Salon Etiquette (The hairdressers and beauticians amongst you will like this one): There are a lot of new clients on the books at the moment so I thought it might be prudent to do a short piece on how to become a Super Client and not earn the dubious title of P.I.T.A. 😉 Super Clients arrive on time. Youve probably noticed we book in in 15 minute intervals. This allows each client to drop their dog, tell us what they want us to do, update us with any recent medical history that could possibly be relevant and depart without bumping into anyone else. Its a small space and this makes sense. However, if a client is 15 minutes late, they run into the next client, disrupting not only their own handover the other clients too. Pick up on time. We all lead busy lives, me included! If youre going to be more than 15 minutes late picking up, let us know! I could take a shower, put tea on for the kids, collect the eggs and let the chickens out, whizz my dogs round the block - any one of the million-and-one 5-minute jobs that I cannot do when tied to the parlour with a dog... Update medical info. If youve been to the vet since the last grooming visit, please let us know why you went. Finding out that Fido possibly has Hip Dysplasia, an ear infection or a contageous disease at pick up is too late. We always handle with utmost care and attention however, our telepathic abilities are sadly not that good. Dogs that bite: If your dog is a biter, for whatever reason, YOU MUST LET US KNOW. The law regarding dangerous dogs changed in the middle of May 2014. It is now an offence to let your dog bite, or give anyone cause to be afraid that it might do so, even in YOUR OWN PROPERTY. So should your dog bite someone coming into my salon (a private property), I will be deemed to have been in charge of the dog at the time and therefore I am the one who can be prosecuted. Sadly, for this reason, you MUST NOT touch any dog that does not belong to you whilst visiting the salon. It doesnt matter how cute it looks. Or how friendly it appears to be. Children who cannot be trusted to obey this simple instruction must be safely strapped into a straight jacket before entering the salon, or left tied up outside. Clients who ask, Did he try to bite you? at pick up are sacked instantly. Early to pick up? We use sharp pointy scissors so its very dangerous if dog on the table is disturbed while were working on it. If you come in quietly, dont talk to your dog (or the dog on the table if its not yours) and dont greet it in any way at all, we may just stand a fighting chance of finishing that groom. Forget these basics and well abandon it at that point - trying to trim a dog whilst its doing brilliant rendition of River Dance is totally beyond the scope of even my magic wand. The Grooming Routine - everyone wonders why it takes so long, so here goes: Your dog arrives - you notify us of specifics of groom and updates us on medical history, remind us whether you like or dislike bling, feather extensions, scent, bows or earings and you leave. We scan your dog and check it over for any issues that may affect the groom before we start. We bath your dog following these guide lines: centrestagedoggrooming.co.uk/how-to-bath-a-dog.html. The only difference is that all dogs now get a Blueberry Facial Scrub before the main bath. This is included in the price. We then mist your dog with a glossing and dematting spray and blast to 99% dry, removing minor mats at this point. We dry your dog in cabinet dryer (smooth coats) or with the ionic dryer on the table (fleece/wool coats) and finish brushing out knots and tangles. Depending on size, breed and coat condition this bit can take from 30 minutes to 2 hours. Then we Prep: your dog, we: Grind nails on all 4 feet Clip out the pads on all 4 feet Trim round feet Clean out ears Clip Sani area This bit takes from 10 mins to half an hour. Dogs that come in regularly do not mind having their nails ground, however new dogs can be challenging and take an awful lot longer. NB: All of the above is known as just a bath (!!) AND ALL OF THIS HAPPENS TO EVERY DOG. Please. We get soooo miffed when asked ... Did you do his nails? ... Clients who repeatedly ask this are very likely to pick up a dog with nails that coordinate with their collars... Or contast - depending on what mood were in at the time 😋. After all this has been done, we get round to finishing your dog. This is either a sissor or clip to breed standard or a combination of both or something complying with your own specific request. Unless of course the dog has matts covering more than 15% of its body, in which case we will perform a wet-shavedown like this: youtu.be/k0eRJiDdOrw which costs double the standard start fee for the breed. Super Clients remember to close the door behind them as they enter and leave. The new baby-gate gives me the peace of mind that the dog Ive just put on the floor to check over at the end of every groom isnt going to disappear as a client walks in through the front door leaving it wide open. Super Clients realise that we get really booked up at certain points of the year and pre book those times well ahead (Christmas is generally sold out by April for example) or they join the VIP Club to ensure that theyll always get an appointment when they need it. centrestagedoggrooming.co.uk/VIP.html Super Clients dont try to stretch out their grooming appointments in order to save money, or ring and demand an appointment on the same day. Grooms outside of this norm will attract a fix-it fee as they always take longer to do and are more stressful for the dog, us and our equipment than a dog on a regular schedule. Super Clients groom their dogs right down to skin really regularly at home. I had a Cavoodle in yesterday with three and a half inches of super-silky coat without a knot in it anywhere - it can be done!! Mind you, Id expect nothing less now from Lisa Owens, who is utterly meticulous in her work too: lilyashbeauty.co.uk I think that just about covers the lot. Even if youre a groomer-hopper and weve not seen you for yonks, this info will stand you in good stead with the next groomer you choose.
Posted on: Thu, 17 Jul 2014 06:00:12 +0000
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