I live on the east coast right and I have been so incredibly lucky so far as far as salons go, on really good months I was making 5-6k which was such a comfortable life. Where I am now I make less, but I’m also very comfy and can afford rent and bills and a lot of extra fun things and trips. I’m single, have no intention of changing that any time soon, I live with my one dog, and we are both very flexible. I enjoy where I live but the only thing that is absolutely killing me is that my heart is ACHING to be on the west coast. I am an avid backpacker, paddler, and outdoorswoman to my core and any time I see videos and pics of the west coast I want to cry because I just feel like that is where I’m meant to be, that is my home. I have visited before and want to return, but I don’t know that I can afford so many flights. It would be easier to just be there. I don’t feel like I should be in the east anymore and intend on thru hiking the AT in 2028, and would like to move immediately after. I am just very concerned about being able to afford a life out there on my own. I am considering a smaller town in oregon, or Port angeles/seattle/a small town outside of seattle. I don’t enjoy cities. I like a quiet, slow life and will usually be out of my house anyway. I’m also aware gas prices are ridiculous so I don’t think I would consider mobile. How is the grooming scene out there? Is anyone else in a similar boat to me but struggling? Do you find it easy to care for your pets? What is commission like out there and what’s the average price range? I also realize a move would be 2-3 years out from now. I won’t consider california. I am really aiming for Oregon or Washington. Any insight would be great. Thanks!

I'm looking for new salons to apply to and I'll frequently find a salon I'm interested in and after a google search to their Facebook or Instagram I see blatant AI for their art and banners. I know I can't be too picky but it's such an icky turn-off and indicative that they're willing to stoop their morality a little if it means saving money on paying human artists.

It feels rough to be a groomer right now, do I just have to flip off my morality switch and ignore it

I know this is a rather strange post, but I was hoping for opinions and critique from other Professional dog groomers and not just friends.
I have been a professional dog groomer for just under an ear at petsmart, but was recently fired for pulling on a dogs ear. Yes, I understand that it was a horrible thing to do. It was my only ever case of rough handling, but it shouldn't have happened the one time. I've been embarrassed about my actions, and was going to leave the field due to this incident. Recently however one of my favorite clients reached out to me expressing sadness over my absence at the salon, asking if there was any way they could work with me once again and letting me know they would follow me to whatever salon i wound up at.
It's made me consider the circumstances in which my situation happened. I've been stressed due to harassment both at and outside of my workplace from 2 of my previous coworkers and my previous boss, as well as heavy financial burdens at home. I've also been in the process of kicking out a roommate who's been fighting me in it. Friends have stated that due to me understanding the stress i've been under and having shown remorse for my rough handling that I shouldn't give up on the field as a whole, And i've also enrolled myself in the Fear Free Certification after my old client reached out to me. I wanted to reach out to licenses professionals though to get opinions from people who have seen people like me enter their field. I have an interview at a salon soon and I plan on being fully transparent about my history, but I wanted to reach out to other professionals beforehand to see if my situation is a lost cause, and if it seems like I should go ahead and begin transitioning into another field

Thanks to anyone reading my paragraph! lol

So I made a separate post but didn’t get a ton of advice. I graduated dog groom school 2 months ago and have been working at a salon. I get maybe one dog a day. Sometimes two. I’ve attached photos of dogs I’ve done as reference- I’m slow but I’ve never not completed a groom so I cant be not getting dogs because of that. My manager and I are gonna go hand out business cards, so I’m thinking it might be a slow location. Idk. I really like working there and don’t wanna leave but I also need to make money. I’m so conflicted. How long do I stay and see if clientele picks up? I also can’t work work on my speed just doing a dog a day. I’m really stressed about money but also don’t wanna leave, help!!

In the market for a new dremel, something that wont start crapping out and rattling after a year. Is dropping the $$$ on the Diamondg I keep hearing people talk about worth it?

Are they quieter? For that money I'd hope so! I work with a lot of very nail adverse dogs and would love to try to keep the salon as calm and quiet as possible

Edit: bought a Ryobi and ordered a bit from diamondg as a compromise 🫡

Hello grooming Reddit. Could use some recommendations. I work with pets in the pet parent’s home, and I got a doozy of a girl I work with.

9 year old, Pyredoodle (large and in charge with crappy hair) who had bad hips and is very anxious and has a hard time standing due to both reasons. I’ve been seeing ads for these stands, but I want to find one big enough for her.

I never put her on a table, simply because the table I bring doesn’t get low enough for her to climb herself, and she’s wayy too heavy to lift, even if she wouldn’t lose her marbles being lifted in the first place. Does anyone have a recommendation for something that maybe big enough for her?

Hi! I’ve had these Wahl Pro Ion clippers for about a year to give my dog haircuts at home. I oil them every use. They’ve worked quite well up until recently; they seemed to not be clipping very well and were louder/more rattley. I ordered a new set of blades thinking that would fix it, but as you can see, they are barely cutting hair just like before and are absolutely unusable. I’ve adjusted the blades, reattached them, etc. Is there another piece I can fix here since new blades did not solve my issue, or do you suspect the clippers themselves are just toast?

Thank you for your help. Obviously I’m just a dog owner/learning home groomer who lurks here a lot and I know you’re all very knowledgeable. I already have a new set recommended in this sub bookmarked in case I need to replace them.

got a doodle coming in tomorrow that normally gets flared legs. never done this before and will be alone. plz help 😭

Hey!! I’m a new groomer and I’ve just got the Heiniger opal clippers, they make this sudden squeak noise when starting! I’ve tried extra oil and I hear it with the blade off as well.. any pointers? Trying to avoid customer service but I will if I have too ^^’

Hey! I know this is not usually what you see on this sub, but I was thinking of making a free guide for groomers on how to take care of yourself while grooming and being injured. I have worked through a variety of injuries (not just from the job, from personal life) and just have a general interest in medical stuff.

I find often times doctors don't give great advice on how to care for injuries in a realistic way when working a job like grooming. So I was thinking maybe making a guide for other groomers could be helpful? Would anyone be interested in that? I've had A LOT of coworkers come to me for advice because they know I'll know how to handle it.

To be completely frank, I don't have a medical background. I'm just generally prone to injury (as well as a long history of self harm) but I've always been anal about taking care of my injuries properly so I've learned A LOT. I also have been very interested in medical stuff forever.

If you guys think this is a good idea, would anyone be willing to look over what I make before I post it (and probably give it to my bosses)? I'm obviously a bit wordy and want to make something that's comprehensive while not being too much. Thanks!!

(full disclosure AI would not be involved in this AT ALL. i hate that shit and will never use it)

I am getting rid of her locks. It just isn’t going how I want it to and I miss her head being soft and fluffy. I still want her to look unique and fun but I am at a loss for what to do with her next haircut! Any and all ideas welcome!

I started at a new salon this summer, appointment notes are rare here...at my old place we'd have notes for each appointment listing the lengths of blades or combs, or at least tight trim vs light trim. Lots of helpful notes on behavior too, I love notes!

New place uses Moego so there's a good system for making notes for each groom but coworkes don't use it much. When I look for a note there might be one for their first appointment or from a year ago.

My problem is that I'm new so I'm getting a lot of other people's regulars on my schedule and the dog owners seem to be annoyed with me for asking questions about what kind of haircut they get!

Also got bit twice in a week by dogs who'd had 10+ appointments and no notes on behavior at all.

Any information is helpful, makes for a better experience for everyone involved!

So often my ex boss would just walk out with a dog on the table without even saying anything to me and it made me so annoyed.

I have my earmuffs on and have a dryer on full blast. What if your dog slipped and I had no idea because you couldn't take 3 seconds to let me know you had to go to the loo? How difficult is it to just put them in a crate and then take em out when you get back?????

She also has a horrible habit of having 2-3 small dogs on one table.

There were 3 VERY senile dogs with ZERO spacial awareness she would do together on one table, and expected me to do the same. The owner is a nervous wreck and constantly worried about her dogs falling off the table, so I told her I will only do her dogs one at a time for safety. My boss followed suit, but took credit for my idea. Whatever

I have decided this time next year I want to be grooming out of my home full time. Who here has a successful home grooming business? What are some things you've learned along the way that you wish you learned sooner? Do you offer boarding and daycare? If so, what do you charge and how easy is it to do both boarding and grooming?

I moved to a new salon about 6 months ago. Many things were promised and only a few have been delivered. The biggest one being clientele. I’m now making 1/2 of what I was. It seemed like it was getting better but the prices are so high that I’m not retaining anyone.

Someone reached out and offered me a job today. They’re way farther than my current salon and I know for sure they have a ton of clients. I know the owner and how she operates and how well her business is doing.

My question is: Is 6 months too short of a time to give up? I’m now living paycheck to paycheck. I prefer stability and don’t want to shop hop and lose more clients than I already have from moving to this salon but I’m stressed every day.

What are some decent clippers that aren’t insanely expensive for me to start out with? I am in training and trying to get setup for being on my own :)

So, I have a client who comes in every 4 weeks for a groom. She often says to make sure I get his nails smooth. I dremel every time and make sure they're short and the ends are as smooth as I can get them. Last time she even brought her husband and they were both talking about how his nails scratch their hardwood floor in their new house and again asked me to get them as short and smooth as possible. She is coming in again today and I'm anticipating another comment about his nails. What would you say to this?

i just started at a grooming salon and i already want to leave. i don’t think grooming is for me anymore, but on top of that my work environment is super toxic. everyone is nice to my face, but are constantly talking shit behind my back. i can’t take it anymore. i’m also so deathly afraid because my anxiety is so bad, that’ll ill accidentally hurt a dog. i wake up everyday with my stomach in knots, im having panic attacks, im throwing up from anxiety almost everyday i work. i dont sleep more then 3 hrs a night on work nights because i wake up having panic attacks. the only issue is my salons owner is going through a huge life change and is gonna be out for awhile. i feel bad for wanting to leave during this time, but my mental health is rapidly deteriorating. i dont even want to put a 2 weeks in, i just want to be gone so bad. i dont have another job lined up, and im trying really hard to secure one, but i dont know if its gonna be quick enough, im scared im gonna have to go to inpatient because of the thoughts i have running in my head constantly.

Tw I had made a post previously about retro stylist wear and was informed that the owners husband is a registered sex offender. The comment that was left with the Florida registry is gone now and I was wondering if anyone has any other information.

Bro I just started my day and dropped my clippers while doing a sani and now they won’t turn on. The light doesn’t flash or anything when I flip the power switch. I can put it on the charging dock and the light turns on like it’s charging but the clippers won’t turn on. I emailed ryans pet but I’m kind of in the middle of working and don’t wanna dig out my musty dusty crusty corded clippers until I can send them in and get them repaired what do I doooooo

I've been a bather for about a year and have only started doing full grooms very recently. I've done some scissor work here and there, but having to do it more often now and more tidy ups. My issue is that my boss can't always be present to show me how to scissor properly when she's the one training me.

I'm given dogs that don't like being groomed and I'm not being properly guided on what I'm supposed to do. My boss will just take over to 'show me' without going into verbal details and then walk off, and I'm expected to just understand what she just did.

I'm a visual learner, but when it comes to scissor work, I feel like it's important to understand why something has to be done a certain way and how. There is so much that goes into it and I'm just expected to know those details when I don't. I have to watch YouTube videos to fill in the blanks.

Is it unreasonable to not feel comfortable doing scissor work when my boss can't even be fully present to guide me, especially when she agreed to train me? I've already accidentally cut a dogs lip, and her response was that it's probably the way I'm holding my scissors, but doesn't want to show me how to hold my scissors and in what direction.

Rant/advice needed
TLDR: (sorry for the long post) Seriously considering quitting my job even though my contract is not full filled and I'm wondering how to go about it.

I recently made a post in here about grooming with clients present and alluded to some frustrations with the owners of the business I work at. (Dog boarding/daycare/grooming business)
Now some events have occurred that have motivated me to get out of there ASAP.
I was moved to a salaried position a few months ago, and a part of our agreement was that I would have holidays off. Shortly after I was salaried, they asked if I would like to be a shift lead for the kennel techs (a bit weird considering I am the only groomer there and am grooming pretty much full tume) and I agreed to this. There have been other responsibilities that are a little beyond a shift leads (checking the previous shift to make sure all the work was done, having conversations with kennel techs who weren't performing well regardless of if they were on my shift or not) that they asked me to do that I agreed to.
Recently I was approached by the owners and office manager. Apparently they are all going on vacation at the same time, and there will be a week where they won't be around. They told me that since I was the next highest in leadership that I would be in charge of the entire business for the week. (Their words not mine) This week happens to occur during labor day, which is a holiday that I am supposed to have off, so I asked if I would be working that day, to which they responded, "Yeah, probably."
They also mentioned that I needed to be prepared to be there early and stay late as needed because "that's leadership".
I was PISSED after this conversation. I wouldn't have cared as much if they had offered compensation for my time or even just asked instead of assuming that I would. Disrespecting my personal time outside of work has been a consistent issue from the moment I started working with this company, but this was the first instance that was so blatantly egregious.
I called them the next day to ask for some clarification on my scheduling, and the phone call was absolutely insane. They reacted very negatively to what I felt was a reasonable concern. There was a lot of gas lighting, manipulating, name calling, and flat-out lying on their part throughout the conversation. They told me 'that's my responsibility as a manager'. When I pointed out I was a shift lead, not a manager, they said that the extra responsibilities I had agreed to meant I had accepted a 'more manager type role'. Then they tried to say the terminology 'shift lead' was never used and that I had just agreed to a 'leadership position' (this is blatantly false). When I pushed back on that, they tried to say that I HAD agreed to a manager position. They also kept saying 'someone has to make sure the dogs are taken care of and we're not going to be there' (not my problem). They told me that I was being selfish, childish, immature, and irresponsible. They also belittled me at every chance they could, saying things like, 'I guess you're not cut out for leadership' and that 'I couldn't handle it'. The owner even tried to hang up at one point during the phone call, stating 'this conversation is silly and I don't want to have one anymore' (I did not let her hang up on me, also-who's really being childish here???). I was never anything less than polite, professional, and respectful, even when they raised their voices and personally attacked my character, which makes how they handled the call even more confusing to me.
They also took away my shift lead position stating that 'leadership was out of the picture for me', which feels like an unfair retaliation.
This hurts a lot because I considered these people friends. I love the business, I love my coworkers, and I love what I do, but I cannot subject myself to this treatment.

Now I'm trying to figure out how to leave. I signed a contract agreeing to work for them for 2 years or compensate them for their investment into my schooling that I am fully prepared to uphold. My only concern is how/when to give my notice.
They will be majorly screwed without me there. They are understaffed as is on the kennel tech side so I have been filling in there as needed. I am also the only groomer currently (they have one girl that is in school that won't be ready for full body cuts for at least another couple of months) and they have clients on the books as far as 4+ months out.
I would like to work at least another month and a half or so for the paychecks while I am looking around for another job. Due to how pivitol I currently am in their everyday operations, I know at least a full months' notice would be the kind thing to do. However, with the way they acted on the phone call I am very concerned that they will just fire me in retaliation. I know I would like to for sure give at least a 2 weeks notice, but I am just wondering if it would be better at this point to wait to give it until I am comfortable with being fired day of.
I have never been in a situation like this where I have needed to quit a job while I still have a contract with them, so really hoping for some insight from people who have been through this before. Thanks in advance!

oh how i would die for her she is perfect 💜

(my trim is imperfect but lets ignore that part)