PetEdge

PetEdge Groomer's Showcase; End of Summer Edition

Welcome to another edition of our Groomer Showcase, where we celebrate the work of groomers like you!

Do you go the extra mile in your community? Have a grooming specialty you want to share? Send us your pictures to blog@petedge.com and you could be our next grooming showcase superstar.

Congratulations to Gianna, Mary and Eric! Thank you for sending us in your work this week.

We salute you and all of the other groomers out there who continue to keep our furry friends looking and feeling their best.

Gianna Aikman
Coco the French Bulldog

 

Gianna writes: “Hi, my name is Gianna and I’ve been grooming for 11 ½ years. I started with English Bulldogs. Coco is a 1½ year old French Bulldog and my first Frenchie! Grooming French Bulldogs doesn’t entail as much as some other breeds.

With Coco, I do her nails and whiskers first (I use an Andis® cordless whisker trimmer) and then she gets brushed. I use Silk Spirits on her coat. To make her muzzle whiter, I apply kerotin and then use a combo of either Ducky White or white chalk powder mixed with Gold Bond powder.

“Grooming on the go can be challenging, especially at outdoor shows. If the weather is bad, it’s hard to find any grooming space.”

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Mary Byres
All Breed Pet Salon
Chambersburg, PA

 

Mary writes: “I have been grooming for almost 12 years as a graduate from The Maryland School of Dog Grooming. Dude is 4-year-old Bichon Frise has been coming to me faithfully for 3 years. I used a #3F Andis on the body and Heritage shears to finish his legs and head. All of those tools were purchased from PetEdge.”

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Eric Malave
Cayey Veterinary Clinic
Cayey, Puerto Rico

 

Eric writes: “My name is Eric Malave and I attended Florida Institute of Animal Arts. Grooming is my passion and hobby. Cayey is a small town in Puerto Rico, but thankfully full of dogs.

My clients here are 70% Shih Tzus and the rest are Poodles and Yorkies. Most of the clients here are very good with keeping regular appointments, but I have a few that always bring their dogs in with Bob Marley hair!

My favorite grooming tools are my Top Performance ProEar Professional Medicated Ear Cleaner and my Master Grooming Tools Ergonomic Dematting Rake.

The challenge I face here is that people are very conservative, and don't let me be creative with pet styling.”

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Are you ready to be a showcase “superstar”?

If you’d like to be included in an upcoming PetEdge Groomer Showcase, please send us a picture of a dog, cat or other animal (rabbit?) that you’ve groomed, along with your name, address and a brief description of your work (what tools you used, what challenges you faced, etc.)

You can email your photos to blog@petedge.com

Did you know PetEdge has over 17,000 pet products at amazingly low wholesale prices? Shop PetEdge.com for all of your professional pet groomer needs.

P.S. Don't forget to check out our new fall and winter product collection, with over 1,000 new items for groomers and pet care professionals.

Thanks and happy grooming :)

 

PetEdge Celebrates National Dog Day: What We Love About Our Dogs

Did you know that August 26th is National Dog Day?

To celebrate our four-legged friends on their special day, we asked some members of the PetEdge staff to share some stories about their dogs and why they appreciate them.

We'd love to hear your stories, too. Email us at blog@petedge.com or post your comments on Facebook or this post. Thanks!

 

"My dog, Ella, is a 2 ½ year old hound mix. I am grateful that she is so loving and always ready to play. She is always very patient and gentle with children, but she also knows when and where she can play rough and crazy with the older crowd."

-- Miranda Walker, Assistant Product Manager, Merchandising Dept.

"Sophie is my 5 year old pure bred Chihuahua. I have had her since she was 8 weeks old, and she has never left my side. She has always been there to keep me company, and if she ever sees me cry, she runs up onto my lap and literally licks my tears away.

"She also is very protective and loving towards our 8-month-old son and they are quickly becoming fast friends. She is so lovable and sweet, and I am so thankful to have her!"

-- Amy Cooney, Merchandising Coordinator, Softlines

"We adopted our collie, Brisby, from a shelter last year. He had a rough start for his first 11 months of life. But now at 2 years of age, he is transformed. He is very happy and our family can’t imagine life without him!"

-- Judy Sullivan, Marketing Production Coordinator

 

"Our four-year-old Corgi, Moses is a true character! Moses’ best qualities are his good nature, his loyalty, and his love of boats! He has such a tough life! LOL."

-- Reginald Macon, PetEdge Marketing Team Member

"I'm grateful for Corinne's calm and quiet personality and Brownie's enthusiam and playful spirit. My favorite thing to do is take them both for a walk in the park or the woods on Saturday morning. I love how gentle they are with my young nephews and with their older "uncle" Anthony (a 10-year-old Bassett Hound)."
-- Brian Burns, Web Marketing Department

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"Here's my one thing. No matter what mistakes you made in your life. No matter what you look like. A dog is always unconditionally happy to be with you."

--Audrey Vogt, Professional Groomer and PetEdge Product Support Team Member

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"Even if I'm only gone for five minutes, Molly, my five year old terrier mix, always greets met as enthusiastically as if I've been gone a week. She's always happy to see me and she's never afraid to show it."

--Jane Yanetti, PetEdge Product Support

 

“The thing I love most about my dogs (Murphy, a 7-year-old Boston Terrier and Porter, a 2-year-old Bull Mastiff) is that regardless of what kind of day I’ve had, they always know how to make me smile. Whether it’s doing a trick, licking my feet or snuggling with me on the sofa, they are always there for me.”

-- Katie Fawkes, PetEdge Marketing Department

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 What about you?

Now it's your turn: What's one thing that you love about your dog or the dogs you work with? Let us know by posting a comment on our blog or our facebook page. You can also send your photos to blog@petedge.com. Thanks!

PetEdge Customer Favorites: What You Love & Why You Love Them

Here at PetEdge, we talk to groomers like you every day.

We know that every purchasing decision is an important one, and you always have lots of questions about how a product works and whether it will be right for your shop.

We try to give you as much information as we can before you buy so you can pick the products that will solve your grooming problems quickly, easily, and at an affordable price.

But we also know that sometimes the best advice sometimes comes from other groomers.

So this seemed like a good time to share some of the feedback on PetEdge-brand products that we've recently received from groomers like you.

Perhaps some of their success stories will encourage you to try something new with your next PetEdge order. 

Thanks and happy grooming!

Master Grooming Tools Rainbow Series Grooming Shears

"These are my pride and joy! I absolutely love these shears. My clients adore the beautiful colors, and they always think I have spent tons of money on them. I originally purched them because of their colors, but fell in love with their ease of use."

April Olshavsky
Cutts for Mutts
Edmond, OK

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Master Grooming Tools Power Nail Grinder

"I like it because I can get the nails shorter without worrying about getting them too short, especially on dogs that move around or don't want their nails done at all. Plus, the final look of the nails is much better than with just nail clippers. I love it!"

Haley Teague
Taylorsville, PA

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Top Performance Natural Flea and Tick Shampoo

"I am writing to tell you how much I LOVE the Natural Flea and Tick Shampoo that I purchased from PetEdge. I was helping with a purebred rescue several months ago, and there were several young puppies involved.

"I am always hesitant to use harsh chemicals and pesticides on any dog, much less on puppies, so I ordered this shampoo to try.  

"It was totally amazing! These dogs had severe flea infestations, and when the puppies and dogs were soaped up with this shampoo, there were hundreds of little black dots – all the fleas that were dying!

"Not only did this rid the dogs and puppies of the fleas immediately upon being bathed with this shampoo, but the natural scent of it seemed to help repel them going forward.

Once all the fleas were bathed away, we didn’t see another flea on any of the dogs during the remainder of the time in my care (and even after being adopted people still remarked about it).

"In addition, the shampoo left a really nice scent in the dogs’ fur."

Fara Bushnell
Ayehli Bernese Mountain Dogs
Nicholasville,  Kentucky

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The Master Equipment Polypro Grooming Tub

"I can sum it up in one word: AWESOME!! I have bathed dogs as big as 180lbs in this tub and still have room. The bar over the tub is VERY sturdy and I love the bottle holders, just wish they held a little bit bigger bottles.

"I have not had any issues with dogs getting on the ramp and getting in the tub, and love that the tub is not loud like a stainless one would be. Very easy to clean and maintain. Would most definitely recommend this tub to others."

Jennifer Rice
Dog Gone Clean Grooming Salon,
Whitesville, KY

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Are You Ready to Share Your Favorites?

Do you have a favorite grooming product that you purchased from PetEdge?

Tell us your success story by posting a comment on the blog, adding it to our Facebook wall, or emailing us at blog@petedge.com

Thanks and happy grooming!

The PetEdge Grooming Team's Summer Reading List

Can you believe that there are only two short weeks until Labor Day weekend? It seems like summer just started and now we're thinking about football, back to school and raking leaves.

We hope that you spent some time this summer dipping your feet in the pool, enjoying a cool drink, or better yet—relaxing at the beach with a good book about dogs, cats, grooming, or the pet care business.

Here are some of the books that the groomers and pet care professionals on the PetEdge staff have enjoyed this summer.

Please note: We know there are lots of different opinions regarding dog training and education. We're not advocating one method over another here. Just sharing some of the books that we've enjoyed—Thanks :)

• Notes from the Grooming Table by Melissa Verplank
  Our staff pet care pros are a big fan of this book because it's a great all-breed reference. It features annotated illustrations and suggestions for what blades sizes to use. "It's handy to have in your shop if you're asked to groom a breed you're not familiar with."

• The Dog's Mind: Understanding Your Dog's Behavior by Bruce Fogle
  "I like this book because it takes a scientific approach to exploring the different ways that dogs think."

• Canine Body Language: A Photographic Guide to Interpreting the Native Language of the Domestic Dog by Brenda Aloff
  A great guide to canine body language. The pictures make it easy to understand what different canine postures look like. "Much more helpful than just reading the descriptions."

• How to be Your Dog's Best Friend: The Classic Training Manual for Dog Owners &
  
• The Art of Raising a Puppy (both books by the Monks of New Skete)
  "Their training methods are really good"
  
  
• The One Minute Manager by Kenneth H. Blanchard and Spencer Johnson
  "It's a business book, but oddly enough it helps with dog training and animal behavior."

• Positive Perspectives by Pat Miller
  "Describes how dogs perceive your actions, and how that perception can influence their reactions."

• How to Raise A Puppy You Can Live With by Clarice Rutherford and David Neil
  "Sensible, entertaining, and there's nothing too far fetched."

• It's Me or the Dog: How to Have the Perfect Pet by Victoria Stillwell
  "Stillwell's approach helps to emphasize the dog's point of view, and provides suggestions that owners can take to remedy problem behaviors in specific scenarios. Plus she's well known from her TV show, which gives her credibility with readers."

• James Herriot's Dog Stories by James Herriot
  "Many people cemented my love for dogs, and James Herriot is one of them."

So what books are on your summer reading list?

What would you recommend to other groomers and pet care professionals?

Post your comments here on the blog, or put them on our Facebook wall.

Thanks, happy grooming, and happy reading :}

How To Avoid Cross Binding Your Blending Shears

Many groomers have taken advantage of this amazing free offer in our spring and summer catalog.

From now until August 26, if you buy any Oster SuperSteels Shear, you'll get a free 26-tooth Oster SuperSteels 26-tooth blending shear!

That's a value of $169 to $223 (depending on the style of shear you buy).

These 26-tooth blending shears make a great addition to any groomer's toolbox.

They are ideal for shaping the coat to eliminate clipper lines, and are especially good for getting rid of cut marks on poodles.

One of our staff groomers says that they make poodle coats “look like velvet.”

But over the past few months, we've heard from a number of groomers who have accidentally cross bound their shears shortly after they've started using them in the shop.  

Cross binding happens when the two blades crash into each other rather than glide smoothly by. The collision can nick the blade on the cutting edge of the shear, or bend the teeth on the comb side of the blade.

Either result can make it difficult or impossible to use the shears without sharpening them first.

Why is cross binding more likely with these blending shears?

As you can see from the photo above, the 26-tooth shears feature wide-spaced teeth that are wide at the top and narrow at the bottom.

This top-heavy design helps to produce that desired smooth finish, but as a result the base of the teeth does not provide as much support as a traditional blending shear, where the teeth are the same size from top to base.

The length and weight of these shears is also a factor. Unlike most blending shears that are only 6 1/2” long, the Oster shears measure 8”. The shears are also lighter and leaner than most traditional blenders.  

The longer, lighter style provides a larger cutting service and helps to reduce the strain on wrists and hands, but it also gives the shears more flexibility, which makes it more likely that the two blades will contact each other if you’re scissoring with a tight grip.

Don't get us wrong—we love these shears and think this free offer is an amazing deal. We just want to make sure that if you do get these shears, you get a lot of use out of them.

So here are our tips for avoiding the dreaded cross bind:

• Scissor with a very light touch
• Don’t strangle the handles
• Treat them like a specialty shear

Do you use 26-tooth thinning shears in your shop? Have you used them to smooth out clipper lines?

Send us your before and after photos along with a brief description of your work to blog@petedge.com.

We'd love to see these shears in action!

P.S. Just a heads up that our free offers for the spring and summer will end on Aug. 26th, so check them out now before they disappear. Thanks and happy grooming :)

Why We Like: The Master Equipment Electric Table With Foldable Arm

The groomers on our product support team believe that this electric lift grooming table is one of the most reliable on the market. Here's why they're always happy to recommend it to our groomer customers.

A Sturdy Design

This table is built to give groomers a steady, non-shaking work surface. It features a solid wood top and a strong z-style tubular steel frame that evenly distributes pet's weight to improve stability.

The table also comes with a super strong folding grooming arm that helps to keep pets in place. The horizontal arm is supported by the entire 1" steel post, which makes it extra resistant to bending.

The table smoothly lifts and lowers from 20" to 44" to make it easy to work with heavy pets.

Convenient Features

The tabletop is covered with non-skid, pebbled black vinyl that gives pets a comfortable spot to stand on and is easy to clean, while the quiet-running motor helps to put skittish dogs at ease.

There are four attached equipment hooks (one under each corner of the table) that groomers can use for their clippers, shears, brushes and other go-to tools.

The table comes with adjustable leg levelers, but it can also be outfitted with rolling casters (sold separately) for easy moving and cleaning in the shop. 

Maintenance Made Easy

This is a good table that is built to last, but you can help to ensure an extra long life with replacement parts for the tramission shaft and the control box, both of which are available and sold separately at PetEdge.com.

Repairs are easy to make, too. It's just a matter of disconnecting the old parts and connecting the new ones. 

A Track Record of Reliability

When it comes to this table, no news is good news. Our product support team doesn't hear of many issues with this table, which usually means that groomers are happy with it. P

Plus we often recommend this table to groomers who call up looking for a sturdy electric model, and they're always happy with the results. 

A Great Price

At a price of $699, we're confindent that this table is one of the best values in the grooming market today. It's a sturdy table that built to work hard and stand up to the daily grooming grind.

Would You Like to Know More?

Visit the Master Equipment Electric Table's product page for more details, or call 800-PetEdge and ask to speak with one of our product support specialists.

Thanks and happy grooming :)

PetEdge Groomer's Showcase: Amazing Transformations & Far Off Destinations

Welcome to a special Monday edition of the PetEdge Groomer's Showcase!

We'd like to kick off this week with some amazing before and after photos from Melissa and Rhonda. 

We love the work that Melissa did to help Emma get rid of her mats and tangles, and were thrilled to see Rhonda doing great grooming work in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Thanks for sharing and keep up the great work!

 

Melissa Ford
Comfort Dog Grooming Salon
Myrtle Beach, SC

 
Melissa writes: "My name is Melissa Ford and I have been a groomer for 10 years. I was a mobile groomer for 5 years, and then went to a shop looking for something different. I really enjoy being in a shop and having great co-workers.

"Today my challenge was this 8-year-old toy poodle named Emma. 

Emma before:

 

"Emma's previous owners were going through a divorce, and she was not an important priority. She had not been groomed for a year and was matted all over her body, legs and ears. Her legs were so matted it was like cutting off a cast from her little legs.

"I used a small pair of ball tip Oster scissors to help me remove the mats on the legs. I had to shave her body and face with a #10 Wahl blade, and once I removed all the mats from her legs, I went over them with a #10 Wahl blade as well. I was able to only save her top knot by using Geib curved shears.

Emma during:

"I worked on her very slow to make sure I didn’t cut or clipper burn her.

"The new owner of Emma was very pleased with the results. I believe Emma even felt better, too!"

Emma after:

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Rhonda Dequier
Pampered Pooch Salon
Riyadh, Saudia Arabia

Rhonda writes: "Hello, my husband and I have just opened a grooming salon in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. All of our products and supplies have been imported from the United States. I attended a grooming school in Phoenix, Arizona this Spring and immediately fell in love with grooming!

"In Riyadh there are NO trained groomers. There are pet shops with horrible conditions that have a 'groomer' who can use an old pair of clippers to clip your dog , or the veterinarians have 'groomers' who have absolutely no training or proper tools and products to the job the way it should be done. 

"After my first 6 weeks in business, the reception has been phenomenal. So many pet owners have expressed their delight in having a trained pet stylist FINALLY in Riyadh.  Attached are a few photos of our new clients…"

Meg Before:


Meg After:

Here's a little more on Rhonda and her shop from the Pampered Pooch website:

"We both adore our furry friends and are committed to providing the best possible care and service to your little ones. Like many of you living here in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, we became increasingly frustrated with the lack of professional grooming services available. 

"After using a few of the groomers, we reached a breaking point when we went to pick up our Daisy from the groomers and she was cut in seven spots and looked like an absolute mess!

"Then we resorted to using our dining room table, a pet grooming kit, and several hours wrestling with our lovable pooch trying to get her to look as wonderful as we wanted her to be. 

This resulted in several realizations: 

• First, while our hearts were in the right places, and we did better than the local groomers, we really didn’t know what we were doing
• Second, Daisy now quite obviously viewed us in a completely different light thinking we had gone off the deep end
• Third, we began to seriously consider that a trained groomer was just what this compound needed

"We decided to jump off the deep end and pursue the idea, and Rhonda was whisked away to Phoenix, Arizona where she attended a professional training facility for pet grooming. 

"During her training course, Rhonda realized that she had found her calling and she loves pampering our furry friends and making them look beautiful."

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Who Will Be the Next Showcase Superstar?

Send your before and after photos to blog@petedge.com and you could be featured in an upcoming edition of the PetEdge Groomer's Showcase.

Be sure to include a brief description of the tools you used and the challenges you faced. We're waiting to hear from you!

Thanks and happy grooming :)