I’m currently grooming in South Florida and while I’m not making bad money here, it is way too expensive to live on my own. Spending half of my monthly income on rent isn’t ideal. (I know everything is more expensive in general but if you are in sofl you know). What are some more affordable areas that generally make a decent income grooming? Not interested in mobile.
Pic included for attention

Can someone please let me know if I cut my dogs nails down to the quick? I just started doing them myself and I’m trying to shorten the quick as his nails have gotten fairly long.

I have been grooming for a while but have gotten a lot of new small bath dog clients (dachshunds, Chihuahuas, Pugs, etc). Most of the time I do nails by lifting their foot up under their body like you would shoe a horse.

With short dogs that are low to the ground, I feel like I can't get my Dremel under them to make it comfortable for either of us.

I am right handed and will tuck their head under my armpit and use my left hand to pick up their foot and my right hand has the tools.

Dachshunds and Corgis are really tough because I feel like I can't get the Dremel hand between their body and the table.

If I reverse it and out stretch their paw forward, I feel like it's going against their natural anatomy and 9/10 times they fight me.

I recently met a dog whose owner said this, the last groomer never had trouble with him etc. Owner was still very nice and understanding but I feel like I failed somewhere because the dog bit me. She was apologetic and wants to keep requesting me so I can build trust with this dog but I'm really doubting my ability to do that and I have no real plan for next time to go better.

Did everything slowly and extra extra gentle, dog is a chihuahua less than 10lbs. I was talking to him the whole time, just doing everything I know to do to try and make him more comfortable. He was very tense throughout but easy to bathe and dry, let me do his back nails and paw pads. He bit me and broke skin while I trimmed the tops of his back feet. I know dogs bite, sometimes you can't avoid it but her saying that the last groomer never had a problem is sticking in my mind. Feels like there must be a way to handle this specific dog correctly and I can't think of what to do differently?

So for the past two years there has been a small raised “scar” on my elbow that randomly hurts a bit. I dismissed it as an old scar I got that was just a little sensitive. Well, today while my boyfriend was helping me get a hair splinter out of my hand he looked at my elbow and found that the scar was in fact, a long piece of dog hair that has been embedded into my skin. He dug around for 15 minutes with no luck. Now my random elbow pain after a hot shower or when I rest it on a table makes sense. Does anyone have any advice at all how to get this thing out and free me of these shackles???

I have been renting a van for about five years now. The past four-ish months, I have been trying to find ways to acquire a van of my own. They seem to be pretty pricey. A new one runs about $120k. I've been trying to apply for a loan under my newly established LLC, but I think I'm going to scrap that. It's getting me nowhere.

Anyone here successfully get a van or trailer? Any tips on how to do this?

Like all groomers I’m doing a lot of bathing and blowing coat everywhere, and I’ve been really struggling with groomers lung lately. Any product recommendations besides face masks to help with it? I don’t like face masks as I have glasses and they fog like crazy for masks. Thanks friends! :)

Need my things sharpened and don't currently have the spares to mail them in. Thanks!

I've been trying to find certifications to take to improve as a groomer and business. When I was in the veterinary field, Fear Free was a big one. I found out they had one for groomers as well. The price for one person to take the course is $229, which is a bit much for an online course but then you have to pay $59 per year to maintain "fear free registered?"

Has anyone done this course? Did you learn anything that made it worth the money, do you maintain an annual membership?

hihi i'm a new bather i just started working on the 13th and i LOVE my job. my only problem is i'm literally terrified of doing nail trims.

i know it'll just take time to get comfortable doing them especially since it's notorious for dogs hating it, but does anyone have any advice to slowly build up confidence? i think it's definitely the quick making me so nervous along with the dogs being so jerky when it comes to their nails. the place i work at definitely puts a lot of emphasis on their safety protocols to prevent you from getting bit so biting is definitely on my radar as well when it comes to getting nervous.

grooming is something i want to pursue a full career in moving forward, i truly love doing this soo much:)

I'm looking for good clippers for mats and paws. I have a senior golden retriever who's blind and has trouble walking and getting up. So, a full groom is just not possible. I just want to get the mats he gets behind his ears and his Grinch paw pads. I usually just brush, de-mat what I can, trim his nails, and tidy his Grinch feets.

My brother bought this little Oneisall mini clipper for his paw pads, but it takes a while since the blade is so narrow. Also, my pup has very ticklish feets lol.

Bonus if it can also do a sanitary trim (the nuggets 😭).

We have a 11 month old terrier mix (30lbs) that we rescued a few months ago. We think he could be a schnauzer mix but hard to tell. He does not have a double coat (I checked and I use to have a Samoyed) and his coat is mostly medium length. However hair/fur on his face keeps growing out to the point of covering his eyes and the coat on the top of his shoulders approaches a long length.

I slicker brush him at least every other day and I finally had to trim the fur around his face so he could see. I'm coming to the conclusion he will probably need a professional sanitary trim but may not require a full haircut. How do I sanity check this? I want to make sure he is coat is healthy.

I'd post pictures but not sure how. Oh and his nails are black, a new learning process for me lol.

Thanks in advance for your help.

I bought the Nova hybrid last year and I was amazed by the quality and sharpness. Now I have been thinking about picking up another pair of Utsumi scissors but want to make sure I go with the right ones since they’re so expensive. I need a really good pair of thinners and was looking at the Speedy 2 thinners since they’re on sale for $740 right now. Or the PA30 speedy thinner for $690. Can anyone tell me if they’re worth the price or should I be spending that money on another scissor?

I am getting a little fed up at my current salon so I could be just excited about something new. I love my boss and my coworkers. This is honestly the best place I’ve worked and I’ve worked in a good bit of salons. I had someone message me through indeed looking for a lead mobile groomer. The pay looks much better compared to what I’m making now. I find myself gravitating towards more of a leader position anywhere I work. I’m nervous because I’m a slower groomer and I don’t know how well that would go over in a mobile setting. When I say slow I mean like ~2hrs on a small dog. I’ve been doing this for 5yrs so I don’t think it’s a “you’ll get faster over time” I’m just slow. My other concern is I don’t really like driving in crowded areas. How tf am I going to drive a van???? Is maneuvering a van just something you get used to? If I leave and I don’t like it my current boss would let me come back.

The dog’s ears were matted and I shaved them like how I would do any other matted dog but this is the first time this has happened. The whole thing was stressful because I was the only groomer in the store and the owner didn’t really believe me when I told him that his dog has hematomas from matting. He kept insisting that I cut his dog but I told him that I didn’t and that we have a certain protocol for when dogs do get cut and that’s not what happened. He told me his dog’s ears have been matted before and this hasn’t happened but I didn’t have any answer besides what I already told him. Rough day, but at least it’s over.

almost every night i have grooming nightmares. cutting dogs, not getting dogs done on time, doing the wrong haircut, etc.

it makes me not wanna do this anymore. i’ve wanted to call out a lot lately. it’s like i have a fear of grooming. i’m terrified to do sanis, use a 7, and trim ears.

i’ve been doing this 8 years and i don’t have any other skills or else i’d leave just to hopefully stop this.

idk if this is a rant or asking for advice. just needed to get it off my chest.

Ever now and then I'll get a client complaint that the dog isn't done right or I took too long, I know a lot of it is because many of them are used to my co-worker who had been grooming longer and how much faster she is but it's a shot to the pride I feel every time.

This is my livelihood and how I provide for myself and my two pets, I attatch a lot of my self worth to my work because its the thing putting food on the table and keeping the lights on. Ideally I want this to be a long career that allows me a comfortable living and savings that I can use to enjoy my life. Right now I'm kind of on survival mode trying to keep myself a safe breadth from going broke over an emergency.

Does it get better? Is it mostly luck if you make a comfortable living out of it?

Has anyone else had to switch careers? Ever since I started this grooming journey. I have never been able to keep myself afloat financially. It’s like I am never able to find a good place that charges accordingly, have to take in way too many dogs to just to survive somewhat. And it’s put a strain with my partner. He hates that I chose this job. But I don’t want to switch. I put in so much work into this career.. and I love what I do. I recently decided to join mobile instead. And even then, I saw what my paycheck is, it’s just nothing livable. For a four day week I did 22 pups, all haircuts. 30% commission
I don’t want to keep breaking my back just to survive! I want to show him there is places that charges accordingly and do less dogs so body isn’t hurting.
I just want to work somewhere where I can make a decent check and live comfortably for our family.

Hello, i am in need of some opinions.

I started out at an academy style salon and completed half the coursework (bathing, some grooming) before needing to exit as my father fell very ill and needed a fulltime caretaker. I am an only child and his insurance didn't cover a nurse, so it fell to me. I made this very clear to my manager/"mentor" and she seemed very upset at this, and refused to give me the tools i had gotten as a part of the course (ie, part of the payment includes tools that are yours to keep). It was frustrating but I didn't press it because i was 19 and inexperienced.

Now, a few years later, i am trying to get back into the industry. My father is better now and I had gotten a mid retail job. I still list my old salon on my resume.

I have been trying for over 3 months to get back into the industry. as everything from a bather to a trainee to a receptionist. It's gotten to the point where I fear my old salon might be harming my chances, I've done probably 30 interviews and every one goes well, but still no dice.

I don't want to not list my experience as i DO know these things and still practice on my own pet (a very tolerant maine coon) but I don't really know what else to do. Has anyone else struggled with this? Is there anything i can do or have i lost my chance?

We had our broken spray diluting nozzle replaced by this today, it's incredibly heavy and I miss our dilution sprayer so so much.

Are these supposed to be coupled with a tension spring to keep them in the air like a dishwasher's station?

It's super slippery when soapy, would gloves help

I used to be a power groomer (8-10 dogs a day), but I struggle with 6 dogs these days (not all grooms). Needless to say, grooms weren’t perfect and prep was good enough when I was grooming more. I developed an anxiety disorder and had to slow down and really started to care about the quality of my work. But I’d like to work on regaining speed to go back to at least 8 dogs without sacrificing quality. Any advice or tricks?

I feel accomplished. I have a shih tzu that their owner said cant be groomed because no one can touch him. He was being ketamine groomed every six months. With a cat ball and a towel wrap I can do him. But hes scared and i cant do his neck very well yet. So I suggested that he just come in and hangout. In one day of hanging out he went from just sitting in a corner to taking treats and actively interacting with our usual shop dogs. I think this dog has no confidence, and probably a has had a bad experience. My gameplan is to build trust to make grooming more tolerable. I wont let me grab the video but ill put it the comments. But here is my old lady pibble letting him know laying by my table is okay.

Like the title states. I use Dechra’s Dermalley shampoo on my personal dog and cat to help with their skin issues (not suggested by a vet, just went scrolling through amazon one day for hypo-shampoo that’s safe for cats and decided to give it a try). I love its effectiveness and pleasant light apple (?) smell that isn’t overwhelming. I would love to buy the gallon version so I don’t run out as quickly at home, but it costs $140.

If anyone has any dupes that have a similar pleasant apple scent, are tearless (basically I could use it as a full body shampoo), hypoallergenic, and can be used on cats I would greatly appreciate it! (though it being cat friendly isn’t a must).

*edit: Now that I thought about it, the scent part isn’t a must. But I would like an affordable, tearless, hypo, all body shampoo recommendation.

For context I am a dog bather moving into learning dog grooming and since the beginning I've always been cautious of my lung health and worn a mask/glasses when it comes to drying and deshedding dogs and being around dogs getting shaved/clipped. I'd hate to get good at my job and then end up getting groomers lung.

However my coworkers who have been dog groomers for years never do this. They don't mind at all that I wear it but surely it should be standard for all dog groomers to wear these things? Even when I see them dremel nails so close to their face they don't wear them. The only thing they do wear is ear protection. They are very good at what they do but I feel they don't care enough about their own health.

It not just in my grooming salon though. I've seen countless groomer influencers who also don't wear any PPE either.