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He's got a few mats on his feet, but nothing too bad. I'm looking for groomers around work so I can just drop him off and take him back to work with me. My job loves dogs. Better head shot.  I named him Cash and he's already picked it up. Smart little guy.
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Apr 4, 2013 20:42
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The Big Whoop posted:Other groomers, is there a length you hate using? I hate using 7s on matted dogs. I'd much rather go with a 10 because it goes through like butter and I've really only knicked a dog when I was using a 7. THIS!!! We call an open 7 The Shredder. I honestly haven't used it in months.
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Apr 4, 2013 23:20
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5s. They're so useless, boy I really hates them. My old boss used to insist we use 5 as a short clip SO DOG STILL HAS HAIR dude it's still short. Working for someone that's never groomed = blergh. I use them occasionally (5F) but honestly I never use skip tooth blades anymore. I mostly use snap-on combs.
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Apr 5, 2013 13:17
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3 & 3/4 were kind of my bane...mainly because it was always used on doodles, and most of them had some amount of tangles and matting, but the owners wanted them to be that length so it would mean constantly having to stop clipping to try and work out tangles and mats.
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Apr 5, 2013 16:12
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Yeah, my 3&3/4 never really worked right. I had a client drop off an old box of clipper blades she found cleaning out someone's house, and there happened to be a 4 and a 4F in there. They were old, but I cleaned them up anyway, and they're SERIOUSLY a godsend. They leave a little hair like the 3&3/4, but work WAY better for some reason. And they're seriously hardly any shorter. AND they were free! 
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Apr 6, 2013 04:04
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Panzer, that's pretty darn funny. Most of my clients come in with bad mats and I use my 5 ALL the time. Agreeing with you on the skip tooth. I have a 5 skip that hasn't been touched in months...it cuts like poo poo and has been used maybe 3 times? gently caress that. Greylicious, my 3 3/4ths has the same measurements on it as my 1/2 inch comb... 13 mms and yet the 3 ends up way shorter. It's something I've never quite figured out, but the 3s do indeed seem to get dull the fastest. Wolfenstienbag, what brand where the old clipper blades? I've only got Oster and Andis, and the Osters are all trash now (have been using them for like 4 years) I've basically only been using Andis stuff because it seems to have some weird gypsy curse on it that makes them stay sharp FOREVER. Eventually I'll have to order a new set of blades though, sigh. I'm thinking about grabbing some ceramic saws and replacing the metal ones with them though. Guys, I think I'm coming close up on my first groomer burn-out. I need a vacation baaaad, but I haven't earned any vacation time yet. Still bein' a huge jerk and working with difficult dogs though. (THEY'LL NEVER WIN! HAHAHA) I recently stopped grooming cats, except for baths and nail trims or if they ask for me specifically. I HATE GROOMING CATS. Although it is hilarious the first time you see a big puffball looking like a squeezed out lemon (and with an expression to match), they take up sooo much time and you have to be so careful and half the time you can't even fluff dry them without them trying to bite the poo poo out of you. Have you ever had a cat stand up and pee while you were washing it? I have. It was super bizarre. The Big Whoop fucked around with this message at 04:40 on Apr 6, 2013 |
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Apr 6, 2013 04:32
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The Big Whoop posted:Wolfenstienbag, what brand where the old clipper blades? I've only got Oster and Andis, and the Osters are all trash now (have been using them for like 4 years) I've basically only been using Andis stuff because it seems to have some weird gypsy curse on it that makes them stay sharp FOREVER. I'm not sure, I'll have to check. I know they're really odd looking, but I'm thinking they have to be PRETTY old considering the crazy old box they were kept in. They're either some weird brand, or super old Oster blades. Apparently, from what my boss tells me, their quality was WAY better decades ago. quote:Guys, I think I'm coming close up on my first groomer burn-out. I need a vacation baaaad, but I haven't earned any vacation time yet. Still bein' a huge jerk and working with difficult dogs though. (THEY'LL NEVER WIN! HAHAHA) I do NOT envy you doing cats, we definitely don't take them where I work. I definitely feel you with the burnout, too, the job gets really rough, and it's seriously taxing on your well being after awhile. It's super physical, you deal with difficult dogs all the time (even the best behaved ones are still dogs, after all) and even dealing with people is really tiring. Over the years, my boss has been looking for someone to eventually by the shop from her, and she gets super disappointed when people want to move on to different things (including me) but it really is a hard industry to stay in for the long haul. Commercial, pet grooming is just rough, plain and simple! Hope you get yourself a break, soon. 
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Apr 6, 2013 09:04
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WolfensteinBag posted:Yeah, my 3&3/4 never really worked right. I had a client drop off an old box of clipper blades she found cleaning out someone's house, and there happened to be a 4 and a 4F in there. They were old, but I cleaned them up anyway, and they're SERIOUSLY a godsend. They leave a little hair like the 3&3/4, but work WAY better for some reason. And they're seriously hardly any shorter. AND they were free! Yes, 4F is the best! We used that most where I worked and I would always kind of be like 'thank god!' when my boss would be like, "Welp, let's just do a 4F!" on new dogs or 3 &3/4 ones that were too tangled/matted. The Big Whoop posted:Greylicious, my 3 3/4ths has the same measurements on it as my 1/2 inch comb... 13 mms and yet the 3 ends up way shorter. It's something I've never quite figured out, but the 3s do indeed seem to get dull the fastest. I actually really enjoy grooming cats, just because it was something different. Granted, I've only done a total of 3, two being my own maine coons, and one being from a client. And yes, one of my Maine coons pissed in the tub at work, lol. I have no idea why, she was just nervous, glad it was the tub and not the table!! None of the cats I groomed tried to bite, at most they would try and get off the table. Just always need to work with one hand holding them in place, except my male maine coon who LOVES getting clipped. He just sits on the table when I do his back.
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Apr 6, 2013 16:15
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removed for being too e/n
The Big Whoop fucked around with this message at 06:13 on Apr 14, 2013 |
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Apr 11, 2013 00:46
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How many dogs do you all usually groom per day? I really wish I could be a fly on the wall at a non-giant-corporation groomer's, and just see how different everything is.
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Apr 19, 2013 03:46
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Fat Dio: I'm at a corporate and I usually do 5/6 dogs a day in an 8 hour shift. If I was just bathing, with no lunch (8.5) hours I could probably do about 10-15 dogs a day. If my bathers were allowed to wash/dry I could be doing 7 or 8 clips. Are they sending you to "academy" anytime soon? You'll probably be able to do about 3 or 4 at the beginning.
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Apr 19, 2013 04:24
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The Big Whoop posted:Good God all the stupidity about double coated shavedowns makes me seethe. There's apparently a vet around here that's telling people "Nah bro it's totally cool, it's a solution for two seasons." His coat grew back in time for winter and you couldn't tell he's been clipped. He was also considerably less hot in the summer (I know, because I have another dog like him of the same color that wasn't clipped so I could compare.) He also blew his coat this year just like he has for the past six non-clipped years I've had him. The only thing I can maybe tell was different about him after a few months was that the guard hairs on him were all of the same length for a while. That might have been an issue if he were a show dog, which he is not. A "bad" coat is the least of his problems in the show ring, which is why I don't take him. I keep hearing PI tell me about how clipping double coated dogs is horrible. This doesn't match my experience, or the experience of anyone I know. It also doesn't make biological sense to me, since you're not touching the hair follicles, only the dead keratin that they spew out. The internet told me there's a rare post-shaving alopecia that more often afflicts double coated dogs than other kinds of breeds. However, this is also reversible (i.e. the hair will grow back in time) and incidentally the postulated etiology for said alopecia is decreased blood flow to the hair follicles due to vasoconstriction (i.e. the skin is cooler, so less capillary flow). I don't doubt the experience you guys have as groomers and I'm sure you have seen bad results from clipping double coated dogs, but I'm terribly curious to find out why nothing bad happened to my dog or to the various other clipped double coated dogs I know. A bunch of people I know clip their double coated dog every summer on veterinary advice because of skin issues and the coat grows back year after year after year. I'm also curious to hear if you guys have any idea of a biological mechanism that could cause cutting dead hair to affect the living tissue in a deleterious way. I can't think of many that make sense (which doesn't mean a reasonable mechanism can't exist!)
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Apr 19, 2013 09:58
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The Big Whoop posted:I HATE GROOMING CATS. Although it is hilarious the first time you see a big puffball looking like a squeezed out lemon (and with an expression to match), they take up sooo much time and you have to be so careful and half the time you can't even fluff dry them without them trying to bite the poo poo out of you. Have you ever had a cat stand up and pee while you were washing it? I have. It was super bizarre. I just read through this thread, and I won't even come NEAR to saying that I'm near a professional skill level, but I groom my kitties.  I have four, and three are longhair; most of them sit still like little gentleman for me. I have brushes, combs, and I also have one of the trimmers with the snap-on combs. A lot of it was trial and error for me, but I've never hurt my little guys save for one little nick the very first cut I gave them- I'm not trained, so a lot of it at first was "that looks...okay. wait wait, god that's horrible looking, I am so sorry Warlord. Your fur is terrible.".Warlord:  WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MEOW?!?! I'M GOING TO PEE ON YOUR BLANKET FOR THIS I SWEAR!!!My longhairs looked a little bit...um...silly, the first few trims, but it's a lot better now that I'm getting the hang of it, and I take care of all my instruments (I'm a seamstress and do my own automobile work- I know you have to keep machines clean and oiled). I'm also really nervous about grooming around their genital area, so I hand-trim that when I clip their little claws and put their softpaws on. Warlord has sparkly pink softpaws this month to remind him of how cute he is. I might try to dig up some tutorials for cat grooming to make them look a little flashier and less bleh, since I have to groom them soon anyway. EDIT: I'm a crazy cat lady; have a photo.   Freakbox fucked around with this message at 10:56 on Apr 19, 2013 |
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Apr 19, 2013 10:14
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Fat Dio posted:How many dogs do you all usually groom per day? I really wish I could be a fly on the wall at a non-giant-corporation groomer's, and just see how different everything is. Right at this moment, most days it's just me and my boss at work since the third girl we had working left. Between the two of us, we're averaging about 10-14 dogs a day, in addition to checking in (morning drop off time) and checking out, answering phones, and doing laundry. Sometimes we'll get lucky and have a few dogs that are just baths, but the majority of those dogs are full grooms. We open at 7:30, have drop-off until 9, and are always done by 2 because that's our last pick-up (unless people are jerks  ) Even with clean up and mixing shampoos at the end of the day, scheduling regular appointments ahead of time, and making collar bows, the absolute LATEST I've been there is 2:45, and those were CRAZY heavy days when we were still figuring out our routine after the other girl left. It averages more between 1-2, with some rare days being even earlier. I'm also paid hourly, so we have the benefit of being able to grab whatever dogs are there to work on, and help each other out when a dog gets nuts, since we're not divvying up the income. That's really the nice thing about working hourly, although some days I bust my rear end because I want to get out of there, only to get paid less for my effort.  At this point, though, I feel like the pros definitely outweigh the cons.
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Apr 19, 2013 12:20
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Oh so it's not tooooo too different. I've got room in my schedule for 5-6 dogs a day, plus taking care of walk-in services, the phone, tidying up and whatnot. I went a little nuts my first couple of weeks there but I've learned to manage my time/dogs pretty well since. I really wish we had a laundry room, it'd make things much better. Instead the towels get thrown in a bag as they're used, eventually someone gets around to dragging them to a spare room and they get picked up by a...towel-washing service once a week or so. I know people would complain about having to do laundry but I'd rather that than have a pile of smelly wet towels mouldering away for a week. I haven't gone to the academy, I've only been doing this since February. One girl who started a few months before me is leaving just this weekend for it, so it'll be at least a few months before they decide to send me off to school. I don't know if I'd want to go, to be honest. I want to make this a career and learn to handle dogs and groom really well but I'd have to sign a 2 year contract plus 1 year non-compete, and I'm worried about having my formative years and training done here.
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Apr 19, 2013 23:06
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Fat Dio, you have a PM. 
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Apr 20, 2013 23:12
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I don't have PM's, are you sure it sent? Can you email me?
Fat Dio fucked around with this message at 23:55 on Apr 20, 2013 |
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Apr 20, 2013 23:17
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Well what the crap, then?!? I sent it from my phone, guess it can't tell the difference!  I'll email you, then!
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Apr 20, 2013 23:37
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Fat Dio posted:Oh so it's not tooooo too different. I've got room in my schedule for 5-6 dogs a day, plus taking care of walk-in services, the phone, tidying up and whatnot. I went a little nuts my first couple of weeks there but I've learned to manage my time/dogs pretty well since. I really wish we had a laundry room, it'd make things much better. Instead the towels get thrown in a bag as they're used, eventually someone gets around to dragging them to a spare room and they get picked up by a...towel-washing service once a week or so. I know people would complain about having to do laundry but I'd rather that than have a pile of smelly wet towels mouldering away for a week. PFFFT I "learned" through the company you are working for. Don't do it through them, all they do is safety stuff for a month and then make you groom X amount of dogs. And they make you pay for your kit. Also they will rush the hell out of you. If you have the other big national franchise around, go through them, the education is better (you get sent out for like, 6 months, going between school and your home store to practice), commitment is only 1 year and they will provide a grooming kit for you. Thing is, at the other big company bathers kind of get treated like crap (but you can make commission as a bather as well!) ALSO! Any bathers remember that if you have problems with your salon manager or co-workers you can always go to your General Manager! Unless they are bros or whatever. Don't make the mistake I did and think the salon manager's words are final (AKA always ALWAYS follow up with human resources if you have an employee issue!) Also I gotta tell you that the company that you're working for did, on several occasions send people who weren't right for the job to school. They sent one chick who couldn't do nails and they sent another who literally beat dogs, and got demoted to bathing on commission. IMO the best way to go is to find a local groomer who you like and ask to apprentice under them. As sweet as the corp stuff may seem, there's a lot of silly red tape. I hope I was vague enough describing the differences. If not let me know so I can take this post down or edit it or something. Another point I was hoping to bring up, is how to teach people that seem a little slow? I've had this older lady working for me for about 3 months now, and while she is sweet, I worry about her handling dogs and such. It took her a long time to master the computer system and clipping nails. We *just* moved her up to 2/3 dogs in a shift when someone who started at the same time as her is up to about 6 dogs. It's really frustrating because it's like she can't figure things out on her own. They keep just telling me to give her write-ups, but I morally can't write-up someone for being slow. I just feel like I've been telling her and showing her the same things over and over again, whereas with my other employees I can tell them something once (Maybe twice) and they get it. The Big Whoop fucked around with this message at 06:21 on Apr 21, 2013 |
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Apr 21, 2013 06:08
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I think this is the only bigass petstore chain in my city that does grooming BUT I haven't looked too hard. I'll have to buy my own equipment eventually anyway, right? I want to get my own nail clippers, greyhound comb, slicker brush, just basic stuff I'd rather have for myself rather than communally used tools. My salon manager runs academies, and he seems to be a fairly good teacher. One groomer was near the end of her 100 dogs when I started, and he was always there to answer her questions and seemed to do a good job helping her out with anything. I think if I did go through the "school" I'd at least come back to a situation where the manager is a good resource. I'm more worried about having "BigAss PetStore" on my resume and if some future potential employer would think poorly of me for being trained there. I've got a "working interview" with a woman who owns a small (tiny!) grooming salon in town. She used to work at the place I'm at now, so she knows pretty well what I've learned and what I've been expected to handle. The thing that's made me raise an eyebrow is according to rumor, she was let go for being too rough with the dogs. The place is a total rumor mill though, so I'm taking that with a grain of salt, and she wants me to come in so we can talk and she can see how I handle dogs. I figure if she tells me I need to be rougher or...whatever and it seems like something I wouldn't be comfortable doing, I'd rather not learn through her anyway.
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Apr 22, 2013 01:25
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DEFINITELY see how she handles the dogs before you make any commitments, especially considering the rumors around her leaving. People know how to put on a front but true colors come out eventually, and you don't want to be stuck working with someone who is constantly "correcting" dogs when owners aren't around. Just my jaded opinion, anyway.
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Apr 22, 2013 04:01
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I'm definitely going longer next time. I miss his poodle curls. I'm sort of meh, but it's a start and a first time for me that wasn't a bath and brush out like my other dog.
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Apr 23, 2013 03:08
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You guys seemed to be discussing academies, do you mean grooming schools? I'm looking into getting into the industry but I don't want to get screwed by a program that's actually a scam if there's a more on-the-job way that is acceptable. Is grooming school a good idea? How else do I learn all the different cuts and how to use the tools?
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Apr 24, 2013 04:11
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dustbin posted:You guys seemed to be discussing academies, do you mean grooming schools? I'm looking into getting into the industry but I don't want to get screwed by a program that's actually a scam if there's a more on-the-job way that is acceptable. Is grooming school a good idea? How else do I learn all the different cuts and how to use the tools? You either go to grooming school or get trained/mentored on the job. I did the latter, but it isn't always easy to find someone who is willing to do that or can do that. I just got very lucky, as the person I worked for was also a former instructor at a grooming school! Grooming schools will vary quite a bit by state, so I only know how things are in NY state. My state doesn't require licensing or even certification. Anyone off the street could be like 'i wanna groom!' and open a shop. The grooming schools in NY are official trade schools though, so they are accredited/handled by, I'm guessing, the department of education. So that is one way to find out if the school is legit or not. So, pretty much the starting point will be for you to find out how things work in your state.
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Apr 24, 2013 04:37
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Greycious posted:You either go to grooming school or get trained/mentored on the job. I did the latter, but it isn't always easy to find someone who is willing to do that or can do that. I just got very lucky, as the person I worked for was also a former instructor at a grooming school! Thank you, that's good advice. Are there any known companies to stay away from in the event a grooming school is for me?
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Apr 24, 2013 04:49
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dustbin posted:Thank you, that's good advice. Are there any known companies to stay away from in the event a grooming school is my answer? Well there are some online grooming schools apparently, which I just can't wrap my head around. They seem like they would be pretty pointless since grooming is a very much so hands-on skill. So I'd just say any of those are a waste of money. At that point you might as well buy grooming DVDs off amazon. :P Hopefully others will chime in with their experiences and maybe offer some more advice.
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Apr 24, 2013 05:05
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Any big company is going to vary between shops, better to find someone who's grooming skills you admire and ask if you can apprentice. A smart groomer will probably make you sign a non-competition contract as well.
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Apr 24, 2013 05:37
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Yeah, I learned on the job, too. And while now that I have more dog experience I tend to butt heads with the shop owner on training issues, the woman I learned from is REALLY wonderful when it comes to learning grooming, especially when it comes to scissoring. I always tend to be really particular about the job I do, and I never really think much of it, until we get dogs in from other places in the area and they tell us how they were done, or a dog that sits like a statue will have issues with the cut that should have been very easy (in my mind) to fix. I guess you just have to keep in mind that while there is a lot that you'll teach yourself (you can only have someone show you so much) you're not going to gain skills much farther than what you're taught. So like The Big Whoop said, if you can find someone who does a job you really admire, that would be who to work for.
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Apr 24, 2013 12:13
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How often/what type would you need to get a cut done for a shih tzu if you wanted to avoid daily grooming? Let's say maybe 1-2 times a week brush.
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Apr 25, 2013 15:52
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Obscurity posted:How often/what type would you need to get a cut done for a shih tzu if you wanted to avoid daily grooming? Let's say maybe 1-2 times a week brush. There are no real shih tzu specific clips, because in the show ring they are kept long although the majority of pet owners keep them clipped for their sanity. So as far as what type of clip to get them, most people generally call it a 'puppy cut' which honestly just means some sort of shorter cute cut...it isn't very specific. But you can ask a groomer to do that. I kind of like a 4F blade on shih tsuz going into puppy cuts because it seems to be a good length that leaves them a tiny bit of fuzz but short enough you can easily wait 8 weeks until it needs to be clipped again, and the care of the coat between visits will be minimal. Avoid big-box stores if you can, most of those places (like petco and pet smart) around me just clip a dog down to almost nothing, leave skin showing, etc...And are often way overpriced/charge way more than what they quote you.
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Apr 25, 2013 19:31
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I'm considering going trying to further my pet-based career by becoming a groomer. For reference I work for a dog walking/pet sitting company now, but I want to expand my horizons and become a professional. I'm thinking about applying at some of the big box stores to get my foot in the door and get free training (or so they say), is this an awful idea? I have a lot of experience with dogs and a college education so I figure I will be able to get an interview quickly. Does anyone have an opinion of "Pet Supplies Plus" grooming? It seems like they might be better than Petco or Petsmart. edit: I know this was kind of just talked about, so sorry for the repetition! Dead Pikachu fucked around with this message at 23:56 on Apr 25, 2013 |
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Apr 25, 2013 23:48
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To get training beyond clipping toenails and bathing at Petsmart you'll have to sign a 2 year contract with them. It makes sense because if you're super awesome at toenails and bathing, they'll send you off to a month-long training where they pay for your hotel and all that, so they don't want to put the money into someone to do that, then have them take off as soon as they're done the training. I'm still in the toenails and baths all day every day stage, so I can't say much about what the more extensive training's like.
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Apr 26, 2013 01:54
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I've had it hammered into my head that PetCo and PetSmart's grooming training is incredibly sub-par, but I really don't know anything about it first hand so  If they send you away to an actual grooming school then maybe it is decent enough.
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Apr 26, 2013 03:20
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Petsmart's training is poo poo and they make you sign for two years instead of Petco which is one. PetCo's can be ok depending on your instructor.
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Apr 28, 2013 08:20
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How much of the quality of training do you think is dependent on the instructor and salon manager, and how much is official "this is how we teach people to groom" policy?
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Apr 29, 2013 01:17
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Fat Dio posted:How much of the quality of training do you think is dependent on the instructor and salon manager, and how much is official "this is how we teach people to groom" policy? ALL OF IT. Unless you have another groomer in your salon that really likes to teach. Officially they aren't "allowed" to teach, because your salon manager is the one who should be supervising your grooms (at least in the company you work for, at the other GIANT chain, anyone who gets approved can do it). There is an "official" way which you will see in your handbook, however they don't really micromanage too much with methods. Do what works for you if its not a major health/safety issue. I will tell you that they will teach you to always do paw scoops in a 10 however, some people use 15s, 30s or even 40s for that.
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Apr 30, 2013 05:12
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I just barely missed seeing an actual Labrador shavedown, but he came in just as my shift was ending 
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Apr 30, 2013 22:48
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Fat Dio posted:I just barely missed seeing an actual Labrador shavedown, but he came in just as my shift was ending I don't think I could work at a place stupid enough to actually do stuff like that. 
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May 1, 2013 02:59
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One of my co-workers shaved down her staffy. I didn't know what to say to that. It's not like it had that much hair to begin with.
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May 1, 2013 05:11
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6-Ethyl Bearcat posted:One of my co-workers shaved down her staffy. I didn't know what to say to that. It's not like it had that much hair to begin with. "hey guys watch this" *shaves pit bull down with a 40 blade.*
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May 1, 2013 06:00
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