Small Dog Carriers - De-stress Your Dog Grooming Salon
Author: Jill Florio
Published on: July 2, 2005
Those of us who are groomers are aware
of what a stressful job grooming can be. Dogs can be barking,
the phone can be ringing, people are walking in to ask about
prices and schedules...and all the while the clock is ticking
on the pets you are supposed to finish by the grooming deadline.
While you can't control everything in
the salon (no matter how much you try!) you can budget a
bit of your time and effort to making the stress less of
an issue.
Here are some ideas to engage your senses.
The Phone - try to have a ring that doesn't
set your teeth on edge, and a message that assures people
you WILL get back to them quickly. While you don't exactly
want to answer the phone when you have your hands full
of soapy wet dog, or even dog pee, your client doesn't
understand when you don't answer the phone. They assume
the worst - that you are unprofessional. Make sure your
message assures them you ARE around and that you WILL
be in touch within the half hour - about as long as clients
are willing to wait.
Soft Music - If you are like me, you
don't like that soft rock/musak/easy listening stuff that
reminds you of growing old. But grunge, alternative or
even retro oldies won't impress the customers. What to
play?
Good music to groom by includes interesting but not boring
ideas like Spanish Classical Guitar; Piano Concertos by
Mozart or Bach; crooner music from the 1920s-40 (think
about the soundtrack to "When Harry Met Sally");
the soundtrack to movies like Gladiator, Star Wars, The
Fifth Element, or whatver movies you dig; some of the
milder, more relaxing salsa sounds; Italian Opera (La
Boheme is great); or ethnic tunes from many countries
- like Australian Maori music, US Native American, Greek
classics or other World Beat sounds. Be creative. I recommend
checking out the world-wide musical selections on Amazon.com.
Scents - It's up to you whether to use
candles, aromatherapy, sage smudges, incense or potpourri...but
find something you enjoy that makes you feel calm and
at ease.
Stay hydrated and fed. If you aren't
cranky, you will be better able to put on your smiley
face for customers, even if you have just been bit, pooped
on, and are running three dogs late!
Note - if you are calmer, your doggie
clients will certainly pick up on that and be better behaved
as well. The nice music and soothing scents won't just
help YOUR well-being, but will also create a soothing
stage for their "spa day out" as well.