EXCITING TOPICS
SATURDAY
TOPICS
Avant Guard Behavior ModSponsored by ABKA
Gary Wilkes
If you’ve ever heard that cliche, “thinking outside the box,” this class is for you. For instance, have you
ever considered giving a dog a treat when it barks... to get it to stop barking? Do you know how to
teach a dog to sit, “over there.” Can you get a dog to give a “high 5” but can’t teach a dog to ring a bell to
let you know he needs to go potty? If these topics sound sufficiently odd to grab your attention, this class will examine some of the not-so-common
sense that can open up possibilities for your dog’s training program.
Camouflage Grooming...
How to Hide Faults and Fix Uh-ohs!
Teri DiMarino
As much as we all love our dogs, we must realize there are no perfect pets. Understanding correct canine structure and the beast beneath
the hair will increase our ability to deal with certain difficulties we may encounter in our grooming. Teri will show how to achieve the edge that makes your grooming just a bit better
than the salon down the street. Knowing proper body construction of the dog helps make the grooming job easier and the finished groom look
better. Make crooked legs appear straight, long bodies appear shorter and short necks appear longer. Give the owner the “show dog” appearance
they’ve always wanted.
From Salon to Mobile
Pam Julian
Are you tired of the rat race pace of a salon, clients coming and going at hours they set, scheduling issues, feast or famine? Do you have the ability to work alone? Then lets go
mobile! Let Pam share some of the things she has encountered while doing the change from salon to mobile. The options are unlimited for
the groomer that is motivated. Choosing your style of vehicle or trailer, safety issues, insurance,
marketing your mobile business, scheduling clients, switching your shop clients to mobile, and the all important pricing your service.
Grooming By Coat Type
John and Vivian Nash
John and Vivian have created the first, one of a kind on-line grooming reference. With a click of a mouse, you can nd everything you need to
know about how to properly prep, bath, dry, brush and finish the various AKC breeds by coat types. Be one of the first to see how you can raise your standard of grooming along with your salon team by utilizing this revolutionary reference.
Making Money On The Big Dogs
(Golden Retriever Demo)
Jay Scruggs Sponsored by Wahl
This is definitely a breed we see a lot of in our shops. Jay will teach you how to make money on these large breeds. To him a Golden isn’t just a “bath dog”, it’s a full groom. Jay will teach you how to make those large breed feet look more natural. Jay will also show new carding and de-shedding techniques that will benefit the coat
and texture and help eliminate a lot of shedding. He will discuss different products to use on these big hairy dogs that will help the coat dry faster
and lay flatter after the bath. How to cut your drying time on large breeds and proper prep work will be discussed.
No Bad Dogs
Joan Hoskin
“Why do I get all the bad dogs?” If you have ever said this or heard the comment from an employee or co-worker, this presentation is for
you. Working in a vet clinic, boarding kennel, pet store and several grooming salons, Joan has developed a style of grooming that has kept her and the dogs she works with relaxed, calm and happy for over thirty years. With humor and a little common sense, Joan will show you how, with proper equipment, handling techniques and the right attitude that you too can create a work place where all dogs are “good”.
Safe Handling Techniques
Sponsored by ABKA
Gary Wilkes
The next time you have to groom or examine a dog, lift his or her flews and look above the gum line. In many cases, you’ll see the Fiskar’s logo right by those lovely, ivory colored teeth. Yes, those smooth, slightly-curved teeth are designed to dismember joints and tear through muscle, cartilage and tendons. In the final
analysis, the idea is to make the critter hold still so you can perform nasty, tedious and painful things in an oh-so-loving manner – for fun and profit. Veterinary exams and grooming sessions separate fantasy from reality pretty darn quick.This presentation will examine ways to keep those pearly whites from contacting your thin,
easily sliced skin and keeping your blood supply on the inside, where it belongs.
Small Scale Retail
Audrey Ulrich
You don’t need much space to run a successful boutique within your salon. Learn how to put together a great retail area in less than100 square feet. Retailing not only puts extra
money in your pocket, it also adds value to your customer service and builds loyal clientele. Free product samples will be given to attendees.
Successful Scissoring Techniques
Jay Scruggs Sponsored by Wahl
Are you having a difficult time trying to get a smooth finish on your dogs without spending a lot of extra time? In this seminar, Jay will demonstrate proper body positioning to get
the best control of your shears. How to choose a shear that best fits your hand is key to balancing a shear for smooth scissor work. Jay will show you simple tips and tricks to help improve the quality of the finish on all breeds. In this seminar blade
type, handle, sizes, and quality of steel will be discussed. Whether you are a beginner or expert this seminar will benefit the most advanced. Jay
will demonstrate how to eliminate that bounce in your shear.
Taking the Dog-Eat-Dog
Out of Play Groups
Sponsored by ABKA
Gary Wilkes
Regardless of breed, dogs are descended from nasty, violent predators. Their direct ancestors,
wolves, live violent, short lives and usually die under the hooves or horns of their prey or the fangs of their own family. Hey, I’ve got an idea! Let’s take these descendents of dangerous beasts and cram lots of them in a small area and charge money for the service...and that’s how doggie
day care, dog parks and canine play groups were born. If this intro seems to ooze danger, relax. Surprisingly, most dogs actually do get along
well with each other. Obviously they don’t all get along with each other — and that’s the purpose of this presentation. In the world of doggie day care, play groups and dog parks, knowing which ones can “get along” is the difference between a Christmas bonus and paying vet bills. Learning
to identify incompatible pups is the first step in providing some balance in this potentially chaotic service. Sit back and learn some doggie body language, warning signs of aggression
and some thoughts on an inherently unstable practice that pleases millions of dogs every year.
The Giving Groomer
Audrey Ulrich
Giving of yourself generously is one of the key ingredients to happiness. Turn your passion into a cause and unleash creativity and fulfillment in your life. This seminar will show you exciting ways to incorporate generous giving into your career. Your clients, your dogs and your life will thank you.
SUNDAY
TOPICS
Understanding Breed ProfilesJohn and Vivian Nash
John and Vivian pull it all together by
categorizing the various coat types and body types to make creating proper breed profiles easy. See how you and everyone in your salon
can be experts at creating beautiful and proper profiles.
Cat Grooming Made Easy!
Marea Tully
Is it a CAT-astrophe when you put clipper to feline in your grooming salon? Do you think the words EASY and CATS should not reside in any
grooming program? Well, Marea thinks differently. “I firmly believe that cat grooming should be done by cat-lovers,” says Marea. Now, if you
have passed that first step to “feline finessing” then join Marea for tips on handling, nail clipping, carding, trimming and bathing techniques.
Cat grooming could just turn out to be a great income source for you.
Great Grooming On
Drop Coated Breeds
Jay Scruggs Sponsored by Wahl
We see more drop coats in our shop than almost any other coat type. Each drop coat has a different texture. No more using scissors on a drop coat. In this demonstration Jay will show
how to get a more natural look by using snap on combs and thinning shears. Whether you groom
Lhasa’s, Maltese, Yorkies, Shih-tzu’s, this demo will help you achieve better results with the use of new tools and the right pair of thinners. Jay will discuss how thinning shears help a groomer as a key part of our toolbox. He will discuss what type of thinning shear to use on what coat type.
This pet trim will be short yet stylish, while still leaving a natural finish.
Grooming the Geriatric Pet
Teri DiMarino
The years have not been kind to your client. What was once a bouncing, friendly, face-licking furball
has turned into a fragile, senile curmudgeon with breath that could stop a train. His arthritis has him
in almost constant pain and all he wants is to be left alone. But his hair still grows and the owner will trust him with no one else, as you’ve been grooming him since he was a puppy. As the owner and operator of a salon in South Florida, Teri specialized
in the geriatric pet (AND owner) and became adept in handling situations unique to this type of client. She will examine handling techniques to avoid the anxiety often associated with the older pet and help you recognize and deal with health related problems and the owner’s denial of their pet’s age
and condition.
Mixed Breed Makeovers
Jay Scruggs Sponsored by Wahl
Jay will teach different thinning and blending techniques to achieve a natural looking finish on the mix-breed. This demo will focus on adding
personality to an average looking dog. “I will show how to balance the head in with the rest of the body. Also how to set the length in with clippers to cut out a lot of thinning and scissoring.
This will help save time with the finishing process,” says Jay.
Retail Magic... Merchandising And
Selling In Your Pet Care Facility
Teri Di Marino
Turn your grooming clientele into a buying clientele. Proper selection and presentation of products can make or break a sale and attractive, properly maintained displays will almost always
sell product themselves. How you keep your salon tells a customer what you think of your business. Some good salon retail areas, as well as some bad ones, will be examined, detailed and discussed in this presentation.
Time Saving Tips
Pam Julian
“How many dogs can you do?” That’s what many employers want to know and as a shop owner every dog in expands the profit margin. But where do you draw the line between the
best you can produce and just good enough? Let me show you how to organize your work space and optimize your speed while grooming. Using simple techniques with color, shape and size, easy to do time tracking and little tricks of speed
grooming, anyone can save ten minutes a dog, with six dogs a day, that’s sixty minutes! What would you do with an extra hour?
Web Building For Dummies
Pam Julian
Domain Names, Who Is, Meta Tags, Search Engines, Mobi ...Oh MY! This is the wave of the future but like me so many groomers are actually computer challenged. Let me show you how to use this kind of advertising medium for today’s fast paced computer and mobi-using consumer with easy web-building resources supplied by many hosting companies. How to catch and grab the viewer’s attention. Colors that mix and match, photography and how it can be positive or negative for the viewer. Build a website and place it to best advantage on the World Wide Web.