Licensing and Regulation in Pet Grooming

Pet Grooming is a largely unlicensed and unregulated industry. In Kentucky and Florida- where our stores are  located, there is no one who inspects, regulates, or otherwise looks after this industry, the people who work inside it, or the pets who it services. I’ll wait a moment while that sinks in…

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That’s right. There is no one making certain that pets are handled humanely. There is no one inspecting facilities to ensure that equipment is not creating a hazardous environment for people or the pets inside. There is no one regulating the industry as a whole. We are an industry of pet lovers- and some of us are lucky enough to morph into being pet professionals.

Once we do, we begin to voluntarily seek education. We seek certification with third party organizations who will test and categorize our skills and knowledge. We attend training and classes on Pet First Aid and CPR and proudly post our certificates for our clients to observe. Now, we can now attend training for individual groomers and even designate our salons to be safe environments and adopt base safety standards for the protection of pets in our care.

These skills; this knowledge; this attention to detail all come at a price. It is expensive and time consuming to learn, test, qualify, certify, and gain the much needed knowledge of a pet professional. Clients often breeze in/breeze out with their dogs, notice our cute bandana rack, select a bow of their favorite color- but rarely stop to read the many certificates representing hours of continuing education and years of accumulation of knowledge on display in our lobby at See Spot. We will pass that cost on to you, the customer but you will gain the rewards of it over and over. Your pet will be safe; and you will have a valued care provider on your pet’s team for many years to come.

While it could be tempting to be frustrated that clients continue to place their dogs in the hands of groomers who are one record button away from a viral video, one unsanitary facility away from a contagious outbreak, and one evening news story away from placing a blight upon all professional groomers for abusing a pet- I will choose to shine a spotlight on the Pet Grooming industries advancements.  It’s up to every professional and educated groomer to show our clients the difference we make to their pet- I don’t mind to remind you every time you walk into my salon, Mrs. Smith, that we are an AKC S.A.F.E. Salon, that our groomers are legal employees with benefits befitting a professional, and that you will be serviced today by someone with rigorous standards all the while being treated with mutual respect and courtesy.

Basically, you WILL get what you pay for. Thank you, and come again.

Good, Better, Best: Defining Best Practices Within the Grooming Salon

Best Practices for your salon are defined as a set of guidelines that you practice to complete your services in the highest manner for your clients and their pets. For many groomers, they are already in place yet not written or defined. You may have a certain way you greet your client, a particular way you like to complete a nail trim, or even a preferred style for your pet Bichon heads. These are called Best Practices and every groomer and salon owner should seek to identify their own to help elevate the professionalism in their salon.

Whether you work alone or in a bustling shop with many groomers, defining Best Practices for your salon will help you have a basic standard on which to build a grooming business. Your clients will appreciate the consistency and uniformity in their pet’s finished grooming. Additionally, when they recommend friends to your salon, they can be assured that their friends will enjoy a similar experience. Identifying Best Practices helps reduce both client turnover and increase client/groomer conversation.

One such example is the hot topic of ear-plucking during the grooming process. In recent years, many veterinarians are beginning to suggest that ear hair should be left in a natural state in the ear canal. On the other side, many veterinarians still counsel the hair should be removed and instruct their clients to ask their groomer to complete the service during each grooming appointment. We, as groomers, stand between these opinions.

This is an excellent opportunity to define a Best Practice guideline for your own salon. You can use it to educate clients, instruct them to have a conversation with their vet, and proceed as necessary based upon their wishes. In our own salons, we advise clients that the veterinarian community is divided on their recommendation and we do not pluck ears unless instructed by the client or their vet. Therefore, we are meeting the needs of the client, their medical professional, and ultimately the pet. This is how a Best Practices statement works to protect you and offers the opportunity for client education.

Defining and discussing your Best Practices offers you an opportunity to provide your client with a professional and educated approach to their grooming service. You can gather your information and begin to formulate your own Best Practices by discussing your services with other groomers, attending educational seminars, your own experiences, and speaking with other pet service providers. Your individual Best Practices will be as unique as your business and should reflect your desire to offer the client and their pet the best pet grooming experience you can provide.

Read this article and more like it in the Groomer to Groomer magazine online!

Good, Better, Best