Two months ago, I made the switch from corporate to private. After such a short time, I kinda feel like everything I thought I knew about dog grooming was a lie.
I'm sure all the other former/current Pet***** groomers know how much they push the whole "mats must come out before the bath... water will make mats worse... blah blah blah" stuff they drill into your head as soon as you step foot into one of their salons. I know, I groomed there for 8 years. But now, that's all changed. Only two months at my new private shop and I am seeing that there are other ways- BETTER ways- of grooming. I've learned that most mats can and will come out fairly easily. (GASP!) All it takes is a soak in some good conditioner in the tub (DOUBLE GASP!), leave-in coat conditioner, and proper force drying technique. Then, they come out as if by magic with a slicker brush and some combing.
In the past week, I decided to put my new found knowledge to the test. I wanted to see how many dogs I could demat with my new technique when I would have otherwise said "that's going to have to be shaved out." (Please note that I'm not talking about severely matted dogs) My mind was blown. Every single dog's mats came out with nothing more than what I described above. I like this new way a lot better. I was especially pleased with the bernadoodle (who is only 30 pounds, believe it or not) that I groomed today. His chin was badly matted, as well as the insides of his front legs and his tail. In the past, I wouldn't have dreamed of doing anything other than spot shaving those mats. Today, I was able to brush them out easily and quickly after the bath. No pulling and tugging required. When all was said and done, I couldn't have pointed out to you where those mats were if you had a gun to my head. I feel like I unlocked some new master grooming level. I take a new pride in my work and get so much satisfaction out of it.
I don't know how or why I went the first 8 years of my career without questioning it, but I'm glad I'm finally starting to learn more and truly improve so I can become a master of my craft.
I'm sure all the other former/current Pet***** groomers know how much they push the whole "mats must come out before the bath... water will make mats worse... blah blah blah" stuff they drill into your head as soon as you step foot into one of their salons. I know, I groomed there for 8 years. But now, that's all changed. Only two months at my new private shop and I am seeing that there are other ways- BETTER ways- of grooming. I've learned that most mats can and will come out fairly easily. (GASP!) All it takes is a soak in some good conditioner in the tub (DOUBLE GASP!), leave-in coat conditioner, and proper force drying technique. Then, they come out as if by magic with a slicker brush and some combing.
In the past week, I decided to put my new found knowledge to the test. I wanted to see how many dogs I could demat with my new technique when I would have otherwise said "that's going to have to be shaved out." (Please note that I'm not talking about severely matted dogs) My mind was blown. Every single dog's mats came out with nothing more than what I described above. I like this new way a lot better. I was especially pleased with the bernadoodle (who is only 30 pounds, believe it or not) that I groomed today. His chin was badly matted, as well as the insides of his front legs and his tail. In the past, I wouldn't have dreamed of doing anything other than spot shaving those mats. Today, I was able to brush them out easily and quickly after the bath. No pulling and tugging required. When all was said and done, I couldn't have pointed out to you where those mats were if you had a gun to my head. I feel like I unlocked some new master grooming level. I take a new pride in my work and get so much satisfaction out of it.
I don't know how or why I went the first 8 years of my career without questioning it, but I'm glad I'm finally starting to learn more and truly improve so I can become a master of my craft.
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