Rascalmyshadow

I am only 27 and have been grooming for 10 years, I hope I make it another 10 but I phisically will never be able to do it full time (4 days is the limit) due to a neck and shoulder injury (done at work of course). I am about to start training my own dogs so I may cosider doing that as a career if I enjo it enough.

Akitagal: I also do a lot of rehabilitation work no-one in the vet clinic can understand how I have so much patience. The worst excuse I hear from owners is i've had a baby and can't find the time I had a baby aswell and I had 3poodles and a maltx at the time and none of my dogs looked looked like theirs.

great feedback everyone. I have some owners that will actually bath their dogs the day before they bring them in because they are embarrased and then ask me to do it again. Talking about good dogs, I had a favourite he was a maltxshihtzu named Chocolate he would jump out of his owners arms and in to mine they would bring him in every Friday for a bath and brush, about two months ago he got out and was hit and killed by a car it felt like losing one of my own. On Saturday the owner called in to inform me they had just got two puppies and I would be seeing them in a couple of weeks really made my day.

When I am grooming I can put up with dogs doing most things but I can't stand it when the dogs put their chin on their feet (usually poodles) when you are trying to clip or scissor.

Georgia: good advice I also did an injury at work (grooming a samoyed) about 4-5 years ago and have been having physio ever since.

I wouldn't go for a mobile personally. Where in Melbourne are you and how much experience do you have handling dogs. PM me if you don't want to post here.

Hi Lyndal, I have been grooming for 10years and my advice would be to forget the course and try to get a job bathing in a grooming parlour and learn hands on from there. It takes more than a course to make someone good enough to open a business, there is also a lot of groomers around so a lot of competition. Most breeds have different clips, coat textures etc. so there is a lot to learn that is only half, you also need to learn the best way to hold or position the dog while clipping certain areas, without making it uncomfortable or dangerous (for yourself and the dog), especially if you have to deal with aggressive or nervous dogs. Hope I havn't put you off but there is a lot more to it than people think and I often get in dogs that have been physically or mentally scarred by other groomers, I have to go through a very slow process of rehabilitation to build up their trust and confidence,some are so bad they have to be heavily sedated and gradually we decrease the dosage until they dont need it anymore. Good luck I hope you succeed, if you need any help feel free to PM me, Nicole

Hi springergirl, I am a groomer and I work Saturdays. My business is in Moorabbin so if you are interested PM me and I will give you more info. Cheers Nicole

The vet clinic where I work charges $35 for a 3 month pack that does a 40kg - 60 kg dog. Does that sound reasonable?????

Try using Wahl KM-1 they work great don't heat up the blades as fast as some of the others and don't get hot in your hands like the Osters. Stick with Oster blades they are the best. You would be best to buy 2 10# blades, 1 5# blade and 1 7f blade and then go from there.

I am glad to hear you are professional, I do all booking by phone and I guess until I see the dog, I am very rarely wrong and if I am it's only by about 10mins but I suppose that just comes with experience.

Sorry all to butt in Dali-love I can predict almost exactly how long it will take to bath, dry, clip, cut nails, pluckears and do anal glands as soon as I see a dog. I personaly would not pay for a mobile dog wash as they do not have a very good reputation and you make a lot more money in a shop if you are willing to learn all aspects (ie clipping) but this cannot be done overnight or with a 2day course.

I wouldn't waste money doing a course it is much better to learn on the job do what another person already suggested and volunteer(spelling?) in a grooming salon in exchange for them teaching you.

What a good boy my dogs take anything the cats have even if they don't really want it. My cats are the sooks (even though one of them is bigger than the dogs he still wont fight back).

Maybe I should try giving one to my cats and see if it helps.

Are my dogs the only ones that don't like them. I gave one to Josh when I had him at work, thinking it would give him something to do, but he spat it out and gave me a funny look.

Hi Kaydoug, Your groomer has given you some really bad advice, always groom your dogs on a table with a non slip surface never on your lap. By doing this she will feel mor esecure and will learn that it's not playtime but quite time to stand still and enjoy. Do not make it a game but do make it enjoyable use plenty of quiet praise. When grooming underneath put her in the stand position one hand from behind between her two back legs this will support her and also stop her from sitting brush with the other hand. Do not groom her while she is rolled over as this is a position many dogs are not comfortable with and will only make your job harder. If the slicker brush is hurting her in any way it is not being used correctly (either it's scratching the skin or the knots are being pulled instead of worked out also the brush might be too hard for the kind of coat your dog has) Regards Nicole

He does it cause he enjoyes it. He may just be a dog that you will have to keep reasonably short.

Could you please put me on the list, I am very interested. Approimately how much will it cost?

I agree with everyone else as a professional groomer I would recommend you have him clipped to 1inch all over and maybe a bit shorter underneath. If you want to keep him longer try using fido's everyday shampoo (as someone else suggested) and condition him with "Crown Royale" Condition Plus coat conditioner, leave the conditioner on for the shortest recommended time and see how you go, if it's not enough try a bit longer next time. This if done once a week should prevent most knots if you are also brushing properly. Just a tip (I think someone may have already mentioned) never bath a dog that has knots they will just double in size. Good luck!

Am I the only one who can't stand the smell of Aloveen (although I do agree it's a great product).

Thanks Dru and Sambo I couldn't remember the differences between the two as I rarely use Pyohex, Malaseb is the one I also use the most (if necessary).

My friends staffyxpitbull has the same problem and the vet recommended he use Pyohex after he had been trying Malaseb and it worked better.