January 2010

Download the January 2010 Newsletter

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

• Grooming on the Web.
• How to get your own Salon
• Newsletter Done for You.
• Groomer of the Year Results.
• Notes from 09 seminars.
• Equipment Feature.
• Classifieds.

Hello Groomers.

Well wasn’t the October Grooming Championships some weekend! Congratulations to everyone who attended, to all the competitors who delivered a terrific standard of work and especial congratulations to Yuliya who after a real nail biting wait was crowned not only Irish Groomer of the Year but also Best in Show.

There was a real buzz about the room and a sense of anticipation as to how all the competitions; especially the new creative styling class would go. All the classes were filled with grooming of a very high standard and well done to all, especially the Oster Career starters who did a great job. Special mention must go to all who entered the creative styling, they were simply brilliant. To see the imagination and artistry that went into all the entries was great and all other demos we had planned for Sunday afternoon  became surplus to requirements as you couldn’t have got people away from the ring for anything. In the end it was Natasja with her fabulous “Bumblebee” that won the day. Well done to all who competed, you were brilliant! I personally have never had such positive feed back about a competition, so thinking caps on for next year!

As you can imagine it costs a huge amount to put on such a weekend and can I just remind everyone that all subs were due in October. Our wonderful sponsors deserve our grateful thanks too, particularly Christies Direct who have been with us throughout our 13 championships and Mullinahone Co-op, both of whom are very generous in their sponsorship of classes.

Thanks again to our wonderful photographer Avril and all her competitor photographs can be viewed on our site.

Very special congratulations to the committee who did sterling job organising what is becoming one of the best attended competitions around. They put in a huge amount of time and remember they are all working voluntarily.

A huge thank you too to Jenny Hale who took over the running of the whole competition side and who had it running like clockwork. All results are included in the newsletter.

Hairy Mary.

City & Guilds Info

From November 1st, the City & Guilds /NPTC Level 3 grooming qualifications are changing over to the Qualifications Credit Framework (QCF).  If you registered onto a grooming course through the Pet Care Trust before 1st November, you will still take the original course.  This level has been broken into two parts, Certificate in Introductory Dog Grooming and Diploma in Professional Dog Grooming.  For more details see the Pet Care Trust web www.petcare.org.uk.

We are pleased to say that all the places on the upcoming exam on the 28th February have been filled. If you missed your chance this time then contact the Pet Care Trust for future dates.

Good luck to everyone

Grooming on the Web

by Seán Kirwan from Denobi.com

Having a website is becoming a must these days. However, it is hard to know exactly what you need and where to start. Denobi have taken the time to outline what is happening out there and what you need to make the most of your Web presence.

Today more than 80% of Irish Dog Groomers are not on the web, 10% of the Dog Groomers that are online are difficult to find,  leaving the remaining 10% of Dog Grooming websites (a very  select few), taking a very large chunk of the dog grooming  business online.  Each month an average 6,000 searches are  performed by people looking to find dog groomers in Ireland.  That’s a lot of business.

So… Where do you begin
With so much happening online, it can be difficult to know what to do.  Statement’s like “You’ve gotta be on Facebook! Twitter is just incredible. How often do you blog, what’s your blog….” leave even the most technical scratching their heads.
Here’s a quick breakdown of what steps you should take for your business in order of priority…

Step 1 - A small website
Having a website is the first step.  It is similar to the foundation of you house, if it’s done right it will last, done wrong and your left with a big bill and nothing to show for it. Here’s what your website should have and do:
• It needs to tell people about what services you provide and if any of those services are unique to you.
• It needs to look professional.  Be sure that it’s presents well; a poor website can damage you business.
• Make it easy for someone to contact you, eg. if you don’t have time to check your email, ask people to call you.

Step 2- Promote your website on Google
Google is the number 1 tool in the world for searching and finding information.  It has become global success because it so easy to use, it’s even become a verb! It makes billions because it charges businesses for advertising and it’s now the world’s biggest advertising company.  You can promote yourself on Google in 3 ways.  Here’s a quick breakdown of each:

1. Local Business Results in Google
In the last 12 months in Ireland Google has slowly started to show more and more local businesses in its results.  Google Local Business Results has made it possible for small operators to get a piece of the online action without having to pay for advertising.  It is a free service.  You can get you business a large amount of attention very quickly without spending a penny with Google.  It is recommended that you have a professional company to setup the account for you (from €50 to €200 depending on the company).

2. Google Adwords – Paid Advertising Online
Google makes money by auctioning off advertising space on it search results.  The more advertisers there are, the most expensive it is to advertise.  Google charges you every time someone clicks on your advert and visits your website (Pay Per Click). The adverts appear at the top and right hand side of the results.  The service is extremely popular because it’s very cheap and it’s easy to see how many customers you’re getting.  It is recommended that you have a professional company setup the Adwords account for you (from €250 to €500).
3 Search Engine Optimisation  (SEO)– Getting to page 1 for free!
SEO refers to the process of getting a website to page 1 on Google without using Pay per Click Advertising.  For those websites that are listed Google uses an incredibly complex calculation when it decides which search position to allocate.  It can be very difficult and expensive to get to the top of to the top of these results for general terms like “Dog Groomer”.  However other more specific search terms like “Dog Groomer Newbridge” are much more obtainable and can be achieved by smart web design.

Be extremely wary of companies promising you first page results in Google for less that €500.  Any good SEO company will look to research the most effective term using Google Adwords.  Only when they are satisfied with performance of a particular search term should they look to optimise for it.

4 Blogging, Twittering and Facebook
If you have completed all of the above successfully, then it might be time to look at some of the other opportunities out there.
Blogging
Blogging is basically the process of writing and sharing a journal online (Web Log).  The activity of updating a blog is “blogging” and someone who keeps a blog is a “blogger.”  If you do want to start writing a blog, I recommend you write it onsubject you are knowledgeable about and that is of interest to your customers or at least people in your industry.  Avoid the “this is my first blog” please check back soon for more blog entry.
Twitter
Twitter is the hot application on the web at the moment.  Twittering allows users to write entries less than 140 characters and share them with others.  Twitter is useful for big brands and global awareness.  It has yet to have any significant impact on local businesses in Ireland.  My advice is to spend your time elsewhere until it becomes more relevant.
Facebook
Facebook is a big online community used by a lot of teenagers and adults.  Facebook differs because people who use Facebook tend use it every day, unlike twitter message can be kept private making it more attractive to users.  It can be used as a great way of keeping customers up to date with new services and also has a great advertising engine if you want to target people with specific interests.

If you would like to learn more contact Sean or anyone on the Denobi team at info@denobi.com or on 016283800. You can also view our website at http://www.denobi.com

Ever Fancied Having Your Own Salon Newsletter?

Now you can and you don’t have to spend any time creating them.  Malcolm Hill has been providing a ‘Done for You’ Newsletter service to groomers all over the world for the last 2 years.

Malcolm creates all the content that goes in your newsletter and totally personalises it for your salon.  You can send him anything that you want to go in your newsletter and he then sends you the completed newsletter via email.

Priced at just £19.99 (@ 22 euros) per month, this is a very affordable way of getting a monthly (or quarterly) newsletter to communicate with your clients and market your business.

Visit: www.groomersnewsletters.com for more info and to get a free sample of the newsletter.

Where Do Those Clients Go?

Clients, customers owners - whatever we call them it all amounts to the same thing, the human who brings us what we need to get our hands on -   the dog. In my former life as a Veterinary Nurse the importance of good record keeping was thought to be of paramount importance and as old habits die hard I still have a detailed record which I fill in each day when all dogs gone home. It’s brief but very effective and has all client details as well as what blade I used or how they like the head or tail if different from the norm. Each evening I get out the cards for the next day and give a prompting phone call to the slackers. So, that’s when I came to wonder where do the dogs go who fall off my radar and don’t return to my salon after a given length of time?

Have they gone to the great grooming parlour in the sky (where slickers are soft and gentle) or just to the grooming salon down the road .I think they fall in to a few categories, firstly of course there are the old boys and girls who just did not make it to this time round and wont be back, some owners even have the good manners to ring or send a card to let me know but most don’t bother, fair enough, life can be busy  these days. Secondly there’s the annual “regular” who appear once a year for a short back and sides in the shortest blade and so long till next year, they can be fickle enough at the best of times  not that they aren’t good customers.. Thirdly and I blame myself for this exodus, there’s the ones I spent just too much time with, endlessly explaining about the bichon or shitzu coat and regular brushing and no washing and etc etc. maybe I even tried to sell them a really suitable brush and show them how to use it and they seemed grateful at the time….. just never heard from them again, so much for good intentions, maybe they just too embarrassed to return knotted and shampooed to death dog in tow “I chuck him in the bath every Saturday night with the kids but his coat is still a mess…”

Fourthly, and just five in this lot, the ones I told in no uncertain terms never to darken my door again or I would not be responsible for my actions! And we all have a few of those, not bad for sixteen years in business I suppose.

So I guess that just leaves the ones I can’t explain, the very regular, well brushed good timekeepers with nice owners and Christmas presents who just disappear and never return. Maybe they move house or loose their jobs or just find a better groomer – only joking about the last one of course! So there go Molly and Scottie and Barney and Joey and Cindy and I wish them well and hope they are nicely groomed and happy wherever they go. I did used to be the only groomer in my area but not any more and glad to say there’s enough work for all of us and let’s hope it remains like that so if you see any of my old darlings send them my love, their replacements are great and regulars will always be the tastiest bread and butter.

FREDA GORMAN

Groomer Of The Year Results 2009

Saturday Awards

Open Scissor Class kindly sponsored by Simpsons

Merits
Debbie Smith
Stephanie Byrne
Nicola Lacey

Scissor Technique kindly sponsored by Simpsons

Best Scissor Technique    - Áine Lebioda.
3rd Sorcha Mac Lochlainn
2nd Aimee Tweedy
1st  Yulia Dmitrijera
International 3rd     Melanie Gohl-Kiekle(kerry)
International 2nd Mia Overnas (st poodle)
International 1st     Sue Eld-Weaver (st poodle)

Champion Class sponsored by Christies Direct

1st Natasja Hoekman

Open Handstrip Class kindly sponsored by IPDGA

Merits
Roisin Hogan
Leonie Fahey
Leeane Swaine
3rd Ann Collins
2nd Yulia Dmitrijeva
1st Noelle O’riordan
Best International  Mia Overnas

Champion Class sponsored by IPDGA

2nd  Anki Overnas
1st Stephanie Byrne

Sunday Awards

Open Clipped Class kindly sponsored by Christies Direct
Merits
Stephanie Byrne (lakey)
Heather Flanagan (spr span)
International 1st     Melanie Gohl-Kiechle (Cross breed)
International 2nd  Mia Overnas (Schnauzer)
3rd Sorcha Mac Lochlainn (SCHN)

2nd JEAN GREGG (SCOTTIE)
1st DEBBIE SMITH(COCKER)

Champion Class sponsored by IPDGA
1st  NICOLA LACEY (AIREDALE)

Novice Class kindly sponsored by Mullinahone
Merits
SIOBHAIN O’REILLY
FELICITY KIRWAN
3rd MICHAEL GOHL-KIECHLE (WFT)
2nd GEORGINA KEATING (BICHON)
1st SANDRA BOYD (CKS)

Creative Styling sponsored by Absolutely Animals & IPDGA
Merits
Stephanie byrne (griffon)
Una redden (zebra)
3rd Mia overnas (my little pony)
2nd Anne Collins (dragon)
1st Natasja Hoekman (bumble bee)

Oster Career Start Class sponsored by Oster
Merits
Niamh McMahon (cks)
Justyna (ap poodle)
Sylvia Jackson+
4th Lindsey Sawyer
3rd Rachel Alford (westie)
2nd Diana De Bruyn (Sp sp)
1st Karen O Brien (bichon)

Best International
Winner     - Melanie GOHL-KIECHLE
Best Individual Noelle O’Riordan

Irish Groomer Of The Year 2009 – Mullinahone
Reserve Nicola Lacey
Winner     YuliYa DMYTRIYEVA (Russian black/welsh)

Best In Show (between Best Int & IGOY) - YuliYa DMYTRIYEVA

Seminar ‘09

The Talks

Saturday 10th October
Brian Mullins Insurance

Brian kindly came from Sligo to speak to us. He offered the possibility of a better insurance quote than most groomers have presently: Approx. € 490.00 (not including the building that the salon is in, but including its contents.) Brian spoke of car insurance as a business vehicle if you transport dogs to and from your salon. He also offered all the same areas of cover as Lynham do presently.

An interesting point Brian made was that if all IPDGA members were to renew their insurance at the same date each year he could then shop around on our behalf for an even better quote. For example, if we all renewed January 1st annually then anyone whose present policy is up for renewal before then would get interim full cover pro rata until Jan 1st and then start the full years cover. Some groomers are already with Brian but perhaps it would be in our interest to renew all together all on one date – Food for thought and feedback please.

Brian Mullins
Tel. 0868582611
Email: brian@bmib.ie

Suzanne O’Sullivan
Safe Handling of the difficult dog.

Suzanne whom you all know gave a marvellous talk and demo. I learned a lot about nerves and nooses and noises. Try the noise you use for calling your cat Suzanne suggests to distract a badly behaving dog! A ‘tss tss’ noise like dog trainer Cesar (USA) uses is another good controller. Start with mid-back strokes with your body at an angle to the dog so as not to seem too confrontational. Start with noose loose until you see what the dog is like. Don’t stare at the dog to start with as this is confrontational too. We were told to watch the ears/eyes (if you can lift the top eyelid and you see bulging red lines in the white of the eye then this dog is stressed) and jaws for signs of aggression, stress or that sudden stillness which can come to a dog just before he goes for you!

Nooses and their uses is very important for giving the right message to a dog and muzzle types were covered. Suzanne advises using a basket style muzzle or even an Edwardian collar. She also said sometimes to do nails in the bath when the dog is distracted by the water or without lifting the feet up where possible if the dog has an absolute thing about its nails – as many (most) do! If the dog is ‘kicking out’ while you try to hold its paw then go with the flow of the kicking movement while still holding and he will stop after a while – repeat as necessary. Encourage the owner to handle the dog’s paws at home often.

Be aware of each dog’s likes and dislikes, old/new injured areas etc. and note then on your dog card so as you can avoid anything which will make the dog more nervous or aggressive.

Suzanne said to be especially careful when holding up the tail as this may aggravate any spinal soreness the dog might have and may cause bad behaviour.

All in all it was a wonderful talk and I, for one, learnt a lot. I am trying to be more observant of any signs the dog is giving about its stress levels. On a final note, Suzanne says never be afraid to put the dog back in the cage for while if you he needs to calm down. Try not to put him in the cage at the middle of the tantrum or else you will have trouble getting him out again! And then treat yourself to a cuppa and some chocolate therapy (which does work!) before you face that hound of hell!

Suzanne O’Sullivan,
Dogsbody Dog Grooming Salon, Terenure, Dublin.
Tel. 0872418919

Dawn O’Donoghue
Canine First Responder Instructor

Dawn came to talk to us about how important to be first aid aware and ready in the grooming salon or indeed anywhere. Accidents or just a health issue can escalate into a big problem if you are not properly prepared, says Dawn. If you have been trained to respond as quickly and efficiently as possible crisis can be avoided. Dawn showed us how to take a pulse and check for breathing obstructions on her model dog as well as shock blankets and head injury bandaging, dog resuscitation. Correct splinting for bones, muscles and much, much more are covered as well as keeping yourself safe in an emergency involving a dog anywhere. Control of bleeding, fit control, help when chocking etc. are all covered on the course Dawn offers. It can be done in a day at your own salon for groups or individuals and does not cost the earth.  Several groomers have already become instructors. I am sure it is a fantastic course to take and advise that all people handling dogs should do it.

Dawn O’Donoghue, C.F.R.I., I.T.E.C.
Little Angels, Kildare.
Tel. 0858214949

Mark Irvine

Mark showed us how to massage a dog. He also showed us some known stress points on the dog’s body used to de-stress during Reiki massage. Mark’s partner brought in their own dog who was soon swooning under the relaxing influence of the massage.

Mark says it has improved the behaviour of his demanding Yorkie. I have tried it a little in my salon already and it does seem to calm the dogs. Try it while shampooing the dog, but Mark does advise care if the dog has any medical problems. It takes a little while for the dog to get used to being massaged but the effect as evidenced on his own pup was fantastic. The pressure is firm but only on muscular areas, avoiding the spine.

Mark works on humans as his business but do ask him about dog massage if you think it might help.

Mark Irvine,
Newbridge, Co. Kildare
Tel. 0879181816

Carmel Callaghan
Sports strain and rehabilitation practitioner.

Carmel gave us a very interesting talk and demo on how to avoid the all too common strains of the groomer. By observing me grooming she was able to pin-point potential problem areas in how groomers work. Such as, moving dogs about the salon from cage to table to bath etc. She mentioned the normal repetitive strain injuries we get from brushing and bathing standing up. Bending and lifting are areas to be very aware of since these cause the most trouble to our bodies. Heights of tables and baths should be checked for our posture when using. Carmel made us stand up and try different bending styles, some good some bad, also she showed us the ideal stance we should aspire to – and it makes any belly bulge look better! Arm position for brushing etc. can be watched to avoid rotator cuff injuries in shoulder and ‘tennis’ elbow as well as carpel tunnel problems in wrists.

A few simple exercises to avoid muscle fatigue and injury as well as strengthening where we need it (were much appreciated!). It seems to be shoulders and lower back – generally the main problem areas so correctly holding the pelvis and using the muscle strength in buttocks, stomach and thighs to lift. Having your knees bent slightly when using the bath will relieve lower and mid-back strain and maybe trying a bar stool with the correct table height when doing those long brushing jobs!

Carmel recommends a regular massage to keep muscles in good order and I have no problems with that idea!

Carmel Callaghan,
Carlow.

Tel. 0876786796

Mo Chara’s Bakery for Dogs.

The moment our dogs have been waiting for is finally here!
They can now choose from a scrumptious range of biscuits baked especially for them at the Mo Chara Bakery which is entirely devoted to dogs.  Our biscuits are hand baked using human grade natural ingredients at our little doggie bakery here in Dublin.

Up to now Dog owners have had a very poor choice of treats for their Dogs.  Most regular treats contain high levels of bad fats, colours, salt and preservatives.  As scientists we were able to choose ingredients for our recipes that are not only adored by dogs but are beneficial to their health.  Our Indulgence range of Bikkies do not contain salt, artificial flavourings or colours……just healthy wholesome grains, fruit, vegetables, herbs and spices.  The flavours include Apple & Cinnamon, Vegetable & Cheese Pizza and Herb & Garlic, Banana & Molasses and Carrot Cake.  All recipes are wheat free so now even dogs with sensitive tummies can have a treat.  In fact, you can even try one yourself!

As groomers you are particularly aware of doggie nutrition.  It is no wonder that we find that our treats so popular with you.  Our retail packs of bikkies from our Indulgence range come in 75g pretty bow-tied gift bags (new RRP of €2.50) and 150g stylish cartons (new RRP of €3.50). We supply an attractive and neat counter top unit to display these products. You can order a 1kg bulk bag of our Indulgence treats for €10.50.

We launched our new Con”fetch”ionary range at the Cork Pet Expo.  This range includes tRuffles, K9-Cookies and Pupcakes.  They went down a treat! The hardest part was trying to convince people that the treats were designed for dogs and not for people……. although we did have quite a few human tasters on the day.  We are also working on made-to-order doggie birthday/adoptday cakes due to popular request.

Please contact us for further information on 01-4577598 or info@mochara.ie

Equipment Feature!

Don’t forget to clean your filters…

I recently had my worse week when my Edemco cabinet dryer decided to break down. It was a normal morning, i came in and switched it on and then came that electrical burning smell…. i called mullinahone in a panic.  They were very good and arranged for it to be collected the next day to take back to their place to take a good look at it, you can never be too careful with electrical problems.  It turned out that the relay and switch had burnt out, because the filters hadn’t been kept clean enough.  This is why i am writing this.  Since i have had my dryer i have given the filters, what i though was a good clean at least once a week.  I was taking them out and shaking, brushing and removing all traces of hair.  What i should have been doing was hovering them to remove dust and washing every now and then as well to get rid of all the tiny bits we can’t see.

Mullinahone were my saviours with very good after sales care (they were great when my hydraulic table broke too) and the moral of this story is to dig out your manuals and re-check how to care for your equipment properly, especially as these things have a habit of breaking at the worst possible moments.

You don’t know how much easier you grooming life is made by equipment until its gone

Debbie Smith
Waggy Tails

One of my favourite things to do at any seminar is to try any new products that I see. This year was no exception and I got a goodie! It’s the new Accurata clippers from Aesculap. This company used to be very popular with their distinctive red clippers but in my opinion they gave up on the grooming market by stopping production of their most popular blades. However they were always a real workhorse in the salon and I had high hopes for the Accurata as its not taking on the A5 clippers but instead, the popular Arco. After going through 4 Arcos in 2 years by having them knocked to the ground by flying feet, I am delighted to have a clippers that will stand up to salon use (and misuse)

The Accurata is wonderful for poodle feet, faces and all other  places where you use a 10 up to 50 blade. It feels a very strong machine with very definite notches for the different lengths. It’s very distinctive looking in cream with paw prints and another detail I like is that it can be left in the charger constantly without damaging the battery.

While in use battery charge can be seen by a blue “sun” which gradually loses its rays as the power is used. Very effective German thinking! It’s available from Christies Direct with an offer of a second blade free.

As always, Happy Grooming……Hairy Mary

CLASSIFIEDS.

Positions Wanted:
Lisa Mc Govern just finished training course with Suzanne O’Sullivan, seeking grooming position, willing to travel where the work is.
Please contact 087 213 0624

Equipment for Sale:

• Metro Blaster (Black)
• Vario 2 Dryer (Blue&Black)
• Electric Table (Black & White)
• Grooming Arm to go with Electric Table
• Drying Cabinet (White)

All in excellent condition. Price Negotiable
I’m hoping to sell the above to one buyer if possible. If not I can give individual prices.
Contact Liz Twomey on  mobile 087 7818563.

Wanted:
Second Hand Cabinet Dryer.
Please call Maria Black on 0851335077