120

$60 Hr

$100 to $120

Pekingese

25 / 35

$60 Hr

$25 to $35

Pekingese

45 / 55

$60 Hr

$45 to $55

Poodle, Toy

25 / 35

$60 Hr

$25 to $35

Poodle, Toy

45 / 60

$60 Hr

$45 to $60

Poodle, Miniature

35 / 45

$60 Hr

$35 to $45

Poodle, Miniature

45 / 60

$60 Hr

$45 to $60

Poodle, Standard

60 / 75

$60 Hr

$65 to $75

Poodle, Standard

90 / 105

$60 Hr

$90 to $105

Portuguese Water Dog

55 / 65

$60 Hr

$55 to $65

Portuguese Water Dog

90 / 105

$60 Hr

$90 to $105

Samoyed

60 / 70

$60 Hr

$60 to $70

Samoyed

90 / 105

$60 Hr

$90 to $105

Scottish Terrier

25 / 40

$60 Hr

$25 to $40

Scottish Terrier

60 / 75

$60 Hr

$60 to $75

Sheltie

45 / 60

$60 Hr

$45 to $60

Sheltie

60 / 75

$60 Hr

$60 to $75

Shih Tzu

40 / 55

$60 Hr

$40 to $55

Shih Tzu

60 / 75

$60 Hr

$60 to $75

Soft Coated Wheaten

55 / 70

$60 Hr

$55 to $70

Soft Coated Wheaten

60 / 75

$60 Hr

$60 to $75

Springer Spaniel

40 / 55

$60 Hr

$40 to $55

Springer Spaniel

60 / 75

$60 Hr

$60 to $75

Welsh Terrier

30 / 45

$60 Hr

$30 to $45

Welsh Terrier

60 / 75

$60 Hr

$60 to $75

West Highland White

25 / 40

$60 Hr

$25 to $40

West Highland White

60 / 40

$75 Hr

$60 to $75

Wire Fox Terrier

30 / 40

$60 Hr

$30 to $40

Wire Fox Terrier

60 / 75

$60 Hr

$60 to $75

Yorkshire Terrier

25 / 40

$60 Hr

$25 to $40

Yorkshire Terrier

55 / 65

$60 Hr

$55 to $65

Mins

$ Rate

Est. Price Range

Mins

$ Rate

Est. Price Range

Cockapoo

25 / 40

$60 Hr

$25 to $40

Cockapoo

55 / 65

$60 Hr

$55 to $65

Goldendoodle

60 / 75

$60 Hr

$60 to $75

Goldendoodle

75 / 90

$60 Hr

$75 to $90

MIXED BREED

Mins

Breed

MIXED BREED

CATS 44 Cat, Long Hair

30 / 45

Cat, Short Hair

25 / 30

$60 Hr

$25 to $30

Cat, Short Hair

Mins $ Rate Est. Price Range Subscribe www.egroomer.com $55 to $65 55 / 65 $60 Hr 45 / 55

$60 Hr

$45 to $55

PetGroomer.com Magazine

Do the same math for all breeds in both the Bath-Only and Full Groom tables. I Don’t Know My Hourly Rate Start by adding up how much you gross a day in dollars from sales of grooming services only. Next, divide the gross figure by the total time worked. For example, you worked 8 hours grooming. Total sales of grooming services was $400. Divide $400 by 8 hours, the rate is $50. Some groomers then add $5 or $10 to the computed hourly rate to recover some additional business overhead costs. In this case the hourly rate would be $55 or $60. In our 2018 national survey of grooming prices groomers we asked the hourly rate of groomers that charge for grooming strictly the hour. Their 2018 average rate was $48.50. Remember that figure is a weighted average for all 50 U.S. states. Overall the range was about $39 (low) to $76 (high) in urban, upscale regions with higher cost of living conditions. Minimum Grooming Service Charge

July / September 2019

have a minimum grooming charge? The groomer who made the charts illustrated here did “nudge” the prices for a few breeds because she has a minimum charge for any bath-dog. Based solely on grooming time and hourly rate, the range for a short haired Dachshund shown on page was $20 to $25. Her minimum grooming charge is $30. In this case her final price sheet, created from the time-based worksheet, showed to customers that shorthaired Dachshunds are $30 to $35. Finalizing Your Price Sheet Using the worksheet illustrated on page 44 you created all the numbers you need. It is a “busy” sheet. Simplify it by removing the columns for Minutes and $ Rate to create a separate finalized price sheet. See page 46. It is easy to read, and some groomers make copies for the public, or a sign. It’s up to you. Keep all your documentation. Next time you raise prices you can simply update the $ Rate column on the backup worksheets with your new, higher hourly rate. In this way you fairly raise prices all the grooming services on your price list. ◄

You may want to adjust a few price ranges before you make a final price sheeteGroomer discussed just ahead. Do you Journal Copyright © 2011 Find A Groomer Inc. All rights reserved PetGroomer.com Magazine www.petgroomermagazine.com Subscribe Free

Bath-Only Prices (includes nails, ear check) Breed Afghan

Full Groom (Bath and Style) Prices

Est. Price Range

Breed

Est. Price Range

$60 to $75

Afghan

$90 to $120

Airedale

$35 to $45

Airedale

$90 to $105

Beagle

$30 to $40

Beagle

$40 to $50

Bichon Frise

$35 to $45

Bichon Frise

$60 to $75

Chow Chow

$60 to $75

Chow Chow

$75 to $90

Cocker Spaniel

$45 to $60

Cocker Spaniel

$90 to $105

Collie

$60 to $75

Collie

$90 to $105

Dachshund, Long Hair

$30 to $40

Dachshund, Long Hair

$50 to $60

Dachshund, Short Hair

$30 to $35

Dachshund, Short Hair

$30 to $35

Dachshund, Wire Hair

$30 to $35

Dachshund, Wire Hair

$45 to $60

German Shepherd

$45 to $60

German Shepherd

$70 to $90

Golden Retriever

$40 to $50

Golden Retriever

$60 to $75

Great Dane

$40 to $50

Great Dane

$60 to $70

Great Pyrenees

$75 to $90

Great Pyrenees

Husky

$45 to $60

Husky

$70 to $90

Irish Setter

$40 to $50

Irish Setter

$60 to $75

Irish Terrier

$30 to $40

Irish Terrier

$60 to $75

Kerry Blue Terrier

$45 to $55

Kerry Blue Terrier

$90 to $120

Labrador

$30 to $40

Labrador

$60 to $75

Lhasa Apso

$40 to $55

Lhasa Apso

$60 to $75

Malamute

$55 to $70

Malamute

$70 to $90

Miniature Schnauzer

$30 to $35

Miniature Schnauzer

$60 to $75

Newfoundland

$75 to $90

Newfoundland

$120 to $135

Old English Sheepdog

$60 to $75

Old English Sheepdog

$100 to $120

Pekingese

$30 to $35

Pekingese

$45 to $55

Poodle, Toy

$30 to $35

Poodle, Toy

$45 to $60

Poodle, Miniature

$35 to $45

Poodle, Miniature

$45 to $60

Poodle, Standard

$65 to $75

Poodle, Standard

$90 to $105

Portuguese Water Dog

$55 to $65

Portuguese Water Dog

$90 to $105

Samoyed

$60 to $70

Samoyed

$90 to $105

Scottish Terrier

$30 to $40

Scottish Terrier

$60 to $75

Sheltie

$45 to $60

Sheltie

$60 to $75

Shih Tzu

$40 to $55

Shih Tzu

$60 to $75

Soft Coated Wheaten

$55 to $70

Soft Coated Wheaten

$60 to $75

Springer Spaniel

$40 to $55

Springer Spaniel

$60 to $75

Welsh Terrier

$30 to $45

Welsh Terrier

$60 to $75

West Highland White

$30 to $40

West Highland White

$60 to $75

Wire Fox Terrier

$30 to $40

Wire Fox Terrier

$60 to $75

Yorkshire Terrier

$30 to $40

Yorkshire Terrier

$55 to $65

MIXED BREED

Est. Price Range

MIXED BREED

$120 to $135

Est. Price Range

Cockapoo

$30 to $40

Cockapoo

$55 to $65

Goldendoodle

$60 to $75

Goldendoodle

$75 to $90

CATS 46 Cat, Long Hair Cat, Short Hair

Cat, Short Hair

Est. Price Range Subscribe www.egroomer.com $55 to $65 $45 to $55

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DOES GROOMING CRAMP YOUR STYLE?

July / September 2019

By Vera Needham

Do your legs feel tight, or cramp up at For happy hamstrings, it is important to the end of a long day at the puppy parlook at the length-tension relationships lor? I’m certain you’ve heard about the between the hamstrings at the back of benefits of stretching but did you know the pelvis, and hip flexors at the front of that stretching the wrong muscles can the pelvis. actually be harmful? (Continued on page 50) eGroomer Journal Copyright © 2011 Find A Groomer Inc. All rights reserved 49 PetGroomer.com Magazine www.petgroomermagazine.com Subscribe Free

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Our hip flexor, otherwise known as psoas, is one of the largest muscles in the body. It is the only muscle to link our lower back to our legs. The psoas can contribute to back pain when it is tight, shortened, or unbalanced. It also hold us upright while standing, and is the key to loosening tight hamstring muscles. The hip flexor is the Ying to the hamstring’s Yang. On the other hand, hamstrings flex the knee and assist with hip extension. If shortened and over-active they draw the pelvis down at the back into a posterior pelvic tilt causing the lower back to flatten out. Flattening of the lower back may cause an exaggerated curve in your upper back leaving you at risk for injuries to upper extremities such as neck and shoulders. Groomers with chronically tight hamstrings will show little or no curve in their lower backs.

July / September 2019

proper alignment of the body we can prevent injuries. It may seem obvious to stretch the muscle that feels tight but consider this. Think of an elastic band. A rubber band stretched as far as possible makes it feel tight. The same is true of an overstretched muscle, like the hamstring. Actually the hamstring is not short or tight at all, in fact it is over-stretched. A tight muscle is a short muscle. Now this is where stretching gets complicated and why randomly stretching can create problems. If we stretch an already overstretched muscle it may tear. There's a right and wrong way for you to stretch and strengthen your body and it's largely based upon your postural alignment. Think for a moment of a teeter-totter. Imagine the board of the seesaw representing your hip bone, and it is in perfect balance level with the ground. That is what happens when the force on one side of the joint is the same as it is on the other. If the hip flexors are tighter or stronger than the board the hip would tip forward. This creates an anterior pelvic tilt and the result is a lengthening of

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the hamstring and an exaggerated curve in your low back. If the hamstrings are the dominant muscle they pull the back of hip or the board of the seesaw towards the ground. This is known as a posterior pelvic tilt and will cause flattening in the low back and tightening the hamstrings. So what happens when you're in this flawed postural alignment and you decide to pick up a heavy dog? If you answered "a pulled hamstring" you are correct. It may not happen every time, but if you're in a flawed alignment long enough, chances are it'll catch up to you over time. So how do we apply these concepts to avoid cramping your style while grooming? One easy way to check your posture is to start with your feet shoulders and back against a wall. If your posture is correct when you reach back and place your hand in the small of your back it should fit perfectly.

July / September 2019

back is flat against the wall and there is no or little space for your hand, there is a good chance you can benefit from a hamstring stretch and hip flexor strengthening program. If you reach back and the arch is exaggerated and larger than your hand there is a pretty good chance your hip flexors are tight and you can benefit from the hip flexor stretching and hamstring strengthening program below. Verify this conclusion by lifting one thigh towards your chest with the knee bent beyond 90 degrees. If you can hold this position for more than twenty seconds your hip flexors are strong. If the knee drops below 90 degrees in less than 20 seconds, your psoas is weak and needs strengthening. Remember to always stretch the tight muscle before you strengthen the weak one. That's the long and short of it. Now what can you do? I have 2 plans. Plan A is for groomers with flat backs. Plan B assists groomers with exaggerated low back curve. Take a look on the next page.

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PLAN A Groomers with Flat Backs 1. Hamstring Stretch Knee Bent This stretch is important because it targets the knee side of the hamstring. Start this exercise lying on your back. Hamstring Stretch Knee Bent

Next bend your thigh up and hold behind the knee. Make certain to keep the knee as close to your chest as possible as hold as you straighten the leg. Hold for 30 seconds. 2. Straight Leg Lift Start by lying on your back with one leg propped up and the other on the floor. A doorway or a tree is great for this exercise. Lift the leg on the floor up to the same height as the supported leg and lower with control.

Straight Leg Lift

Now let’s look at Plan B on the next page.

Repeat 10 to 15 times for each leg. eGroomer Journal

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PLAN B Groomers with Exaggerated Low Back Curve 1. Hip Flexor Stretch Start by lying on your stomach. Next lengthen one leg out and flex the foot on the extended leg. Bend the extended leg imagining you have an orange behind your knee and you want to juice it.

Hip Flexor Stretch

Next, become heavier on the front side of the hip with the bent knee and imagine sliding the bent knee away from your head to create length in the front part of the hip. Hold for 30 seconds. 2. Bridging Bridging

Start on your back with knees bent. Think of staying level though the shoulders as you squeeze your buttocks and lift.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Vera Needham is a Medical Exercise Specialist, pilates trainer and has been a dog groomer for over 35 years. Vera invented the Tubee-Fit training tool for groomers. The Hold for a 5 count. Repeat 10 to 15 Tubee has proven to be a wonderful addition times. to her older adult classes and in long term care facilities. If you have any Groomfit quesNo more cramping your style while tions or want more information about the Tubee contact VeraSubscribe at groomfit@yahoo.com. grooming! ► 54 Copyright © 2013 Find A Groomer Inc. All rights reserved www.egroomer.com PetGroomer.com Magazine www.petgroomermagazine.com Subscribe Free

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GROOMERS Against All Odds

Since publishing PetGroomer.com in ing Business in a Box® series, we met 1997 we have made contact with tens even more groomers and career seekof thousands of pet groomers. As pubers. Holding workshops on the lishers of books like From Problems to “business side” of the grooming we met (Continued on57 page 58) ProfitseGroomer in petJournal grooming, andCopyright the Groom© 2011 Find A Groomer Inc. All rights reserved PetGroomer.com Magazine www.petgroomermagazine.com Subscribe Free

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even more. Those workshops had tears and joy and bold proclamations from groomers wishing they had learned more about the business side early on.

and fortitude to face the adversity that would stop most from becoming a pet groomer, and sometimes to prevail as a grooming business owner.

GroomerTALK Community is in its twenty-second year. We have learned as much from our members as they have with others that share! With nearly 750,000 board messages to research, and more daily, our office frequently receives calls from groomer wannabes, career seekers. Some are sitting in cubicles in high-rises reading the board while working mainstream jobs. They wonder, “Can I make it as a groomer?” It’s been our pleasure to help thousands of them that reach out. We point them in multiple directions as appropriate.

For the purpose of this article they all share one geographical aspect, they do not live in North America. We are going to hop the world. Some were fortunate enough to come to the United States to learn to groom and then returned home to face sometimes immense adversity towards pet care professionals.

WHO REALLY STANDS OUT Who really stands out among thousands of contacts? We call them the groomers against all odds. We never knew of the adversity that some groomers face just to learn to groom, to stay in business, or to start a grooming business. The blocks are rarely financial but societal and governmental blocks.

NO EXISTING GROOMING BUSINESSES Katy (not her actual name) lives in Southeast Asia. The year is 1997. She is not from a more cosmopolitan city such as Singapore. In fact she is from a small city of about 50,000 people with no veterinarians, kennels or groomers. Veterinary services require a trip to another city and only the veterinarian offers limited boarding. Yet there are people in her city with dogs and cats treated with love as family members, while many strays abound on the streets.

Katie had a plan to establish a pet care Their stories are relatively unknown. We business, primarily boarding and groombegan meeting them shortly after the ing. She came to the U.S. for two opening of PetGroomer.com. For their months to learn to groom and we met privacy identities will never be given. her. One thing you notice about stuWhat defines them? What sets them dents flying halfway around the world to apart from all other groomers is not invest in a learning experience is that 2013 Find A Groomerthey Inc. Allare rights most reserved attentive, Subscribe www.egroomer.com their58 grooming skills. It isCopyright their ©courage involved every PetGroomer.com Magazine www.petgroomermagazine.com Subscribe Free

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moment. Time is brief. Soon Katy will be back home where there is no grooming, no kennels and no professionals from whom to learn pet care. We remember Katy having dozens of questions. We had a consult with her on the business aspects of her career plans. Our goal was to have her leave with a detailed action plan to follow through the maze of establishing the first grooming and boarding business in her local region. We knew in her grooming instruction experience was lively, lighthearted filled with her questions. Soaking up every moment of instruction like a proverbial sponge.

July / September 2019

know them well. But we were not quite prepared for Katy’s plight. Katy explained her business would offer grooming and boarding to a small segment of the city population that treated their pets so well they wanted boarding and grooming which simply did not exist in the region. Great idea. The market and demand for her services is there. In defining her steps to the establishment of the business Katie quickly faded from confidence. She expected hostility upon returning home. Not from family. Actually family was worried for her success. The idea of grooming and boarding pets was rare, and suspect in her region.

Working with us we clearly could see the Before coming to the United States for angst in her eyes when talking of what grooming training she had already been lies ahead when she returns home. We looking for business locations. No one have know hundreds of groomers whose wanted to rent to her. No one believed friends and families made fun of their in grooming and boarding businesses, career hopes to become professional most had never seen one. The streets groomers. It’s also a topic at Groomerwere full of strays. She was called many TALK, very real and unkind in some names, let’s just say crazy for thinking cases. With Katy, what unfolded was people would pay for these services. very humbling. Since 1990 we have She felt ridicule, and was regularly regularly listened and assisted North looked at askance. American career seekers facing financial hardships to attend grooming We offered her to stay in contact with schools. As far back as 1963 our groomus after returning home. We could siming business in the Silicon Valley introply lend an ear and keep spirits high duced a grooming assistant position and perhaps help with ongoing business and thereby we offered on-the-job trainplanning. Services would be compliJournal Copyright © 2011 Find A Groomer Inc. All rights reserved 59 ing toeGroomer qualified career seekers. We mentary. PetGroomer.com Magazine www.petgroomermagazine.com Subscribe Free

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Eventually good fortune came along in a filthy, rat infested location with barely sufficient running water and power. She said in American slang we would say “a diamond in the rough” that came with its own rats too. The location was not on a regular business street, but down an alley where basically no one in the city cared what she did with it. She had to pay premium rent because of her crazy idea for it was an odd business to work with dogs when so many strays abound. The building would require an investment to clean and basically modernize it best possible. How many groomers today would stick with such a dream? Adversity had more plans for Katy. She explained neighborhoods were home to many opposing gangs. It was frightening for her, but normal in the course of business, for store owners to pay gangsters for “protection” from other gangsters. Of course this racket has existed in the United States, and characterized in Hollywood movies. Her main concern was for the safety of the pets in her care. Katie went home and lived her dream in the face of such adversity. She did open the business. It has been some years since we heard from her but we know she was running successfully for several years. Looking back she is definitely one 60

July / September 2019

of the groomers against all odds we admire to this day. WHERE DOGS ARE UNCLEAN In Iran, dog ownership is a controversy, but one that is not stopping many people. Yet some have had their dogs forcibly taken from them and never reunited. According to an article, “Dog lovers in central Iran are in uproar after authorities began confiscating their pets in an apparent crackdown on the ‘vulgar Western culture’ of canine ownership, Iranian media reported Saturday. One unnamed dog owner in Shahin Shahr in Isfahan province told Iran’s Shahrvand newspaper that officials had shown up suddenly at his house last week. ‘We were shown a piece of paper indicating they were from the municipal veterinary office. They came in and took away our dogs under the pretext of vaccination,” he said.’” Some said they never saw their dogs again. Earlier in 2019 more hopeful news was released. Iran’s Sunni religious leaders have said dogs are “unclean.” But we must realize we are not talking about the nation as a whole. According to Psychology Today blog, Why Is Iran Oppressing Pet Dogs and Their Owners? January 31, 2019, “If we look directly at the Quran itself, it turns out that dogs

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are mentioned five times, and are never described as being unclean.“ Signs of hope were mentioned in the New York Times article, More Bark Than Bite in Iran’s Ban on Walking Dogs, February 1, 2019, “Wherever Asal Bahrierad goes, her Shih Tzu terrier, Teddy, follows. The 31-year-old Iranian even slept in her car with Teddy for three nights, she said, when visiting with her mother, who does not like dogs. Impressed by her daughter’s determination to be with Teddy, Ms. Bahrierad’s mother finally relented and allowed her back in the house, with her beloved dog. ‘Now both my mom and I can’t imagine living without Teddy,” Ms. Bahierad said. ‘No one, not even the police can take him away from me.’” But restrictive dog laws are still enforced regionally, and owners must maintain awareness to avoid unfortunate encounters. There is so much more to learn about the nature of dog ownership in Iran if you read these articles in full, and search for others. Dogs are making a societal impact. Many people are boldly standing up for their dogs. Pictures of citizens with their dogs clearly they are loved and treated well love. How does Iran relate to this article about groomers against all odds? eGroomer Journal

July / September 2019

GROOMING CHALLENGES IN IRAN Occasionally we receive email inquiries from Iran. They are from dog lovers that want to become groomers, or at least know how to professionally groom dogs. Our research shows dog lovers have some access to grooming products, vaccinations, food and behavior training classes. But, grooming availability is limited. Dog training is far more available because having a “guard dog” is better tolerated by those intolerant with dog ownership. We sense groomers keep a low profile, and perhaps operate more like housecall groomers grooming in dog owners’ homes, avoiding the spotlight of a grooming shop. We answer with suggestions for online courses and streaming if they cannot leave the country for training. We suggest making contact with the few other groomers there are. Using our best resources and contacts we were unable to locate any formal grooming training in Iran. Everyone we have communicated with has been lovely and determined. Some shelter dogs physically mistreated for simply being dogs. Their plight to become groomers leads us to include them in our recognition for groomers against all odds. ◄

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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.

New eBook $3.99

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.

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. 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

“Author loves animals, and knows her dog pedigree. I don't normally Available on iUniverse Publishing/ read fiction, however the characISBN 978-1-5320-3794-8 eGroomer Journal Copyright © 2011 Find A Groomer Inc. All rights reserved 63 ters drew me into their lives. I could 492 Pages not put this book down.”

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Problems with D Series Blades

By Jeff Andrews, Northern Tails Sharpening There a misconception about D series blades. They are supposed to cut for 6 months no matter how you take care of them? WRONG! The D series blades are no different than your regular A series blades that fit your regular clipper. If you don’t clean and oil them properly they will prematurely dull. The biggest cutting problem with D series blades is the clipper themselves, and many groomers don’t realize this source. Some D series cordless clippers on the market use NiCAD batteries for power. NiCAD batteries are the worst batteries to use in a cordless clipper. Here is why. 1. NiCAD batteries are susceptible to memory effect issues. Once established the available power quickly goes down. As a result the torque also goes down. Speed is required for efficient cutting. 2. Keeping the clipper with a NiCAD battery in the charger when not in use can damage battery cells. It is recommend to use the clipper until the battery depletes all of its power, then put it in the charger. Remove when full charged! NiCAD’s suffer from continuous charging. Cell membranes can melt and lower battery life. It also creates the memory effect. The more you charge this way, the shorter the time the battery holds full power before it starts losing power. Regardless of what the manual says my experience has been with NiCAD’s don’t like to be “cooked” in the charger all the time. Charge fully and remove. Then, do not use it for a short time and put it back in the charger. Charge only after it goes “dead” and remember, do not overcharge. The chargers for these batteries are cheap and most only have a red and green light on them. When the green light comes on it may not shut the charging completely off. Current may trickle into the battery causing cell wall damage. 3. When battery power goes down, so does the speed of the clipper. This can cause problems with blades cutting. They may cut through coat for a few seconds and (Continued on page 65)

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then start to drag or snag. The speed and torque of cordless clippers using NiCad batteries may slow down so steadily yet minutely you may never notice the change until the blades have issues cutting. Perhaps you have sent off blades for sharpening thinking they were dull when actually it was the slowly declining clipper power issue causing the problems. HOW TO FIX THE PROBLEM If you know you have a battery or charger issue buy new ones and start using good charging practices. Most problems with NiCAD batteries are caused by groomer overcharging them. They can last years if charged properly, but most manuals do not cover good charging practices. You can also buy a corded D series clipper. One in particular is the Furzone 322 “Scout.” It is available on Amazon and several other vendors. Northern Tails sells a corded D series clipper at www.ntforsale.com. If you are set on using a cordless D series clipper use the advice provided here for proper charging. We recommend waiting for a Lithium based unit should it become available. Lithium batteries are more forgiving and usually can power the cordless clipper longer before recharging is needed. Northern Tails Sharpening has been sharpening D series blades since the late 90’s when they were first introduced. We test each blade on actual fur to make sure it cuts, and we use a corded D series clipper. Why? The speed of corded clippers is steady. It doesn’t fluctuate like it may on (Continued on page 67)

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 eGroomer Journal www.egroomer.com Subscribe Free 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

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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/

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some cordless models, especially with NiCAD batteries that have suffered memory effect and overcharging issues. If you get D series blades back from a sharpener and they drag or snag on a cordless clipper, the problem is most likely on your end. Because we test our Northern Tails sharpening with corded clippers and real fur, we know the blades are working and sharp. When this happens you the problem may be cleared by getting new batteries and/ or a charger. If not your D series blades may keep having issues until you do. If this is too frustrating keep in mind there are corded clippers that run much better. Please accept this information as our opinion from years of working with D series equipment. ►

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

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Styling the Bichon Frise Puppy with Jay Scruggs Classic Reprint Article 2012

Let's start by understanding the Bichon Frise and the desired look after styling. This breed should not appear square. Their appearance should be a little longer than they are tall.

important part of this breed. In this article I will give you some helpful hints to achieve the correct breed profile. First things first! Coat preparation is key to having a perfect finished style. I use Coat Handler 15-1 shampoo followed by a very light conditioner rinsed out. This way Coat Handler will not soften the coat allowing you to get a nice finish.

A Bichon should have a soft look, no sharp angles or anything too extreme. Bichon styling is made up of a lot of round circles, nothing about the trim 68 Copyright ÂŠ 2013 Find A Groomer Inc. All rights reserved should be sharp. Expression is the most PetGroomer.com Magazine www.petgroomermagazine.com Subscribe Free

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Conditioner helps free the coat of static when drying and combing. It is very important the dog is dried from the skin out to the tips of the coat. I high velocity the coat to about 98% dry, and then use a little heat while brushing to straighten the coat. It’s a good idea to have anti-static spray when drying and scissoring the coat. Once completely fluffed and combed out set lines with your clippers. This is an important step when grooming puppies. The goal is to reduce dead or limp hair before you start to scissor. The first step is to set lines for the front and rear. I start at the Adam’s apple with a 1/2 inch snap-on comb and trim from there to the breast bone and skim out. I always use the Wahl Stainless Steel snap-ons with a #30 blade under them. Next find the point of the rump and trim down the back of the leg to the bend in the leg. Once at the bend, skim out away from the dog. (photo next page)

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Next, start just behind the withers and make a continuous line towards the rump of the dog. Remember, you want the top line level. Examine how the dog carries its tail before trimming. Once the top line is set follow the lines down the sides into the spring of rib being careful not to cut into the tuck up. Then go under the ear. Use the Adam’s apple as a guide for how far to go up. Connect the part under the neck into the shoulders. Be careful not to pinch the elbows when going down from under the ear to the shoulder. Skim as you get to the elbows. You do not want any definition between the shoulder and the legs. The same goes for the hips to the back legs. Everything should blend in and appear even. 70 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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I usually stand the dog up on its hind legs and trim from between the elbows to the belly. If you do this be careful not to take out the hair on the sides and into the tuck up. We will use this hair to give the dog a moderate tuck up.

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At this point the lines are blocked. It’s time to start the scissor work. Remember, round, round, round. I use curved shears a lot for Bichons. The goal is to set the front, back and then everything in between. Start by cleaning up the clipper work with scissors from under the ear to the shoulder. There should be a continuous line with no break in it. Use curves to start the roundness that transfers to the chest and into the sides. Set in the rear and hips. Hold the tail up and using curves round the hips in, and then flip your curves over and set in the angulation to the bend in the leg. Set in the top line using straights. Remember you want a level top line and round edges into the sides. Do not cut up into the withers at this point. Leave the head and neck for Copyright © 2011 Find A Groomer Inc. All rights reserved 73 last. eGroomer Journal PetGroomer.com Magazine www.petgroomermagazine.com Subscribe Free

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Once everything is blended from front to back, and back to front, set the feet and then the legs. It is important to do the feet before the legs. Otherwise it’s hard to balance everything and maintain symmetry. Start with the back feet. I usually trim the back feet a little tighter to make the dog appear as if it is up on its toes, and to see a nice hock. When looking at the foot from the bottom, make sure there is an equal amount of hair on each side of the foot. I usually trim my shape in with the foot in my hand, then set the foot down on the table to trim in the bevel shape. On the back feet trim from the point of hock to the back pad on the foot. It creates a nice angle. Now that the back feet are set use curves to blend from the hip, down the side of the leg into the foot. Work the same curve shape to the front of the leg and create the bend in the knee. The bend on the knee should match the bend on Copyright © 2013 Find A Groomer Inc. All rights reserved the74back of the leg. PetGroomer.com Magazine www.petgroomermagazine.com Subscribe Free

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Move to the front of the dog and set the front feet. We want them to appear round. Bevel the feet into the leg hair. Everything should look uniform and blended from leg to foot. When feet are finished, go from the point of the shoulder down the side of the leg making a round shape. Doing the outside of the leg will correct any faults. Trim the same shape on the inside of the legs using curves. The best way to trim the legs is with the dog standing up. If you try to trim with the leg in your hand it’s very difficult to style them even. Now focus on the tuck-up. The tuck up should be moderate, not extreme. If your tuck-ups look like a Poodle you are doing them incorrectly. Find the last rib and make a cut using curve shears just behind that point. Follow the chest out to the elbow and scissor into the shortest point of the tuck-up. Imagine the dog without the front leg. See a chest that flows out the elbow into the underline with no break in the line. Just behind the shortest point of the tuck-up leave some hair which fills in to attach the front of the back leg. When 76 © 2013 Find A Groomer Inc. All rights reserved Subscribe www.egroomer.com all of this hair is removedCopyright the dog’s body will appear very long. PetGroomer.com Magazine www.petgroomermagazine.com Subscribe Free

PetGroomer.com Magazine

July / September 2019

The head and neck are the focal points of this breed. They should never be groomed like a Poodle! Start by using thinning shears to clean the corners of the eyes. Comb the hair around the visor or above the eyes forward and with the curves facing out, trim right above each eye. This effect will really show off the expression. Next comb everything up and using a 21 tooth blender and start blending the head into the ears. Do not lift ears or cut the hair in front of the ears. Ears should be parts of the head. I use blenders with soft puppy coats. The blenders are more forgiving than curves and help build volume. Pull the tip of the ear to the nose. If the tip is longer than the nose take some length off. Now trim from the Adam’s apple to the bottom of the ears creating a soft line. Work the shape of the top of the head from right to left, and then left to right to make sure all is even. Once the top of the head is finished blend from the top of the head into the withers and into the level top line. If the client likes the neck shorter or the dog tends to mat use the same guidelines eGroomer Copyright © 2011 Find A Groomer Inc. All rights reserved 77 and go a bitJournal shorter. PetGroomer.com Magazine www.petgroomermagazine.com Subscribe Free

PetGroomer.com Magazine

July / September 2019

Finish the groom by giving the coat a good spritz of anti stat. Comb out and take off any loose ends. Well done! ◄ Jay and his wife Michelle own Here Comes the Groom, a highly successful mobile grooming salon in Germantown, TN. Their company is in such demand that his clients pay a membership fee to get an appointment with Jay. He has won multiple best in show and best all around groomer awards in competitions around the U.S. Jay was named American Groomer of the Year in 2001. He was also the first groomer to receive the Groomer of the Year Award at Westminster Dog Show in 2002. In the World Championships in Barcelona, Spain 2003 Jay won an International Gold and Bronze medal in two different poodle classes that helped Groom Team USA win the silver medal. In 2004 Jay was voted by the industry Grooming Judge of the year for his knowledge of breeds and the ability to judge them. Jay is the National spokesperson for Coat Handler shampoo. He was also a Wahl Clipper Corp. representative. Jay and Groomers Choice have teamed up to present the Jay Scruggs Signature Series line of grooming shears. Jay was the #1 ranked groomer in the United States in 2001 and part of the 2001 World Groom Team Championship team competing in Calgary, Canada. In the World Team Championship Jay won a gold medal in the Poodle class and then winning Best in Show with his Standard Poodle. In 2004 and 2007 Jay was voted Judge of the Year. Jay and Sue Zecco published Super Styling Sessions DVDs and popular seminars and 78 Copyright © 2013 Find A Groomer Inc. All rights reserved Subscribe www.egroomer.com workshops, and continue to participate in grooming industry shows and workshops. PetGroomer.com Magazine www.petgroomermagazine.com Subscribe Free

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Journalthat January / March 87 is not commonly known relates toPetGroomer.com It’s eGroomer commonly known all brands of A-52014 blades fit any brand of A-5 clippers. What blade sizes. MostPublications brands of A-5 blades have similar sizes, but how they perform varies. Manufacturers must use design differences in order to avoid 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 more helpful articles, videos and descriptions of his mail-in services. ♦

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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