Polished Paws Perfect Coats

The Secrets of Grooming Excellence

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Being a pet groomer is not just a job. It is the combination of patience and love to make sure you understand pets’ different personalities and take care of them. Read on to find what qualities make for a great groomer.

– by Sneha Sanjay Mhatre

  • A groomer has to be an animal lover first then a good groomer to provide the best service. He/ she also needs to work with unending patience and compassion.
  • As a groomer, it’s a huge responsibility not just towards the pet, but towards the pet parent as well.
  • It is crucial to understand the pet’s temperament to make the grooming process easier.
  • Identifying the breed and coat pattern of the dog or cat makes grooming simpler and faster.
  • One should not compromise in buying or renting the best tools for grooming, as it is a necessity in the grooming profession.
  • Cleanliness is one of the most important factors that you need to keep in mind in a professional grooming salon. To avoid any infections, make sure to thoroughly clean and disinfect the grooming table after every client.
  • Yearly checkups or maintenance of electronic equipment is needed to maintain the salon and for the safety of pets and your staff.
  • There has to be an emergency back exit in your salon in case of any emergency like fire or any other.
  • Salon floors should be dry at all times to avoid any accidents caused due to wet floors.
  • It’s the groomer’s responsibility to make the grooming session comfortable for the pet, especially sensitive ones and senior pets.
  • In case of long grooming sessions, groomers should give short water breaks to the pet or give treats with the pet parent’s permission.
  • A groomer should be aware of basic animal first-aid and dog or cat anatomy to understand the current situation before grooming.
  • In case any injury happens to the pet or the groomer, there have to be two different first-aid boxes – one for pets and the other for humans.
  • If the groomer identifies any medical complications in the pet then it’s his/ her responsibility to inform the pet’s parents before starting the grooming session.
  • In some cases, pet parents demand to watch the grooming session. In such cases, one cannot deny or allow to watch directly. So, to avoid any conflict, providing live CCTV footage to the pet parents can be a savior.
  • Groomers’ safety is also an integral part of the industry that’s often overlooked. To avoid dog or cat bites, it would be best if the groomer and the team used safety gloves, masks, etc.
  • In the case of an aggressive pet use of muzzle and collar is beneficial to make the grooming process efficient and hassle-free.
  • Taking anti-rabies vaccine and tetanus shots helps groomers avoid any kind of infection caused by bite or injury.

(Sneha Sanjay Mhatre – OCN NI Level 3 Diploma in Commercial Dog Grooming, Animal Welfare, and Salon Management)

https://www.dogsandpupsmagazine.com/
https://www.dogsandpupsmagazine.com/