At the Merryfield Academy we emphasize four different aspects of pet grooming: confidence, accuracy, skill, and speed. While we train all of our students on all these different aspects at our South Florida pet grooming school, we do get an overwhelming amount of inquiries from students regarding how they can improve their pet grooming speed. While we don’t recommend trying to speed up your grooming time simply for a chance to earn more money, we do believe that everyone can benefit from a few tips on how to groom faster, especially once skills and accuracy have been refined.
Here are our top ten tips to improve pet grooming speed!
Stay organized:
Have a place for everything and know where everything is. This way, you’re not wasting precious time searching for a pair of scissors, nail clippers, or blades.
Keep a routine:
When you do the same things over and over again, you eventually get faster at them. That’s because you train your mind to run through a specific routine. It should be no different when you’re grooming a cat or dog. If there’s a way you like to start and end every pet with, then stick with that. You’ll quickly see how fast it’ll all become.
Start with a clean pet:
It’s a lot more difficult to clean a pet who still has shampoo residue or dirt on their skin and fur. By starting off with an extra-clean pet, you’ll have an easier time grooming their body.
Use the right tools:
Some tools get the job done quicker, are easier to use, and are fit for certain types of breeds and cuts. Do your research (ask your teacher!) and find out what works best for each of your furry clients.
Keep “the right tools” working…right:
There’s no sense in having the right set of tools if you have no plan on keeping them in proper working condition. For starters, blades must be cleaned and sharpened regularly.
Use a “helper:”
Pets can easily get nervous or afraid and fidget around endlessly while being groomed. To protect the safety of everyone involved, and to reduce time spent on trying to wrangle them into the right position, it is recommended to use a safety and positioning system.
Find out what you’re good at, then start with the opposite:
It may seem silly, but starting with what’s more difficult will mean you can make up for time with what you’re better at in the end. Besides, if there’s a side of the pet you’re better at grooming, chances are, you’ll be able to match it up to the weaker side at the end.
When it’s done, it’s done.
We are our own worst critics. This tip goes hand-in-hand with confidence. When you know you’re about done, take a step back and inspect for any missed areas. Touch-up as necessary, but don’t go back into full re-grooming mode. Be confident in knowing you’ve done your best, and a job well done.
Educate your clients:
If every time a client brings in their pet, their pet is a matted, tangled mess, take a little time to show them how to brush and care for their pet’s coat. That way, the next time they bring in their pet, you’ll spend less time de-matting and shaving, and more time clipping and grooming to the owner’s desired preference.
Clean up before going home:
If you want tomorrow to go by faster and easier, then you need to start with a clean slate every day. By finishing up any paperwork and having your area cleaned, decluttered, and ready to go at the end of the day, you’re setting yourself up for a more successful tomorrow.
There’s a lot more that Merryfield Academy can teach you. If you have an interest in pet grooming, or would like to learn more about what we do and how we do it, please feel free to give us a call today.
