Having a Bad Day... Part 2

In yesterdays post I made a mention about hugging dogs.

Get ready, because this may be a long post. :)

I was not taught to interact with the dogs in the Grooming School that I went to.

As a matter of fact, even petting the dog was frowned upon.

The teachers felt that too much interaction with the dogs, other than strictly grooming, would make them get too excited and misbehave, causing them to be harder to groom.

I can't tell you how far from the truth that is!!!!!!!.

(did I highlight that enough?)

My grooming experience changed greatly after I started relaxing and interacting with the dogs.

The dogs were more comfortable.

I was more comfortable. 

The dogs relaxed on my table, because they felt the good vibes coming from me.

They were not tense because I wasn't tense.

They were happy because I was happily enjoying what I was doing.

Don't get me wrong.

I still have bad days.

I still have days where the pet owner frustrate me so much that I want to close my doors.

I still get a dog now and then that frustrates me to no end and tests all my patients, and makes me feel like I want to throw something.

I still get the dogs that want to commit suicide on my table and upset me because they are scaring me too death that they may hurt themselves.

 

That is when I have to stop.

Stop what I am doing and calm down.

Stop and hug, or just hold and pet the dog that is causing me so much frustration or fear. 

 I am not saying that hugging and petting that dog will get the suicidal dog to cooperate better, or make the wiggle worm stop moving all around, but it does help you, the groomer, to clam down, breath, and finish the groom.

I can not stress how important that I think it is to interact with the dog.

To always remember that you are working on a living animal that has feelings.

To take time to get to understand the dog that you are working on.

To forget the clock and the number of dogs that you still have to groom, and to give your undivided attention to the dog that you are grooming now.

You will have dogs that are easy grooms, that you can get through quickly, but there will be other times that you really need to slow down on a dog.

You need to figure out why that dog is fighting, or snappy, or scared.

~Does the dog need you to take it slow because it is scared?

~Does the dog need you to use a very gentle touch?

~Is something bothering you that the dog senses?

~Is the dog scared of the brush, because no one has ever used one on them before, or the owner does brush the dog, but they brush too hard, and the dog thinks that you are going to do the same thing?

~Is the dog fighting you in the tub, because when the owners bath him, or another groomer has bathed him, they have gotten water down his nose and he still remembers that feeling?

~Is he pulling away from you because the vibration of the clipper truly hurts the arthritis that he has in his legs?

~Is he acting up because he does not get groomed enough to be used to it, or his owner has taken him to so many different groomers, all grooming differently, that he just does not understand what you want of him?

There may be so many reasons why a dog acts the way it does.

Sometimes it is the owners fault, because they have spoiled their dog to a point that it is out of control.

Sometimes the dog may have an underlying medical condition that makes him uncomfortable and irritable.

Sometimes it is another groomers fault, that powered through the grooming, scaring it, and never taking the time to show the dog that grooming doesn't hurt.

Sometimes the dog is scared and needs extra tender loving care because he is the forgotten dog at home, and no one pets him, plays with him, or pays any attention to him anymore.

Sometimes a dog is scared to be touched, because there are small children in his home, and all they do all day is pull and tug on him, and just over all freak him out.

Sometimes there is no reason why, the dog id just crazy.

 

Everyone needs a hug once in awhile.

Even the pets.

No, they are not our pets, but they are in our care.

A genuine hug, or petting, or rub behind the ears can go a long way to relaxing our furry friends.

Taking those extra few minutes to understand the dog you are working on can save you the many extra minutes you would have spent fighting to get the dog groomed.

 

I give my grooms a hug when I first put them in the tub.

I talk to them, and tell them that I am going to give them a nice warm bath.

I play with them with towel when I put them on the drying table.

Most of them love a good face rub with the towel.

I give them another little hug and scratch behind the ears when I put them on my table to finish them.

I praise them and give another little hug when I am finished and putting them back in their kennel to wait for their owner to pick them up.

Even the dogs that make me want to pull my hair out get a little pep talk at the end of the groom.

"Okay buddy, we  both made it through this groom. You're done driving me crazy! We did it. We don't have to bother each other again...until the next groom,"  all of this being said as I give him a final scratch behind the ears.

Then my recommendation is to take a 5 minute break.

Just 5 minutes is good.

Five minutes to shake it off and get that last frustrating groom out of your head.

Five minutes to go outside and breath in some fresh air.

Five minutes to go in the bathroom, close the door, sit in the dark, hold your head, and recoup.

Before you move on to the next dog.

(can you tell that I have been there and done that?)

Nothing bothers me more then letting a dog get to me.

Letting a dog upset me.

The ones that do things to try to hurt themselves upset me the most, because they are in my care.

Because if they bite my blade or scissors and cut their tongue...I am the one to blame.

No matter how hard I tried to keep them from biting my scissors, or the clipper blade while it was running...it would still be my fault if they cut their tongue.

This can put a huge amount of pressure on a groomer.

It can frustrate the heck out of you.

It can scare you death.

It can get you worked up and upset.

 This is the time to stop.

This is a good time to just hold that dog and calm down.

This is the time to slow down and talk to the dog.

This is the time to remember that it is not the dogs fault he is so misbehaving.

This is the time to stop...take a minute...and relax.

This is a time to hug the dog!

I had to do this today.

With an old Cock-a-poo that I have been grooming for years.

He was a mean biter when I first started grooming him years ago.

I worked with him to get him to be a good dog to groom.

He we good for a long time. 

Now, he is old, arthritic, deaf, and partly blind,.....and mean again.

He fusses when I groom his head now....not that that is a big deal.

The problem is...he bites my clipper when I am clipping him around his mouth.

He bites at my scissors when I try to scissor around his eyes.

He scares the bageebees out of me every time he bites, because each time I have to check to make sure that he didn't cut his tongue or poke his eye.

He gets very upset with me and I with him.

And, like I stated above, I had to stop.

I stopped with my hands on each side of his face, trying to get him to calm down, and when he did finally sit and settle, I kept my hands on each side of his face and held him.

I buried my face in his neck.

Giving us both time to relax and calm down.

And I talked to him.

I turned my head slightly, and I talked softly right into his ear.

And I begged him; "Please, please buddy,..please hold still for just a couple of minutes. I can have your face done in just a couple of minutes if you would just stop snapping at my scissors. Your Mom won't understand if I tell her you got hurt. She will blame me. So please buddy, give me a break...give yourself a break. All I have left to do is your head, then you can go home...I promise."

Then I picked up my head.

I rubbed his head and continued to talk to him. (Even though he couldn't hear anything I was saying)

I slowly finished scissoring around his eyes and mouth as best I could without pushing it.

He tossed his head a few more times but did not try to bite the scissors anymore.

His face didn't look perfect, but it was done.

 

We both needed that break.

I know, some of you may think that this is overkill.

Some of you may think that this post is never going to end. :)

I don't think it is overkill.

The hugs, the petting, the scratches behind the ears, and the face rubs not only helps the dogs, it helps me, and keeps me sane during a rough day.

Giving a scratch behind the ears, or a little hug only takes seconds, but the payoff is big.

So, between those little hugs and the pep talks to myself, I am still here, still grooming. ☺

Hang in there.

Give yourself a break.

If your boss, the pet owner, or the dog upsets you, stop a minute, and breath.

Just hug the dog that you are grooming for a few minutes, to calm yourself down and the dog down.

Slow down a little, give the owner a call and tell them that their dog is fine, but that you are running a little behind and just need an extra half an hour to finish grooming their dog.

Most owners appreciate the phone call and are happy to give you extra time.

Now you won't feel as rushed if the dog is acting up, or you were running behind.

If you have a boss that rushes you, I would turn around and nicely inform them that they have a choice.

Either they continue to rush you and the dog, raising the chance of the dog being injured and causing them a law suit, or they (the boss) can give the owner a call and explain to them that the groomer is running behind a little and that they can pick their dog up at 1:20 instead of 1:00.

Unfortunately, in this business, there are always going to be a pet owner that likes to complain, and dogs that fight you for things that you know are not hurting them.

You are not alone.

We all deal with these things everyday.

Give yourself a pep talk.

Take five minutes.

 

If the groom isn't perfect, because the dog would not stand for you, just take a minute to explain to the owner.

"Hi Ms. M----.  Peanut was a little fussy, and didn't want to stand still for me today. I worked with him, but I didn't want to push it and upset him. So his grooming isn't as nice as I wanted it to be, but he still looks cute. I will keep working with him each time that you bring him in. I want to get him to enjoy the grooming" 

Or, if the dog was at your shop longer than you originally told the owner that they would be.

"Hi Ms. M----. I am so sorry that Peanut was here longer today. He was a little more fussy then usual and I had to stop grooming him a few times to let him calm down and relax. I didn't want him to turn at the wrong moment and accidentally cut him.  We are working on it together, and he is getting a little better with each grooming. Soon he will be standing still like a pro on my table. We just need to give him a little extra time.

"Hi Ms. M----. I am so sorry that Peanut was here longer today. I had a special needs dog earlier that caused me to get a little behind. Peanut was so good. He took a nice long nap while he waited for me to slowly finish that poor old dog."

Be honest with the owner....to a point.

You don't want to tell them that their dog was a spoiled little brat that scared the crap out of you every five minutes, because he kept trying to lick your scissors or couldn't be still to save his life, and you had to stop grooming him for a while so that you could calm down and relax.

Tell them when their dog needs more training with the grooming, or acts up, but do it in a nice professional manor.

Do not put their dog down in any way, or lecture the owner because they have a untrained, misbehaving dog.

Make a note on that dogs file so that the next time that that 'hard to groom dog' comes in you can schedule him accordingly, and remind the owner that his grooming may take some extra time, because his grooming is still a work in progress.

 Extra Tip:

Always talk to the owner before you bring their dog out to them after the grooming. 

The owner will not hear a word that you say if you bring their dog out at the same time that you are trying to talk to them.

Okay, I know that I have gotten a bit off track here.

I feel that all my rambling here today about hugging, petting, talking, and just getting to know the dog that you are grooming makes or breaks how our grooming days go.

We as groomers need to realize that every dog is different.

Every dog has different needs.

Pet owners are different.

We all....pet owners, dogs, and groomers have different moods everyday.

So, our days are not going to be the same.

Which is actually one of the reasons that I enjoy grooming so much....it is different everyday.

You cannot expect to finish your day at the exact same time everyday.

You cannot expect to groom at the same speed as the groomer next to you, because they are grooming a different dog than you are.

They may also have a different amount of experience than you.

You cannot expect every dog to stand still on the table for you.

It is a live animal, with a mind of it's own.

It is just not realistic to expect every dog to stand still.

You can not expect pet owners to always be on time to drop off, or pick up on time.

These are just a few of the stressful things that can make a groomer have a really miserable day.

A furry hug can go a long way to making it a better grooming day. :)

✂ Happy Grooming, MFF  ✂

Had a Bad Grooming Day?

Not sure you want to be a groomer anymore?

Not sure if you should be a groomer anymore?

You feel like no matter how hard you work, all of your customers have been super picky, or mean and nasty.

You feel like every dog that you put on the table is fighting you, or biting you, or won't stop moving.

You feel like your grooming is never going to get better, or that the dogs are never going to cooperate.

As  Pet Groomers we all have bad days.

Sometimes more than our fair share.

This happens to every groomer out there at some point in their career.

It does not matter how long you have been grooming.

If only I had a dollar for all of the times I threatened to quit grooming, or close up my shop.

We get tired...

We get tired of our families thinking that we don't have a real job.

We get tired of every dog fighting on the table.

We get tired of pet owners getting mad at us because we can't groom their dogs when they want, or they want the impossible from us.

We get tired because a boss is putting too much pressure on us to groom more dogs in a day.

Grooming can get tough even for a seasoned groomer.

For a newbie, it can be unbearable at times.

I had those moments when I was a newbie groomer.

I had them a lot, partly do to bad work environments.

I would actually start crying sometimes while grooming a dog, because I felt so overwhelmed.

How did I get through it?

Bare with me.

I am going to go off track here for just a minute.

Every Sunday morning I like to listen to Joel Osteen.

Wait!

Don't worry, I am not going to get all religious on you.

I enjoy listening to him because he is so up beat.

You feel good after listening to one of his sermons.

Anyway, yesterday he was talking about 'changing the channel'.

The point of his sermon was learning how to 'change the channel'...turn your thinking around when things get you down.

Even when you are not a 'the glass is half full' kind of person.

As I was listening to him, I could not help but think that that is exactly what I do when I am grooming.

That is what has helped me get through my grooming career all of these years.

Okay, back to my crying while I was grooming as a newbie.

Yes, I would actually cry.

Thankfully I worked alone a lot of the time.

When I wasn't alone, I would go in the bathroom and cry.

I would get a dog on the table that had a coat that I was trying to demat, because I didn't know how to tell the owner 'no'.

I would cry out of frustration because it was taking so long, I was hurting the dog,  or I was too scared to just clip it short and have the owner be mad at me.

Or

I was running behind.

Every owner would seem to want their dog back at the same time.

Or

The dog was flipping its head all over the place while I was trying to scissor around the eyes.

I was scared to death that I was going to cut the dog, or hurt its eyes.

Or

I had a boss that put me down, criticized my work, rushed me, did not have my back when a customer complained and threw me under the bus.

Any of these things can send a groomer over the edge.

Can make a groomer want to give up and quit.

I don't know how I learned how to 'change the channel'.

Joel wasn't around when I started grooming.

I didn't have any other groomer friends to help me, or give me tips on how to get through it.

There was no internet to go to for advice.

And, family and friends just could not understand what grooming was all about, after all, you are playing with dogs all day.

I loved grooming!

I really wanted to be a groomer!

I really wanted to work with dogs!

It was something that I was actually good at, and I needed to find a way to get through the though times of grooming.

I really wanted grooming to be my career even though most of my friends and family thought that I was crazy.

So, what would I do?

I have talked about this before in some of my earlier posts.

Believe it or not, I 'changed the channel'.

Only I did it a little differently than Joel talked about.

I would have a stern talk with myself.

Yep, I would even talk out loud to myself, having a full blown conversation.

What?

You are only just now realizing that I am a little crazy?

Yes I am, and proud of it!☺

When I felt like I was overwhelmed, and forgot how to groom, I would scold myself and tell myself to stop it.

I would tell my self ....

'Stop whining Lisa'

'You know what you are doing.'

'You have done this clip a ton of times.'

'You do a good job...just relax...take your time...you will get it done.'

'You are grooming because you love working with the dogs.'

'Don't over think it, just get it done, you know how to do it.'

'Don't worry about the owners, worry about the dogs.'

'You will get through this day.'

'The owners will like the groom, and if they don't, you did your best.'

'You can't please everybody.'

'I can do this!!'

Now, I am sure that Joel would have not wanted me to scold myself while I was trying to think more positively, but it worked for me....many times.

I needed to remind myself that I was a good groomer.

I needed to tell myself that my grooming could only get better with time.

I needed to remind myself how much I loved grooming and making dogs feel good.

I needed to tell myself to calm down and relax as I groom.

I needed to remind myself that I was only human, and could only do the best that I could.' 

I needed to remember that I was working on a living, breathing animal with feelings.'

And most of all....

I needed to stop and talk to, and hug the dogs. (I am going to talk more about this in tomorrows post)

I guess what I am trying to tell groomers that feel like they are at their whits end....'change the channel'...change your thinking.

Try to remember all of the reasons that you wanted to be a groomer in the first place.

If it helps, keep a small note book by your table and write down all of the good things that happened during your day.

~Muffin didn't try and bite me till the last nail today.

~Ms. R---- actually showed up on time today and didn't need her dog out right away.

~Ruffles stood up for me today while I was scissoring his legs, and they turned out nice.

~The new puppy I groomed today was wonderful.

~Scrappy let me pluck his ears today.

~Ms. B--- told me that Lady looked great.

~Three people tipped me today...yaaaaa.

~Lily ran to me, giving me kisses when her owner brought her in today.

~Nobody barked a lot today.

~Six of my dog were really great today.

Some of these things may seem to be really small things to be happy about, but they all add up.

Also, have a small pad of paper next to your table and write down the things that went wrong during the day.

~My first two appointments of the day were late, making me behind all day.

~Ms. G--- got mad at me when I could not fit her in for an appointment tomorrow.

~It took me twice as long to groom Puddles today because he was being a little brat and it upset me.

Look at the two lists.

I can almost guarantee that your good list will usually be longer than your bad list.

We tend to let the bad things stick with us and forget about the good things that happened during the day.

Just one customer, or one troublesome dog can ruin our day.

Now, at the end of the day, read 'the good list' to remind yourself of all the good things that happened during the day.

Then take the bad list and rip it up!!

Yes, put all 'the bad' in the trash and get rid of it!

Let it go! 

Reread that good list if you have to.

Train yourself to dwell on 'the good'.

I have a 40 minute drive to work every morning, and the one thing that I do on that ride is give myself a pep talk.

"Today is going to be a good day."

"All of my dogs will behave, and if they don't, I will work with them calmly."

"I will not let negative customers bother me."

These are just some of the things that I say to myself.

I admit, it does not always work.

I am a woman.

I can be moody...so shot me.

I will say that it is very important to me not to let my moods effect the way I groom and treat the dogs.

I am very proud of the way I care for and treat my furry customers.

I wish that I could say the same for my family.

Unfortunately, they are the ones who have to listen to my bitching.

I have to bitch at someone, don't I?

Anyway, don't give up on grooming...'change the channel' and try to dwell on 'the good', and 'the positive.'

Don't be too hard on yourself.

Try not to stress yourself out.

Take control of your grooming schedule so that you can better control your day.

And, write down the good things about your day. 

So that you don't forget.

So that when you are having a rough time you can go back and read those 'good lists.'

You can remember the good times and know that there are more good times ahead.

You can remember why you became a Pet Groomer in the first place.

We need good, caring groomers out there. ☺☺

✂Happy Grooming, MFF ✂

I Groomed a Bear

Okay, so I am exaggerating.....a little.

It was really a dog that looked like a bear.

I had groomed her 5 months ago.

So, even though it had been 5 months, I was still surprised at the amount of undercoat that she had.

She was packed!

I was really counting on my shampoo and conditioner to loosen up her under coat.

I was also really counting on my HV dryer to blow out all of that packed undercoat.

 Her undercoat was so thick and tight that you could not see her skin.

I started drying her.

Her coat was drying pretty quickly.

There was only one problem.....the undercoat was not blowing out.

So, I figured that this would be a good post.

(I am always thinking about what would make an interesting post. lol)

 I figured, since I am always pushing bathing a dog before brushing it out, (groomers only) that I should also show what to do when the undercoat doesn't easily blow out with the dryer.

And let me tell you, most of her undercoat was not budging.

At most the HV dryer was loosening the undercoat up and pushing it away from the skin a little bit.

 What did I do?

I would dry a section at a time like I normally do.

I put the wide mouth of the hose right up to the skin and dried the coat, undercoat and all.

Then I got my brush, pulled back on the dryer hose and started brushing out the undercoat.

 I kept the dryer blowing on the area that I was brushing.

This would help remove the undercoat that the brush was loosening up.

Short quick strokes of the brush, in the direction that the hair is blowing gets the undercoat out.

The  short video clip below shows what I am describing.

I know that removing the undercoat this way has the hair blowing all around the room.

You might be thinking 'it would have been better to brush the dog out before the bath'.

I respectfully disagree.

You never know for sure whether undercoat will easily blow out with the HV dryer until you try.

I have to say after spending years brushing double coated dogs out before the bath, it is much easier to brush out clean undercoat then dirty undercoat.

Your brush will fill fast and have to be emptied often.

The clean undercoat comes out quickly.

One Tip:

The reason that I dry the coat before I start to brush, is because the skin is tender when wet.

I am careful not to brush too hard, or brush the skin.

The undercoat also comes out much more easily when it is dry.

 This was the bathing-room floor after brushing out just one side of the bear dog.

Of course that is just the hair on the floor.

I don't have pictures of the undercoat that floated in the tub, on the towel shelf, in my hair....everywhere.

I was able to remove more than 95% of the undercoat before we left the bathing room.

This comb full of hair was all the undercoat that was still in her coat when I got her to my grooming table to do the finish trim.

 It took me about an hour to dry her and remove all of that packed undercoat.

Isn't she a pretty bear?

Sorry....isn't she a pretty dog?

I know that she feels so much better with all of that undercoat out.

She is so sweet.

I am sure that she went home a slept the rest of the day.

We spent the rest of the day cleaning up her hair.

And, combing her hair out of my hair!

✂ Happy Grooming ✂