Every time you bathe a client’s dog or cat, are you losing money and without realizing it? It may be something you are looking at without even thinking twice. In all aspects of the world of professional grooming, it all starts at the same point: THE BATHROOM
The one point all trainers, groomers, and bathers will agree on is that bathing is the most important part of any grooming. The products you use in the bathroom may be more important to you and your business than you think. We’ve all heard the stories that shampoo is shampoo and Dawn dish soap works just as well as all that fancy stuff. Why buy special dog shampoo when you can only use baby shampoo because it has no tears? One of my favorites is that it’s all about marketing and you don’t need different shampoos for different breeds or different coat types.
I guess in a perfect world there would be one size fits all and you would only need one shampoo product to do it all. I guess it would be fair to say that we all make a living from our hair. The more we work with him, the more we realize that there are so many different types even in the same breed. The products you use to bathe and condition your hair can make or break your job. A good example of this would be using a quality volumizing shampoo and volumizing spray gel on a poodle. The result would be a nice coat that would be easier to cut, rather than a limp coat without volume. You’re always going to have the customer who brings you their dog who doesn’t have the coat of a show dog, but expects you to make him look like a show dog. This is where you are expected to work magic and give them back a different dog. This is also the point where, if you are using the right products, it can work its magic.
There are so many different companies that make and sell personal care products that it can be hard to know which ones to use. One thing most agree on is that it should be completely natural and non-irritating to you and your dog. This is something you’ll use every day and not something you want to fill with chemicals you can’t pronounce. Another important quality is what is being used for the fragrance? Presumably you are using products that use essential oils and not ones that use synthetic fragrances made from petrochemicals. Do your homework and look at the ingredients in the products you are putting on your and your dogs skin.
A great way to find quality personal care products is to see what the professionals who win AKC confirmation and personal care events use. Ask questions and do a little research and you may discover that some of the best products on the market are not the most advertised. In the end, all the expensive, high-quality scissors, brushes, combs, and clippers seem to lose their full potential if you use them on a coat that hasn’t been bathed properly.
Always remember that when you send a groomed dog home with a client, you are actually sending your reputation out the door with them. All the advertising money you can spend will never get the same response as word of mouth and returning customers. You will always want them to walk away knowing that no one else cares for their pet like you do. The right grooming products will keep your customers coming back. The quality of the end result will always reflect the quality you started with.