It was on stage in a central Pennsylvania conference hall where (fourteen thousand years after wolves were domesticated into dogs), Milena Kon was busy creating a dog to look like a gazelle, a giraffe, then an elephant and a lion.
This transformation took place during one of the USA’s highest-profile competitions for dog grooming. It involved carefully dying Soleil, a poodle with white hair to have the colours of animals of Africa, then forming her fur into tusks and horns. Next, elephant toenails were airbrushed onto her hind legs and googly eyes were attached onto her rear.
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Competitions For Dog Grooming
Milena Kon is a graphic designer from New Jersey who became a dog groomer. Before the event, she said that she loved dogs as they’re her passion and her weakness as she is drawn to all things artistic.
The pet service industry, worth six-and-a-half billion dollars (which has doubled in the last ten years), was fuelled by a quick increase in what is called pet “humanization”. Regarding dogs, they have migrated from being outside into the home, car as well as the bed, where they are treated as well as the family but must therefore smell just as good. 
It was mentioned by groomers that thirty years ago when the expo started, only three-hundred-and-fifty entrants arrived, whereas this year, almost five-thousand-six-hundred came.
The president of Barkleigh Productions (publisher of a magazine called Groomer to Groomer as well as a host of dog trade shows), Todd Shelly, explained that a great number of people think of their dogs as children which makes it the biggest factor by far. The magazine features on its cover the contest’s creative winner.
Not only are Mercedes-Benz advertising in the magazine, but also other large companies, simply because they see groomers as “influencers” as it is understood that they’ve got the ears of a nation of dog-lovers.
Shelly opines that although there is a convergence between the world of show dogs and the grooming world, a great many more groomers are dedicated to the rescue dog, seen as the vanguard in dogdom in America.
Corina Stammworthy (trained as a biotechnologist preparing to go into research), explains that when she had dogs while growing up, they were simply washed off in the backyard by hose. She decided instead to start a dog-bathing shop that was self-service, then added grooming later on and now employs fourteen people. 
She said that her customers cover a varied socioeconomic range, with line’s being blurred more often as the pets she grooms can be either mutts she sees weekly or show dogs.
A confused looking chow-type dog called Brownie was being lathered in a stainless tub by a groomer with gentle hands called Miranda Kalonarou. Although she was washing him with shampoo provided, she didn’t think it ideal. Marina was from a neighbourhood in Queens, called Astoria and she won last year’s rescue contest.
Miranda’s opinion was that the shampoo used definitely mattered, but as there was a time limit, she felt it was not worthwhile taking her superior products along as she said before giving a good cut, a good bath was really necessary as the dog was terribly dirty.
What Dog Grooming Equipment Do You Need?
There were quite a number of booths in the exhibition area selling shears which all looked pretty much the same if a layperson were to look at them, but the sales representatives said they were definitely not.
A tall former machinist called Bob Edman was confidently promoting his shiny selection of Aussie Dog Shears, while a salesman was promoting a pair of scissors that he said were “effortless” as they would do the bulk of the work.
He opined that they were the most superior product offered at that price, then mentioned that he attended all the expos and that he’d been amazing people with his latest “phenomenon”. This turned out to be a comb made of copper which he said had antibacterial properties as well as some other advantages. He said he was convinced that all his stock would be sold, but that making dog scissors was not about money, but rather for groomers who he felt were “not phonies”, but rather generally good people.
The groomers say that there are very few ordinary owners of dogs who want rainbow colours although a great many people still arrived to watch the creative work of the groomers at the expo on the final day.
Twelve of the groomers were shortlisted to win and they all had poodles. Emily Myatt, from Australia said that this was typical as she was there as a competition judge. She said that a dog that liked to show off was required and poodles were that sort – a dog that was prancy and enjoyed strutting their stuff.
What Skills Does A Dog Groomer Need?
Although it is interesting to read about professional dog groomers as well as their owners, what information would you need should you be interested in training to become a dog grooming professional yourself?
Today’s dog grooming salons offer dog grooming services that are state of the art by offering dog grooming designs that are creative and which please both owners and dogs. The dogs enjoy receiving attention in relaxing and pleasant surroundings by the friendly dog groomers. Quality tools for grooming as well as the best eco-friendly shampoos and conditioners are used to ensure that the dog’s fur is in optimal condition for the modern design styles.
Dog groomers are professionals who bath, trim fur and style it, as well as cleaning the ears and clipping the nails to keep up the pet’s appearance. Certain groomers offer further services which include expressing anal glands, de-matting of fur and flea baths too. They may also offer not only a service for dogs, but cats as well. Groomers who own their own grooming salons are able to set-up appointments, give product recommendations and sell products on offer as well as maintaining their facilities for grooming. 
Your responsibility once you become a dog groomer will be to ensure that all dogs in your care all well-looked after for the entirety of their stay. The job entails understanding how to use the equipment for dog grooming and being able to competently handle all types of dogs as well as catering for treatments covering their specific requirements. This could include offering advice to owners regarding their pet’s grooming as well as coat care and possibly also having to calm down nervous dogs.
What Training Do Dog Groomers Need?
In the United States, very little formal training is required to become a dog groomer. A minimum requirement would be a diploma from high school or its equivalent. The majority of training is achieved by being apprenticed to an experienced groomer. Quite a number of professional groomers do attend grooming school and then receive certification from the National Dog Groomers Association of America.
Although grooming fur is mainly what it’s all about, the eyes, ears as well as the teeth must not be forgotten. Cleaning kits for the dog’s ears will assist you in removing excess fur as well as drying the ears, while using eye drops will assist with preventing shampoo and other products from irritating the eyes.
Once you start up as a professional groomer, the most expensive set-up costs will be for the supplies required for professional dog grooming. You will be ill-equipped to run your business without the correct tools required for the job.
It is possibly true that the owners of dogs have it easier than cat owners regarding the trimming of fur as cats may become unsettled by loud clippers. However, if you earn money from grooming pets, then you could just as well come across dogs that become skittish and won’t allow themselves to be groomed when noisy, cheap clippers are used. It would be rather embarrassing if the dog of your first client jumped around on your grooming table from fear of the noisy sound the hair trimmer makes. As dogs have fur that is thicker, a more powerful motor for the clippers is required so a good quality one is essential.
How To Find The Best Dog Clipper Brands
Be aware that dog clippers for professional groomers are pricey. Different brands for both residential or professional use were researched and it was discovered that Oster and Andis dog clippers were the two brands that had almost the same qualities as the most expensive grooming clippers available. Oster and Andis clippers, although not cheap are used in their salons by a lot of the professional groomers. There are a number of other brands receiving both poor ratings from consumers who purchase Oster and Andis clippers in the end.
It would be advisable to read Amazon product reviews as well as taking a look at other websites to determine what reviews there are (positive and negative), regarding the professional clippers. If you decide to purchase a good quality pair of dog clippers which have a blade that’s sharp, and a cool motor that’s quiet, you will be able to get your dog looking just as good as if they’d been trimmed by a professional groomer. Just ensure that you purchase the best tools that are able to last because by using the correct tools, it will be possible to reach professional level.
As it can be costly to take your dog to a professional groomer, purchasing your own professional dog clippers, although expensive (costing in excess of two hundred dollars), it would still work out to be more cost-effective to purchase a pair and to become proficient in grooming your dog at home.
Just make sure to examine the blade of the dog clippers before purchasing them. It is important to note that the superior dog clippers have blades that are interchangeable and are not set solidly on one type of 
blade. This is because different areas on differing breeds of dogs could need multiple blades as well as switching, therefore the blades you purchase require interchangeability as well as flexibility or it will be a big nuisance. The Oster and Andis dog clippers have these interchangeable blades.
We hope you found our dog grooming tips useful and if you decide to take up the challenge of training to be a dog groomer then we wish you an enjoyable professional journey. Please browse the rest of our site for more advice on pet grooming and flea and tick products. We also have other interesting articles like how to prevent dog fights.
