Housecall grooming questions

[Moonpiepoodlz]

Can anybody explain how this works....
Tomorrow is my last day in the salon and my plan was to transfer my clients over to my house but with trying to get settled and things all figured out I'm wondering if it's really the way to go or if I shouldn't try something else.
I don't have a vehicle for mobile and not that interested in it but housecall grooming sounds intriguing and interesting but I don't understand how it all works.
PLEASE HELP!

[Poochie1]

I do it for one of my friends and I do offer it BUT I don’t like carrying all that stuff in and out of the customer’s house. Makes me kind of nervous.

[itsgot2bme]

Check out the House-call Grooming forum in the Business Side category. There's a wealth of information there.

[Hello Kitty FTW]

If you type "house call grooming", you'll find wonderful threads on the matter, but I'm not sure if you're not sure how the procedure goes, or what to do once you're inside, or something else.

The nice thing with housecall is you can adjust how you handle the appointment how you see fit.

For me, I go in and greet the client, check the pet, then bring all my stuff inside and get setup. The client and I decide together where the best place is to groom when I do the greet (Usually the bathroom or laundry room, however with cats I always want a closed off room). The client is given the choice to watch or just let you do what you do (You don't have to do that.)

A lot of my clients give me a house key and just set up a schedule for me to come to their home when they're at work. I will always do a groom first when they're home, then after that I'm alone. For scheduling, I go by zip code, 3 total, one each on the days that I'm out. My fees are flat rate. If someone wants me to come in on a day when I'm not in their area, I charge extra.

The tools:

Table
Dryer
Shampoo (Recirc if you want)
Clippers, blades, scissors, brushes
Cleaning up supplies

All of my stuff is configured on a roller travel case so I can carry it in all in one trip and stays in a small compact space. If you have other questions, just ask!

[Canopener Sally]

Hello Kitty, you get all your gear in one bag? Photo, or it didn't happen! LOL

I'm down to two bags/cases. One hard case for my brushes,blades, scissors, etc and a luggage bag on wheels for my dryer, clipper vac/shop vac, and grooming arm. Then of course there's the table.

[MyBoo]

question..

are you wanting the clients come to your home, or are you wanting to go to the clients home? Big difference. I currently go to the clients home. Love it, clients love it. I don't use a table right now, but I don't mind working on the floor. But, you would need, your tools, shampoo, either recirc or cup/pitcher to bathe them with, and towels and a dryer. Basically what I do, is that I go to the clients house, make sure the dog is not matted, put in tub to bathe and dry, then you set up on a table to do a haircut or what needs to be done. The owners are usually there talking with you or watching you, so keep that in mind. You can tell them that the dog does better with out the owner there and they usually don't mind moving. If you have certain questions, feel free to PM me, or ask here, or even look at the house call grooming section. Hope this helps some! <3

[RudyRoo]

I do housecall & I groom in a shop 3 days a week,, I LOVE housecall. You can set your own schedule, set your own prices. One on One grooming is so relaxing, no rush, no annoying interuptions. Most of my housecall clients are every 4 weeks, so no matted dogs! The few that I did have saw how much trouble (and stress for the dog) it causes trying to get a matted dog groomed, so they have learned how to take care of their dog. I have a shoulder bag that holds all my brushes, hand dryer, ear cleaner, shampoo, colonge,,, etc. I carry my tools & clipper & blades in a tackle box . Plus my table. I can carry everything in one trip. For bigger dogs I use a shop vac as a HV, plus use it for clean up. I only carry in what I need for each dog. I keep a bag in the car with all my shampoos & conditioners and only take what I need for that dog. When I 1st get to the house , I do a meet & greet, ask where they want me to set up, then go get my stuff. I don't mind if the parents what to hang out, usually helps the dog stay calmer if they know mommie is there. Is not the same as shop grooming, they don't do the freaky' My mom is here to save me wiggle". I'm not interested in ever doing mobile either, one - I don't think I could handle all the technical / mantience problems of keeping a van up and running and two - I have really bad knees, so I know climbing in and out of a truck would kill my knees. But keep me on flat ground & I'm good,, Go to the housecall section, there is tons of good info,, there is also info & a book by Lorrie B about her 20 + years doing housecall. Thats where I got most of my info when I started. Good luck!