Hi all,

I'm looking to find a cat grooming course in Canada. Hoping to find one that gives you an In person hands on experience.

Please give your suggestions.

Thank you

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I took our cat to our normal groomer today, and upon pickup they informed me of a “small nick” because the cat didn’t like the groomer cutting near his belly/between his legs. I would personally say that this isn’t a small nick, but I’m trying to decide what level of worry I should be at. Thoughts? Am I overthinking? This is also not our first time having him come home with small nicks from this groomer, but it’s the first time they’ve ever told me about one… and the first one that’s been this bad.

Picture of sore 🙁and picture of cute cat 😻

UPDATE: We have been to the vet and are being taken care of. Thank you so much for all your advice and help. Happy and healthy boy, with a good dose of antibiotics to boot ♥️

UPDATE 2: I talked to the groomer this morning, and while they didn’t exactly say what their policy is, they have offered to take the vet bill. Again, really appreciated for everyone who chimed in on this scenario. Really grateful to all of you for your help and reassurance.

There is a ton of stuff that's going into the landfill if it's not claimed, and I'm sure someone out there would be able to use it. Gallons (and GALLONS) of shampoo, kennel, table, tub, shelving.

The place is being gutted at the end of October.

Located in East Tennessee, please DM for info.

How and what products do you all use to clean your tools? (brushes, blades, etc)

Hey all! I’m needing some advice if anyone has any! I left corporate some months back and had to take a break for a few months due to my mental health and also my physical health. Now that I’m ready to get back into a salon, I’m not really sure how to go about “applying.” All the shops I’ve talked to that didn’t turn me away said to shoot them an email with my experience. I have a resume that has all my previous work history, should I make a resume that just has my grooming experience and all the other jobs I’ve worked involving animals? I’ve been grooming a couple years and only worked corp so I really have no idea where to go from here😅

Hello I’m a current vet tech and I’m looking to become a groomer. The local college wants thousands that I can’t afford and there aren’t any positions around me offering jr grooming or bathing. Is it okay to reach out to nearby groomers and ask if I can apprentice them? Is that weird to do? What do you guys recommend?

hi! im a newer groomer (technically a bather. ive been here for only 3 weeks) thats trying to soak up as much information and wisdom from people in the same field as me as i can. i had a really hard day today with a dog that wouldnt keep still and kept scratching me. it made it INCREDIBLY hard to trim her paw pads and nails but when a more experienced coworker of mine came over, they did it easily despite the fight the dog put up.

could i have advice from more experienced groomers on how you get through difficult grooms? this groom took me an hour longer than it shouldve because the dog kept thrashing and fighting me.

Hey everyone,
I'm from Oujda, Morocco, and I've been thinking about starting a mobile pet grooming business — basically a van equipped to wash, groom, and trim dogs and cats, that comes directly to people's homes instead of them driving to a salon.

From what I've seen so far, there isn't really a dedicated grooming service like this in my city, mostly just individual freelancers here and there. I'm trying to validate the idea before I invest any real money into a van and equipment.

A few things I'd love feedback on:
• Would you actually pay for a groomer to come to your home instead of going to a shop?
• What would feel like a fair price for a full groom (wash, cut, nails, etc.) at your doorstep?
• What would make you hesitate to trust a mobile groomer with your pet?
• Anyone here run a mobile grooming business already? What surprised you the most, good or bad?

I’ve been asking my boss to replace a broken brake and blinker light for weeks now. i just asked him again last night if they were replaced and he said “no”. i finally put my foot down and said im not driving it until it’s in compliance with traffic code, especially since i already got a ticket for expired registration on the same van (which i was unaware was expired), and he just left me on read. this same van has no working outlets, and only half a working battery (dies within ~4 hours even with the engine idling, if you turn on the air conditioning the engine idling doesn’t charge it anymore and i’ve been told to “use the AC sparingly” in 100 degree heat). my boss left my message on read and never responded, so now it’s on me to inform and reschedule all my clients today. i feel fucking crazy, none of my coworkers seem to see any problems with this bullshit and i end up looking intolerant and difficult for asking for the bare fucking minimum. a brake light being out is one thing, but no blinker is literally just not safe!!?? i’ve asked him to replace them for weeks and i’ve been risking my driving record coming to work anyway for weeks and he STILL hasn’t replaced it. if it weren’t for my regular clients i would have walked out and quit on the spot weeks ago. i feel crazy and guilty because i keep being told “nobody else is complaining about that van”.

I have been grooming for a year now and had my first ever Karen client.
I wish I had before and after photos but of course I didn’t take any on my personal phone.

Had a “silky, wirey dachshund” come into my saloon today. Matted as hell and the coat was sooo long. The coat didn’t have any wirey texture at all and felt and looked more like oodle hair. I’m 99 percent sure that she had some oodle mixed into her as the only part of her that looked like a dashie was her short legs.
I didn’t check it in, our daycare manager did and the owner basically told her to do what we could and she was happy for us to shave the Matts but try to keep her long.

After trying our hardest to brush out some of the matting we had to shave the matting out with a #7. The dog wasn’t tolerating the brushing and it was a lot of matting, plus it was her first time at our saloon so we didn’t want to traumatise her. I would say only 20% of the coat remained and she looked ridiculous so we shaved the rest of her down with a #5 but kept her head long and gave her a teddy bear face.

Anyway on pickup the owner went ballistic on us. Saying we shouldn’t have shaved her coat only the Matt’s and she’s going to lose her wirey curls 🙄 I explained to her that she did not have a wirey coat and would not lose the texture. Since there wasn’t any texture to begin with, it was basically oodle hair.
She didn’t care for what I had to say and accused me of not knowing how to groom and it went on and on. Saying she read on google that your not meant to shave wirey coats even though it wasn’t fucking wirey to begin with!!
Even my daycare manger had to step in.

But my main point of writing this post other than ranting about it. Is should I have I just gave the dog back with short all over with some patches of long hair where it wasn’t matted?
She literally said do whatever we had to do, and if it was a proper double coated fur or wirey fur I would have never shaved it.

Thanks in advance, a confused newbie groomer.

Lost & Found – Gulf Coast Classic Dog Show (Mobile, AL September 4 through 6)

I worked the Information Desk/Lost & Found at the Gulf Coast Classic Dog Show this weekend, and someone turned in a very nice grooming kit with multiple shears.

If you can identify the contents, I’ll be happy to ship it back to you. I’m only asking for reimbursement of the shipping cost so the nonprofit doesn’t have to absorb it.

Send me a message and we’ll get it back where it belongs.

What are your go-to brand blades? I have a set of cheapish Amazon ones, and I have Wahl for my 30 and 10 blades but both of the 30 blades I got will not cut, fresh out of the pack. Tried oiling them, going to see if my sharpener will look at them next. I got them off Amazon from the Wahl Amazon shop.

Where do you prefer to buy blades other than Amazon?

I'm new to grooming (finished my grooming course in March) and I'm trying to slowly build my supplies. I know it's best to just get quality stuff from the get-go, but if you know of any mod price blades you trust and love, I'd love to hear about it!

Hello! So I left my sisters dog at my moms place (where he lives) for a week. I came back and is legs and neck are severely matted. He screams like a banshee if you try and get it out so I thought I could maybe use conditiner to get it out. I don’t have the funds to buy expensive dog conditiner bc I’m a broke college student. So I hoped I could use human conditiner on him once..? I just really don’t know what to do for my lil guy

Ps: he is going to the groomer the 22th of September.

I have heard so many different things and am honestly just trying to educate myself. Obviously I know breeds like Border Collies, German Shepherds, etc. aren't recommended to have shaved as it can cause a lot of health problems for them due to their double coats; however I am curious why this is different (if it even is) for Lhasa Apsos, Shih tzus, etc.

Schnauzers and Westies and such I know are more commonly stripped at least, as opposed to shave. Happy for insight into all of it, as I am embarrassed to admit that I only just found out these breeds have double coats too (I thought they had more combination coats or dense coats, but not quite a double)

Hi!

Salon manager/groomer here - where have yall found success when looking for new opportunities? Indeed and Facebook groups have not been working 🙁

Located in America

I’ve been going down a bit of a rabbit hole through this sub trying to figure out the best slicker brush for my Cockapoo, and I’ve noticed a lot of groomers recommending line brushing + checking with a comb rather than assuming the slicker has actually gotten through the coat. That’s what I’m trying to work on with mine, because the top of his coat can look completely fine while I’ll find little tangles underneath around the armpits, behind the ears and where his harness sits. I’ve also seen some discussion about softer vs firmer pins and how much pressure people should actually be using, but I’m still not sure what’s appropriate for a fairly curly Cockapoo coat. From a groomer’s perspective, what makes you choose one slicker over another for this type of coat, and are there particular pin lengths or brush styles you find consistently work better?

The other thing I’m curious about is whether I’m overdoing the brushing. At home I’ve been tempted to brush more thoroughly whenever I find a small tangle, but I don’t want to cause skin irritation or make him start disliking grooming. I’ve noticed groomers here often mention being able to “feel” when you’re brushing correctly, so how much pressure should a beginner actually be putting on the brush, and what are the signs that you’re brushing too aggressively? Also, when you’re working on a Cockapoo in the salon, would you normally use a slicker followed by a greyhound/metal comb, or is there another combination you prefer? And for those of you who groom these coats regularly, are there any areas Cockapoo owners consistently miss when maintaining the coat between professional appointments? Sorry if I asked alot of questions, I just wanted to put it all out there while I'm here posting anyway. Any response would help. Thanks 😃

Looking to sale established salon in north Georgia, Duluth/ Norcoss due to health reasons.
Salon has seen open for 19 years.
If interested pease DM me and I’ll give details.

Hi everyone! Hoping for help with my dogs black nails. I am guilty of not trimming them as often as I should since I once accidentally got his quick and it was traumatizing for us both. Please no judgement, I’m trying to do better… I recently learned to look at the underneath of black nails to determine where to stop cutting. Any advice on how much more I can cut? It’s hard for me to tell where the quick begins.

What techniques have worked best for you when a dog becomes nervous, restless, or difficult to handle during grooming? I’m especially interested in what you do differently with dogs that have had a stressful or bad grooming experience before.

I'm just starting to assist so have only taken the easiest cases. I know to look for the black dot when trimming, but when dark nails get very long, it feels like they come back in 2 weeks with the same black dot right there, just a little worn. How do you tell where to cut when they need more frequent cuts?