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1. Proper grooming starts with understanding what a dog was bred to do. Grooming isn’t just

aesthetic — every part of a dog’s haircut has a purpose, including the head floof. For example,

poodles were bred to be sporting and hunting dogs. You know those pom-poms on their hips?

Those are designed to keep their joints warm in cold water.

2. Dog baths are nicer than the ones you give yourself. We usually spend an hour bathing our

dogs. We start off by cleaning their ears and giving them a blueberry facial, which is a concentrated

face wash. We check their glands to ensure they’re empty. Then we choose the shampoo and

conditioner to match the dog’s coat type, massage into the coat, and rinse away. Then comes the

blow-dry, fluff, and style.

3. Some Groomers go to dog-grooming school, and some learn through an apprenticeship. You

don’t need a certification to work as a groomer, but there are self policing entities in the industry

Groomers Association of America.

4. Grooming equipment can get really expensive. Any hairstylist can tell you the better your tools,

the better the result—and dog grooming is no different. We spend about $200 per shear, and have

at least 6 pairs each. The clippers are about $250, and the clipper blades are $35 each. Those need

to be replaced every year or so, depending on the use. We all have numerous types of brushes and

combs to work with every coat type imaginable.

5. We aren’t perfect. We feel like we have to groom every pet perfectly. The pet owner is paying for

a service. We not only want to deliver, but go above and beyond. If there was even a single hair out

of place, we want to fix it. While we try our very best, we know we are humans, working on live animals,

and make mistakes. Our grooms still look amazing, but we have to live with the truth that they aren’t

“perfect”. Our clients know we do our best to give them a clean, healthy, happy, and cute pet

— we can do that every single time.