The Future is Bright

By Wendy Weinand Grooming Services Training and Education Manager, Petco

More than 11 million new pets entered U.S. homes since the start of the pandemic* and pets have become more important to us than ever before. We’ve seen people treating their pets just as they would their family members by making sure they have gifts around their birthdays and placing a higher importance on contributing to their overall health and wellbeing with services that include grooming. Are you leaning toward making the transition into a grooming career? Great news! It’s perfect timing. With pet parents’ increased willingness to invest in their pets, some of the trends that have taken shape in recent years are: 1. Pet stylists’ transforming roles

2. Increased emphasis on wellness 3. Mobile grooming Pet Stylists’ Transforming Roles

Over the years, the role of the pet stylist has expanded from groomer to groomer and educator. Pet stylists are experts

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in assessing a dog’s coat, skin, nails, and whole body – whether it’s a shorthaired Boxer or a curly-haired Poodle –to know which products, tools, and services each breed of dog needs to ensure they’re happy, healthy, and clean. This type of expertise translates to educating pet parents on how they can help their pet stay in great shape in between grooming appointments and has helped more pet stylists consider themselves pet grooming consultants. As poodle-crosses like Goldendoodles or Bernedoodles have skyrocketed in popularity, stylists from Petco’s Grooming Salon Academy believe it’s more important than ever before to help pet parents understand their pets’ maintenance requirements, including the care needs of poodle crosses in between grooming appointments. Not all pet parents know these breeds require regular brushing, detangling, and grooming to keep them healthy, but all pet parents can learn. The lifestyle of both the family and the pet come into play when pet parents and pet stylists confer on grooming recommendations. If maintaining a long eGroomer Journal Copyright © 2011 Find A Groomer Inc. All rights reserved 19

coat is overwhelming for a client with young children and a large Goldendoodle, pet stylists can recommend a shorter style that doesn’t require as much maintenance, including brushing and more frequent grooming appointments. For other clients with the time and desire to maintain their pets coat daily, a long coat would be more plausible. To set realistic expectations and create the most ideal outcome for the pet and pet’s family, the consultation and grooming recommendations are important aspects of the process in the pet stylist’s role. Pet stylists provide critical education for pet parents on how to maintain their pets’ coats in between grooms, which is critical to their overall health and wellness. Many pet stylists provide their clients with demonstrations on detangling and de-shedding processes and make expert product recommendations for skin and coat supplements and grooming products that are best suited for a pet’s unique needs. Additionally, they’re trained to ensure a pet is fit to be groomed at a facility. At Petco, this includes doing a 7-point pet care check during the check-in process (Continued on page 20)

to accurately assess a dog’s whole-body condition and behavior to ensure grooming will be a safe process. If a dog doesn’t pass the check-in process, the pet stylist is empowered to recommend referring the groom out to a veterinarian so the groom can be conducted as safely as possible. Increased Emphasis on Wellness The popularity of “pet humanization” –or thinking about and treating pets like people – has influenced consumer spending on pet services recently. It’s also mirrored our pet’s beauty and wellness routines with our own. The recent focus on health and wellness through the U.S. has translated to how pet parents think of their pets’ nutrition and routines. The connection and investment in pet wellness, paired with consumers’ eye for clean ingredients, has led many pet parents to extend the standards they have for their own products to those for their pets. More and more pet parents are willing to pay for premium pet services, such as training, regular grooming services and now clean grooming products. A survey of Petco Pals Rewards members ranked non-toxic, cruelty-free and gentle as the three top attributes to dog pet parents when it came to shampoos, conditioners, sprays and wipes** when shopping for grooming supplies. Ingredient transparency has become increasingly demanded, which is why Petco pet care centers visually educate pet parents on ingredient transparency through signs. Pet parents expect an exceptionally high level of personalized service, attention, and product quality. Where grooming may have previously been an errand people checked off their list, like dropping off the dry cleaning, it’s now more like a day at the salon, but for the family pet. Pet parents want to know about the products used, what treatments were performed and that their pet had a positive experience. Mobile Grooming Consumers have come to expect immediate service and convenience at every turn. Whether that’s overnight shipping for online purchases, food delivery at the touch of a button or on-call grooming services for pets, the ease in which products and services are presented to consumers is only getting more com-

petitive. Because of this, more pet parents are exploring mobile grooming services. In the last year alone, Petco added 17 new mobile grooming units to keep up with the growing demand. These “at your doorstep” services benefit those who prefer to avoid public spaces, may be unable to drive, and have elderly pets or pets that have difficulties in the car. The mobile grooming units enable pet stylists to reach more pets, and many agree it’s gratifying to see the change in a pet’s demeanor after a muchneeded grooming session and the pet parents’ satisfaction with the convenience and ease. The Bottom Line The growth in pet parenthood over the last few years has propelled the grooming industry into its renaissance. The trends influencing the pet grooming industry are the ever-expanding role of the pet stylist, the increased value of treating pets as family members by putting their health and wellness at the center and opening additional avenues eGroomer Journal Copyright © 2011 Find A Groomer Inc. All rights reservedfor grooming to flourish with conven- 21

ience-based services. As the traditional role of the pet groomer has expanded to encompass their expertise and empower them to educate and help pet parents care for their pets outside of the grooming salon, many pet stylists find their role fulfilling and enriching. All these trends bode well for those thinking about a career in animal care and grooming specifically and Petco is always looking for dedicated, passionate, and caring individuals to join our team at all levels. With competitive benefits, a positive working environment, and opportunities for growth, the time couldn’t be better to start a career in Petco grooming. If you’re interested in learning more about becoming a Petco Pet Stylist, visit: careers.petco.com *Source: Packaged Facts with adjustments from Petco internal estimates. **Source: Petco Pals Research Community Survey, n=966 (April 2020) ◄