just wanted to share my submission for our salons pumpkin contest this year! i know the words are a little hard to read, oopsies lol👻

I saw this question awhile ago online and the answers were hilarious. Let’s try it again!

I work at a locally-owned salon that almost certainly pays better and has a better work environment than most others in the area, but we are struggling to make contact with groomers and bathers that might be interested in working here through places like Indeed.

We have the most success when groomers at other shops do get hired here and bring most of their coworkers with them (since we pay/treat better). I have been tempted to loiter outside a chain or other salon and discreetly pass out business cards, but I know that is bad business practice and possibly illegal??

If you were working at a salon and open to the idea of working elsewhere, how could we reach out to you in a professional capacity? Where do all the groomers look for job postings?

I’m a very new baby groomer and my boss is wanting me to talk/handle clients soon and while that’s no problem, I’m a little paranoid because I’m afraid I won’t say the right things or handle something correctly. I’ve not dealt with a lot of customer service in any job that I’ve had and I’m coming to Reddit in hopes for some advice on what to say or do in certain scenarios that I’m about to list below so I can be mentally and fully prepared 😂 because I also know not all clients are easy to deal with.

scenarios on what to say/do:

- if the clients dog is super matted but they don’t want it to be shaved

- if the haircut is wrong and not what the asked for

- if an accident happens that causes an injury from something super minor to something severe

- if the dog’s behavior is too much to be groomed

Really just any advice and help on dealing with clients in general will be super appreciated. Thank you! 😁

I know this has been asked before but the posts ive found are from years ago and I wanted to see if people had different answers in 2026. What is your favorite slicker brush for fluff drying? What am I looking for that makes a brush good for fluff drying? I've seen there are flexible slicker brushes are these good for fluff drying? I'm a baby groomer and i'm finally getting to move to a proper salon and I am so excited but trying to get some more equipment together! TIA

when i still had my salon (Purewag, Sammamish/Redmond WA, sold it a while back) the reviews that stuck with me werent really the ones about the cut looking perfect

it was the ones where people said their dog used to freak out at groomers and then somehow came back calm. like actually relaxed. that felt like a bigger win than a fluffy finish tbh

curious if other groomers feel the same. is that your favorite kind of feedback too or do you care more about the aesthetic stuff

hi! at my salon we use glass contraptions with barbicide in them (like a 1:10 barbicide to water ratio) to clean our guard combs and whatever else we can fit in there that’s metal or hard plastic like combs etc at the end of the day. idk how effective it is at sanitizing things but alas. after putting my guard combs in particular in there for a couple of weeks i’ve noticed that there’s this annoying residue in between the teeth (tines? idk what they’re called). it’s normally tinted greenish from the barbicide but this time it was more white because the dog i was working on was bright white and i guess the hair mixed in or something idk. but my former supervisor told me if i put the guard combs in boiling water it would get rid of the residue so i tried that and it literally warped all of them rendering them unusable so i had to get a new set and it didn’t even effectively clean them really at all. long story short how can i get rid of this annoying nonsense without ruining the guard combs besides sitting there with q tips for a hundred years? thanks in advance.

I recently decided that, after 20 years, it’s time to step out of grooming and I have a ton of almost new tools I’d like to sell. Does anyone have any recommendations as to where to advertise them? I live in a pretty rural part of Montana USA, so local isn’t really an option. Thanks!

I have a Bichon Frise who is my love, and I want to buy some brushes that help me goom him. He is 9 months old.

I am from Argentina, and I want to import them from Amazon USA, which has better options than in my country. However, not all of the products are shipped to Argentina.

I have identified these options:

https://www.amazon.com/Doodle-Brush-Slicker-Dogs-Goldendoodle/dp/B0CVQDKP8K/

https://www.amazon.com/Slicker-Brush-Massage-Grooming-Stainless/dp/B0B2NC69PN/

Which either work? For the second option, I see Flat or Curved, and then Small, Medium, Big. Which option is best? Any better types? Thanks!!!!

Hi I need some advice!
I’m currently in level 2 paragon. It’s been frustrating and awful the whole way through and I continuously get behind with the pressure of my boss demoting my pay.
The sourcing of my own dogs to practice on has been terrible. Between me and the groomer, he has to make his money but I do too.
My mentor seems to not be as available as they made it seem when I initially started with level 1. Other than family and friends how are we finding dogs? I’ve dropped coupons off everywhere, random stores nearby, dog parks, etc. I even applied to a few volunteer grooming positions at local shelters and still nothing.
I’m starting to not have faith that I will get through, even when I have photos to submit- they don’t pass. Which would be not as stressful if I had dogs coming in.

Please help

Hello,

I am a new groomer trainee at a corporate salon. I have been dealing with some salon mean girls as of late. Ex. Dropping stuff on purpose, making me pick up after them, stealing dogs from my schedule, gaining up on me, switching up on me out of nowhere, the list goes on. I’ve been testing them a little bit lately by asking them questions to see if they will give me the wrong answer, and more than half the time they do. I don’t understand why people have to be such big bully’s at this grown of age. What is your guy’s advice on dealing with mean salon bully’s? I can’t just quit because I have a contract that I have to work for them at least a year. And I don’t want to quit either because I love this career and I love animals.

*EDIT*

I just got let go. I’m going to try and be as vague as possible without revealing too much. So starting out at this salon, everyone seemed very welcoming and warm at the start, but it almost seemed too good to be true. The mentor that I was assigned became very quick to snap and just overall rude whenever I asked questions. She was also very short with the dogs. I understand that animals can test your patience but this was beyond that. She would yell, swear, and sometimes even slap them. I brought it to the attention to one of the managers, and everything went downhill from there. I switched mentored twice before I got let go.

Today I got let go because “my training style requires more hands on training and they can’t offer that.” Is what the reason was, but I call BS. From the fake niceness to the backstabbing, to animal mistreatment, the list goes on. I’m honestly glad I’m out of there. Again I can’t go two much into detail, but just know that it was a shitshow. Honestly, this has ruined any opportunity of me wanting to become a groomer. I love dogs and other animals, but I can’t stand to see them getting mistreated, both by clients and other groomers.

I’m doing this foster girl and her brother today. Wondering if y’all have any ideas for how I can make her face look cute? She’s got pretty awful hair to work with, something between a Yorkie and a Shih Tzu. I was thinking maybe I could give her those cute shaved ears? If it helps, I’m doing either a 5 or 7 on her body, haven’t decided yet but I’m leaning towards the 5. Let me know your thoughts!! Thank you :)

I get a lot of doodles and other mixes with very straight hair on the muzzle and for me it’s the hardest to do. The owners always want a “teddy bear face” and I don’t know how to make it look blended and nice. I feel like it always looks choppy. I think it’s 1000% harder than a nice poofy muzzle! Any tips/links to good videos? Thanks!

I hear so many stories of groomers with chronic wrist/hand conditions like arthritis or carpal tunnel from grooming. What ways can I be proactive to prevent this? I am an artist and don't want to destroy my hands doing this job

Also any back or core strengthening exercises at the gym that can help as well?

If the independent build is at the same level of quality why would you pay the premium that way n tails and hanvey have?

ive had a LOT of bad experiences so far at the current chain im at (chuck and dons). i figured it would be like petsmart and it is in a lot of ways but my manager is just evil. this man is demonic.

ive been doing 5-6 consistently just fine, and with the corpo high volume scheduling you'd think 3-4 hours is to be expected, at least w my experience w petsmart. but my manager sits me down today and says i can't tell clients 3-4 anymore, just 2-3. keep in mind, he wants me at 7-9 dogs eventually. so i tell him i'm confused as to what the goals are for me. cos the more dogs i have, the longer it will take for each dog since i am working on multiple at the same time!

he says that a competent groomer will have no problem completing this many dogs with these scheduling parameters. and that is when i tell him i am not the groomer for this company then and put in my two weeks.

i hate drifting between salons but it seems like they all go to shit eventually. alas, i'm back on indeed. 🫩

Questions specifically for mobile groomers- how many dogs do you average per day? What is your average drive time between clients? How long are your days from arrival at the van to heading home?

Right now I'm doing about 5 dogs per day (a mix of large, small, haircuts, desheds, baths). My days can be 11-12 hours long once accounting for all of the driving and cleanup. I'm wondering if this is normal. It seems like a really long day for just a handful of dogs. Our prices reflect the premium service so that's a plus.

I try to brush my doodle everyday, but his head and neck are matted no matter how much I brush (I just spent three hours on his head and I only covered one half it was so matted). I’m at my wits end. I use a slicker brush and a metal comb

are there doodle grooming (brushing) classes I can take in person? Obviously the videos aren’t helping me.

For some context I groom out of my house, 1-1, in a rural area, as such I dont have an extra over head and most dogs are usually strips or something equally fast, becasue of that Im fairly "cheap" or so I've been told, but its enough to keep bills paid and that's all I really care about right now only being 3 months in. While I do have some add-ons like dematting/scissor/brushing and anal glands (cause I hate them so yes you'll be paying extra for that) my prices just encompass everything I'd need to groom the dog the way its needs because after so many years at corporate I'm tired of fighting people over nail buffing or anti itch treatments.

Well this morning a lady calls looking for info for 3 -oodles, ranging from 15-30lbs, I tell her my price, $70 for each, and explain all what Ive said above. Ive already gotten a rude vibe from when shes explaining how she requires the nails to be short and the legs smooth, but she then backhands me with "well thats more expansive than the girl I usually take them to, cant you offer me a discount?"

The thing is I often do give a sibling discounts but thats something I like to surprise NICE, who dont haggle, clients with at pick-up but the audacity to ask me to price match another groomer instantly made me throw that out the window for her. This is not 2007 and Im not Walmart. She kinda huffs when I say no and says that she'll call me back after she talks to her husband.

Sure she does call back to book and if she does show up she'll be getting what I call my "Karen contract" for sure. But I feel like a real business owner now 😂

This is honestly just a vent post about the whole situation.

For context: I've worked at this salon for almost 1 year, and was honestly already close to quitting.

The "new" owner was the manager when I first started working and thankfully bought the place out from the previous witch of an owner, but things only got sketchier 😭

I was offered a role as a groomer in training, and the new owner offered to teach me. I spent HUNDREDS on tools for that opportunity only to be taught for a couple weeks and then thrown into grooming dogs with very little guidance. Obviously that would overwhelm anyone, right? Well after realizing I was overwhelmed, instead of taking me back to actually TEACHING me, she went behind my back and hired a new groomer. Only then did she explain me about how I was "getting too overwhelmed and she needed an experienced groomer." (this was explained over text. while i was on vacation)

After that, everything really started to go downhill and I IMMEDIATELY noticed something wrong the second I heard the news that there was a new hire. I decided to not think about it, but it financially destroyed me not having the tiny bit of extra income and being shoved back into the receptionist/assistant job. I noticed that more and more was being added to my plate, especially after CUTTING MY HOURS. And there was zero regard for my well-being. Again, I decided to ignore it and keep working.

But after a bit, I realized that the entire time I worked there, I had been consistently bullied by the owner. Even after showing clear signs of discomfort, she just kept coming after me. She genuinely laughed when she realized I was uncomfortable. But if I so much as showed a CONCERN about something in the workplace, she would throw a huge fit and guilt me into shutting up.

As of recent, she offered all sorts of photography opportunities because she knew I was giving up on grooming (again: less pay and less hours. Couldn't afford schooling). She got my hopes up and got me super excited. The same way she did with "teaching" me how to groom dogs. I knew something was about to happen. Everytime something got good for me at that place, a week or two later it would be taken from me.

Now, as of yesterday, she has ripped those opportunities away because she "can't afford a receptionist" even though she was paying me jack fucking SHIT for more and more tasks each damn week. I was being taken advantage of and the moment I started slacking, she started bullying me and treating me like I was worthless, again.

HERE'S THE THING. I 100% understand the money aspect. If she had told me PROFESSIONALLY that I was no longer within her budget, I would be understanding. But after getting my hopes up several times, taking advantage of me, bullying me, and REFUSING to communicate with me with anything but texts....I'm not as understanding. In fact, I even asked to speak one-on-one in person with her because I was having some issues that I needed to discuss with her (i was finally about to stand up to her). She decided to schedule a CALL for a day that I'm not even supposed to be at work, and then instead of calling me, decided to make me call her. And instead of allowing me to speak, she immediately fired me.

I feel like she was expecting me to handle this situation professionally but with how I was treated, I have no desire. I genuinely don't care how petty I get with her, anymore. She is no longer worth the time or effort and I clearly wasn't as important to her as she tried to make me think I was. I should've quit while I was on vacation when I heard about the new hire.

Anyways thank you all for coming to my TEDtalk 🫶

I’ve got a short haired senior boy. He’s easy to wash and blow dry so I do it at home. He loves being blow dried but really I’m just using a big electric leaf blower and a rubber brush until he’s mostly dry. It’s loud but it works really well. Once he gets tired of the noise he puts his head between my legs to block the sound but gets mad if I stop blow drying him.

It’s kind of awkward to get a good angle with the dryer when a 70lb dog is using your legs as ear protection. Today while I was drying him I jokingly wrapped and tied a bath towel around his head to see if it helped. He LOVED IT. Full on happy baby seal standing still for me and demanding more dryer.

The towel falls off too easily but we clearly need something for him to wear while I dry him. I’ve looked at some options online but can’t tell how thick they are and whether or not they’d muffle sound well. Would it be weird to stack a smaller towel under the hoodie?

Pic of him in case the shape of his ears matters.

Thanks!

I live in Manitoba where grooming isn't regulated, there are a few salons that offer training programs but theyre quite pricy, I've found a few better priced options online but I dont know if theyre really worth anything, the first is through animal behavious college which has an in person externship of 150h, the second is through pet courses canada which is fully online, no externship

Are online programs of the sort worth anything when looking for a job or do I need to go to an in person program locally? Ive tried looking for an apprentice position too but no one takes them on anymore since we have the dedicated training programs

yall today i realized the biggest thing i hate about having eczema as a dog groomer.
Im working on this sweet girl- trimming her nails and as i’m reaching for her second paw I see blood on my nail clippers! I didn’t quick her i swore but i double checked every nail i had done and sure enough, no. no blood. She was only a nail trim so i couldn’t have cut her skin realistically but i had done a sani, and the blood was still wet so it couldn’t have been from a previous dog.
My mind was racing, where could I have possibly nicked this dog?? So im at this point a little frantically checking her, between her toes, under her tail, in her sanitary, everywhere.
no blood.
i sanitized everything and while im doing that I look down and it’s my own knuckle that has cracked open and was dripping and because it was just my eczema i didn’t even notice.
i was so scared I had hurt the dog but nope— nope just my own dry ass skin. LOL thank god it was me and not the pup! but i hated that fear it gave me today hahah! stay moisturized out there! 😅