Grooming with Love

Grooming with Love

Really enjoyed my dinner last night. It was a rare event, not the enjoyment but the preparation or rather lack of it from my perspective. I finished work and my lovely husband James had made me dinner for when I got home. Now, I drive 2 hours to and from work (4hrs a day) and so that another 50% of the working day travelling. To have dinner prepared for me is a real treat and we all know how tiring a groomers day can be. I asked James why it was so delicious? Did he add more salt or were there herbs and spices etc? No, he said with a wry look on his face. ‘It was made with love’. Well after immediately and involuntarily throwing it all up because of this sickly statement (he was being facetious btw). It got me thinking. Do our days go better when we groom with love just like a meal tastes better when made with love. 

A few months ago I groomed a cute little Maltese called Hugo. He was an absolute cutie and had come from another groomer as they had closed down. The owner called after the groom and said it was the very best that Hugo had ever looked. It was a relatively normal day, stress free and us groomers were all enjoying banter and listening to music as we worked. Cut to last week. Hugo came back and this time I really struggled to make him look nice. He had a bit of a skin issue from a flea allergy but nothing I hadn’t seen before or would have difficulty in overcoming. it was a particularly hectic day with bath choreography issues (Hydrobath being used for a small dog when a labradoodle was coming in) etc etc. Tempers were fraying and the anxiety within the salon was certainly raised. Hugo was the last dog of the day but I thought he looked good. Well, as good as I could manage to get him looking with his skin problem. The owner picked him up and off they went. 

The next day Hugo’s owner called to say that he wasn’t happy with the groom. He said it was uneven and a complete contrast to the last visit. Of course I invited him back to the shop immediately so that I could look over him and correct any mistakes I had made. On arrival, I noticed a few little things but nothing major. Things that were very easily corrected which I duly did with an apology and an assurance that it wouldn’t happen again. 
On reflection, I didn’t do anything different really on the 2nd visit. The difference was the salon and my desire, or lack of desire, to be there. Working under difficult atmospheres and pressures travel down our arms and effect the results of the grooms we are creating. Of course we are still working safely but our creative temperaments are being compromised by anxiety. It’s true that the best tasting food is made with love and it’s also absolutely true that the best looking dogs are groomed with love. 

It’s essential that we give ourselves the space to work creatively and without anxiety. Making sure that the day is managed well is a real skill. No more than one hand strip a day. Only one big dog at a time (salon size dependant). Confrontations managed and kept to a minimum within the salon. 

Our priority is the dogs in our care and making them look the best that they can. If they have a problem, yes lets deal with that. Human problems can be overcome once they have gone home or at a staff meeting at the beginning or end of a shift. 

Keep the theme for this years Valentines day and remember to groom with love. It makes all the difference as little Hugo will tell you.