Grooming 4 - 5 dogs down to 3? Not speed

[natalia2019]

I was doing 4-5 dogs a day. Now I'm down to 3... one of two things is happening, and I'm only sure how to fix the one.

1. Could it because my blades are dull so I'm having to spend more time scissoring to make up for it? If so, just sharpen my stuff.

2. I hit a plateau and need to figure it out. I'm spending so much time scissoring sticky-outies on legs. My boss is obsessive (in a good way) about getting any sticky-outies on the dog. She's gone for a few months, but I don't want her to come back or get complaints, and be like "wtf..."

Feet have become a weird fixation, like they have to be perfect. I know that's adding time. I have no idea how to break this.

Any advice? This isn't necessarily a speed thing. It's more of a focus thing I think. Misguided focus maybe?

 

[sunee1]

@natalia2019 do you have any coworkers besides your boss? my coworker and i often fall victim to the endless nitpicking so we have a rule where if we turn the dog to the other and say “done?” we will give honest feedback about if the dog needs more work or not

 

[ulrichgood]

@sunee1 I remember one of my coworkers telling me to stop if it looks good enough. I took it the wrong way. I realize what she meant now. She was trying to tell me to stop nitpicking.

 

[natalia2019]

@sunee1 I do, and they're very kind, but they don't do that. I feel like I'm distracting them.

 

[rachel24]

@sunee1 Agree about this ! If you have coworkers and a good relationship with them ask them to check over your dog when you feel like you should be done but can't stop nitpicking. SO many times my coworkers or I will be going over a dog again and again not sure what isn't right and someone standing at the right angle will clearly see whats throwing off the groom that the person doing the dog isn't noticing. It helps to take a couple steps back or have someone look at your dog from a foot or 2 away. Sometimes after staring at the same dog 6 inches from your face for 2-3 hours can just mess your perception a little. We have the space to set the dog down to run and shake themselves off. If I'm struggling sometimes I'll let the dog run around a bit, put them on the table and scissor according to how everything's falling naturally.

 

[stretchmyhand]

@sunee1 I spent basically my whole first year as a new groomer working alone, and getting out of my own way was so hard. My rule is to complete the groom, let the dog hop down and run around, and get my brain out of groomer mode into "Oh look cute doggie" mode. If they're cute and nothing is obviously sticking out, they're done. If anything looks wonky, back on the table, fix it, go again.

 

[anton_james]

@natalia2019 I limit how much time I’m allowed to nitpick and then I call it a day. The vast majority of customers aren’t going to notice any little tiny hairs sticking out or even really appreciate how much time you spend perfecting the feet.

 

[stanley_4]

@anton_james Also, on a moving target and dogs with inconsistent fur (ie doodles) it's next to impossible to get every hair. I tell people I'm a pet groomer, not a show groomer, most of the dogs are not used to and do not like being on the table long. I usually do it once, then go over it one time. Then call it done. Face I go over 2 times.

 

[bearyme]

@natalia2019 I put my dogs away once I’m ‘done’ and will clean, return calls etc, then pull the dog back out to check it over, sometimes I sit and nitpick about everything and it helps to put the dog away for 5-10 minutes and pull it out when I have “fresh eyes”.

Also just putting the dog on the ground and letting it walk around for a second to see what it looks like when I’m in nitpick mindset. This can also help me identify areas where I’ve missed something because the movement shows an area where it’s uneven or more needs taken off etc.

 

[natalia2019]

@bearyme I wish putting them away for 5-10 minutes was possible. We're in a high traffic salon..We're expected to do 6-8 dogs a day. I'm acceptable at 4, for now. But in an 8 hour day, it's expected to do 6-8.

 

[christian39]

@natalia2019 Do you have ADHD?* Because 2 of my co workers do and they can have days where they fixate and focusing on the wrong thing. They need a coffee and some redirection and it's all good. Get your blades and scissors sharpened regardless.
*i mean it in the nicest way possible- my 2 coworkers are some of my favourite people