Something I just thought about that I find helps, sometimes significantly for some dogs (puppies especially with first grooms), is to let them sniff things! It sounds simple but tools, brushes, dryers, whatever they seem a little scared and curious of. Of course keep safety in mine because I have seen dogs go straight for the point of my scissors trying to check it out. I usually point it down and away, let them sniff the handle. Even the cotton balls I let them sniff. Dogs experience so much with their hightened sense of smell, so sometimes just a little sniff helps them realize it's not a scary object. Especially the dryer as you slowly turn the dryer on. I have seen lots of people in my work places try and rush the dogs through things and sometimes all they need is for you to slow down and honestly? I find myself much calmer when I have to slow down for nervous dogs. Lots of room for deep breaths if things get frustrating.

Hello, first i want to start off by saying how grateful i am to have found this community, it has already made me feel so much better just reading through some of these posts. ive been a bather for a corporate salon for 6 months, and im now 3 weeks into my grooming academy and just today i cut my first dog with shears on a paw pad and i feel like the worst person alive. I can’t stop beating myself up and ruminating about what I could’ve done differently, and it’s eating away at me and i don’t know how ill be able to bounce back in time for tomorrow. It happened towards the end of the groom, the dog was getting very wiggly and i was trying to hurry because we were running out of time, and on top of it all i was very out of it because i had just upped my meds and had been dissociating all day, which should’ve been my sign to stop and ask for help. I already have plans to go over trimming paws again with my academy instructor, and they have been nothing but supportive which makes things easier. If anyone has advice on how to help myself through this and gain confidence back it would be greatly appreciated, but just being able to vent to like minded people is already a huge help.

What do you guys want to get out of this group that you haven’t gotten elsewhere? Can you give me 1-3 things?

I started my dog grooming journey at a corporate, but lesser known salon as a bather back in March. I was very quickly thrown into grooming due to our head grooming quitting. Our salon ranks dogs by size from 1 to 3 and expects very speedy grooms. A level 1 being 45min, bichon, shihtzu or anything of that size and nature. 5lbs to about 35lbs. A level 2 being 1 hour, miniature doodles of every sort, miniature poodles. 40lbs to about 60 to 65lbs. A level 3 being 1 hour and 15min, standard poodles, large doodles, even a saint bernard would fall in this category. 65lbs and above. I have been grooming for nearly a year now and feel I really have been pushing myself for time, and my salon pushes quantity over quality always. I have not been giving myself enough grace and feel dense amounts of anxiety when I do not meet my time standards; which I hardly ever do. My question is are these standards for most salons and are they accurate? How should I go about managing my time better? How do I not beat myself up over everything? Are any of you dealing with the same thing? A side note to add, my salon does not allow standard haircuts. We are only allowed one length all over the body and a slightly longer clip comb for the head. There is absolutely no room for creativity. Attached is a groom I did a couple months back that took me close to two hours, not including bathing time, blow dry or prep.

This is a tidy up I did yesterday. I see a few spots I could've done better (like his head/cheeks and maybe blend his legs a little more?) but this client is known for always complaining but so far she said she really likes how neatened up he looked. His name is Teddy, he's our monthly yoga instructor. 😆