By: Shannon Tupes, Andis Global Educator
With springtime quickly approaching and the weather warming up all over the country, pet parents are wanting to get rid of their pet’s longer winter coats and start the season off with a shorter, fresh style that’s easier to maintain. While some of your clients have been well-maintained throughout the winter, there are plenty who will benefit from an extreme makeover. From regular touch-ups, to an increase in de-sheds and big transformations, our tables are sure to be busy this spring!
Clipper Work
The key to surviving the seasonal rush is making sure your toolkit is stocked with the right tools. The new Andis eMERGE Clipper is my go-to clipper. Its comfortable shape with finger grooves on the back helps reduce hand strain and fatigue for those extreme makeovers, while supporting precise control for the more detailed, artistic trims. This single-speed clipper has enough power to get through the toughest of coats, and you can use it in corded operation to help get you through long days.
Deshedding
With the increase of de-shed clients this time of year, the Andis Deshedding Tool has become one of my most used tools. It’s a great choice because it helps promote a healthy coat by allowing the hair to separate and divide so the skin can breathe more easily. This helps prevent overheating, which is important as the spring temperatures heat up. This is also a great tool for removing excess bulk and helps tame the hair to lay nicely.
Finishing
Once we’ve gotten through all the de-sheds and makeovers, we can enjoy scissoring on a well-maintained client with a cute personality trim or a trim to breed standard. The Andis 10” Steel Comb is my go-to comb for use on every animal on my table. This is the comb I use for my preliminary comb-out on all breeds. Without great prep, it doesn’t matter how artistic you are with your clippers and your scissors, it will be more difficult to get a great finish. A great prep includes the bath, drying and comb-out. I also use the Andis 10” comb to perfect my finish with a final comb through from the feet to the shoulders, combing against the grain of hair to help get a plushy finish. If you want to raise your bar on your scissoring, this comb is a game changer.
Final Touch-ups
Whether the spring rush brings out the extreme makeovers, the massive de-sheds, or an artistic flare with a personality trim or a trim to breed standard, I make sure my Andis Cordless Nail Grinder is always fully charged. Not only do I cut the nails, but I top off the nails with grinding to buff the edges and encourage the quick to move back toward the toe. This comes in handy when I am doing a spring extreme makeover because the nails are usually overgrown. This nail grinder allows me to get the nails as short as I can by grinding them after a quick trim. And for the well-maintained regular clients, it’s a great way to smooth out any sharp edges in case their four-legged friend is around small children or the elderly. Clients also like that it helps keep their hardwood floors from getting scratched. But most importantly, it promotes the nails to be maintained at a great length to keep the pet comfortable.
Today, we groomers are extremely fortunate to have innovative tools available that help us effectively and efficiently enhance the entire grooming process. Spring grooming may be one of our busiest seasons of the year, but with reliable tools, you can be sure to provide a safe and stylish cut for any furry client that walks through your door. Happy grooming!
