...and Back Again! Intergroom 2011

I think the second and third days flew by the quickest. Saturday was the perfect warm-up to the crazy insanity that was about to ensue!

Before things got too wild, my first class was all about reiki. I was expecting a presentation on pet massage, but it turned out to be a brief introduction to energy work. I do believe that there is some merit to reiki, but I just can't seem to get past the "new age" aspect of it. I believe that we are all one in the same and can influence things with the right techniques and materials, but I prefer to use methods that are grounded more in science. Guess I'm just a dork like that, haha.

After dragging boxes of shampoos back to the room, it was time for Scott Wasserman's presentation on the Kerry Blue Terrier. I'm not sure which I was more impressed with: the gorgeous trim he put on the dog, or the fact that she was ten years old!


The last class went a little slow for me. It was a presentation on Sporting breeds by Jodi Murphy and Diane Betelak. They covered every single sporting breed, and presented the sporting jacket and sporting saddle patterns at the tail end. The Power Point presentation was a little heavy; I was hoping to see more of how to set the patterns. It was a nice review though.

I met up with Sharon at the show's close. We went to dinner with other groomers she met, all of them friends of Dawn Omboy. The waiter at the Outback was a charmer, plus we got a free appetizer from the night before. A good start to an increasingly wild night...

Then came Chuck's alcohol-fueled dance party at the Holiday Inn! Dawn was already there, and was already drinking. So I decided, what the hell, and went straight for the cash bar. Got Kahlua? Nope. Got any amber beer? Nope. Jack and coke? Third time's the charm! I ran outside, glass in hand, saying, "You guys are really in trouble now, I'll be flying soon!" Then I told the story about how the night before I graduated grooming school, I had three of those bad boys. More drunken groomer stories emerged, and the party temporarily moved out into the hallway!

When we went into the conference room with the DJ, dance floor, and party lights, the tail end of rap was coming to an end. A little Bob Seeger and Cottoneyed Joe ushered in a storm of dancing groomers. Plus, it didn't hurt that most of us had just downed our drinks and were feeling happy! The air was filled with Madonna, Rick James, MJ, KC and the Sunshine Band, and other
party anthems throughout the night. Mostly, I just remember busting moves like no one's business, then bumping into Judge Joey in the hallway and announcing, "Hey! Judge Joey! I'm dancin' my ass off!" Drunk groomers are the best ;)

Even after the music stopped, we continued the party as we walked back to our respective rooms, calling each other awesome. As I said, drunk groomers are the best! It's almost surprising that all of us were able to function just fine on Monday, the final day already!

The day began on an extremely pleasant note. Hayley Keyes, president of IPG, gave a presentation on belligerent dogs. After the "experience" at Groom Expo, I was hesitant to take any class that was geared towards handling. However, Hayley used pressure points to help stabilize a biting Cocker Spaniel. Her handling was gentle and professional, the dog slowly relaxed: a true moment of zen. It was a surprise that I welcomed wholeheartedly. In fact, I went over to the IPG booth to personally thank her.

I ran into my trade show buddy Poodle. When I told him I'd be back, he walked over to someone else. Ah, I see how it is! ;)
Another Poodle held my attention near the Davis booth. Irena Pinkusevitch put on a demo about Poodle tricks. When she suggested using chunkers on the legs instead of shears, I knew that I was meant to have those shiny new Osters! ;)

Afterward, I ran into Judge Joey and asked him if he had any downtime. We were to meet up after my last class on the Bichon Frise, hosted by Vero DaSylva. She began the class by giving us a pep talk about entering the competition ring and how difficult it can get, because once you hit level three "everyone theenks you are beetch... and zey are right!"

Ooh la la... Bichon!

While the class was very helpful, it ended up running long. By the time it let out and I ran into Joey again, it was time to start breaking things down. He gave me a hug and apologized for not being able to talk. He definitely said it best: "Things are crazy!" Seems like every show I go to gets crazier and wilder. Guess that means I'm growing! Now I'll have to chase after him at Hershey ;)

After saying my goodbyes and making one more round through the booths, I couldn't help but feel a little sad. I'm never ready for when a trade show comes to an end. With one last look at the expo floor, which would soon be completely clear once again, I felt an intense burst of satisfaction; Intergroom 2011 was perhaps one of the most fun shows I've been to so far, and things are only looking up. Who knows what adventures are waiting for me?

As I was loading up the Puppy Waggin' with all of my new treasures, the radio was playing Frank Sinatra's New York New York. It was fitting, even though I didn't visit the city itself. I'm making a brand new start for myself in the world of grooming, and I'm going to make it! This show confirmed it. I'm not where I thought I'd be, but I'm right where I ought to be!

...and I couldn't help but feel a little teased when my GPS tried to take me through Hershey. Not until September!! ;D

There... Intergroom 2011!

Some things were never meant to last, especially the good ones. It seems like these things are here and gone by the time we turn around. Nonetheless, the memories that we make and the lessons we learn from them are lifelong. This year, Intergroom was no exception; bigger and better than last year, it was a weekend to remember!

Friday, after dropping Xavier off at the kennel, cruising the turnpike, and having some words with my GPS, I found myself gazing out the window of the seventh story of the Hampton Inn - the Meadowlands Expo Center was just in sight! Going through my lists, looking over my class schedule, wondering what kind of fun and wacky experiences I was about to embark on... there was no way I was sleeping easy!

The Meadowlands at night!

The sun rose early on Saturday morning and woke me up before my alarm clock. Even though I was still tired from the drive, my mind began to race. Day one was now in swing! Here we go!

After a short walk, I picked up my badge from the front desk and walked into my first classroom: Pet Profits with none other than Chuck Simons. Together with his friend Mark of DogsClickHere.com, he gave an informative speech about the ways to get your name out there, make yourself known, and have a strategy to retire with comfort. Right before he got started, he asked me how I was doing - all eyes were on me. I couldn't help but think, "Wow, I got public recognition from Chuck!" Hehe!

While in the class, I ran into my friend Sharon from Groom Expo last year. We headed over to the expo center's double doors, now thrown wide open. Frankie Brown sat in his rightful place, near the table of Wahl bags. We each grabbed one, walked in, and let the sensory overload begin! Products, tools, tables, and an array of miscellany as far as the eye could see with the competition ring in the center of it all - now THIS was a slice of heaven, baby!

It didn't take too long before I ran into another familiar face: Dawn Omboy was selling a bathing system! Ellen Ehrlich was a few booths away, and good ol' Jorge was with Forever Stainless. The show had barely begun and already I was catching up with so many friends. I continued to walk around and let myself be overwhelmed with nothing but goodies and pure bliss from every direction, all the while devising how I was going to be bad with my credit card!

My second class was extremely useful: "Other" Sporting Breeds with Anette Quick. Using a Bravura clipper, she put a stunning sporting jacket trim on a rather antsy English Springer Spaniel. In addition to becoming more confident with my pattern lines, I picked up some useful tips to help utilize my thinners to the fullest. Awesome!

Georgia the Springer and Anette

Back on the trade show floor, I discovered a booth that was selling Kenchii shears, including the new Flame series chunkers that I was eyeballing. Upon trying them, however, I decided that they didn't fit my hand just right. No worries - I'd just go to the Oster booth and get some of their chunkers. I was going to weigh the two out at Groom Expo this year anyway, now I'd just have them sooner!

The third class of the day - Geometrics in Canine Design - was full of useful tips, some of which weren't even relevant to the subject. Gotta love when those little gems pop up! Featuring the "Best of the Masters" Pam Lauritzen, Vero DaSylva, and Scott Wasserman, we all learned and laughed as they took little snipes at each other. It's great when you have a teacher with a sense of humor, but three at once was downright hilarious!

At last, the zero hour arrived: five o' clock began a slew of deals from vendors, and free alcohol on the trade show floor! I'm not kidding. At the Show Seasons booth, I ended up with a few extra colognes after being poured two blueberry cocktails. As for how they tasted, in my own words that made all the reps laugh: "This. Is. INCREDIBLE!"

I made a new trade show buddy at the Espree booth; a beautiful standard Poodle. He came right up to me, gave me a huge nuzzle, then tried to follow me! I assured him that I would be back to love on him some more.

At the Jarden/Oster booth, a gorgeous pair of chunkers sat on display, begging to be bought. I knew that I had to have them. Now here's where the twist comes in: it was buy one pair, get another free. I really didn't need another pair of standard shears... until I saw the 10" straights. And on top of that, I got the last pair! I wished I had a Poodle right then and there just to try them out on!

Swinging by the Tropiclean booth, I got some more colognes there too. Looks like I'm stocked up on smelly stuff for years to come, haha! I also ran into Judge Joey, and his wife! I asked him if we could get together sometime and talk dogs for a bit. So many questions needed answers! He said he had some downtime on Monday; I was excited to finally get some much needed information. As we parted ways for the evening, I asked him, holding up all my bags, "Hey, do you think I bought enough shit yet?" Haha!

After a few trips to several other booths, and many swipes of my credit card later (haha), it was already the end of day one. And of course walking back, I got caught in a sudden deluge of rain and wild winds. It's all because someone said, "Hey, the rain let up!" as soon as everyone walked outside. Go figure ;)

Bringing up to Speed...

I was just thinking the other day that I haven't written anything here in a good, long while. And I was right. It's almost as though I have a nasty case of writer's block, in which everything just kind of comes up at once and clogs my thought processes completely. Kind of hurts my head, really :P

Life continues to be fast-paced and sometimes intense. Xavier's lost some weight, and I've gained even more grooming know-how. Intergroom is but twelve days away - expect a full report!

Maybe afterward I'll figure out how I want to organize all the random crap that is cluttering my head and come up with a few good posts ;D

A Second Look at the Puppy Bowl

It's that time of year again. Game fans are gearing up with a bounty of snacks and cold ones, eagerly awaiting the day where they all gather around the TV. I'm talking, of course, about Animal Planet's Puppy Bowl! What else could there be? ;)

I have to say that I am a big fan. People are shocked when I tell them that I get a real kick out of watching puppies play for almost two hours. What the heck is so fascinating about puppies playing, anyway?

There's plenty, especially if you're interested in canine body language. In addition to some instances of utter cuteness, as well as the occasional sight gag from Animal Planet (who could forget the streaking Chinese Crested?), Puppy Bowl is a gold mine for students of the dog. Of course, the best way to learn from this event is to have a text nearby or at least read, such as Roger Abrante's Dog Language or Brenda Aloff's Canine Body Language; both are excellent reference materials that I would recommend to anyone in a heartbeat. Once you know what to look for, you begin to see this puppy playtime as a giant social experiment and experience for them: what happens when I do this? What happens when I do that? That puppy is doing that, I'm going to try that too! Oops, shouldn't have done that. Oh well, what's that? The subtle cues dogs give each other--every lift of the eyebrow, tail tilt, or body shift--suddenly jump out at you, and you are now learning along with the puppies. Talk about a trip! How can you not get excited for Puppy Bowl now?

Yes, it's a great learning experience for we the students. The puppies are the ultimate beneficiaries, though. Every year when I watch the Puppy Bowl, I can't help but think that a whole handful of pups is going into the world with better social skills that most dogs severely lack, and will most likely never see. I think of all the "cute" dogs who were bought as a fashion accessory or a cuddly toy and will grow up terrified because they missed out on the critical socialization period in puppyhood. No, Puppy Bowl won't guarantee a perfect pup, but it will certainly get them started in the right direction.

I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm rooting for the Nordic puppies this year!

Year of the Pet Groomer

I remember about this time last year, when everyone on Petgroomer.com declared 2010 to be the Year of the Pet Groomer. Fresh out of school, I felt that I could get in on the revelry; my foot was pretty far in the door, or so I thought. Now, I feel like more of a groomer than ever before.

I keep portfolios of dogs that come into my care. The earliest shelter dogs and the ones from school have one of their own. 2010's is just over two inches thick! I just finished tallying up all the different breeds and trim styles, and these are the results:

Total entries: 409
Multiple appearances: 63
Natural styled: 30
Silhouette tidy: 53
Coat strip: 108
Sporting: 132
Sporting jacket: 27
Scruffy jacket: 1
Square terrier: 26
Short-legged terrier: 8
Lion: 9
Bolero: 2
German: 5
Miami: 3
T-clip: 2
Desi: 1

Considering that these are just the dogs that I put in the portfolio, it's no wonder that I feel like I've worked harder in the past year than any before! In addition to learning the correct patterns, I've developed a fine eye for detail and the dexterity for style! THIS is grooming, baby!

So then, if 2010 was the Year of the Pet Groomer, what outstanding adventures will 2011 hold? Happy New Year everyone!

The Bare Mechanics of Training

NOTE: I do not claim to be a professional ethologist or behaviorist by writing this blog. The following information is an accumulation of material from various authors I've studied since 2007. The list includes, but is not limited to: Dr. Ian Dunbar, Patricia McConnell Ph.D, Nicole Wilde, Jean Donaldson, Karen Pryor, Victoria Stilwell, Brenda Aloff, Turid Rugaas, Paul Owens.

I've been wanting to do a blog on behavior and training for some time now. Finally I feel I have enough information and experiences to work with. However, I realize that there are plenty of different views--some of which are terribly skewed--on the different terms. So, I decided to do this little write-up and put it at every header of all future training posts. Now we can all be on the same page! I realize that this is a re-hash of everything I've studied, but it amazes me how many people get their terms mixed up. So here it is in clear and simple print.

In my experiences, there are four forces that are constantly at work when teaching and training, even if we don't realize it: positive, negative, reinforcement, and punishment. It's common to associate "positive" and "reinforcement" with only things that are good, while tying "negative" and "punishment" to only things that are bad. When dealing with training, it's best to view these items through a psychologist's eyes.

Positive (+): adding
Negative (-): removing
Reinforcement (R): something intended to increase the frequency of a behavior
Punishment(P): something intended to decrease the frequency of a behavior

Now these can be combined into four basic mechanics:

Positive reinforcement (+R): adding something intended to increase the frequency of a behavior
Example: Dog gives paw on cue. Gets a treat.
Positive punishment(+P): adding something intended to decrease the frequency of a behavior
Example: Dog barks. Gets a zap from a shock collar.
Negative reinforcement(-R): removing something in order to increase the frequency of a behavior
Example: Dog stops pulling on lead. Tightness of the collar subsides.
Negative punishment(-P): removing something in order to decrease the frequency of a behavior
Example: Dog is playing tug and his teeth catch your hand. The game is over.

Note that when I define reinforcement and punishment, I use the word intended. In order for either one to work, the "something" must be effective. Example: if you ask my dog Xavier for a series of complex behaviors and you have a big broccoli in your hand, you will get snubbed--he hates broccoli! If you have a little sliver of chicken, you've won his heart and he's ready to impress you!

More often than not, the mechanics work closely together. Someone who says that they never use punishment, in actuality, has used it in some form. If you've ever taken your dog back inside for being too noisy, that's (-P); you've removed the dog himself from something--being outside--in order to cease his carrying on. Before you go thinking that you're a horrible person for having done so, let me point out that not all punishment needs to be brutally aversive; by the same token, not all rewards need to be the equivalent of hitting the jackpot lotto. Again, it simply must be effective.

One more point I'd like to touch on for now: the mechanics need not be only physical. Not all (+P) consists of giving the dog an uncomfortable feeling, nor does (+R) have to be about stuffing the dog full of treats. Dogs are very sensitive to our vocal tones. One good displeased "Ah!" sends out a clear message: I don't like what you did there! Also, a happy "Good dog!" is an excellent example of (+R) because, let's face it, dogs aim to please.

In the coming articles I'll be talking about types of training, the power of (P), and other things - stay tuned!!

Tribute to Zebee, the Toughest Maltese!

I haven't been in the business of grooming for too long, but I've already experienced client loss, something no groomer looks forward to. My first was sweet old Trevor, the donut Pomeranian. Then, one of our Yorkie clients, Miss Emma, developed cancer rapidly. Now, a third name is added to the list: Zebee, the toughest Maltese.

Last June, I stopped in Nancy's shop, hoping to learn a few pointers before heading off to school. On the table was a tiny white body, curled up comfortably on a towel. Zebee's eyes met mine and I knew that this was no average dog. Three years ago, he injured his back and became partially paralyzed. Even at the age of twelve, his eyes glowed like a puppy's. Nancy said he was on borrowed time, and wouldn't be with us much longer.

After school, when I got the job with Nancy, I was surprised to see Hunter in the shop with his brother Zebee. Although there weren't any improvements in his health, Zebee was still as spunky as ever. He sang a song in the tub and tried to stand on his own. We put him in a sling and watched in amazement as he tried to stand on all four legs, if only for a short while. Zebee's mom said that he still got around the house without assistance, which amazed us even more.

The months passed by and Zebee's frail body grew weaker. His will to live was unbroken, and you could see it in his eyes. I thought for sure that at one point, Zebee would not be back for another groom. Tuesday, he returned with his brother for the final time. He had his song in the tub and was very alert. Suddenly, he collapsed. We thought for sure he had died right there in the shop, until he showed signs of fading consciousness. Although his body gave out, Zebee's will remained. His last moments of life were spent with his mom and brother. It was decided that it was in Zebee's best interest that he be put to sleep.

None of us knew for certain what became of him after they left. Jo had a hard feeling in her throat, I felt dizzy, and the shop was, in general, much quieter. Nancy confirmed that Zebee was no longer with us. Although my dizzy spells subsided, I was filled with sadness for having lost the tough little Maltese.

Then, I realized that this was not the time to grieve for Zebee. There were other dogs at the shop who still needed tended to; I had to be strong for them. It occurred to me that I had to have the strength of Zebee to get through the rest of my day's grooms, and suddenly I was inspired. All of the dogs went out looking great, and afterward we all remarked about how incredible it was for Zebee to hold on as long as he did, even when things looked bleak.

In my younger days, I questioned the nature of the social animal. Why form bonds when ultimately, they will one day be broken? Among other things, these ever-important bonds lead to our own personal improvement, whether it is shared between friends of the two-legged or four-legged variety. It isn't always easy to stand in the face of adversity, but this little Maltese did it on a daily basis. I'm glad to have known Zebee, and I wish to share in his strength.

It's never really goodbye; there will always be another dog show.
See you on the other side Zeb!