Dogs and cats are the most popular pets in America. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, 36.5% of households have a dog, and 30.4% of households have a cat. Where we live in Colorado, 42.5% of 2.8 million households have dogs, almost 1.35 million dogs.
I’m so grateful to have a business that allows me to indulge MY fanaticism of dogs and make a good living. I am a dog groomer/stylist and I LOVE WHAT I DO!!! The work I do is in higher and higher demand as more and more people learn that mobile grooming is a “real thing”. There is no shortage of dogs to be groomed so my not being able to do them all gives me great stress.
I wish I had the energy and time to groom every single dog from daily inquiries, but somewhere along this ride, I need to be realistic. I can’t groom them all.
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That brings up the purpose of this blog, my website, and my store. I want to duplicate my skills to share the knowledge I’ve gained and show you the techniques and grooming products I have used faithfully to do thousands of dogs for the last 17 years. This blog, The K9 Kids Fanatic is here to educate the k9 kid parents on:
- What I do
- How I do it
- What I use
- How to take less time
- When to use
- And whom to use it on
It is possible for anyone to learn to groom your dog at home and get a professional finish using my systems and solutions.
Unfortunately, the choices of grooming tools like combs, brushes, clippers in the marketplace can be too confusing especially when there’s no explanation on how to use them. Though there are tools for every type of hair, they still elicit questions like, “Which brush will get through the mats on my dog? Do I really need a comb? Is there anything that will stop my dog from itching?”
Hot new tools have been introduced on Facebook that look to be very exciting and could be an answer to a prayer. I almost can’t wait to try them out myself. There are many power-operated machines, pools, nozzles, nail polishers, electronic flea combs, etc; I will review many of the gadgets I’ve tried myself and report them to my readers here on the blog.
I am here to teach everyday people how to advance their basic home-grooming skills. Everyone can get better with instructions. For example, a chainsaw can be used by a professional or non-professional. Both want to get professional results from using “that” chainsaw. Both can, with instruction and practice.
The general public can be taught how to use professional-grade tools and products- The Home Depot tool Dept is proof!
We need more groomers in the marketplace to service all the dogs. There is a shortage of “good” groomers everywhere. Groom shops are always on the lookout for good groomers with good skills and good attitudes, but turnover still remains high and can be a problem for the many new clients needing and looking for the services. Groom schools are churning out groomers, but there aren’t that many schools. Houston, we’ve got a problem… there just aren’t enough groomers. So, with increasing popularity for dogs in human lives, the problem of not being able to find a servicer will only get worse.
With this blog I hope to encourage more people to learn basic groom skills at home. And out of the DIYers, will be those who want to improve skills by attending a grooming school, opening a shop in their town, volunteer at a shelter or buy a van and become a mobile groomer. When I began grooming in 2002, I often said that when I retire I wanted to teach dog grooming at a community college. This blog is the closest to doing that.
I started this blog to empower YOU with tips and tricks to take care of your K-9 friends when your favorite groomer is not available. I will share – recipes, realizations, and money-saving advice from the perspectives of the:
- Pet parent
- Dog trainer
- Dog groomer and
- Multiple-dog-family mom.
I have more than 17 years as a dog groomer stylist, a K9 Kid Fanatic – a certified dog trainer, solution-finder, researcher and developer, a tester, an experimenter for all kinds of ways to help animals; I want to share what I’ve learned to help parents of k9 kids to save time, and energy by showing you how to simplify home grooming, training, and care for their dogs.
You will learn how to tackle most things “DOG” with ease like a Pro while keeping safety, and speed in mind for you and the kid.
Here are some of the categories and topics you can look forward to in future posts:
From the Groomers
- How to Bathe Like a Pro
- What is soap and How does it work
- Must-Have Tools
- De-Shed the Right Way
- Remedies for Warts and Growths
- How to get rid of fleas
From the Trainer
- How to Get Your Dog to Respond to You
- How to Alphabetize yourself
- You Can Teach Your dog Etiquette
- Training All the Time
- The Psychology of Dog Behavior
From the Multi-dog Household Mom:
- How to have a multi-dog household without going crazy
- What we won’t do for dogs
- Fostering Can Be Dangerous
From the K9 Kids Company Store:
- Dog Ware
- Toys and Equipment
- Tools and Products
- Reviews and Chews
From the K9 Kids Kitchen:
- Recipes – A few I’ve actually tried and some I have not
- Nutrition – how to get a shiny coat
- Food Reviews and Recommendations
And of course my opinion on grooming gadgets I’ve tried.
I love my k-9 parents, my k-9 clients! And if repeat business is any indication, they love me and my work too! But, sadly, I can’t groom them all. I have more work than one person can reasonably handle and I get calls every single day of the week for new clients… I WANT TO TAKE THEM ALL!
Let me show you how you can get great results just like the pros!
Hello Susn! Testing your new website!
thank You! So what you did was just make a comment in the post? How can I tell who this is?
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will anxiously wait for comments on how to brush and take care of Penny and Coco till you can give them a good grooming. Need to know how to cut some of this fur off Penny’s head legs and paws especially. Liked the beginning of this blog.
Hi there!! 1) Re: brushing – I posted a free instruction card (printable) on a couple of the posts. It shows you how to brush, brush, brush, 1-2-3. move to another area, 1-2-3 brush, brush, brush, move to another area. 2) For cutting top of penny’s head grab a tuft with your fingers/hand on the tips of the tuft. Take the best straight edge scissors you have and “slice” all the hair underneath where your hand is. If she won’t sit still, try to get it when she’s asleep. I haven’t addressed scissoring yet, but for legs, Penny might be a sitter. Ask her to sit; while sitting or standing in front of her, lift her leg up. All the hair will hand down like cowboy shirt fringes. Take the straight scissors and trim in a straight line underneath her leg. You can also do this while she is standing. For feet; brush hair upward til it stands up between her toes. Do you have a pair of barber or dog”thinning scissors”?(lots of teeth) With Thinning scissors, count 1-2-3, Chop, chop, chop. Stop assess, repeat, chop,chop, chop until all the standing hair is even with the foot. Voila!! you did it!!! Will let you know when I can get there. End of April 🙁