Grooming a Puppy Continued

A fellow groomer brought up a good point in a comment that she left for yesterdays post.

Thanks Jennifer.

I realized when I read her comment that I left some things out, and did not make my self clear about how I groom puppies.

I was just going to reply to Jennifer's comment, when I thought that maybe I should put my reply on a post, since most people probably don't go back and read comments.

Here is Jennifer's comment:

 Great blog post, as usual. I do many of the same things you do, with a few exceptions.

We don't have any kennels, for starters, so we have to do puppies straight through the same as every other dog.

I don't like to encourage the puppies to cling to me because I don't want them doing it their entire lives. I still use all the baby talk and hold them (gently) the best I can with my free hand. I just makes me crazy when dogs are trying to climb up my chest, on my head, and/or leap over my shoulder off the drying table, so I really don't want to encourage that.

And the pricing is interesting. Every place I've worked has charged a lower price for puppies up until 6 months. Yes, they do take longer to groom than an adult, but it tends to encourage people to bring their puppies in more frequently when they are young so they can get used to it. It can be frustrating at the time, but I always figure it's worth it down the road when the crazy puppies grow up to be well-behaved adults because they were trained early and often.

A lot of great info here for new groomers; I wish I had found something like this years ago when I was a new groomer. :-)

Jennifer
The Writing Groomer

I do agree with Jennifer...to a point. :)

Jennifer made me realize that my post sounded like you should let a puppy crawl all over you.

 I in no way want other groomers to encourage puppies to have bad grooming habits.

I should have said that when I like to hold and let puppies cuddle against my chest, and hide their heads in my neck and hair, it is usually for the first part of the drying process only, when the dryer is first introduced to them.

 My goal is to slowly get them down to the drying table and teach them to stand there while being dried.

I will admit, that depending on how scared the puppy is, depends on how long I will let them cling to me, but by the time I finish drying that puppy, it is usually  standing very nicely on the table.

I even let some older, insecure dogs cling to me too, but my goal is to work with them,  and eventually get them to trust me and stand on the grooming table,  not cling to me.

I totally agree with Jennifer that you do not want to encourage dogs to think that it is okay to climb up on you during a bath, or while drying and clipping. 

Everything I talked about in my puppy post was basically for the very first grooming.

By the second, or no later than the third grooming, that puppy will be trained to stand in the tub and on the table the right and safe way.

As groomers, we always need to train the puppies and dogs that we groom to stand as still as possible on the table so that there will be no accidents.

A well trained dog on the grooming table is a joy to groom.

 I also encourage groomers to try different things that will work for them.

I don't groom at all like I was taught in grooming school.

When groomers read my posts, I want them to take things away that they think will help them, but I do not want them to think that my way of grooming is the only way.

Another thing...

Jennifer had an interesting approach to pricing for puppies. 
As you have read, in her comment, she feels that charging a lower price for the puppies encourages the owners to bring the puppies in more frequently for them to get used to grooming.

A very good point.

See!

This is why it so important for groomers to talk to each other. :)

I hope that you didn't mind me using your comment for a post Jennifer, but I felt that you brought up some really good points that needed to be shared. :)

I encurage other groomers to comment about what they do to help puppies with their first grooming.
It would be great for other groomers and new groomers to read how other groomers approach grooming puppies.

We must always be open to learning new things.
We never know it all.

I am open. :)

Happy Grooming, MFF

Grooming Puppies...My Way

 PUPPIES!!!

I Love grooming puppies!!

Well, to be honest...I Love grooming puppies most of the time.

Every once in a while you can get one that is down right scary/dangerous to work on.

Most of the time they are fun to groom.

At least I think so. :)

I like to get puppies in for their first grooming as young as possible, after they have had their puppy shots.

The sooner that a puppy starts getting used to being groomed, the easier the grooming will be, and the sooner they will accept the process.

For many breeds, grooming can not be avoided.

Their coats demand care and regular grooming to keep them healthy.

When a customer calls, asking about how soon they should have their puppy groomed, I always say "as soon as possible."

My goal, when giving a puppy it's first groom, is to make the grooming as comfortable and pleasant as possible.

Some puppies will be scared.

It is a new experience.

Scary water, scary dryers, scary brushes, scary clippers/scissors.

Scary, scary, scary.

I work to make the grooming as comfortable and relaxing as possible.

When I have a puppy so relaxed that they fall asleep while I am grooming them...I am happy.

This is the way that I give puppies their first groom.

 The puppies first grooming is very important.

Not only for the puppy, but for the groomer also.

The first grooming sets the puppy up for a lifetime of grooming.

You must  make the first grooming as pleasant as possible. 

I start by telling all puppy owners that I will only do what their puppy will allow.

I will not force anything on them.

Now, that doesn't mean that I am going stop every time they get upset about something.

It means that I am going to work with the puppy to get them to accept the grooming process, and realize that it is nothing to be scared of, and that it will not hurt them.

But, if I have a puppy that is down right petrified of something, I will not push it.

I will groom as much as I can, then I will recommend to the owner to bring the puppy back in a few weeks to work with again.

I have to say that I rarely ever have to do that.

Most puppies are really good for their fist grooming.

Another thing that I tell owners before I groom their puppies...

I have found that most puppy owners come in asking for the dreaded 'Puppy Cut'.

Most owners want just a little hair off, or about half of their hair off, which usually requires hand scissoring.

I always inform the owner that I will do the cut that they want as long as their puppy is up for it.

I let them know that hand scissoring requires a very well behaved dog that does not mind standing still on my table for awhile.

I tell the owner that it is asking a lot of a young puppy to get a full hair cut, much less a hand scissor cut.

I talk most of my first time puppy owners into letting me bathe, blow dry, brush, and give a light trim.

The light trim consisting of, trimming up around the eyes, the feet,  and rear.

Sometimes trimming the outline too.

I will try to do the hand scissor, or clip as long as the puppy is ready for it.

I never promise a full cut on a puppy.

I always tell the puppy owner that it will be entirely up to their puppy whether or not he/she gets a full haircut.

Most owners are very agreeable and understand that you are looking out for the best interest of their puppy.

Okay.

I have a puppy to groom.

Now it is time for me to take a breath and get myself mentally prepared for that puppy.

If you are already stressed out from another dog that was acting up, or took you a lot longer than you expected, you must take a few minutes to gather yourself and get into a good frame of mind.

This isn't very hard for me, because puppies just tend to put me in a good mood anyway.

I love training them for grooming.

Be honest with yourself, if you do not have the patience to work on puppies, you should avoid grooming them if possible.

If time allows, I like to play with the puppy a little before I start to groom it.

I want to get to know the puppy a little, and I want the puppy to get used to me to.

Playing with him/her may also help to get some of that puppy energy out.

 

If it is a very scared puppy.

I will hold it for a while, then put him/her in to a kennel to chill for a little while, while I work on another dog.

Every 10 minutes or so I will go over and open the kennel door and pet and sweet talk the puppy for a couple of minutes, then close the door and walk away.

I will do this a few times.

I want the puppy to realize that the kennel is a safe place, and that it is okay for someone to open the door and reach in for them.

That nothing bad is going to happen when that kennel door is opened or closed.

Every time I talk to the puppy, it is in a soft, gentle, baby type of voice.

If the puppy is very scared, my voice stays very soft and soothing.

If the puppy is happy and playful, my voice is still soft and soothing,but I add a little squeaky playfulness to it.

Think I am nuts yet?

It works for me. :)

Bathing the Puppy:

Put the puppy in the tub.

Tell him/her how good they are doing, and tell them that they are going to be okay.

Let the puppy sniff around the tub a little bit so that he/she can realize that everything is okay.

When you wet the puppy down, make sure that the water is nice and warm. (not hot)

I like to aim my sprayer away from the puppy, and let the water run for a minute or two so that the puppy gets used to the sound of the water before I actually spray it on the puppy.

Keep the water pressure low at first until you see that the puppy is okay with the water and not scared of it.

I start wetting them down from the hind end and move my way up, slowly, to the head.

I have also found that if you put the sprayer right up against the body so that the puppy can't hear the spray hitting their body, that they seem to accept the sprayer faster.

I talk, talk, talk while I am soaping up the puppy.

I talk in a tone of voice like I would as if I were playing with the puppy.

 This puppy did not want to keep all four feet down in the tub.

That was okay with me.

She was much more comfortable standing up with her front paws in my hand.

By letting her stand the way she wanted, she actually stood very still and let me rinse her off.

So work with the puppy.

Be prepared to get wet.

Be prepared for the puppy to whine, or cry.

Be prepared for the puppy to try to get away, and jump out of the tub.

If the puppy is really scared and has not calmed down by the time you are ready to rinse off the shampoo, keep talking in a calm, soothing voice.

The important thing is, don't stop. 

If you have to slow down, fine.

Try turning the water pressure down lower.

The main thing is to talk that puppy through the bath.

It may take a few baths for the puppy to accept it, but the most important thing right now, with the very first bath, is to get the puppy through it as pleasantly as possible.

I think one of the most important things during the bath is to try very hard not to get any water down the puppies nose.

Believe me, I know how hard this can be sometimes with a puppy that may be tossing it's head all over the place.

I like bring the sprayer up from the neck and move it slowly towards the face.

Always be prepared to quickly pull the sprayer away if the puppy turns it's head suddenly towards the sprayer.

If the puppy does happen to get water into its nose, let the puppy put its head down to let the water run back out, let him/her shake their head and sneeze if they need to.

I also like to take the towel and wipe their nose off.

After the bath, I like to wrap the puppies up in a towel.

I hold the puppy in a towel while I turn on my HV dryer to let the air warm up a little.

This also gives the puppy a chance to get used to the sound of the dryer while still being safely cuddled in a towel.

Drying the Puppy:

Most of the puppies that I dry with the High Velocity Dryer get dried while in my arms and up against my chest.

Some will hide their wet heads in my neck, under my hair.

That's okay, because lets face it, that big, noisy dryer can be pretty scary to a little puppy.

My HV dryer is also a variable speed dryer.

So I start out with the air pressure on a low setting.

I also start drying the puppy on its back leg, as far from the head as possible.

I am constantly talking to and reassuring the puppy that everything is okay, and that the big old dryer is not going to hurt them.

I keep my mouth right by their ear so that they can hear the calmness in my voice over the loud dryer.

Most of the time, by the time I finish drying the first back leg, the puppy is already starting to accept the dryer and is no longer scared of it.

I slowly work my way up to the head.

I fold the ears closed, or press them close to the head to avoid getting any air into the ears.

If the puppy is absolutely petrified of the large High Velocity Dryer,  of doesn't want the big dryer around its head, I don't push it.

I will dry the puppy with a small hand dryer.

Again, I let them press against me if that is what helps them to be still and feel safer.

The Trim:

By now, hopefully the puppy fully trusts you, and you know exactly what to expect with this puppy for the rest of the groom.

I like to let the puppies smell all of the tools that I am using before I start working on an area.

When scissoring around the eyes, I let them smell the scissors.

I will also lay the closed scissors up against the corner of the eyes, so that I can see if the puppy is going to stay still when I try to scissor, or if he/she is going to freak out when they see the scissors coming towards their eyes.

I also see what is the best hold when trying to scissor around the eyes.

Some puppies will let you hold their beards, but I have found that most puppies feel most comfortable when I cup their chin in the palm of my hand.

It is not the best hold, because the puppy can very easily pull away, but most don't pull away with this hold.

I also like to relax the puppy by gently rubbing between the eyes before and while I am scissoring between the eyes.

I also let the puppies lay down while scissoring them if that helps them sit still while scissoring around the eyes.

Anything that helps them sit still while trimming around the eyes.

If they want to sniff and check out their feet, or privates, to make sure that they are still there, that is okay too.

It is better to let them get it out of their system then fight them about it.

Most of the time they will sniff, check things out, then forget about it, and you can get on with the scissoring.

Remember, you want them to feel relaxed, not scared.

If you stay calm.

They will be calm.

And yes, I am still talking to them.

Hmmmm, maybe that is why they are always falling asleep on me.

If you have to use a clipper on a puppy for the first time because it is matted, turn the clipper on without a blade on it.

Hold the clipper close to the puppy and let the puppy get used to the sound of the clipper.

Let him/her sniff it too if they want to.

Next, take the clipper (still on, without the blade) and hold the body of the clipper against the puppies body so that he/she can get used to the vibration of the clipper.

If the puppy jerks away, keep moving with the puppy, keeping the clipper against the body until the puppy stops trying to move away.

They will eventually realize the the vibration is not hurting them.

Remember, you are still reassuring them in a calm, soothing voice.

Now, put the blade on the clipper, and slowly start to clip giving them time to get used to the blade vibrating down the back.

Talk to them and work them through the clip.

Don't worry about the first clip being perfect.

If the clip does not come out as nice as you would like it to, be honest with the owner.

Explain that because it was their puppies first clip,  and because their puppy is still learning to sit still on the table, the cut may not be as smooth as it should.

Tell the owner that you did not want to stress their puppy out trying to get every hair.

Let them know that the cut will get better as the puppy gets used to being groomed.

As long as that puppy goes home relaxed, all your hard work was worth it.

That same puppy will be better the next time, and will get better with each calm, soothing grooming.

As for charging for puppies...

I don't have special puppy prices because they are small.

I charge the same price that I would charge if the dog was full size.

Why?

Because puppies take a lot of extra training and time.

I spend more time on a puppy than I spend on a regular groom.

I know that I have said it several times in this post, but I must say it again.

It is very important to make the first grooming of a puppy as pleasant as possible.

Most of the time I have found that puppies are a joy to work on.

Unfortunately, you will get those puppies that make you want to pull your hair out.

They will frustrate you to the point of making you feel like crying.

They will scare the living beegebees out of you, twisting, turning, and fighting for everything.

One day you may get puppies like these two.

Don't get me wrong, they are very sweet puppies.

You would think after 28 years of grooming that I could easily handle these two, right?

Let me tell you, after using every trick in the book, begging, and pleading, with these two, for 45 minutes,  just to let me scissor around their eyes.

At one point, I found myself laying my head on my table wanting to cry, while the puppy was trying to find my face so he could lick me to death.

 Yes, I got them done.

They did not look great.

They actually were not to bad for letting me scissor about a 1/2 an inch off of their coats.

It was scissoring the faces that tested every bit of patience that I ever had.

So, I did the best I could for their first time.

I have groomed them several more times since the first time and they are much, much better.

It only takes me 10 minutes to groom their heads now. :)

That is how I groom puppies.

It works for me.

Do what works for you.

Do whatever it takes to make a puppies grooming as pleasant as possible.

Don't worry if you have to leave something undone the first time.

Most owners understand when you explain that it is in the best interest of their puppy.

And if they don't....then maybe you don't need them as a customer.

If you stress out  while grooming a puppy, the puppy will stress out too.

Happy Grooming, MFF

Got A Call Today....

Rest in Peace 'Puppy'

We will miss you.

Lend Me A Pup

I will lend to you for awhile
a puppy, God said
For you to love him while he lives
and to mourn for him when he is gone.

Maybe for twelve or fourteen years,
or maybe for two or three
But will you, till I call him back
take care of him for me?

He'll bring his charms to gladden you
and (should his stay be brief)
you'll always have his memories
as solace for your grief.

I cannot promise that he will stay,
since all from earth return,
But there are lessons taught below
I want this pup to learn.

I've looked the whole world over
in search of teachers true
And from the folk that crowd life's land
I have chosen you.

Now will you give him all your love
Nor think the labor vain
Nor hate me when I come to take my pup back again.

Author Unknown

 

NOW I MUST GO

Send me to the Bridge I pray
when I no longer run and play.
When my limbs can't bear my weight
and dignity is stripped by fate.

Look into my eyes, you'll find
I will let you know, it's time.
You must help me from this edge.
Now it's time, I make this pledge.

I leave you for the Bridge today.
Anew, I run, I bark, I play!
We shared a life of many things
and to your heart my leaving brings;
the pain of loss, I feel it too,
but Master, know, this I must do.

I must leave first, to make the way
for you to follow me someday.
Beyond the sunset, where all pain ends
we'll meet again, the best of friends.

Just as I snuggled in your heart,
you're in mine too, we aren't apart.
I watch you from afar and pray,
it's time to heal, heal some each day.

Please dry those tears and smile for me,
and know at last that I am free.
There is no pain or suffering here.
The sun shines brightly everywhere.

There isn't even one cross look,
it's not allowed here in His book.
No clouds of gray will gather here,
no storms will ever threaten.
We are at peace here,
and the Bridge is Heaven.

Author: Barbara J. Miller

Grooming With A Head Cold.....

REALLY SUC*S!

Runny nose.

Can't breath.

Sneezing every 5 minutes.

Hair sticking to your face.

Nose raw.

Hair constantly in your mouth because it is hanging open to breath.

Forget face mask...I already can't breath.

One more day of work.

Boy, I hope that there are no double coated dogs tomorrow. :/

Happy Grooming, MFF...I hope.

How Would You Like Your Dog Groomed?

It is amazing how those seven words can cause so much headache for a groomer.

It seems like such an easy question, doesn't it?

A customer comes in with a dog and you ask; "How would you like your dog groomed?"

There are so many possible answers.

"Take him as short as you can get him."

"Take about a 1/4 of an inch off."

"Take half off."

"Just shorten him a little."

"Leave an inch on."

"Take her short."

"I don't want a full hair cut, but take just a little bit off."

"Just clean him up."

"Just do what you did the last time."

"Take him a tad shorter."

"Take her short, but don't shave her.

"Make her look like this picture."

"I want her hair cut, but don't use a blade on her."

"She has some knots, but I don't want her hair cut short."

"Don't cut him short."

"I don't know, didn't my wife tell you when she made the appointment.?"

"I don't know."

"What do you think."

"You're the groomer, groom him the way he is supposed to look."

Those are just some of the responses that you would get to that simple question.

I'll tell you how I tackle them.

I feel that it is very important that who ever is responsible for checking in the dogs must know grooming and know what questions to ask.

If that person is not exactly sure what the customer is asking for, they need to go and get the groomer that will be working on the dog that day.

You must ask questions.

I know it is like pulling teeth sometimes, but if you ask the right questions you can usually figure out what the owner wants.

I feel another must is; you must touch/feel the dog.

I always go straight to the dog and pick it up if I can.

If it is too large to pick up, I will squat down and greet the dog, petting it and feeling for mats.

To the owners it just looks like I am petting and hugging their dog, which I am, but I am also checking out the condition of the coat.

Now I ask the famous question; "How would you like your dog groomed?"

Owner:"Take him as short as you can get him."

           "Take her short."

Groomer: "My blades can go extremely short. My shortest blade would take your dogs hair so short that her skin would show. Is that how short you want to take her?"

Owner:  Oh, I didn't want her that short!

 Now I hold the dogs hair up to show the owner how long it is.

Then I use my fingers to ask how must hair that they want off.

If an owner still wants a white dog, or thin haired dog really short, like a #7F, or #10 blade, I warn them that the dogs skin will show through the short hair, and that there is also a potential for sunburn if their dog is outside a lot.

If cutting the dogs hair will make the color of the dogs coat change, make sure that you warn the customer that this may happen.

I once had a lady bring in a medium size Shepard mix that she said she wanted very short so that it would not shed so much.

I thought that I was safe when I pointed to the dogs muzzle and ask; "Do you want me to clip him as short as the muzzle?" (about #10 blade length)

She said yes.

I clipped the dog short with a #7F blade.

There was only one problem, I didn't warn her that all of the black and tan color on her dog would be clipped off, and only a ugly grey and washed out tan color would be left.

The owner became hysterical when she saw her dog.

It did not matter that I did exactly what she wanted.

She was not prepared for the change in color on the dog.

Something as simple as warning her about the coat change could have saved a lot of headache.

Owner: "Take about a 1/4 of an inch off."

             "Take half off."

             "Just shorten him a little."

             "Leave an inch on."

 You must find out what the owners idea of an inch is, a 1/4 inch is, or what half off means to them.

I know exactly what an inch measures on my finger.

I have found that  when an owner holds up their fingers to show me what an inch is, it is a lot different from my inch.

I will hold the hair up for the owner and show them how much I think that they are telling me they want off to make sure that we are talking about the same thing.

Once you have an idea of the length that the owner wants to leave, or take off of the dog, but you are not 100%  sure which blade to use, place the blade down into the coat (after it the coat has been cleaned and blow dried)

Keep the blade off.

You do not want it running.

You are just checking to see how much that blade will take off.

This owner only wants a 1/4 of an inch off, so I would start checking with a clip comb.

As you can see in the picture above, the green clip comb (where the blade teeth and the clip comb meet)  would barely take off anything.

The purple comb would take off more, but still not enough.

The tan clip comb looks like it would take the desired length off.

  If you are still not totally sure, try the next length which is the #4F blade.

This is a #4F blade under all of that hair.

It would defiantly take too much off for this owner.

This trick is not sure fire.

You still will not be 100% sure until you have actually clipped some of the hair.

 If you are not sure about the blade, or clip comb that you picked.

Find a spot on the dog to clip and check.

On the neck, under the ear is a good spot, just in case you take the spot too short.

It will be hidden under the ear and you can blend it in to the rest of the hair cut.

 That is close enough to a 1/4 of an inch off for me.

After you have been grooming for a while, you will be able to make a pretty good guess about which blade will take off the amount of hair that you want, without having to use this trick.

Owner: "I don't want a full hair cut, but take just a little bit off."

              "Just clean him up."

Groomer:  "So you don't want me to take any length off of the body? Do you want me to just trim up and tidy the face, trim the feet and rear and do the nails?

You want to describe to the owner exactly what you think that they want done.

They will either say yes, or they will change something and give you a better idea what they really want. 

Owner: "Just do what you did the last time."

Groomer: "Okay." 

Be careful!

This one can be a trap.

Believe me, I have fallen into it a lot.

Most of my customers a regulars that basically get the same cut just about every time that they come in.

So it is very easy to fall into the habit of asking; "Do you want him groomed the same as last time?"

Only it just so happens that the last time you did something different.

Now you have to try to call them and find out if they really do want 'the same as last time', or they really want what you normally do.

Owner: "Take her short, but don't shave her. 

Don't you just love this one?

This could mean anything from a clipdown #7F to a full blown hand scissor cut.

You can not just assume that your idea of 'short, but not shaved' is the same as their 'short, but not shaved.'

Once again you must pull the dog hair up, and have the owner show you what their idea of short is, and exactly how much hair they want you to take off.

I have owners use the word short only to discover, after many questions, that their idea of short was leaving two inches on the dog.

Owner: "Make her look like this picture."

I hate pictures.

I hate pictures, because 99% of the time the dogs coat in the picture is nothing like the customers dogs coat.

If it is impossible for you to copy the cut in the picture, because the dog does not have enough coat, or it has a different type of coat, you must explain this to the owner.

If you can do something similar, but it will not look exactly like the picture, you must tell them. 

It is always best to be honest and inform an owner before you do any grooming.

This way the owner will not be expecting one thing and get another when they come to pick up.

Even if you are pretty sure that you can make the dog look like the picture, tell them that you will groom their dog as close to the picture as you can, but it may not look exactly like the picture, because the dogs are different, even if they are the same breeds.

It is better to be safe than sorry.

If you manage to make the dog look exactly like the picture...great.

Owner:  "I want her hair cut, but don't use a blade on her."

Groomer: "Okay, how much hair do you want off?"

Owner: " I want about an inch and a half off."

Groomer: "No problem. To do that without a blade means that I will have to hand scissor her. It will be an extra $$ to do that. 

When a customer asks for something special that will take you more time, let the owner know right away that the groom will cost more.

Do not wait till they pick up their dog.

It is possible that when you told this customer what she was asking for would cost more, she would suddenly decide to let you use a blade on the dog. 

 Owner: "She has some knots, but I don't want her hair cut short."

               "Don't cut him short." 

You know what this means, don't you?

The dogs of these owners are almost always matted.

Too matted not to cut short.

These are the owners that have to be shown proof that their dog is matted.

I will put these dogs up on my counter and part the hair and show the owners the mats.

I will show them how close the mats are to their dogs skin.

I will explain to them how I don't have any choice about what blade I use on their dog.

I will explain that length of hair left on their dog will be determined by what blade will safely cut between the mat and the dogs skin.

Even if I know that with my shampoos and the HV I may be able to get a longer blade through the coat, I do not tell the owner this.

Because, all that they will hear is the word 'longer', and will forget everything else that you told them.

Then they will be disappointed because you didn't leave the dog as long as they thought that you would.

Let them be pleasantly surprised when they pick up the dog.

Owner: "I don't know."

             "I don't know, didn't my wife tell you when she made the appointment.?"

            "What do you think."

           "You're the groomer, groom him the way he is supposed to look."

Really!?

These are the people that you can ask a thousand questions, and you are still not sure what they want you to do on their dog.

After I have tried every way I know how to get answers and still don't know exactly what they want, I tell them what I think that they want.

I will describe exactly how I plan on grooming their dog, giving them an opportunity to change something.

I will also tell them that I will groom their dog conservatively.

Meaning, I warn the owner that I may leave their dog a little on the longer side, because I can't put hair back on after I take it off.

I also tell them that I write everything that I do down so that the next time that they come in they can tell me that they want the same, or that they want the cut shorter or longer.

I know that it probably sounded like I was repeating myself a lot in this post, and I guess that I did.

I believe that as  professional groomers we must take the time to listen to the owners and ask a lot of questions.

We must try to make sure that we understand what the owner wants, and that the owner understands what we are able to do.

I know that I can't please every owner, but it sure isn't for a lack of trying. :)

Happy Grooming, MFF