og groomers know those whirlwind days where time flies and a positive mindset becomes a distant memory. You began the day with the best intentions, leaving for work with a jug full of water and healthy snacks to get you through the morning. You do a few stretches, and then step out the door ready to take on a day of making dogs look their best. 

But by 10:00 a.m., you replace hydrating with water for an extra coffee and your mind is drifting to the next dog on your schedule instead of the dog on your table now. 

Positive mindset challenged. 

Checking in with yourself has migrated to the bottom of the list. You forget to pause, take a deep breath and be present with your work. Your craft. You might work quickly, but working this way too often can cause a disconnection between you and your love for grooming. Even if you are moving fast while doing lovely work, there is something to be said about reminding yourself to groom with a different focus, too. 

Being able to work in a fast-paced environment is a skillset for dog groomers. Dog grooming is physically and cognitively demanding. Pressure comes in many forms. There are challenging dogs and challenging clients. While time management is an important skill, and the ability to remain calm under pressure is essential, it’s also important to stay deeply connected to the work so that the art of grooming and the communication between dog and groomer don’t suffer.

Reminding yourself what it feels like to groom without pressure can help add to your skillset and make you feel connected to your work again. Focused grooming sessions are grooming sessions for you—the groomer—instead of the client. These are the grooms you do outside of work hours. There are no time limits, and no one waiting for their dog to be ready for pickup. 

What a focused grooming session is for one groomer might be completely different for another. For me, focused sessions are listening to music while grooming my own dogs on a Saturday night. It’s not about achieving the perfect result; it’s about bonding with my dogs and taking care of them so that they feel their best.

For someone else, a focused grooming session might be grooming to practice a certain skill, such as perfecting scissor work. It could even be grooming for the wellbeing of animals, such as volunteering to groom shelter dogs. There is not one type of focused grooming session.

Not only do focused sessions vary between groomers, but it can change over time for one groomer. What you need to recharge and feel good about your work does not always have to be the same thing each time. One week might look totally different from another. The primary goal is to spend some time grooming away from the normal grooming routine. 

Focused grooming sessions should not feel rushed. You should give yourself time to enjoy the art of grooming and bonding with the dog you are working on, whether it’s your own or someone else’s. By focusing on grooming, you can connect with the dog in a way that’s easy to miss during the regular business day.

These sessions are great for observing dog behavior. Throughout the groom, notice how the dog responds. Practice reading the dog’s body language. Well-trained dogs will communicate about the grooming process just as much as a dog that is not trained for grooming at all. Even if you are working on your finished champion during focused grooming sessions, you can practice reading your dog. It’s not about how well the dog is trained, but about how well you can read their behavior. You are being present with the dog and creating habits for yourself. 

As a groomer, you most likely set out with the best intentions each day. You try to set yourself up to succeed, and to have healthy habits while taking care of dogs. The fact is, most days do not go according to plan. If you have something to go back to, you might be more likely to maintain a positive mindset while facing challenges throughout the day.

Focused grooming sessions live in your memory, providing you with something to look forward to and draw strength from when you face challenges at work. You love grooming, after all. Why not give yourself permission to groom for fun and to be connected with the incredible dogs you work with?