Before the NAPCG, creative was creative…and that was all. But the NAPCG categorized different aspects of ‘creative’ grooming and established the term ‘salon creative’, a form of creative grooming performed for salon clientele rather than the extreme techniques such as my recent work of art with the Zombie Poodle.  The NAPCG and its members are very proud to be the organization that has finally set standards for various forms of creative grooming.

In the fall of 2011, the NAPCG established the first creative grooming certification program with both a written and practical exam. Our own Justine Cosley touts the first ever Master Certified Professional Creative Groomer title. I’m sure other organizations will follow suit, but again we are proud to be the entity that set the standards.

Before the NAPCG, safety regarding creative grooming was never spoken of. It was actually avoided like the plague. However, once the NAPCG published our book, The Science of Creative Grooming, groomers began speaking and lecturing on safety too. With so many groomers using products they are not educated about, it’s great to be the organization who has finally provided our industry with true education rather than the old “if it’s safe for people, it’s safe for pets” philosophy. To be the organization who set the standards for safety involving creative grooming and have others follow suit is a thrill to us all.

Even our members are trend setters! Justine Cosley set a long lasting trend with her 2009 entry in the abstract runway which included leopard spots. Now there are groomers creating dvd’s and giving lectures on…you guessed it…leopard spots. It makes me very proud that NAPCG members are the cream of the crop who set the trends for others.

NAPCG member Danelle German was the first groomer to enter a competition ring with both a dog and cat as her entry…and she took the title of Best Creative Groomer over groomers with many years of experience. Since then, creative cat grooming has become one of the newest trends within the industry.

Recently, there has even been a creative competitor who dedicated her entry to the NAPCG! To know that our organization has had such an impact as to have a competitor devote her time and energy to acknowledge the NAPCG is an honor for us all.

Creative grooming is quickly becoming a professional part of our industry and thanks to the NAPCG members and their high standards of professionalism, creative grooming will finally get the respect it deserves…thank you NAPCG members!

My husband who rarely travels with me decided to tag along for this trip. He knows that Murphy’s Law always applies when I travel, so apparently he was willing to take the risk. He has heard numerous stories about my travels, so I’m not sure if he just wanted to toss caution to the wind, or if he just had to see for himself. Either way…it’s too late now. He decided to see for himself what exactly happens when I travel.

We made it through Atlanta with a pretty uneventful ride comfortable in my husband’s truck. Then good ole Murphy decided to make his appearance. The truck died. I don’t mean it sputtered, backfired, jerked around and died…it just died…as we’re doing 70 down the interstate. My husband coasts over to the shoulder and uses a few choice words as he gets out on the interstate late at night in the freezing cold to see if he can figure out what happened. He stares under the hood…pokes around at a few things…then decides it’s easier to swear and curse inside the truck.

No big deal. We have AAA and they’ll take care of us. It doesn’t take too long for the wrecker to arrive…then we enter the Twilight Zone. It’s a good thing I am fluent in redneck, otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to understand the driver’s “accent” between his spits of chewing tobacco. He tells us that he’s taking the truck to a good diesel mechanic and hands us the mechanics business card. My first clue that we were in the Twilight Zone was that business card. The name under the phone number on the card says “Bo”. No last name…just Bo. Alrighty then.

Now, AAA informed the wrecker service that there were TWO people to pick up. The cab of the wrecker holds THREE people…yet the driver decides he must bring his wife. Now, I don’t know if the two of them are joined at the hip or if they don’t do math in this remote part of Georgia, but there is no way my husband and I can fit into the cab when two seats are already occupied. Poor David…he got to ride on the back of the wrecker…which the drivers informs him is illegal and advises him to “not move around back there so the cops won’t see him.”

We get to Bo’s shop….a partial junk yard behind a trailer park where every tenant was a cousin, mother, brother in law or otherwise related. My husband and I decide to put on the redneck lingo and communicate with the natives.  I half expect a banjo to strike up at any moment as I cautiously step from the wrecker cab. There are 4 mechanics and a tow truck driver hovering under the hood of the truck….one of whom is actually wearing a leather eye patch…took everything I had not to go into pirate mode and say, “Argh Matey!”, but I manage to refrain. As I look at the ‘you’ll get my gun when you pry it from my cold dead fingers’ bumper sticker on Deano’s tow truck, I realize that we city folk are probably about to be used for target practice. It’s pretty scary to think that we, country folks from Alabama, are actually the ‘city folks’ in this episode of the Twilight Zone.

Thanks to our fluent skills in redneck, we manage to not offend and are therefore spared from being used as targets. My husband mentions that we should probably get a hotel room and call it a night. When Bo volunteers to get us to the hotel, we don’t dare refuse. But first, we have to walk up to the trailer park so Deano’s wife can take us in “mom’s” car. The hotel isn’t very far, but Deano’s wife hasn’t driven a stick shift in quite some time, so she has a bit of trouble keeping the car running. What should have been a 10 minute ride turned in to half an hour.

By this point, we don’t even think anything strange when she takes us down a closed, barricaded road to get to the hotel. Never mind the orange and white barrels or the big sign that say ROAD CLOSED…you just drive around them anyway. We get a room, get inside, and order some take out so we don’t have to leave the room again. I know we are in a hotel room and not an airplane but neither of us was willing to open the curtains and look outside for fear that William Shatner’s monster would be staring back at us.

My brain is always in work mode. So as we are making our way home I am typing up my most recent ‘experience’. My husband on the other hand is repeating the words, “I will never travel with you again” .

Next month, my agenda calls for travel to France, Russia, and Italy…should be interesting….

When – April 22-23, 2012

Time – 9:00 – 5:00

Cost – $250.00 for both days and $150.00 for the first day only

Day 1

Day 1 will be a day filled with the most in-depth information available in the industry concerning creative grooming. NAPCG president, Bullet Brown will prepare you for creative coloring with The Science of Creative Grooming. The first thing any professional groomer needs to know is what products are safe to use on pets.

Topics will include:

• Canine/Feline skin and coat anatomy
• How coloring products interact with canine/feline coats
• How to classify temporary and semi-permanent coloring products
• How products interact with differing coat types
• How to choose the most appropriate products for individual clients
• Why bleach and oxidizing dyes should never be used on pets
• How to prevent coloring mistakes
• Marketing creative services to your clientele
• Pricing creative services

Day 2

Day 2 will be reserved for hands on demonstrations by both NAPCG president Bullet Brown and Justine Cosley MCPCG, the first officially certified creative groomer. Let Bullet and Justine show you how to get the best results for your creative services. Demonstrations will include the use of semi permanent dye, temporary coloring products, accessories, and more. Justine will also be available to assist those groomers interested in creative competitions.

Certification exams will also be available for NAPCG members. (Please contact us no later than April 10th if you plan to certify)

All attendees will receive a sample bag as well as a complimentary copy of CGQ magazine.

NAPCG members receive a 10% discount.
Non-members will receive a free one year membership with the NAPCG.

Limited products will be available for purchase.

For questions or more information, please contact us at contact@thenapcg.com or cataroundtown@gmail.com

REGISTER BELOW

While my visit was personal, Danelle is one of the few people I know who works as much as I do. The NCGIA was offering a free webinar and Danelle invited me to sit in.  Now, I have no interest or desire to groom cats…that’s why I sent my daughter to the NCGIA to become a certified cat groomer. I respect Danelle very much and realize that she has changed the way our industry views cat grooming. I know that grooming cats is very different from grooming dogs, but I am a “dog person”. My skills lie in handling dogs…not cats.

As we made our way to the school, I kept thinking, “Well, this webinar certainly won’t have anything to offer me, but I’ll listen in anyway”. Boy was I surprised. Danelle’s chosen topic was ‘marketing’. As I listened to her speak, I realized that the very things she was telling these ‘cat groomers’ was the same thing that I tell ‘dog groomers’ in my spa lectures…and the same thing I tell ‘creative groomers’ in my creative lectures.

Here’s the thing folks…business is business…no matter the industry or niche you choose to fill.  To truly be successful, you must rely on business expertise. I know groomers who have the most amazing grooming skills, but they can’t keep their appointment book filled up for more than a week. Why? Because they have no business skills.  I often listen as groomers complain about clients who are cheap and treat them with disrespect. Why does this happen? Because they have no business skills.

Like I said, business is business…whether you are a cat groomer, dog groomer, or you own a gift shop. I see groomers who tirelessly pursue their education as far as the latest equipment, techniques, and products available. But these things mean nothing if you don’t have business skills.

I am not a cat groomer and I have no desire to be. But I am a business woman….and I am so glad I sat in on that “cat grooming” webinar. Even a dog groomer like me learned something from a cat groomer…that any business must be run with the most professional business skills or success will elude you every time.

Well, another Christmas has come and gone, but the New Year is literally around the corner. I really enjoy New Year’s Day…it’s a time to set new goals for a new year.

Let’s wipe the slate clean and start fresh. Did you have trouble with raising prices last year? Then it’s time to construct a new strategy. Too many clients missing appointments? Maybe it’s time to implement a new policy regarding ‘no shows’. Grooming table falling apart? Start a new budget for updated equipment. All those subtle changes you keep procrastinating…it’s time to make them reality.

We all make mistakes. We all wish we could do things a bit better, and we all want our businesses to be more profitable. So let’s use this opportunity to examine things and make our salons run more efficiently.

One of the biggest issues I hear from groomers attending my business lectures is the difficulty in raising prices. Why do we do this? No other industry seems to have trouble raising prices. I’m paying much more for gas, electricity, even groceries for my family. I got no apologies from the grocery store, the power company, or the gas station. They simply increased their prices. I can pay them, or I can do without.

Many groomers fear raising prices because of our difficult economy. Yes, times are tough right now, but the fact is everything costs more…everything. Without increasing our prices we simply cannot keep up with our expenses and our business is doomed.

Numerous studies show that responsible pet owners are not inclined to let their pets suffer or go without. They will most likely do without things for themselves before they will let Fluffy go without a proper groom. The key to this is having the ideal clientele….they ones who truly love, appreciate, and dote on their pets.

If your clients are complaining about a price increase, maybe you don’t have the ideal clientele. Would you like to have the ideal clientele? Clients who appreciate you and respect you as a professional? Clients who do not complain about price increases and actually expect them? Then set a simple goal of attending an NAPCG business lecture. Let us help you attract that ideal clientele…and keep them.

I left for Canada Grooms on a Wednesday afternoon. Mother Nature had decided to make things as difficult as possible and rain poured down as I prepared to leave. I was only planning to drive about 5 hours and then continue my trip the next day. My daughter Kelcie looked at me as if I’d lost my mind when I climbed into my car to leave…wearing my robe. “I can’t believe you are going to drive wearing your shabby old robe!” she said. To which I replied, “But no one is going to see me, so what difference does it make?” As I pulled out of the driveway, the scowl on her face seemed to disagree with me in a maniacal way.

Now let me explain. My robe once belonged to my husband. It’s blue and red plaid with a lot of wear and tear, including holes in the pockets and some unidentifiable stains. It is way too large for me and hangs almost to my ankles. But, it’s snuggly and warm and there is nothing I would rather be wearing. I decided that since I wouldn’t be stopping until I reached a hotel that night; my robe would be appropriate attire as I could easily remove it before the dogs and I checked in to our room. I did have to make one stop though. Since my chemotherapy, I do not have much hair on my head. With the rain and wind I needed something to keep my head warm, so I stopped at a convenience store, removed my robe, and went in to purchase the only boggan they had…black with white grinning skulls on it. It certainly didn’t coordinate with my robe, but it would suffice for the intended purpose. Besides, no one would actually see me wearing my ‘homeless lady’ get up…or so I thought.

About 4 hours from home, somewhere near Knoxville, Tennessee, my car hydroplaned in the pouring rain and I lost control. The car spun numerous times, slammed down an embankment, and spun a few more times into a muddy field. After I pried my fingers from the steering wheel and checked on my dogs, I dialed up 911. Another traveler must have witnessed the accident as the dispatcher told me that the police were already on their way, along with paramedics. All I had to do was wait.

The state police, the paramedics, and the wrecker service all arrived quickly, but they kept looking at me a bit strangely. With my adrenaline pumping and worry for my dogs, I had completely forgotten exactly how I was dressed. Here we are in a muddy field…me with fractured ribs refusing to leave my dogs in lieu of a hospital visit, frantically raving about how I must get to Canada for a show…all the while wearing my robe and boggan which are now soggy from the pouring rain. I can only imagine what was going through the minds of passing travelers. State police cars, paramedic vans, as well as wreckers all have flashing lights which I’m sure only enhanced the subtlety of my attire.

Moral of the story? Your mother was right…you will get caught if you wear dirty underwear. I wasn’t upset that I had been caught wearing my robe and boggan…I just hate it when my kids are right.

We had a workshop this weekend in Ohio with some wonderful ladies, and I took my poodle Xerxes with me. For those of you who don’t know, Xerxes was recently groomed for a fund raiser this month in a Halloween theme. To be precise, Xerxes is the Zombie Poodle.

The workshop was great. We had a fantastic group of ladies and everyone, including myself, learned some great things. One of the dogs we worked with this weekend was Roxie, a parti colored standard poodle. Roxie’s entire body was colored purple, and I didn’t wear gloves. Parting was such sweet sorrow, but we said our goodbyes, and I hugged everyone with my purple hands. I couldn’t help but think how this was Halloween, and I wouldn’t be home for the scares and frights that have become part of tradition around my house. I felt incomplete…almost sacrilegious, that I wouldn’t get that good old fashioned scare in for Halloween. Oh well, there were more important things this year, and I would just have to suck it up.

As Kelcie and I pulled in to a hotel for the night, I looked down at my purple hands and the zombie poodle in my back seat…and a grin spread across my face. Maybe all hope wasn’t lost. Maybe, just maybe I could still pull off a good Halloween scare.

Now picture this….A tall, thin, pale, bald woman dressed all in black with purple hands asking for a room, and then informing you that there will be 2 dogs…one service dog and one dead dog…on Halloween night. I never cracked a smile and acted as if this was the most normal thing I have ever done. I admit I was a bit shocked that Oscar actually gave me the room. He looked a bit leery as he handed me the key, but he asked no questions, and I offered no explanation. I could feel him staring a hole through my back as I went back outside to gather our things.

As Kelcie unloaded our bags, I got the dogs and headed for the door. Here’s the scene….tall, thin, bald woman dressed in black waltzing in the door with a huge zombie poodle attached to the end of a leash. The scream from the maid and the sound of Oscar’s clipboard hitting the floor was like music to my ears. Yes! I hadn’t lost my touch and managed a good Halloween scare 600 miles from home. As I snuggled into bad with my zombie poodle, I couldn’t help but chuckle as I realized that a whole new crew of hotel staff would be on duty tomorrow morning.

“A customer is the most important visitor on our premises, he is not dependent on us. We are dependent on him. He is not an interruption in our work. He is the purpose of it. He is not an outsider in our business. He is part of it. We are not doing him a favor by serving him. He is doing us a favor by giving us an opportunity to do so.”
Mahatma Gandhi

Wow….when it comes to my grooming salon, I couldn’t disagree more. Don’t get me wrong, I am a fan of Mahatma Gandhi and respect his outlook and philosophy, but this mindset is the perfect recipe for a salon owner to get taken advantage of and walked all over like a doormat.

As someone who came into the grooming industry from another field, I have always noticed that professional groomers have a real problem with self worth. I’m not sure ‘why’ this happens…Lord knows that professional grooming takes a dedicated individual willing to self educate and perfect his/her skills for years, but I see it quite often….groomers who are treated like servants by their clients, groomers who are afraid to raise their prices, groomers who are afraid to charge a ‘no show’ fee, etc….

Let’s break this down a bit….

The customer is not the most important person on the premises….I am. Without my salon equipment, skills, and education, the pet owner will have to use the chop shop down the road.  That’s not to say my clients are not important, they are. But to give them the impression that they are the most important person in the building is like giving them permission to take control. Do you want them picking their dog up 2 hours late? Do you want them waiting at your door before you even open? Do you want them calling you after hours to set up an appointment?

While I agree there is a mutual dependency, I believe the client needs me more than I need him. I can get a job elsewhere. However, his pet must be groomed. If I give my clients the perception that I am totally dependent upon them, they again get to take control of how things are done.

And, I am doing him a favor by grooming his dog. I spend quite a bit of time and money pursuing my education…the groomer down the road does not. While she is fully capable of shaving the pet down with a 7F blade, she is not capable of providing professional skin and coat care. Nor is she capable of basic first aid in the event of an emergency. Nor can she achieve the correct standard groom for a West Highland Terrier.

With all this said, does this mean we have the right to be rude or disrespectful to our clients? Absolutely not! My clients are important to me. I care for each one as if they are my favorite. I take time with them, ask about their families, inform them of any changes or issues I notice with their pets, and do my best to educate them and provide them with the most professional care I can give. This is easy for me to do because my clients do respect me. They do not come in with the perception that ‘they’ are the most important person on the premises…they do not act as if ‘they’ are doing me a favor….and their respect is met with open arms and a long lived relationship with the person who knows their pet as well (if not better) than they do.

We are professionals. Our skills are acquired over months (or years). We not only cut hair, we maintain healthy skin and coats. We inform owners of lumps, cuts, parasites etc…that the owner may have never noticed. We advise on social behavior. We advise on nutrition. We are valuable…and we deserve to be respected. The first step is learning to respect yourself….the rest will fall into place

While the NCGIA was the first to offer creative certification for cats, the NAPCG offers the professional groomer the opportunity to certify with canines.

Why certify? Good question. Certification, whether for cat grooming, dog grooming, or creative grooming, shows your clients that grooming is not a ‘job’ for you, it’s a passion.

In the past, grooming has been one of the most disrespected industries. I myself came into the grooming industry after almost 20 years as a licensed veterinary technician. And yes…I was one of ‘those’ people who had no respect for groomers. I mean, all groomers do is cut hair and play with doggies all day, right? It’s an unregulated industry, where anyone can pick up a pair of shears and clippers and call themselves a groomer. There’s no real ‘work’ involved in being a groomer and certainly no real education. Do I have you angry yet?

As soon as I spent my first day as a bather in a very busy grooming shop, I realized just how wrong I was. Not only was grooming very hard work, but there were things groomers need to be educated about too! The more I learned the more respect I gained for professional groomers. But, I also understood why ‘those’ people had such disrespect for our industry.

Now. How can we change that perception? Because we are an unregulated industry, there is no mandatory level of education. Yes, the professional groomer is constantly seeking more education. You know that, because you do it. I know that, because I do it too. But the rest of ‘those’ people do not know how we travel at our own expense, with our salon usually closed and losing revenue, to trade shows and workshops for continuing education.

I know what you’re thinking…”Certification. Most clients don’t even understand what that means.”  But that is changing. Resources such as the internet are providing pet owners with information they would have never had available in the past. With so much controversy surrounding creative grooming, certification is an excellent way to learn the things you really need to know, and assure your clients of that too.

I proudly display my membership and certification with IPG. I have not yet completed my ICMG with IPG and explain to my clients that I am striving for the highest certification I can achieve…we don’t learn everything we need to know in a 6 week course. I also display my daughter’s certification with NCGIA…and my membership with CPG…and all my certificates of continuing education…and both mine and my daughters CPR/first aid certifications. Why? To let my clients know that we are an educated industry. There is a lot of work in what we do. And we do deserve to be respected as professionals. If I am going to offer creative coloring services, shouldn’t I take that just as seriously?

One of these days, we will be a regulated industry. It will happen. Maybe a year from now, maybe 20 years from now, but eventually it will happen. Those who choose to self educate and certify will be a step ahead. Those who are not will be jumping through governmental hoops…just to continue doing what you already know how to do.

With a family, a pack of 14 dogs, a full time salon, and the NAPCG to manage…well, there’s just not much time for a vacation. I have also been battling cancer for almost two years now, so my health is a big concern for my family.

My wonderful husband decided that I needed a break. Our anniversary was this past week, so he took me to our most favorite place in the world…Cherokee, North Carolina. Just a quick three day getaway to rest and spend some quality time with the man I adore. Rest, relaxation…these things are so foreign to me, but I agreed that my body and my mind could use a break.

As we arrived in Cherokee, I felt such a calm and peace. The mountain air was cool and crisp, and I felt that inner serenity that only nature can give me. We watched wild turkeys forage in the early morning hours and even got the opportunity to watch a black bear as he feasted in preparation for the winter hibernation. I must admit…in the back of my mind I kept thinking how much better that bear would look with a nice bath and brush out…

That’s when it hit me…the groomer in me just couldn’t shut up…ever.

This realization really hit home when I woke up each morning in a panic trying to remember which client was coming first and at what time.

As I stepped into the shower and picked up the tiny hotel shampoo bottle (I can actually use them now that I have no hair), I remembered that I needed to place shampoo orders with my suppliers.

When we passed the weaponry museum and my husband marveled at the primitive knives and daggers, I remembered that I had shears and blades that need sharpening.

When Mikey, my service dog, decided to roll in bear poop to camouflage himself and I attempted to clean bear poop with Wet Ones baby wipes, I remember thinking, “You really need a bath in griminator…and an hv…and a nice fluff with the stand dryer.

No matter what we did or where we went, my inner groomer tried desperately to escape.

I really did enjoy my mini vacation though. My body and my soul needed the rest and rejuvenation. Professional groomers work hard…harder than most people realize…and we certainly deserve a break now and again. But, my trip also helped me realize that grooming is not just a job for me, it’s a passion.

With my health issues, my husband has become my caretaker. He makes sure I eat, take my medications six times a day, and tries his best to make me rest. I have no doubt that he will again take me to Cherokee for another rest. I’ve just got to calculate how much degreaser I would need for a 400 pound black bear…..