What Keeps Us From Modernizing? Ep178

ep178-what-keeps-us-from-modernizing: Episode 1 78 This week we're talking about what keeps us from modernizing. Everybody wants to be more modern. What is the drawback? What's holding us back as a grooming industry, as a training industry? What keeps us from modernizing? That's what we're talking about this week. I'm Chrissy Neumyer Smith, and this is the Creating Great Grooming Dog Show.

I'm a master groomer behavior specialist, a certified professional groomer, a certified professional dog trainer, a certified behavior consultant for canines. I teach at Whole Pet Grooming Academy and I am the owner of Happy Critters in Nashua, New Hampshire. And this my friends and colleagues, is the show where grooming and training meet.

So I want to start off this week by really talking about the fact that we are in a new year. I know it's February right now, February of 2023 as I'm recording this. But as I got into the New Year's resolution and mindsets and, you know, new Year's resolutions, I started thinking we are nearly a quarter of the way into the 21st century.

And yet, and yet the dog grooming industry is still really clinging to a lot of stuff that we did back in the 19 hundreds. Everybody take a deep breath. Yeah. Stuff that we did in the 19 hundreds. Stuff that some of us have been for decades now doing differently. And it's not that we're not awesome people, it's not that the grooming industry isn't interested, it's that so many people in the grooming industry don't know about more modern approaches.

And that's really the key because I think that if I present it as, Hey, here's a modern approach and here's some ways we can make this. Better. It becomes a little bit more apparent. And time and time again, I've found groomers who thought they didn't want to do it, then go, oh no, that makes some sense to me now.

So let's talk about some of those things. First off, I think that one of the bigger things that I see over and over and over again is, um, this I idea that, well, I was taught this way, this is the way I was taught. And I get that, you know, like, yeah, you're gonna clinging to the way you were taught to do something.

I do it too. However, just like anything else, there's gonna become a time when you're like, but there's a newer way to do it. There's a newer way to do it. Don't jump onto every bandwagon. Okay. I wanna caution you about that. It's not just about like, oh, there's a new way to do it. Let's just jump right on, you know?

Uh, but I do want you to think about the fact that if there is a new way. A new product, a new technique, right? We're groomers a new product, a new technique. We're like, tell me more. I'd like to know, maybe that's something that's gonna be good for me. Um, but also trainers, newer technique, newer equipment.

Maybe there's something that you don't know too, what I know, right? But as we start saying the way I was taught, and that's our only reason for continuing to do something. Then we need to rethink it. Like what if there's a way that's easier for the dogs? What if there's a way that's faster? What if there's a way that could be, um, better for all of us, easier to do?

Maybe it's about the goal that we set. Um, and I'm gonna say a lot of the time, dog groomers are really good at seeing a behavior. We are really good at spotting it. We see that change in behavior really, really well. What groom me as groomers aren't well trained on is why is the dog doing it and how can we effectively change that dog's behavior?

Those two things are where dog training come in. Now dog trainers. Dog trainers are really good at looking at the why and looking at how to change behavior, but they don't, aren't necessarily really good at understanding what the dog needs to know. So that's where when I talk to trainers, I'm like, yeah, well maybe you were taught that we should be teaching people to touch the dog's feet and massaging their feet.

Now, I'm not gonna downplay that. That can be the very beginning. Groomers, haven't we all seen dogs that are really having trouble and struggling with the grooming process even though their owners massage their feet? Because it is not the solution. It's a small, tiny piece working toward a solution. So for trainers, if you're like, oh no, that's the way I was taught.

You gotta teach these owners that they've gotta touch their dog all over and massage their feet and ta-da, we're done. That's not the case. We need to do more. So I know, I know groomers and trainers we're all kind of going, well, wait a minute. Is she saying that we all need to learn more? Yeah. Yeah, I am.

So just because you were taught that way doesn't mean we need to cling to that. All right? And it doesn't mean that you were necessarily wrong. It means that as we learn and grow and modernize, we need to add to what we do. We need to add to it. We need to make sure that we're continuing. Continuously learning to add to our knowledge base.

Okay? Don't just jump on every bandwagon because next thing you know, you're using products that are ineffective, or a technique that doesn't work. But to really take a critical eye and say, is this something that's gonna enhance my life, my profession, this dog's life? Is this something worthwhile for me?

And all right, toot my own horn here. I think that the things that I present on this show are things that you're gonna find will really help you. Whether you're a trainer or a groomer or an owner or somebody else who works with the dogs, but just knowing a little bit more about the why and the how is gonna really benefit us.

Now, here's another thing that keeps us from modernizing and something that I hear pretty often and it's really, it's really similar to the, I was taught this way and that's the, I was taught by so and so. Right, the words, the difficult dogs with this problem all the time. And that may be true, and let me give you some insight on that, because the people that I learn from, right, if I ask them in five years, if they have changed, of course they have.

Okay? So we also need to think about the people that taught us. Should also be modernizing. Okay. Chrissy from 2019 doesn't do the same things that Chrissy does in 2023. Okay? I look at my own past and say, I do it differently now in five years. I will do it differently than I do today. So just because a particular person, a guru in our field, may have taught us this way.

That doesn't mean that we should just like we shut it down. We know everything there is to know now. Okay. Um, and I think we do, I think we start thinking, well, I learned it this way and that's what I'm going to do. Um, and I learned it from so and so. And you know what? Maybe at the time that was cutting edge, fantastic information, but don't stop there.

There's always more to learn. So, let's see. Let's tackle another one of these things that keeps us from modernizing. I was told the other way is wishy-washy. Wishy-washy. This is one I hear pretty often because of course, if you're not used to adding dog training to it, you start thinking like we're all being just bullies.

We can just hold 'em down and get it to one. Here's the big thing that I wanna modernize in our industry for the grooming industry, for the veterinary industry, for dog training, for really anybody who works with animals at this point. Holding animals down and just getting it done while the animal is clearly in distress.

When the animal is clearly telling you, I am not comfortable with this. I am. I am uncomfortable. I find this threatening. I find this scary and continuing anyway. Should only be done with emergency medicine. That is not part of grooming. Okay? It might be part of an emergency. I need to apply pressure to a wound, kind of an emergency, but that is not.

Conducive to teaching an animal to be good time and time again. We have seen that, that makes it worse. Yet, yet it just keeps coming up over and over and over again. And I know sometimes people think, well, the other way takes too long, or that's wishy-washy. Um, this dog needs us to be whatever, whatever. Um, I just want you to know, dog training is about figuring out why the animal is having a problem with it.

What we can do to change their mind, what we can do to help them be good. And that's really pretty modern approach. Um, that's positive reinforcement trainers. That's balanced trainers. Okay. Like this is my colleagues who do balanced training. This is the more modern approach. Like, well, why is he having a problem with it?

Not just hold them down and get it done. Okay, let's all modernize. So if we're worried about it being wishy-washy. It might just be that we need to discuss it more. I might need to explain it to you in a different way, and I am happy to do that. I do it all the time. Um, reach out to me personally. You can find me and just ask me like, why would that be possible?

Why do I even want that? And I will try to turn your mind, change your mind, turn you over to my side. So what's another one? Um, oh, here's another one. Another thing that keeps us from modernizing, um, the newer way Looks like it'll take longer. And maybe it will take longer, but what if the newer way actually works better?

Okay. Maybe it will take longer. Maybe it won't take longer. Maybe it feels like it's taking longer because something unfamiliar always feels like it's taking longer. So I'm gonna give you an example here, a human example. If, um, if I teach you a shortcut. You're used to taking the highway, the shortcut at first, even if it saves you five minutes on a half hour drive, might feel like it's taking longer because there's so much more that you have to remember, like you're taking a leftover at this street and a right over here, and when you get to the red house, you're gonna do this.

Whereas on the highway, the drive that you're used to, you were on autopilot. Probably felt really easy. Sometimes switching a method will feel like it takes longer or it's more work, but it's just because we as, as the person doing it, are unfamiliar with it and, um, it feels like it takes longer. So that is a pretty common myth, and I want you to know a lot of things that we do as groomers that we continue to do, even though they're not effective, I cannot tell you, I see it over and over and over again.

We just strap him down and we add three people and eventually we tell the owners that that dog needs to go to the vet to be sedated for grooming. And that's a beautiful, beautiful myth that vet is gonna have the same problem you had and you never made any headway by holding this dog down while he screamed.

Um, I know that sounds very dramatic. There are people out there who are like, I've never watched you be doing that. And good, good. I'm glad that you've never heard of that, but it's really common. Um. And so if we know that there's a different thing to try, we should be trying different things. So let's see, let's get another one off my list here.

Um, here's another one. And this one is, um, another common one that I hear. Um, but I'm being patient. I'm being patient. That's what this dog needs is more patient. I gotta say, I see this one a lot. Um, a lot of answers that you'll find on Facebook are, you just have to be patient. Patience isn't the training program.

Patience is something we should bring to our interactions with animals all the time. Um, but that alone isn't gonna fix it. You can patiently watch me drink coffee and it's not gonna change if I drink coffee or not. It's just simply not, I don't care. My, my drinking coffee has nothing to do with how patient you are.

It's, it's not gonna have any bearing on this. Um, and I will say I do see it pretty often, that, and I've been there, I've done this too. Gonna say I've done it too. Groomers who are patiently and lovingly traumatizing dogs. That dog is screaming and we're just sitting there holding the fucking, it's okay, baby.

It doesn't hurt you. It doesn't hurt you. That dog thinks it's going to die. That dog is panicking. Okay? That dog is saying, I'm not comfortable with this. And you just keep going. It's alright. You're okay and you're patient and you're loving and I love that. Believe me, that's great. But you are not changing that dog's behavior and you're not making them feel more calm, comfortable, and cooperative.

So sometimes the, the thing is, is that people are like, well, I'm already really, really patient. I mean, what more can you do? And that's when I say we can add dog training. Now, that doesn't mean that every groomer has to become a dog trainer. But I think that if you are a groomer who is not the slightest bit interested in learning dog training, you should have a trainer that you are willing to send people to.

Like, here is someone for you to talk to because your dog does need training. Dogs need training. Not a new idea. I know, I know. It's really cheeky that I said it, but here we are. Dog training, not a new idea. So let's talk about something else that keeps us from, from modernizing. Um, it's not my fault. I'm the groomer.

It's not my fault that some dogs really struggle with grooming, and in some ways that's true and in some ways that's false because sometimes we have set them up to fail. So sometimes that dog is struggling with grooming and it is kind of our fault, not because we're big meaning pants, but because we didn't know.

Okay. Um, I'm gonna give you an example. I have a customer who got a puppy and I talked to her and I'm like. He's gonna be too big for me 'cause I do house call and they have to fit in the kitchen sink. I'm not kneeling on the floor next to bathtubs anymore. I'm 51. I barely do that with my own dogs. I'm not kneeling on the floor next to the bathtub for your dog.

But at this young, young age, I wanna get him used to stuff. If I put that puppy the day I met him and we were doing brushing and working on brushing and foot handling and stuff, if I had tried to do a full groom on that puppy, he would've had what he would've considered to be the worst day of his life.

He wasn't ready for it. And most of our puppies are not yet, sometimes we're still booking more than a dog can do. And for us to get out of the mindset that, um, we're selling haircuts 'cause we're not. We're not selling haircuts. We are selling hair haircutting services for dogs who are well prepared for our services if we go in and assume that this puppy's gonna learn through this process, this puppy or this new dog, or this rescue dog, or this, you know, dog that we've never met.

And just like, Nope, we're gonna push him all the way through and we're gonna get that trim perfect. Um, despite whatever those behavior problems are. Yeah. Sadly, we are the ones making it worse. Time and time again, and I've done it. Believe me, I have done it. I have been there, I've been working with dogs since 86.

We did choke collars and prong collars. And I, I've, I've done such a variety of things. Um, and I don't want you to have to go down that path. Okay? There's some ways we can modernize. Now, let's say, oh, here's another one. Um, my customers don't care how it gets done as long as it gets done. And that also comes down to sometimes we're trying to sell a haircut, and part of what we need to do is help owners understand that like your dog isn't well prepared for my services today.

It is not my job to hold your dog down while he screams and flails, and tries to try to get a perfect trim done. That's not my job. That's not an something I offer. It's not a service you can buy here. Um, now the solution set is gonna be a little bit different and I want to help you with your problem, but it's not all gonna happen today, and I don't care who's coming over to visit tomorrow.

Your dog might not look perfect. We might not book a full groom. Okay? There are a lot of ways that we can talk to our owners about it, but some of that is making sure that we have boundaries with our customers, and I know I'm telling you what the problems are, but I haven't yet told you how to fix them.

Well, okay, I have 177 episodes before this talking about how to fix them, but we'll talk about how to fix them in like this next couple of of episodes. There are a lot of things to think about, but these are things that keep us from modernizing this idea that like, well, that training stuff sounds great, but.

My customers aren't gonna go for it. They want that trim, beautiful, and I have to make that happen. And I'll tell you what, they don't understand why you can't do it if you never explain it to them, if you don't tell them that, you know, behavior problems are when dogs get hurt. People get hurt, equipment gets broken, and customers get upset.

That's really bad for business. I'm likely to hurt your dog if your dog is having a behavior problem. I cannot tell you how often owners have been like, why would it hurt him? Well, I'm using sharp objects on him. Why would you use sharp objects on him? Like, because that's what haircuts are. But if we don't explain that to people, make that part of our discussion with them, they don't know you can work with that dog.

That dog could be like. Flailing all over biting you. Every groom for eight years. The one time that dog gets hurt, that owner is going to trash your business. That owner's gonna be furious. You're mean, you're terrible. 'cause they don't understand. We need to head it off at the pass and explain to them that behavior problems are when dogs get hurt.

And that's why we don't force trims on dogs that aren't learning to be good. We want our dogs to be calm, comfortable, and cooperative, and it's 2023. We are nearly a quarter of the way into this century and we have lots and lots and lots of information on how to teach dogs to be good for grooming. Okay?

Some of us have been doing it for decades. Others of us are brand new at, AT teaching some of this stuff, but we have lots of information out there about how we can effectively teach dogs to be good for it. So, let's see, what is another, another myth we wanna talk about? Um. Here's another one. I don't wanna lose money.

Here's the thing, if you are still in this mindset that I'm selling a haircut, and then you feel like, well, the haircut didn't get finished because, you know, I mean, he was trying to bite at the clippers and I couldn't quite get his face done, and you're all apologetic with the owners. Like, oh, I just couldn't get the face done, so I'm not gonna charge you full price.

That mindset is you're still trying to sell haircuts. Um, I set it up with my owners that, Hey, these are my rates. If your dog is having a hard time, I'm gonna slow down. I'm gonna help them be better for it. We're gonna work toward progress for the rest of the groomings for the rest of their life. But it might not be perfect today, and I will charge you according to my time.

Now, if I had to give up early their, their cost might be less than a full groom. But the fact is, is that my time working with your dog is my expertise working with your dog, and it always has monetary value. I don't care what your dog looks like, if your dog's behavior problem is blocking me from doing a beautiful trim.

That's important that we discuss it and I discuss it with owners before we even book. We talk about my safety policy. So there are lots of references to that across the whole podcast, but actually believe it was the first episode. So if you circle back, the first episode's still pretty relevant, even though it was about four years ago.

But don't lose money. Training dogs to be good for grooming should not be losing you money. Alright? I really wanna stress that this is good business. Okay? What happens when we teach dogs to be good for grooming? Now we have a dog who is a joy to groom. I know. Think about that. Oh, wait a minute. I don't have to fight for this dog.

It's whole life. If I spend some time teaching him to be good for grooming, he's gonna be good for grooming. This dog's gonna live to be 15. That's usually the the timeframe I give people. So also, while we talk about that, I want you to think right now. Right now it is February of 2023. That means that dogs born this year are going to be being groomed until 2038.

2038. Like, my God, that seems so far away. That's 15 years if you are thinking about it right now. If we teach those dogs to be good, now, we don't have to wrestle them and cause injuries and be injured by, or worry about injuring them till 2038. So think about that. Okay, this is worth your time. So some of these myths hold us back from modernizing because we start thinking like, oh, I don't wanna lose money.

My customers will never go for it. What do your customers do when you tell them you can't do a beautiful trim on top of mats? Oh, see, you're used to saying no, you've, you've said no before. You know, just that we need to dis have these behavior discussions with our owners too. And, um, oh, here's another one.

Here is another one that I hear. This one's more for groomers, but there's a trainer version also, so I'll present them both. The groomer version. I'm trained all my own dogs, so I know about training. Um, okay, so. The thing is, as someone who is also a professional trainer and a behavior consultant, I don't know that stings, that's like all the trainers who say like, well, I bathe my own dogs.

I know exactly what a dog needs to know for, for grooming, but maybe they have like a. Boxer or maybe they've never used a high velocity dryer, like they dip their dog in a, in a waist high bathtub that's filled with soapy water and rinse 'em off with a garden hose and let 'em air dry in the yard. That dog doesn't know how to deal with a grooming shop.

Okay, we need to recognize that there are other professionals. That we can talk to and that we don't know all of it. I don't pretend to know anything about pet sitting, even though I live with pets, right? I don't know what it is to be a dog walker. I will defer to what a dog walker does. I don't know. I can take my own dogs for, for a walk, but I'm not a dog walker.

I'm not a pet sitter, you know? So. Be thinking about that. Okay. You, I think it's awesome if you've trained your own dogs trainer. I trainers. I think it's awesome if you've groomed your own dogs, but it does not make you a trainer or a groomer. Okay? I know everybody take a deep breath. What I know, but, but believe me, um, we need to remember that other people have these other jobs and that we can support each other and be part of the same team.

Okay. It's not about conflict. It's about how to be on the same side and be the same team. Okay? So these are things that keep us from modernizing, and yet here we have so many decades of evidence, okay? Decades of evidence. And I know people are gonna say, well, do we though? All right? I started my own business in 2000 because I was so tired of working for people who wanted me to force that trim.

I had just worked on this dog, got him all comfortable. I'm like, you know what? Good job, buddy. You made some real progress. I think that's good enough. And get told, oh, we can't go home like that. I mean, that's all good in fine and cute that you did some training and stuff, but we have to get that little piece next to his lip and we gotta get this part and this part.

Why? Why? Right Back in the late nineties I was having trouble with that like, but we, we know that we can teach dogs to be good. Okay. And to think that there are still groomers struggling with this. There are still trainers struggling with this. Dogs are still having these issues, and it's 2023, so we need to modernize, modernize, modernize, okay?

There are lots of ways to help dogs learn to be good. Okay. And there are lots of ways to help them be more comfortable. And some of it's us, some of it's them, some of it's their owner. Some of it is collaborating with other professionals so that this dog has a team helping them be good. But time and time again, if I have the chance to work with a dog and we get this, you know, going, yeah, they usually can learn to be good.

Um, a healthy dog can learn to be a safe dog. And when I teach them to be good. Even if something happens later in life, they do not turn into the same problem they were. These dogs totally change and even later on in life, if you quick and nail or something, that dog doesn't turn around and try to bite you.

They have totally changed. Okay. We can teach them to be comfortable and there's a humane aspect to that. If we can teach them to be comfortable with it, we really should. If we can teach 'em to be calm, comfortable, and cooperative for something that happens to their body on a regular basis, on a four to eight week basis, we should be teaching them to be comfortable with it.

So that's our show. If you wanna reach out, you can find me at creating great grooming dogs.com. It's also on, of course, the podcast sites. Any place you find a podcast, I work for whole Pet Grooming Academy, where I teach the Master Groomer Behavior Specialist Program,