I started like most of your average dog groomers as a dog bather. Washing, drying brushing, nail trimming, nail filing dogs of all breeds. I love dog grooming so much that through this company I learned how to also cut dogs hair. During that process I saw how many groomers have the “time is money attitude”. This attitude worked for most people but not me. I never cared how long it took to groom a
dog. I want the dog on my table to feel safe. A lot of dogs dislike the grooming process because they never get to sit down or they are constantly uncomfortable. Imagen going to a hair salon and the person is brushing out your hair and you say “ouch” and they do not stop; you would be very upset and some people would never go back. Well our fur babies can not talk, they do things like bite, move, make it harder for you to finish the job. I want to and strive to be the groomer who understands the dog's body language. I do not mind if a dog needs cookies throughout the whole groom, or a toy, or breaks every few minutes. I want the dog on my table to walk out happy and not stressed out from the process of grooming. I have a client whose dog has always been an anxious dog from a very small puppy. The first time I groomed the dog the dog bit so hard it broke through my nail and out the other side. I did not give up. This dog was only 3 months old and do you know how scary it is to have a pair of scissors close to your eyeball? I'd bite you too. The next time I groomed the dog I gave the dog tons of treats and breaks and had tons of patience. Now when I groom this dog the dog is almost perfectly still and lets me groom almost everything. This was one of the most rewarding times as a dog groomer for me! A lot of groomers would have kicked him out but I love working with the “harder to deal with dogs” . It's not a challenge for me. For me it is helping the misunderstood dog, it's helping the dog understand that grooming is not scary. I want to change the outlook that grooming is stressful for dogs. I want the pet parent to know their dog is safe and loved, just how a parent knows their kid is safe and loved at daycare, camp, and school! Stress is something I have seen a lot of when groomers are grooming, dogs try to get off the table, or they bite, or cry, some even spin out of control. YES! that happens to me too, but I feel as though it is the way you handle the situation. Sometimes all a dog wants to be picked up for a minute or maybe they need to use the bathroom. I would love to share my tips and tricks that I have learned handling some of the more aggressive dogs versus what a lot of groomers I have seen use. I know a lot of the time they are more difficult, but I have made some dogs change their behavior on the grooming station table just by taking 5-10 minutes out of my time to make sure they are good.
