t’s time to talk about our favorite tools again: shears! Straights, curves, thinners, chunkers—there’s no shortage of love between groomers and their favorite tool. Here in the U.S., they’re almost taken for granted, but what about shears around the world? What are the differences and similarities between North American groomers and their shears and groomers elsewhere in the world?
East Asia has given us the ever-increasing popularity of Asian fusion grooming, but how is their relationship with shears different than ours? It starts at the very beginning, in training…
It’s common practice in many Asian countries to train for six months to a year before even starting work with a dog. The focus is on shear control, working on fake fur and building muscle memory scissoring with straight shears to turn columns into squares, then octagons, and finally round. The training is more on shears and prep work, often leaving clipper work as almost an afterthought.
Focusing on training and building skills with our favorite equipment before handling sharp things and wiggly pups seems like a fantastic idea. It lets groomers in training focus on being able to control one thing at a time and builds confidence with grooming skills before having to learn behavior and handling as well.
We also tend to be shear collectors, which you are less likely to see in Asia. Instead of purchasing multiple shears for their “disposability” or looks, more money is spent on a single high-quality set, with perhaps one set of lower-quality backups.
The type of shears that make up our arsenal differ by region as well. In South America, chunkers are much more frequently used from start to finish, resulting in a finish that’s not as crisp or sharp. Meanwhile in Asia, straights, curves and fluffers are used over thinners, with chunkers being a rarity. We might be more used to fluffers being referred to as hybrid or speed thinners, and they leave a line similar to what a straight shear would, just a little softer and not as aggressive as a chunker.
Preferred length also varies based on location. Our standard eight-inch shears are rare; six and six-and-a-half are more common in Asia.
How we use our shears and what shears we use may vary wildly, but the key to getting a good scissor finish is universal across the globe: prep, prep, prep. Those beautiful hand-scissored Asian fusion grooms are impossible without a properly prepped dog.
Many groomers, including myself, have worked in salons without a fluff-dryer in sight, where we struggled to get that crisp, plush finish, beating ourselves up for lack of scissor skills. However, many of us have gotten so used to not having them around, or hating their awkwardness, that we’ve developed techniques to almost mimic a fluff-dry.
Fortunately, technology has come a long way from those large, bulky stand dryers that seem to get tripped over more than used. They are now small and affordable enough to be added to any mobile or house-call setup. Fluff-drying and a good comb are as essential to a good scissor finish as a quality pair of shears.
While not directly shear related, another interesting difference is how salons tend to be structured. Much like human hair salons here, pet stylists overseas are often assigned an A to C ranking system, with prices structured accordingly. Want a fancy haircut for your dog and have the budget to match? Book with an A stylist. This month’s budget tight but your dog still needs to be groomed? You can book with a C-level stylist. There is, of course, room for the stylists to improve and move up in the rankings.
While we all don’t have the ability to globe trot, seeking out the latest trends and styles across the world, we still have amazing trade shows, publications and educators that can bring that information to us. What a wonderful time to be a pet stylist!