PetGroomer.com Magazine Fall 2017 by findagroomer

eGroomer Journal January / March 2014

Vol 7 Ed 4

October / December 2017

PetGroomer.com Publications

M A G A Z I N E Feature Article

Married Pet Groomers Social Survey 2017 Results Page 15

plus 12 more articles

31 Common Misconceptions Concerning Mobile Grooming 70 How Many Dogs Should You Groom a Day? 42 Pro Lighting Tips - Pet Boutiques & Salons 39 A Look at Atlanta Pet Fair 2017 76 Petco Training Advantage 47 Give the Groomer a Bone: GroomFit 66 A Look at SuperZoo 2017 59 Intent: Body, Mind & Spirit Connection 56 Rubberizing Clipper Bodies 70 How Many Dogs Should You Groom a Day? 81 Mobile Groomer Vehicle Safety 86 How to Stop the Spread of Infectious Pet Diseases Journal www.egroomer.com Subscribe Free Find A Groomer Inc. All rights reserved 92eGroomer D.I.Y. SEO Search Engine Optimization for YourÂ© 2014 Grooming Website

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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Stephen Mart PUBLISHER Find A Groomer Inc. ADVERTISING IN PETGROOMER.COM eMAGAZINE Display advertising in PetGroomer.com Magazine is only available to banner advertising sponsors of PetGroomer.com. To learn more about becoming a sponsor for as little as $1 a day see: www.petgroomer.com/bannerads.htm 800-556-5131 360-446-5348 PetGroomer.com Magazine is published as a download quarterly by Find A Groomer Inc., PO Box 2489, Yelm, WA 98597. Copyright 2015 All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part is strictly prohibited. Made in USA. PetGroomer.com Magazine makes every effort to provide information that is reliable and practical. It is not intended to replace diagnosis or treatment from a veterinarian or other qualified pet or pet care professional. PetGroomer.com Magazine does not assume any legal responsibility. Readers should always consult qualified healthcare providers for specific diagnosis and treatment. Information provided is not intended to replace formal pet grooming training including pet safety and handling. Viewpoints and commentary expressed in PetGroomer.com Magazine do not necessarily reflect the beliefs or opinions of its advertisers, the publisher or associates. Use of any content or services of PetGroomer.com and PetGroomerMagazine.com, including both digital and print copies of PetGroomer.com Magazine, is governed by additional guidelines, disclaimers and privacy policies and notices available at: www.petgroomer.com/mission.htm

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October / December 2017 PetGroomer.com Publications

INDUSTRY CALENDAR OCTOBER 2017

APRIL 2018

October 12 to 15, 2017 New England Grooming Show Sturbridge, MA www.barkleigh.com

April 5 to 8, 2018 Northwest Grooming Show Tacoma, WA www.barkleigh.com

October 27 to 29, 2017 32nd Annual NDGAA Fun in the Sun Orlando, FL www.ndgaa.com

April 12 to 15, 2018 Intergroom Secaucus, NJ www.intergroom.com

NOVEMBER 2017 November 2 to 5, 2017 U.S. Pet Pro Classic Dallas, TX www.petstylist.com

JANUARY 2018 January 7 to 14, 2018 Pet Pro Cruise Galveston, TX www.barkleigh.com

FEBRUARY 2018 February 15 to 18, 2018 Groom Expo West Pasadena, CA www.barkleigh.com

MARCH 2018 March 8 to 11, 2018 Atlanta Pet Fair & Conference Atlanta, GA www.atlantapetfair.org

JUNE 2018 June 9 to 10, 2018 World Dog Expo New York City www.barkleigh.com June 21 to 24, 2018 PetQuest Wilmington, OH www.barkleigh.com June 26 to 28, 2018 SuperZoo Las Vegas, NV www.superzoo.org

SEPTEMBER 2018 September 27 to 30, 2018 Groom Expo Hershey, PA www.barkleigh.com

Send details about your industry event to findagroomer@earthlink.net. Be sure to include your contact information. Thank you. eGroomer Journal www.egroomer.com Subscribe Free PetGroomer.com Magazine www.petgroomermagazine.com Subscribe Free

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January // December March 20162017 October 15

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Married Groomers Survey Results of the 2017 Social Survey By Grooming Business in a Box® About This Social Survey PARTICIPANTS The survey limit was 300 participating. 



ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS All participants had to be pet groomers/stylists with at least two years field experience. They had to have been married for at least two years while working as a groomers. They did not have to be married to another groomer.

ANONYMITY The survey was otherwise conducted anonymously by electronic surveys.

PROCEDURE Survey questions were conducted in three sets. SET 1: Questions for all participants. SET 2: Questions only for participants working as employed groomers. SET 3: Questions only for self-employed groomers / grooming business owners. Results begin on the next page in order by sets. Results are numerical values as well as excerpts of written quotes from anonymous participant comments.

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Results of the Married Groomers Social Survey 2017

Our first question in Set 1 was simple and critical. Could just one question of all 300 participants discover or predict a trend for the entire survey? We simply asked them to generalize the implications of being married groomers. They could answer 1) very negative, 2) negative, 3) neutral, 4) positive or very positive. Those answering Positive or Very Positive were 160, or 53% of all participants. Not a strong majority, but a majority nonetheless. Neutral was the second most popular answer with 74, or another 24%. After some quick math the first survey question indicated 23% had experienced Negative or Very Negative implications as married groomers. Fortunately 23% is not a large factor compared to 77% indicating neutral and positive experiences. Yet 23% in negative ranges was large enough to immediately justify our curiousity. What is it about marriage that affected these professional groomers? What backs the positive and negative divide? (Continued on page 17)

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Results of the Married Groomers Social Survey 2017

(Continued from page 16)

At this point we knew a second survey question was critical to setup the balance of all survey questions to come. What was it about the working lifestyle of groomers that created both positive or negative views? What is the biggest difference among the 300 married groomers that affects their working lifestyle? Our thought was their working status. Could it be employment versus selfemployment? Most self-employed groomers work longer hours when you account for the additional the work managing their businesses. Employed groomers are “free of grooming” when shifts end and until their next shift. For some selfemployed groomers an hour or easily more may be required daily for management tasks. Is this creating issues with for married grooming business owners? Perhaps. One thing is certain, the working lifestyle of the two options is significant different. eGroomer Journal

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(Continued on page 18)

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Results of the Married Groomers Social Survey 2017 (Continued from page 17)

The second survey question divided the 300 participants into one of two groups, 1) employed married groomers and 2) self-employed married groomers. How many of each? The results showed 172 participants were employed married groomers, and the remaining 128 we self-employed. With further analysis of the first two questions the numbers indicated the following: 

62% of the participants answering the first survey question with Negative or Very Negative implications at being a married groomer were self-employed. That left only 38% indicating the same implications in the employed group.

The split was enough to warrant a format change for the remaining survey questions. Although similar we used a different set of questions for the second set of questions, one set for employed married groomers and another set for selfemployed. We also knew we had to allow participants to comment with details. (Continued on page 20)

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Results of the Married Groomers Social Survey 2017 (Continued from page 18)

Until we are ready to summarize our survey results, we will proceed to report the results first for Employed Married Groomers Group, and then the Self-Employed Married Groomers Group. Due to the nature of the working lifestyle differences between the groups, some of the survey questions varied between them, but not greatly. The adjustments simply allowed us to get more distinct answers and reveals.

Employed Married Groomers Group We wanted the first question in this next set to reveal any group trends. The question was simple and to the point. Is your spouse supportive of your career working as an employed pet groomer/stylist? Nineteen percent said, “No.” Certainly this (Continued on page 21)

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Results of the Married Groomers Social Survey 2017 (Continued from page 20)

number a minority yet disturbing. The demanding nature required to be a groomer does not need aggravations. Our hope is that they would be rewarded with spousal support. This survey is about humans, and therefore we anticipated some negative responses and had supplementary questions ready. Our next questions anticipated some possible reasons for the spousal angst based on decades of industry experience as management consultants. Better yet we welcomed write-in comments. If you answered “No” for spouse support, check all that apply. (33 said No) 10% My spouse would rather I not work and stay at home (no children). 31% My spouse would rather I not work and stay at home (we have children). 19% My spouse says grooming is not my true potential, I could “be more.” 18% My spouse says I do not earn enough as a pet groomer. 17% My spouse feels challenged because I earn more income than he/she. 11% My spouse is jealous of my success as a groomer in his/her mind. 21% My spouse wants to be the sole financial provider for our family. 17% Other, please comment: _____________________________________ Because the majority of groomers remains women today, there are male spouses that prefer wives not to work. However, as we have seen in our industry experience , and it has always been males spouses, they sometimes wince or worse leading to divorce in some extremes when they perceive their spouses are more “successful” than them (whether in reputation or compensation). Here are some comments: “I have to stand up to my husband with force to have my own job. I won’t stop.” “We cannot have a home business here, and I would rot staying home.” “He belittles my profession. I don’t his. He is a janitor. I don’t know if this will last.” “I could get a job paying 3 times as much as a programmer, I was. Not going back.” “We get along but he has issues with feeling vulnerable by my working.” “His family drilled into his head that women stay at home. It takes patience.” “He is an executive. When introducing me he avoids my work. He feels he has to make excuses for my choice of employment. But getting better. Actually my job is interests animal lovers.” “He is also a groomer and very competitive to always be better than me. Stop!” eGroomer Journal

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(Continued on21 page 22)

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Results of the Married Groomers Social Survey 2017 (Continued from page 21)

For the majority (81%) that do receive support for their profession, or neutrality, from their spouse just how is that received? Again we started with a list of supportive actions we have seen from our management consultation, and once again allowed them to provide comments. If you answered “Yes” or “Neutral” for spouse support, check all that apply. 63% My spouse contributes with tool and equipment maintenance. 71% My spouse says he/she is proud of my profession. 12% My spouse became a pet groomer as a result of meeting me. 38% My spouse attends trade shows with me, or makes sure I go. 66% My spouse is helping me to save money to start a grooming business. 57% My spouse listens to me talk about grooming and my day. 44% My spouse doesn’t question my erratic work hours. 10% My spouse is a stay-at-home (mom or dad) and that is what we want. 21% Other, please comment: _____________________________________ Here are some comments: “She is my biggest supporter.” “He was shocked I started earning more income than him. He loves it, I love him back.” “My working days vary a lot, even shifts right now, no complaints thank heavens.” “He is a great stay-at-home dad of our 3 kids, 4 dogs and 1 cat. He does some investments.” “Since I became a groomer he said I am more like the woman he met. Happy.” “He knows I can get tired by the end of the work week, and does little things for me.” “He hired someone to clean the house once a week, and we garden with the dogs.” “She tells people with dogs where I work and tells them to ask for me.” “My wife is also a groomer and understands the demands. It really works!” “We are both groomers. We work at separate places to have breaks from one another.”

Next we are going to examine the results for self-employed married groomers. 22

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Results of the Married Groomers Social Survey 2017 Self-Employed Married Groomers Group (Continued from page 22)

To recap, 128 of the original 300 participants stated they were self-employed groomers. Of the 172 employed groomers about 81% had support or neutrality from their spouses in regards to their employment as groomers. The first step was to discover if self-employed participants enjoyed similar support, whether outright or at least neutrality.

Well the results “suck” don’t they? A whopping 46% (yet not a majority) do not have the support they desire from their spouse. Did you notice that “Neutral” responses shrank as well? Only 19% of employed groomers lacked support compared here with 46%. Our next questions were aimed to discover why. We started with similar 26

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Results of the Married Groomers Social Survey 2017 (Continued from page 26)

questions asked of employed groomers with enhancements more suited to the working lifestyle of self-employed groomers. If you answered “No” for spouse support, check all that apply. (59 said No) 12% My spouse would rather I not work and stay at home (no children). 22% My spouse would rather I not work and stay at home (we have children). 11% My spouse says grooming is not my true potential, I could “be more.” 14% My spouse says I do not earn enough as a grooming business owner. 27% My spouse feels challenged because I earn more income than he/she. 19% My spouse is jealous of my success as a groomer in his/her mind. 15% My spouse wants to be the sole financial provider for our family. 36% My spouse does not like the longer hours I work as owner/manager. 14% My spouse helps with management, but doesn’t really want to. 21% Other, please comment: _____________________________________ Here are some comments: “He is two-faced. He likes the extra money I earn but doesn’t like he isn’t earning the same.” “I wouldn’t have to work as many extra hours if he would help with some paperwork.” “He is scared of us being sued if there is an emergency situation with a pet.” “He wants to be a stay-at-home of dad but not yet. He is always been impatient.” “You got it right, he is super jealous. Period.” “We do not work well together in the same business and he cannot get a grooming job.” “It is all about the hours and he won’t agree to hire help at the house.” “He likes to support our children but he is not a real close Dad, so my running a business does require more time away from the house and kids for now.” “He is really vulnerable that I could support myself without him.” “We need counseling, he won’t go.”

Now to the better news. Sixty-nine participants are receiving favor or neutrality from their spouses. Do they get similar favor compared to employed groomers, or something different. That has yet to be determined, onward to the next page. eGroomer Journal

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Results of the Married Groomers Social Survey 2017 If you answered “Yes” or “Neutral” for spouse support, check all that apply. 33% My spouse contributes with tool and equipment maintenance. 82% My spouse says he/she is proud of my profession. 18% My spouse became a pet groomer as a result of meeting me. 32% My spouse attends trade shows with me, or makes sure I go. 23% My spouse works for me and it works. 50% My spouse listens to me talk about grooming and my day. 39% My spouse doesn’t question my erratic work hours. 12% My spouse is a stay-at-home (mom or dad) and that is what we want. 22% Other, please comment: _____________________________________ Here are some comments: “He could not be more proud of me and encouraged me.” “My spouse wrote my business plan.” “My spouse is my sounding board for all the business issues...especially management.” “My spouse dreamed of being a stay-at-home of dad and I made that reality for us.” “He raves about me wherever we go.” “We don’t work well together in the same business. We need a break and we agree.” “It is all about the hours but he never says anything. I promise it won’t always be that way.” “He was scared at first. I had to prove myself. Maybe that pressure help in the long run.” “I divorced my first husband who wouldn’t let me have my own business.” “We worked it out. Faith in each other.” “He knows when I talk as the business owner that is who is talking. When I am home I relax as me and am very glad to accommodate him with me, not the manager. That is important.” “Don’t treat your spouse as an animal to train, or a customer, or as an employee. As a business owner I can fall into that with so many demands. Whenever I see him I say to myself, that’s your husband and enjoy him. He is my partner and home is where we let go of our jobs.” “Hire help you need at the house. Someone to clean occasionally. Go out to a meal after work with everyone. Share some perks. Get little surprises for them. Ease the tension.” “My spouse is helpful and naturally passive. My leadership is appreciated and I just have to be careful not to overdo it and be thankful.” “My spouse works with me but we take some individual days off from the business to have free time alone.” (Continued on page 29)

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Results of the Married Groomers Social Survey 2017 “He manages and I groom, that gives us some space and each of us does what we do best.” “The business has stopped us from having children yet, but it will mean I can afford care for the young kids after some extended family leave.”

In summary the comments of helpful groomers gave us a better understanding of both the joys and challenges of being married groomers. It was only natural that our assumption that the longer working hours of being self-employed would make a difference, compared to employment with set hours. Yet we learned there was more. Partners need to understand the demands of working lifestyles. Do they clearly, or do the partners simply make assumptions without review and discussion? Most traditional business partnerships eventually fail in the U.S. because too much was assumed by the partners and not written, discussed and made crystal clear. Being proactive about marriage is to consider the other in all decisions and to work out differences, even about working lifestyles. It is also about being pliant to allow the other grow and find self-esteem as well. Grow together. ▀

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Survey Results for…….

Common Misconceptions Concerning Mobile Grooming by John Stockman, Wag’n Tails Mobile Conversions In this article, I hope to dispel some of the common myths we hear from time to time. At Wag’n Tails, we understand how some may have conflicting ideas about what it takes to be a successful mobile pet groomer, and it’s understandable until you look closer at the facts. Mobile grooming is driven by many eGroomer Journal

important factors; the most significant of those is the client’s need for convenience. These clients can mow their own lawn, but they don’t. They can maintain their own pools, clean their own houses, drop off pick up their own dry cleaning, etcetera, but they don’t. Why? Because they have a busy schedule and that makes their time

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much more valuable than their money. Their pets will be taken care of because they’re members of the family! Mobile groomers give their clients a very precious gift…the gift of time! Now, on to the misconceptions about mobile grooming.

October / December 2017

You spend all day driving from appointment to appointment. You can waste a ton of time driving around if you fail to plan. Remember the old adage; if you fail to plan, plan to fail. Routing your van isn’t hard to do, it just (Continued on page 33)

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PetGroomer.com Magazine eGroomer Journal January / March 2014 (Continued from page 32)

takes some planning to group your appointments in clusters. That way, you cover one small area of clients that are in close proximity to one another. It simply comes down to routing and scheduling your van in the most efficient manner possible. Routing and scheduling efficiently can be done manually, or you can use one of the low cost computerized systems like Navigroom.

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People won’t pay the higher price. Another one that is easy to understand because some stationary salon clients won’t pay the premium mobile groomers charge for their services, but there are plenty of clients that will. It is not uncommon for a new mobile groomer to be full in 6-9 months and in many cases, much less than that. Mobile grooming clients understand that prices are higher for this premium, at-home service. They see it when they have their pool cleaned and their lawns manicured. (Continued on page 35)

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PetGroomer.com Magazine eGroomer Journal January / March 2014 (Continued from page 33)

You have to do 12 dogs a day to make any money. This one is surprising to us because it’s hard to see where the math comes from. The whole concept is to groom fewer pets for more money. The business model calls for only 6 dogs per day, 5 days per week. You only need 150-180 pets to fully book a mobile van. You would have to groom 10-12 dogs in a salon to make the same money as you would grooming 6 pets in a mobile! An average mobile grooming operation covers the entire monthly expenses in one week, leaving the next 3 weeks of the month for profit.

A mobile grooming salon is too expensive to buy. Expensive is a relative term and the price for a mobile salon must be weighed against the revenue it generates. A mobile salon generates

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excellent income that puts you in an elite class of groomers. Groomers that are business entrepreneurs make great income. Plus, they set their own schedule, control their own lives and they have time for family and friends.

You can’t do big dogs in a mobile grooming salon. Another one we find perplexing. Wag’n Tails mobiles have full-size stainless steel tubs with electric lift tables and an integrated bridge to walk the big dogs into the tub. St. Bernard? No problem! Great Dane? Yep! Husky? Mastiff? Yes, and yes! These are the misconceptions we hear about most often. What are the ones you have? Call us and we’ll discuss it. Even more often, and by a long shot, what we hear from our clients is: I wish I had gone mobile sooner! ▀ John Stockman, author, is the National Sales Manager at Wag’n Tails Mobile Conversions and can be contacted at 800-513-0304 or john@wagntails.com

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39 17 39 Survey Results for…….

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Atlanta Pet Fair & Conference Continues to Grow The 2017 Atlanta Pet Fair & Conference saw a 9% spike in attendance in its second year at the Georgia International Convention Center, and the 2018 show, scheduled for March 8-11, is expected to continue to grow. The Southeast’s largest trade show, produced by World Pet Association (WPA) features education sessions, the Southeast’s largest grooming competitions and an exhibit floor filled with the latest products, tools and supplies from more than 100 exhibitors. At the 2017 show, attendees sharpened their skills at more than 70 seminars covering on-trend grooming and pet service subjects ranging from mobile grooming and cat grooming, to treating skin and coat problems, to marketing and social media. The 2018 show will also include certification training by the Creative Groomers Association and a demo by renowned grooming expert, Chris Pawlosky. (Continued on page 40)

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40 17 40 Survey Results for…….

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Contributing to the growing enthusiasm for Atlanta Pet Fair & Conference is the exciting competitive element. The show hosts 10 pet grooming competitions over the span of three days and was the first show to adopt new grooming contest rules spelled out by GroomTeam USA. (Continued on page 41)

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41 17 41 Survey Results for…….

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(Continued from page 40)

The popular contests—including the new Kenchii Kup, which awarded $5,000 in prize money—took center stage, with best in show winners including: • Overall Best in Show: Michelle Breen • Kenchii Kup: Amanda Zeller, Amanda’s Tegal Canine • Rescue Rodeo: Pamela Martin, All Pro Grooming As a part of WPA’s continuing initiative to provide groomers and service providers with education and resources to advance their careers, WPA held the #APFC17Dreamer social media contest to award a $400 scholarship for use on education sessions at Atlanta Pet Fair & Conference. The winner, Natalie Shortlidge, was nominated by Bark Avenue in Deland, FL and selected for her enthusiasm and dedication in starting her grooming career as a bather and working hard to become a full-time groomer. For more information and to register for the 2018 show, visit www.atlantapetfair.org. ▀

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by Leel Michelle

Pro Lighting Tips

Pet Boutique Retailers & Grooming Salons How often have you walked into a corporate retail store and noticed their lighting? If they’ve done their job correctly, you shouldn’t have noticed their lighting at all. In order to create a professional and convenient retail experience for your clients, good lighting is a MUST! Good lighting is even more important for the empty nested, aging Baby Boomer population that loves to dote on

their fur-babies. I will explain the why, what, and how to increase your retail sales with lighting techniques employed by the most successful retail businesses. We now know the “why” we must install good lighting, but now we need to know the “what.” There are several lighting techniques

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PetGroomer.com Magazine eGroomer Journal January / March 2014 (Continued from page 42)

that have very specific jobs in a professional retail environment.

Ambient Lighting Ambient lighting is used to enhance the overall mood for a better shopping experience. Ambient lighting can be used to convey a happy, bright, and clean environment or when dimmed can create a cozy atmosphere. Generally bright and happy ambient lighting is best used for successful pet retailing. Task Lighting Task lighting is utilized to cover something specific where lighting is NEEDED. Locations that NEED task lighting may be directly over your grooming tables, register, front desk, bathroom, and front entrance. Accent Lighting Accent lighting is used to highlight your merchandise to bring awareness to certain products which increase your overall sales. Track lights can accomplish this task and give flexibility to move and change the lighting when you have seasonal or major store merchandise revamp. In addition to spotlights you can add to track lighting to highlight your merchandise as there are a multitude of designer, drop pendant lights that click

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into track lights to fit your overall décor. Decorative Lighting Decorative lighting is often used to assist in your overall store design and theme. A store with an upscale clientele will often use chandeliers to convey an exclusive and upscale atmosphere while an industrial themed store may use an old fashioned looking light fixture with Edison bulbs. Now that we know the “why” and “what,” let's look at the “how” to improve your pet retail shopping experience with pro lighting tips. If you are opening a new store, invest and choose your light fixtures carefully as they can save you thousands of dollars over the years. When choosing your lighting, spend a few extra dollars now by choosing light fixtures and light bulbs with light emitting diode (LED) and compact fluorescent lights or (CFL.) CFL’s are simply miniature versions of full sized fluorescent bulbs. For those of you that want to upgrade and improve your existing lighting, this next section is for you! What if I told you there was a service to help small business owners decrease monthly utility bills by fixing, replacing, and minimizing usage of energy in your business and this service is absolutely FREE! Your local utility company (depending

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on your city/state) will outsource a contractor whose job it is to check your utility fixtures and appliances to make recommendations on how you can save energy and thus save money every month and then replace them for you. Yes, that’s right! This service is FREE! In many cases, the contractor will clean and replace filters, upgrade light fixtures, and replace light bulbs with the most energy efficient ones on the market. In my case, I had no less than 50 light bulbs replaced from incandescent bulbs to LED and a CFLs. I had 3 air conditioner filters cleaned, and 4 light fixtures completely replaced. My monthly energy bill plummeted from an average of $550 per month down to $300! I bet you can think of a lot of things to do with that extra monthly savings? Why thank you for asking…I absolutely adore musicals, concerts, fancy hotels, and date nights with my Husband! You can send me a gift card any time you’re feeling generous! Just kidding! Although lighting is not the “sexiest” part of retailing, when done well, it can increase your sales, and save you quite a bit of cash. You can use this cash to further add or refine your pet retailing experience for your clients and your profit margins. Until we meet again! ▀

Leel Michelle Leel Michelle is the owner and designer behind the award-winning Pet Groomer Apparel brand, Retro Stylist Wear and the grooming salon and boutique, Bow Wow Beauty Shoppe. She is a San Diego native also calling Los Angeles, New York and Italy home. Formal education in fine art, art history and fashion design led this animal loving entrepreneur to bring all her passion, talents and knowledge together to create a memorable and beloved retro business for pets and their owners. In 2006, following 2 previous careers in corporate retail, and corporate amusement park management, Leel graduated pet grooming school to create and manage an award-winning pet grooming salon and pet boutique. Leel has also grown the Bow Wow Beauty Shoppe brand to include custom luxury kennels and product lines in production to help the average small business groomer and pet retailer increase their business profit margin by improving their pet retail merchandising. Most days you will find Leel Michelle at her shoppe, inspiring other groomers & pet retailers with live Facebook posts on “Pet Boutiques,” with her family, or at a trade show making the world more Fabulous-one smile & smock at a time! See www.retrostylistwear.com. Watch for her new GroomWise blog coming soon at www.groomwise.com.

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Clip Shoppe School of Dog Grooming New Jersey - www.clipshoppeschoolofdoggrooming.com

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GroomFit by Vera Needham

Give the Groomer a Bone Last week a groomer told me how she broke her toe after accidentally kicking her grooming table. The doctor was smart to ask for a bone density test. It revealed that she was one of the 200 million women worldwide affected with osteoporosis. Most stylists dealing with low bone density have no idea they have a problem. It is a silent disease that affects one in four women over the age of fifty and

one in eight men. Worldwide, osteoporosis causes almost nine million fractures annually, resulting in an osteoporotic fracture every three seconds. In women over forty five osteoporosis accounts for more days spent in the hospital than many other diseases including diabetes, cardiovascular disease and breast cancer. Petite, slender Caucasian and Asian women are at

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highest risk. Smoking can lead to lower bone density as well as alcohol consumption. The exception to this rule was discovered when researchers reported that people who drink a moderate amount of beer generally have greater bone mass than non-drinkers. This effect wasn’t found in wine drinkers which indicated that something in beer besides alcohol seems to have bone-building benefits. It may be high levels of silicon and phytoestrogens, both of which protect against bone loss. Beer is known for containing more silicon than almost any other food or beverage. Our bodies need silicon to live, and bone won’t form without silicon. Beer is a rich source of silicon because of the processing of barley and hops. Not a drinker, no problem. Non-alcoholic beer has all of the bone building benefits of its popular counterpart. Calcium and vitamin D supplementation has been shown to have a positive effect on bone mineral density. Vitamin D helps build stronger bones, partly by increasing the absorption of calcium.

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Vitamin D comes from the sun. The sun’s rays interact with our skin to produce vitamin D that can be used for bone and muscle health. Northern climates don’t get as much sun as they need. When we apply sunscreen in the summer it disables the skin’s ability to produce vitamin D. For all of these reasons, many adults are low on vitamin D. Healthy adults over 50 should receive 800 – 2,000 IU daily. Higher dietary protein intake was also associated with a lower rate of age-related bone loss. Studies have shown that bone mineral density in puppy beauticians can be maintained or increased with therapeutic exercise. Weight bearing physical activity helps to reduce risk of osteoporosis. Walking for as little as 15 to 20 minutes per day is a great place to start. Strengthening back muscles can reduce the risk of vertebral fractures. Activity to improve balance and confidence may be valuable in fall prevention. Remember when we fall we are at risk of breaking brittle bones. Something groomers who often navigate slippery (Continued on page 49)

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floors need to consider. One of the new arrivals in the exercise world which has been shown to build bone density is whole body vibration training. Remember when we were talking about weight bearing. When astronauts are in space bone density lowers in the absence of gravity. NASA-funded scientists have found that astronauts can prevent bone loss by exercising on a Whole Body Vibration plate for 10 to 20 minutes each day. The same therapy can be used to treat

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some of the millions of people who suffer from bone loss.

Consumers should be aware when shopping whole body vibration machines. Only vertical vibration stimulates bone growth. Vertical vibration has to be carefully calibrated and machines are often very expensive. Many of the inexpensive machines that are on the market today use horizontal vibration. This is just a glorified massage which may feels great but it won’t help build healthy bones.

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Here are three exercises you can do at home: SPINAL EXTENSION This is an important exercise to prevent the rounded posture that is commonly associated with osteoporosis. Start by placing the left foot s behind the right

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pointing your toe and the right hand on the left hip in front. Next watch your hand as you reach it up as if you are reaching towards an overhead shelf. If you feel comfortable slightly elevating your back leg and hold for a five count. Repeat two times and then perform the exercise on the other side.

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WALL PUSH-UP Start with the feet a few feet from the wall and focus on keeping the spine straight as you lean forward. Place your hands a bit lower than the shoulders with the thumbs being about the same level and width as the under arm creases. Turn the hands in slightly placing a little more weight on the thumb side of the hand. Next bend the elbows to lower the chest towards the wall. This exercise is excellent to help strengthen wrists, arms and shoulders. Repeat 10 to 20 times. (Continued on page 52)

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KNEELING DOWN A lunge is just kneeling down. It is the easiest way to get on and off of the floor to pick up a dog without stressing the spine. If we fall we need to have the ability to get up. This is something that groomers will need to do throughout their life. Start with your right foot against the wall which helps keep the knees safe. Next lower yourself towards the floor. Repeat 5 to 10 times for each side.

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may seem like a good idea to sit and lift up your furry clients, however, the highest pressure that can be placed on the disc of the lumbar spine occurs when you are seated and leaning forward. Groomers previously diagnosed with low bone density may be advised to restrict lifting to less than 30 pounds but your physician should give you specific guidelines. Pet stylists must be careful of already overworked wrists. Grooming with osteoporosis requires you to bone up on posture, form and ergonomics. ▀ ABOUT THE AUTHOR

SUMMARY Standing at your grooming table is the best position to increase bone density. It

Vera Needham is a Medical Exercise Specialist, Pilates Pro Trainer and creator of the Barber Stick. She has been a professional dog groomer for over 30 years. Who better than a dog groomer to know the vulnerabilities of the trade? We seem to accept pain as a way of life. With proper exercise and a Barber Stick it doesn’t have to be. For more information contact groomfit@yahoo.com.

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Pet Styling Academy Palm Desert, CA Near sunny Palm Springs and many activities in beautiful settings. Golden Paws Pet Styling Academy is an upscale modern pet styling facility. Students train in a real world environment and gain knowledge on how to work in and be part of a professional grooming salon. Wendy, the academy's director, became one of the Coachella Valley's first certified groomers in 1989 through the WWPGA. She is a Master Stylist and has certifications in: * AKC Safety Certified Groomer * AKC Safety Certified School * Certified California Professional Pet Groomer Assoc. * Certified International Prof. Groomers Inc. * Southern California Groomers Assoc. Skin & Coat Wendy has over 36 years of experience in the pet grooming industry. Please visit our website and get to know us better. www.goldenpawsca.com 760-289-8217

WE PROMISE TO EXCEED OUR CUSTOMER’S EXPECTATIONS IN QUALITY www.showseasongrooming.com 678-382-0218 sandy@showseasongrooming.com eGroomer Journal www.egroomer.com Subscribe Free

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Northern Tails Sharpening, Inc. You Now Have a Better Choice!

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Jeff is a Master Sharpener and Certified Pet Groomer. He knows how your tools should perform. He won’t sharpen worn out tools which could harm animals. His office will call you if any of your tools look bad.

Please call or visit our website for mailing information. http://www.northerntails.com/ eGroomer Journal

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Rubberizing Clipper Bodies Using Flex-Seal by Jeff Andrews, Northern Tails Sharpening Flex Seal produces a rubber type coating on your clipper that prevents it from slipping in your wet hands. Now every clipper can have a rubberized body.

► Prepare your clipper by laying it flat on a protected surface with the bottom side up. You will only be spraying the bottom of the clipper.

► Cut small pieces of tape for protection from the spray. Cover the screw holes and the hinge to include the whole front end as shown below. Make sure you cover all areas that you do not want rubberized. These areas include the entire hinge, the front of the clipper and anything on the side of the clipper like a switch or touchpad. (Continued on page 57)

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► You are ready to spray. If this is your first time to use FlexSeal, I suggest you practice on another object and not your clipper. Hold the can of FlexSeal about 12 inches from the object and spray in short bursts, back and forth. FlexSeal comes out of the can quickly. Be very careful to prevent runs from excess solution. Refer to the picture above; see the runs? When it dried it looked OK and was the same color as the clipper. It takes about one day to dry. Peel the pieces of tape off and you are ready to groom. FlexSeal sticks on clippers well. FlexSeal has many other uses for repelling water. Now it has a function for the grooming industry. If your clipper doesn’t have a rubberized body and it slides in your hand, rubberize it! The cost is about $12.00 for FlexSeal Clear. ▀

Jeff Andrews is "One of America's Favorite Sharpeners." Along with his years of grooming experience in two of his own shops, he is a "World Class Sharpener" that can sharpen all grooming equipment to better than new condition. Jeff is an author and pioneer of many maintenance and grooming video's and articles. They are for groomers who want to make their equipment last longer and save money on their sharpening costs. These videos and articles are on his website free to download and keep for reference. www.northerntails.com

Northern Tails Sharpening www.northerntails.com Call 251-232-5353 Mobile, Alabama eGroomer Journal www.egroomer.com Subscribe Free PetGroomer.com PetGroomer.com Magazine Magazine www.petgroomermagazine.com www.petgroomermagazine.com Subscribe Subscribe Free Free

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INTENT A Body, Mind & Spirit Connection By Malissa Diener What is intent? You set your intent by the actions you take, the words you speak and the energy you emit. You communicate your intent daily to the world through word and deeds. Pretty hefty stuff huh? What is your intent when you approach the animals in your care? Do you ever take a minute before you start your interactions with others and consider your intentions? Why is intent important to us as pet groomers?

We are all made up of energy, including animals. This energy transmits from us to the people and pets we encounter. If our energy isn’t balanced, we have no set intent or project “a bad mood.” Without a set intent, the animals and people encountering us get feelings that we don’t care or something is “off” about you. You can do or say things that sound like you have good intentions, but your lack of intent will still transmit. Animals don’t understand all the words in (Continued on page 62)

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our languages. They can associate with our words and how we say them as intent. “Good boy,” “wanna go for a walk” and “who’s hungry” all have an intent behind them. Pets pick up on that energy and equate it to a good feeling or act. The same goes for "bad boy" and other words we use to discipline our animals. Animals are extremely sensitive to our energy and frequency tone. Traditional Chinese Medicine, TCM takes a

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different view of the human body wherein the body emerges as system of energy, called “Qi” (pronounced “chee”). Qi runs through and around the body via paths called “meridians.” Qi consists of two main complementary energy forces: yin and yang. Yin energy is slow and cold, Yang is fast and hot. These energy meridians are in both humans and animals. Think about the energy you want to put out when grooming pets. Frustration, anger, carelessness and dislike will set your animals into defensive energy and actions. When the pet isn’t complying with your commands to stand up, and you get angry, the pet shuts down its energy receptors to you. They don’t want to take in that negative intent. The more frustrated you get the more the animal “misbehaves.” When you feel yourself getting to that point, you need to step back. Take a few deep cleansing breaths and reset your energy. The animal may never stand the entire groom or obey every command, but they will relax and start to calm down and give you the trust you want from them. There are many essential oils you can use to help you regain your (Continued on page 63)

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(Continued from page 62)

center and calmness. Lavender is the most common. Ylang Ylang, frankincense and cinnamon are others. Diffuse these oils into your workspace to enhance a calming atmosphere for you and pets. Essential oils have energy frequencies which can balance you and the pets in your care. Ask yourself. What is my intent when I touch the animals that come into my work space? Is it positive, open and healthy? Optimally, these are qualities you desire. We need to be mindful of them and know when to step back and hit our “reset button.“ Breathing modalities are another great

way to reset energy. Take deep intentional breaths in your nose and out through your mouth. Do this slowly and deeply until you feel the energy change within. Shake out your arms and legs, roll your head around. Relax your shoulders. Reset your spirit to calmness. Find your center and go to work from there. You determine your day. You determine how you are going to let your day affect you, your energy and your spirit. Set your intent to positive. Set your spirit to love. Set your mind to beauty. See positive, love and beauty come your way. What we put out we get back. The energy fields are mirrors. What do you want everyone to see when they meet you? This level of self-awareness brings great personal rewards of well-being. ▀

About the Author, Malissa Denier I am a Certified Aromatherapist for human and animals, Master Massage Therapist for humans & animals, a pet groomer and animal wellness advocate. I am a published author, national educator and speaker, business coach and consultant in the pet grooming industry. My life was always surrounded by a love of animals from rescue pets, show dogs and cats to farm animals. Essential oil therapy is a staple in my home and my practice. You can usually find me diffusing, grooming, teaching, learning, blogging and loving the life I am creating. The Oily Groomer. eGroomer Journal www.egroomer.com Subscribe Free PetGroomer.com Magazine www.petgroomermagazine.com Subscribe Free

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January October // March December 20162017

SuperZoo 2017 Was Better Because We Were Together From July 24-27, SuperZoo 2017 gathered together more than 10,000 pet retail and service industry professionals at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas to learn, shop, network and socialize. SuperZoo is the industry’s leading trade expo and conference in North America. Following the implementation of a new buyer qualification process this year, SuperZoo continues to draw the most qualified pet industry buyers of any similar trade show in North America.

Presented by World Pet Association (WPA), SuperZoo maintained its longstanding history of leading the industry through education, new product introductions and advocacy for animal health and wellbeing. The 2017 show also marked the final event for WPA president Doug Poindexter, who announced his retirement after 27 years with the organization. (Continued on page 66)

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“I’m extremely proud of how SuperZoo has grown over the course of my tenure with WPA,” Poindexter, WPA president said. “I am proud that we have built a reputation for providing industry-leading education and access to products and trends to a growing audience of professionals who are as passionate about animals as we are at WPA.”

tionally, a new series of free Animal Wellness & Retail talks on the show floor provided easy-to-access education for professionals looking to better their business and help their customers’ pets live longer, healthier lives. By day, SuperZoo attendees took advantage of the event’s industry-leading educational conference, which kicked off with Retail Monday, dedicated to education sessions tailored specifically toward retailers looking to maximize their time and value onsite.

This year’s SuperZoo appealed to an even wider audience through a variety of new features and experiences. Catering to SuperZoo’s growing global audience, the International Lounge added value for attendees from across the The educational offerings covered three world by offering mobile app assisdays and were packed with 81 educatance and interpretation services in tion sessions, covering the full specSpanish, Chinese, Mandarin and Kotrum of timely topics and best pracrean. An Aquatic Lounge offered a deditices—from retail to grooming, animal cated area for the growing aquatics auwellness to boarding and pet services— dience to enjoy live demos from reContinued on page 67) nowned aquascaper Oliver Knott. Addi66 Copyright © 2013 Find A Groomer Inc. All rights reserved Subscribe www.egroomer.com PetGroomer.com Magazine www.petgroomermagazine.com Subscribe Free

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while the expo’s expansive show floor featured nearly 1,100 exhibitors showcasing thousands of the most innovative products for animal lovers, including 850 new products never seen before their debut at SuperZoo. The show floor also proved to be a winning atmosphere for this year’s contest win(Continued on page 68)

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ners, including: New Product Showcase Winners in eight categories (See all: http:// www.superzoo.org/2017-nps-winners/) #WPAGoodWorks Winners: First – Planet Dog ($1,000 donation to HABRI), Second – Petmate ($500 to HABRI), Third – K. Sutherland PR ($250 to PIJAC) To date in 2017, WPA has contributed $1,225,000 million to support pet industry organizations through its WPA

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Good Works program. This amount includes all profits from SuperZoo 2017. Pet Product News’ Retailer of the Year: Mutts & Co Tom McLaughlin Super Jackpot Winner: Clayton Muniz, Pet Society (for a full list of grooming contest winners: http:// www.superzoo.org/grooming-contestswinners/) The fun didn’t stop there. By night, attendees and exhibitors benefited from SuperZoo’s host of networking opportu-

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nities, which included a “Casino Night” themed Networking Reception featuring exclusive prizes and a private concert by country superstar, Trace Adkins. As the 2017 event drew to a close, attendees were already looking forward to next year’s SuperZoo, which will be held earlier in the year to accommodate a growing exhibitor list with added show floor space and to allow for easier access to hotel rooms in the busy Las Vegas area. SuperZoo 2018 will be held at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, June 26-28, with education June 25-27. Registration is expected to open by January 2018. ▀

www.superzoo.org

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How Many Dogs Should You Groom a Day?

by Melissa Verplank of Learn2GroomDogs.com I often say there are shades of gray in pet grooming. How many dogs a day you should groom is one of the BIG gray areas! The number will be different for everybody. Some people feel overwhelmed grooming even three dogs in a full day. Other people can do 16 while barely breaking a sweat. Here are just a handful of the scenarios affecting the number of dogs in a day. • Level of grooming experience • Work space setup • Equipment • Salon location • Salon type • Size of salon/mobile setup • Working solo or with assistance • Pet size • Type of grooms - low maintenance, bath and brush, show trim styles • Personal motivation • Your personality

I'm sure you could add a few more to this list! Typically, when someone first graduates from grooming school or is new to the industry, productivity is not high on their skill list. Rather, their focus is on thoroughness, quality, and safety. New groomers will improve their speed as they develop skills and confidence. They need experience. They need coaching. They need guidance to create an effective grooming system. The system allows thoroughness while enhancing the quality of their work and the pace in which they do it. If you're a seasoned pet stylist, you've learned many of the tricks that allow you to be efficient. You've learned how to quickly assess a pet and easily determine its grooming needs. You are thorough. You work safely. You have a strong base of repeat customers. Over the years I've seen beginners struggle to get through three dogs. I've seen highly efficient, seasoned stylists

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get through 16 or more dogs in the single day and still have the time and energy to have a little "me time" that evening. Where do you fall on the scale? Where would you like to be? Being able to work quickly and skillfully can also be impacted by the layout of your work space. Are you set up for maximum efficiency? A bad layout will add unnecessary footsteps to your day and waste your time and energy. Your equipment, tools, and products will also help or hurt you. Many products will enhance your speed and the quality of your final product. Do you have access to high-quality, time-saving, products and tools? When used correctly, they are well worth the investment and can help you groom more pets efficiently. If you are a solo stylist either in your own salon or mobile setting, 6 to 8 dogs will likely be your maximum. In addition to grooming pets, independent business owners have a wide range of duties and responsibilities. They are the receptionist, the (Continued on page 74)

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www.americangroomingacademy.com 888-550-9274 Temecula, CA

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Employers! Groomers! We Do All the Work for You!

GroomerNetwork.com Whether you are a business owner looking for a groomer, or a groomer looking for a position, we make the search and hiring www.tablesntubs.com process easy and convenient. 1-888-333-0827

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Survey Results for…….

bookkeeper, the marketer, the janitor, and the record keeper - along with every other task it takes to run a successful business. If you are a mobile stylist, you also have driving and van maintenance added to your list of responsibilities. Efficiency comes into play when pet grooming establishments start building a team. You cannot build a successful business or team with inefficient team members. Inefficient teams will not be able to groom as many pets as their efficient counterparts. Financial need affects dog numbers. To get a decent paycheck, everyone needs to pull their weight. If you are hired onto a team or work with an assistant, you will have quotas to meet. Some quotas are determined by dog numbers. Other businesses use financial sales volume. Both help determine how many dogs are groomed each day. Typically, once you start working with others, dog volume increases. In most salons, a team of people working together will be expected to do a minimum of eight dogs a day or more. When you're working within a team, everybody has a specialty. Each person can focus on what they do best, whether it's customer service, bathing and drying, or pet trimming and styling. If you have an assistant doing the bathing and drying for you, the number of pets might jump from 6-8 to 12-14. Let's face it bathing and drying dogs takes time! If a shop has a good bather/prepper, you can easily groom more pets in a day. The type of trim combined with the sizes of dogs being done will make a huge difference in how many pets can be done each day. A #7F All on a six-week regular Shih Tzu is much different from a longer guard comb trim with stylized scissored legs. What happens if you increase the size of the dog? Larger dogs simply take much more time. To me, a Doodle is the equivalent of two or three smaller dogs, depending on the type of haircut it is getting. For many pet professionals, WHY you groom pets will also influence how many dogs you groom in a day. One of the amazing things about our industry is we all love dogs. There are those who really enjoy taking their time with the grooming process and will groom fewer pets. There are those who will try to help as many pets as they can in a single day. Others enjoy the creativity. Some enjoy the flexibil74

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ity the career offers while others are motivated by the career opportunities. There are also groomers that simply enjoy earning a living by doing something they love. How many dogs should you groom each day? There are lots of gray areas so there is no right answer. Whatever your motivation, no matter how many dogs you groom each day, the most important thing should always be the health and safety of the pets entrusted to you. ▀ Melissa Verplank is a Certified Master Stylist with over 30 years experience in the professional pet grooming industry. In 2009, she operated three pet-related companies, a luxury boarding facility called hiskers Resort & Pet Spa and two companies that are involved with educating the professional pet groomer and stylist; The Paragon School of Pet Grooming, Inc. and White Dog Enterprises, Inc as well as her products and services web site MelissaVerplank.com. In 2010 Melissa expanded her product line, with training to help business owners to “grow your own groomers” and she premiered Learn2GroomDogs.com, an extensive, unique streaming video web site for groomers.

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The Petco Training Advantage

It’s no secret that education and training are necessary in just about every career field out there. It’s also no secret that required education can be very expensive and sometimes even impossible to afford. But what if a company was willing to pay for all of your training and education expenses, and pay you an hourly rate all at the same time? No, you aren’t dreaming — this is a real-life opportunity for anyone wanting to become a groomer at Petco. No prior experience in the grooming industry is needed. You can apply to enter into the Grooming Salon Apprentice position and if qualified and accepted, start training under the supervision of a Grooming Salon Leader or a tenured Pet Stylist for a minimum of 60 days. During those 60 days, you’ll learn the basics of grooming and learn how to properly bathe and dry dogs with different skin and coat types, as well as how to properly handle pets by following Petco’s industry-leading animal care and safety standards and procedures. (Continued on page 77)

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Upon the 60 day mark, a Grooming Salon Leader or mentor will evaluate whether you are ready to move on to the next phase, or if further training is needed. Once comfortable with the basics, it’s time to move on to the next phase of training in the Pet Stylist Apprentice position. Over the course of 12 weeks, you’ll learn different styling techniques, how to create the look the pet parent desires, and many other tricks of the trade, all under the guidance and supervision of a Petco Grooming University Mentor. Upon course completion and the last week of training, you’ll be evaluated on your ability to perform and pass the three-breed technical exam. Once you have demonstrated your knowledge and skills and pass this exam, you will be awarded the Petco Pet Stylist certification. As a Grooming Salon Apprentice, you will be paid while receiving an education and certification valued at approximately $8,000. Petco is passionate about investing in our grooming Partners, and this training program is just one example of that. If you or someone you know would like to learn more about this amazing opportunity, please visit careers.petco.com. ▀

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Nash Academy Graduate Professional groomer with over 25 years of experience Show Groomer Certified Grooming Instructor Online Course Instructor for Nash Academy and Dog Spa Academy

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Mobile Groomer Vehicle Safety

by Mary Oquendo Mobile groomers heavily depend on their vehicles in order to make their livings. They can reduce the likelihood of their businesses being down due to mechanical failure or body repairs with preventative awareness.

LET’S START WITH DIMENSIONS Know the height of your vehicle before going through drive-thru’s, entering parking garages and driving under low bridges. When measuring height, do so when tires are set at the correct pressure. The difference between low and proper tire pressure could be several inches. As I don’t always trust whoever did the measuring on bridges, drive-thru’s and such, I subtract about 4 inches. Width and length determines whether you can turn around in a driveway or need to back in. It can be tough to see oncoming traffic when backing out of a driveway. Trailers may eGroomer be able to disengageCopyright from the car and manually turned around. Journal © 2011 Find A Groomer Inc. All rights reserved 81

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ROADS

Sit in the drivers seat and have someone walk around your vehicle and note where you lose sight of him or her. Install extra mirrors and backup cameras to compensate.

Watch those potholes. They can damage suspension and throw engine computers out of whack. Scenic roads, AKA dirt roads can rattle everything loose and if muddy, can result in a tow job. Pay attention to other drivers.

Use both when backing up and note low hanging branches and wires, as well as basketball hoops and mailboxes. In addition, check the condition of the driveway. Is there wet leaves or black ice? Both are equally dangerous. Are bushes blocking your view of the road? Have kids left their toys on the driveway? I have had to be towed to the repair shop because I ran over a scooter that managed to pull out my heater hoses.

WEATHER Even if you can drive just fine in whatever Mother Nature throws your way, consider the driving skills of others. Totaled is totaled, no matter who is at fault.

MAINTENANCE Check tire pressure regularly. Low tire pressure impacts gas/diesel mileage, as well as cause hydroplaning on slick roads. In addition, use the manufacturer recommended tires and follow the rotation schedule. Cheaper tires will wear faster, and may reduce stopping power. Schedule maintenance per manufacturer recommendations. It will keep your vehicle in top shape and establish a relationship with your mechanic. This relationship is important if you need a quick appointment. Include periodic brake line and exhaust leak checks. Most mechanical breakdowns can be prevented with regular maintenance.

There are no rentals available while we HOOK-UPS wait for the vehicle to be repaired. Take We mean electrical and water. Protect high wind alerts seriously. There is a lot electrical hookups from moisture by inof empty air space in trailers and vans. stalling waterproof covers and receptaHigh winds can push your vehicle over cles. Before leaving any residence, ininto oncoming traffic or adjacent vehi(Continued on page 83) cles. 82 Copyright ÂŠ 2013 Find A Groomer Inc. All rights reserved Subscribe www.egroomer.com PetGroomer.com Magazine www.petgroomermagazine.com Subscribe Free

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cluding your own, walk around the vehicle. Make sure all lines are disengaged and doors are closed. *Special note for trailers. Transmission and engine size matter. If you are not certain, talk to the dealership’s repair shop for information. Use a matching ball and tongue and utilize the chains and pin. Check all connections at each stop. If you have never driven a trailer before, rent a Uhaul and practice, practice, practice in a parking lot before buying. We don’t make money when our vehicles are waiting to be fixed in the parking lot of a repair facility. Add in the inconvenience to our clients, and you can see why being familiar with our vehicles, as well as keeping up the maintenance will pay off in the long run. ▀ Mary Oquendo is a well respected speaker and author within the professional Pet Industry. You can read her column at Groomer To Groomer and Natural awakenings Magazine (Fairfield County edition.)In addition, Mary, along with Daryl Waters Conner, is the author of Holistic Dog Grooming. One of only 11 Certified Master Pet Tech Instructors worldwide, Mary teaches pet first aid nationally, as well as a host of safety, business, holistic grooming, wellness, and feline topics. Mary is on the board for the Groomers Emergency Assistance Fund and is the East Coast Chair of the Professional Cat Groomers Association of America. Her website is www.maryoquendo.com and you can read her GroomWise.com, Pet First Aid & Care.

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How to Stop the Spread of Infectious Pet Diseases And Deodorize at the Same Time The last thing you want is a customer calling you to complain that their pet is sick and it’s your fault because their pet visited your grooming or kennel facility. All animal business – groomers, kennels, breeders, rescue centers, veterinarians, pet shops – share the same two main problems: odors and infectious diseases, and the more animals in the room, the worse the problem gets. With infectious diseases, however, there is no way to know whether an animal is infected until symptoms appears, and by then it’s often too late and the bacterial or viral infections spreads like wildfire. The animals that are most susceptible to catching whatever is floating in the air are those who have a weak immune system, and there’s no way to know who those dogs are.

the business and smell stinky pet odors; it’s a big turn-off. While pet odors can be easily removed with most carbon-based air purifiers, infectious diseases require an air purifier capable of killing the microbes in the air you and the animals are breathing and on surfaces, which most HEPA and carbon air purifiers cannot do. There are many different categories of air purifiers, each has pros and cons, so it’s important to find the right air purifier that not only eliminates the pet and cleaning odors, but effectively kills bacteria and viruses both from the air the animals breathe and on surfaces. Let’s look at the four most popular air purifier technologies.

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Nearly every air purifier on the market uses one or more of the following technologies to clean the air, but there is a lot of misinformation about what they really can do and how effectively they do it. Basically, there are four categories of air pollutants: 1) particulate (dust, pollen, dander), 2) microbes (bacteria, viruses, molds and yeast), 3) chemicals gases, fumes and odors, and 4) volatile organic compounds (VOC). Here are the main air purification technologies used and some pros and cons:

remove dander, pollen, dust, hair particulate that is 0.3 microns or larger (that excludes carbon dioxide, pesticides, herbicides, some bacteria and all viruses). But dust and hair clog the filter quickly, making it less effective. And while HEPA filters can remove mold spores and some bacteria, unless the filter is treated with an anti-microbial

HEPA Filters for Particulate. HEPA filters

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substance – which is often, in itself, a contaminant – the still-living microorganisms continue to grow and multiply on the HEPA filter. And when you pull out the filter to change it those microbes go back into the air you’re breathing. Air purifiers that include a HEPA filter use a lot of energy, are noisy and require replacement parts. There’s little point in purchasing only a HEPA filter air cleaner because it only takes care of particulate.

October / December 2017

clude a carbon filter use a lot of energy, are noisy and require replacement parts.

UltraViolet (UV) light for Microbes. A UV lamp kills microorganisms (mold, yeast, bacteria and viruses), but what most people don’t realize is that there is only a small kill zone a few inches from the UV lamp – the larger the UV lamp, the wider the kill zone. If the air is passing too fast through that kill zone, there won’t be enough dwell time to kill some microbes, especially viruses. Plus, any air that might have been treated will be easily recontaminated once that air travels away from the UV lamp, so people who install a UV lamp in their HVAC system thinking it is killing all the germs in their home or business have been misled. The only benefit of having a UV light installed in the HVAC system is to keep mold and bacteria from growing on the coils and drainage pans.

Carbon Filters for Chemicals, Fumes and Odors. Carbon filters are great for chemicals, gases, fumes and odors, however, not all carbon filters are alike. Factors that affect the carbon filter’s efficacy include the type of carbon, the amount of carbon, the thickness of the carbon bed and the speed of the air as it passes through the filter. The slower the chemicals move through the filter, the more Copyright © 2013 Find A Groomer Inc. All rights reserved are88absorbed. Most air purifiers that inPetGroomer.com Magazine www.petgroomermagazine.com Subscribe Free

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Advanced PCI technology. This is the next generation of PCI technology developed by Air Oasis using germicidal UV lamps and rare precious metals, including silver, rhodium and nickel, and incorporating BiPolar technology to restore the oxygen/hydrogen balance to the air. Advanced PCI technology eliminates the entire range of indoor air pollution sources, including molds, yeast, viruses, bacteria, chemicals, fumes, odors, VOC (volatile organic compounds), pollen, dander and other aeroallergens as small as .001 microns from the air and surfaces. These units are low maintenance, very quiet, lightweight, energy efficient and made with no off gassing plastics or rubbers.

Having been in the air purifier industry for over 12 years and carrying all the technologies listed above, when recommending the best air purifier for the animal industry, I always recommend the Air Oasis advanced PCI technology because that is the only air purifier technology that significantly reduces the spread of animal infectious diseases and removes all the other airborne contaminants too. â&#x2013;&#x20AC; Author Profile: Carol James has been selling multiple air purifier brands for over 12 years and specializes in groomers, kennels, breeders, rescue shelters and Veterinarians. Call her at 866-875-4386 or email carol@inspiredliving.com for free advice about which air purifier models are right for your pet business. Her website is:

www.dog-groomer-air-purifier.com

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D.I.Y. SEO and Why You Need It By Mitzi Parrish, Golden Paws Schools SEO an acronym that stands for "Search Engine Optimization." It is a method for adding keywords and keyword phrases to a website that match words people use to find something they need using a search engine such as Google. Search engines have two major functions: crawling the Web to build indexes, and providing search users with ranked lists of the websites they've determined are the most relevant. Search engines like Google, Yahoo and many others each have their own formula for how the “spiders” search, index and rank websites. These formulas are “algorithms.” Search engines rank two kinds of results, one is “organic” or “natural,” and the other is “PPC” or “paid per click” listings. In this article we will examine the organic rankings, AKA “free search optimization” you can do for your web site without hiring experts. 92

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Before going further I would like to make it clear that I am not a professional web developer or SEO technician. I am a member of the grooming industry like most of you reading this article. I learned about SEO out of necessity in my role as the owner of styling salons and schools. I wanted to know how I could improve my website marketing. I am going to share what I learned by experience. My hope is that others with grooming websites will take a hands-on approach to optimize their websites with free, organic SEO optimization tools. If you hire a professional you will know better how to communicate with them after you read this article.

WHY YOU NEED SEO Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of making changes to your website to improve its chances of ranking well on search engines. It is imperative you create a list of keywords that people might use to search for a business like yours. Then you use your list of keywords placing them in multiple ways within your website’s content and its “background coding.” You can do it. Although it takes time to earn advantageous positions on search engines, when you begin to effectively optimize your website SEO, you will notice subsequent improvement in your rankings on search results pages. Because most people, including pet owners seeking groomers, find what they need by doing an online searches, knowing how or at least something about search engine optimization can only bring in more business interest inexpensively. When you enter a search term, which are also keywords, the search engine provides a list of website link results. The search engine studied and ranked the results by its searching and indexing countless Internet websites. Search engines each do their best to find the most relevant results based on the keywords searched. These results are called “organic” or “natural.” Search engines also provide “sponsored links” or “paid per click” results at the same time. See illustration on the next page. eGroomer Journal

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The green-lined area displays organic search results, and the red-lined area displays sponsored and paid per click advertising.

What You Can Do to Improve Your SEO Free Search engine optimization of your website includes indentifying the keywords used most often by people searching for a business like yours. Then you place these keywords in specified places of your website content and its HTML coding. Brainstorm a list of keywords you think people would use to find what your website offers. There is help to do this. Google offers a free keyword tool at http:// www.google.com/adwords. You may be asked to setup an Adwords account where they sell paid for click search engine placement. No purchase necessary. I suggest you use Google Webmaster Tools. It is free. Refer to its component called the Google Search Console (see illustration right). It is very helpful and tells you how your site is doing with Google. It provides suggestions 94

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to get better too! Popular keywords for pet grooming websites include simple phrases such as “pet groomer __________.” Fill-in the blank with your city. Include additional cities or towns you serve in your individual keyword list. For example, a grooming business website in Atlanta, GA believes local pet owners may use search engines to find a groomer. Their keywords would then be “pet groomer Atlanta.” I suggest you include “pet grooming,” “dog grooming” and “dog groomer” which are phrases commonly used by pet owners. If you groom cats, add or substitute “dog” and “pet” with “cat.” If you are in a neighborhood of a city pet owners might include the neighborhood’s name in their search query. Make its name a part of your keywords. If you are a mobile groomer be sure you have “mobile groomer” and “mobile grooming” among your keywords. If you offer additional pet services, add keywords for them too. For example, you might add “boarding,” “daycare” or “massage.”

View Keywords Being Used on Your Website and Competitors Go online and bring up your website (as well as others) and let the web page fully load. You can view the “behind the scenes” programming or coding for the web page. Nearly all web pages include keywords in their programming code. Look for commands on your Internet browser sometimes under the File or View Menus allowing you to “View Source.” Click the command to view the “source code” in the “back of the web page” being viewed. Look through the code for a line with “keyword content” followed by a list of keywords the web page creator thought would be relevant for persons looking for their products and services and marketed by the web page. Remember you can view the code for your competitors’ websites. This is public information. This coding is strategic planning to encourage search engines to display the web page being viewed. It is not secretive. Perhaps you can now see how your keywords are very important for SEO. (Continued on page 96)

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Title Tags, Meta Descriptions and Meta Keywords There is more to do with your keywords. When you are viewing source there is more coding to study. Look for the “title tag.” It states the title for the web page you are viewing. Having some of your most important keyword(s) in the title of your web page can bolster good results. Depending upon the program you are using to build your website you will be asked to title each web page, and the program may create the title tags for you in the “back of the website” coding. You can verify the title tag of each web page by viewing the web page in your browser, and then use the command to view source. If you are using a program that doesn’t automate the tag process, you need to add it to the back side of your web pages. If you are building a web site using templates such as Wordpress, the YOAST SEO plug-in (and other SEO plug-ins) will greatly assist you to easily add title tags and your keywords.

Keywords in META Tags Search engines may index the META tag “keywords” specified in the back side code of your web pages. These keywords need to be carefully chosen and relevant to each page’s content, about 75 to 125 characters. Try to avoid repeating them and don’t use words (a, the, and, or). These can tell the Search Engine Spider to stop. When viewing the page source, the HTML code may include “meta tags and descriptions” and yours should us your keywords. If you have the skill and want to place your keyword contents, page title tags or descriptions yourself just make sure not to change or remove the format, symbols or color. Again, this process is made easy by the Yoast SEO plug-in (and other SEO plug-ins are available) when using templates such as Wordpress. A meta statement will looking something like this: <META name=”Keywords” content=”(this is where your keywords go”> As you can see keywords are critical to improving search engine results. It may be an ongoing process as you discover what keywords people used to find your web(Continued on page 97)

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site. It is nice to know what is working, or not. If you are using the Chrome browser you can get the free “browser extension” called Chrome META SEO Inspector. The illustration above shows data provided by META SEO Inspector for every web page you visit. On your request it provides helpful web page data. Try it on your competitors’ websites too. There is data about “backlinks” to your or others’ websites, broken links, missing meta data, titles, HTML tags and more. Visit the Chrome Web Store for this free extension. Another free option is the Mozbar toolbar for your browser. It will show you instant SEO results for web pages you view. Using these tools you will discover SEO doesn’t have to be left solely to experts. I spent a lot of money with them only to find out I could have done a lot of it on my own. Please do not grade me by my website www.goldenpaws.com. At this point I am still improving its SEO on a regular basis. Happy keyword hunting! ▀

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January / March 2014 104 is not commonly known relates toPetGroomer.com It’seGroomer commonly Journal known that all brands of A-5 blades fit any brand of A-5 clippers. What blade sizes. Most Publications brands of A-5 blades have similar sizes, but how they perform varies. Manufacturers must use design differences in order to avoid patent and copyright infringement. The most common difference between brands is the blade thickness. Similar manufacturer sizes may cut at different heights. You could be in for a surprise if you change brands of the same size blade only to discover the cut is different! For your convenience Jeff at Northern Tails Sharpening prepared the multiple manufacturer reference charts below for blades and snap-ons. Be sure to check Jeff’s web site at www.northerntails.com for more helpful articles, videos and descriptions of his mail-in services. ♦

Clipper Blade Cutting Heights by Manufacturer BLADE SIZE

BLADE CUT

MASTER GRM.TOOLS

LAUBE

WAHL

KLEAN CUT

OSTER

ANDIS

Inches

1/125

0.2

0.5

0.2

1/100

0.3

0.6

0.1

0.3

3/50

—

0.4

1/50

0.5

0.8

0.2

0.5

3/64

1.2

1.0

1.3

1.0

1.2

1/16

1.6

1.5

1.8

1.5/1.6

1.0

1.5

10W

3/32

2.4

—

5/64

2.0

1.5

1.0/2.0

2.0

8.5

7/64

2.8

—

2.0

2.8

1/8

3.2

4.0

3.2

3.0

3.2

1/4

6.4

6.0

6.3

6.0

6.3

3/8

9.5

9.6

8.0

9.5

9.0

9.5

1/2

12.7

13.0

10.0

12.0

13.0

12.0

5/8HT

5/8

15.9

16.0

—

16.0

3/4HT

3/4

—

19.0

T-84

3/16

—

2.4

Snap-On Comb Sizes & Cut Lengths by Manufacturer COMB SIZE

LAUBE SELF ADJ & X-LARGE

WAHL STAINLESS STEEL

MDC ROMANI

OSTER UNIVERSAL

MILLERS FORGE

Inches

1/16

1/8

1/4

1/2

3/4

9/16

1/2 3/4

3/4 0

7/8

5/8

1/2

5/8

1 1/4

1 1/4 1 1/2

1/2

3/8

5/16

3/16

3/8

7/16

1/2

3/8

5/16

1/4

3/16

1/16

1/8

1/16

3/4

1 1/4

1 1/2

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Charts courtesy of Northern Tails Sharpening 251-232-5353 www.northerntails.com