Hi There Everyone

Hi there everyone. My name is Mike and I am relatively new to grooming. Currently I groom at PetSmart which has its advantages and disadvantages. It can be very limiting what you can do as the products we use are not always what is best for the job at hand but it is a great place to get a variety of dogs to work on. It is a very exciting time for me now trying to learn different grooming techniques I have a ton to learn but really love grooming dogs and can't wait to learn more. It is great to have a site like this to exchange ideas and collaborate with groomers who have experience as I am really open-minded and always ready to learn something new. Mike

Welcome, i hope you enjoy yourself here!!!

Welcome to the forum

welcome! it's probably great experience even just working in a busy salon with a few different groomers.. I wish I would have had that kind of opportunity.

Thanks everyone for the welcome wishes Elizabeth it is not what it is cracked up to be sometimes...my initial training was pretty much nonexistent and then when I came back from a month of training which pretty much consisted of canine anatomy and working on a dog with 3 other people, my boss was doing 5-7 dogs a day and didn't have time to train me (which was her job) so I had to be really observant and learn by watching...I really love grooming dogs but at PetSmart you are at a stale-mate because there are no advanced scissoring or any kind of courses to improve your skill...that said I am a determined person and spend all of my waking hours looking at videos and pics of grooming and just try to improve and learn something everyday...thanks again for the welcome

The Jodi Murphy dvds are amazing I've heard... Do you have notes from the grooming table and the theory of 5? Those are great books for everyone at every level of grooming. How long have you been grooming?

Thanks Elizabeth don't have the DVD's but have both those books thanks alot...I have been grooming for about 9 months now.

Hi everybody! Hi Mike! I hope you are still here:) I started at PS as a bather in December 2008. Next week I am starting my 4 weeks:( academy training. I know 4 weeks it is really stupid... But I am very optimistic! I have spent all this time searching and reading every pet grooming related forum and website on the net; I am investing money in good tools; I bought books and 3 Judi Murphy DVDs. I will buy more. They are not cheap and I will try to order 3 DVDs every month. YES I AM CRAZY!!! I am just sooooo-wonnabe-a-groomer!

Hey there congratulations...I hope your PS Academy experience was better than mine...where are you going for Academy? I work at the Scarborough location...best advice I can give you is buy your own equipment the PetSmart kit sucks big time...the thinning shears and scissors do not cut at all...best of luck...Mike

Thanks, Ive already bought almost everything. I am going to Richmond Hill. I hope it's going to be OK, but I am realistic...
Mike, do you fill confident working on a dog now?

Yes I do now but it took awhile...we learned nothing at Academy except canine anatomy...the instructor dismissed us 2 hours early every day and there was a serious lack of dogs to work on...when I went back to my store my manager was doing 6 or more dogs a day so she was no help to me and she was supposed to train me...I am very lucky that I am a visual learner so I learned mostly by watching as well as scouring the internet for grooming tips...wish you the best of luck...Mike

We started yesterday. The instructor sent us home at 3.00 instead of 5.30.

That is crazy who is your instructor??

She is a salon manager at this location. But I am kinda happy, that we didnt spent a day learning canine anatomy...it's OK with me...
Yesterday we went home at 4.30. But from 3.00 to 4.30 we were calling customers, trying to find model dogs for us...

Welcome 2bordeaux love your avatar, do you have these dogs? They are such beautiful dogs.
Just a reminder, this is a public forum so anyone can come here and read your posts.