radeshow season is in full swing with another half a year of shows left to go, and this year has already been a busy one. One of my favorite things about the grooming shows is getting to discover new products and tools that have hit the market, designed to make our lives as pet groomers just a little bit better. I love walking the show floor, aisle by aisle, browsing the booths and looking at everything to see if there’s something new that catches my eye. That’s how I have acquired most of my tools—exploring and discovering and learning about new products in person.
But why do we need new products when we have so many already?
Nobody is going to reinvent the wheel; they work just fine the way they are. However, through the years, the wheel has been redesigned over and over to improve upon its use and function. Grooming tools are similar in that way. Many of the tools we use have a great design, but through the years, some of those products have been redesigned to work a little bit better, more efficiently and with more ease.
When I first started grooming so many years ago, I was taught a technique using a #40 blade held in my hand like a rake. The technique I learned was to use the fine teeth of the #40 blade as an undercoat rake, dragging it across the coat where it would grip the fine undercoat and help to rake it out. Fast forward to today, and many companies manufacture a fine rake with a handle and teeth that are just like that of the #40 blade we used to use for the task. Someone early on saw a need for this tool and invented something to fill the void in the market.
Another new design that has taken the grooming industry by storm are curved thinners and chunkers. A wide variety of thinners and chunkers have been on the market for a very long time, but the curved design is a fairly new trend that has become extremely popular. These thinners come in a variety of tooth types, from a fine cut with a lot of teeth close together and minimal hair removal, all the way up to the aggressive chunkers with large spacing between the teeth, making it a more aggressive bulk remover. The redesign is in the shape of the blade. The blade and the teeth are curved in the same manner as a curved shear. This design aids in the ability to create curves and contours with the softer, more forgiving finish of a thinning shear.
New tools aren’t just limited to the instruments we hold in our hands. Software systems are business tools that we use to help operate our grooming businesses. This is a sector of the grooming industry that is expanding rapidly as well. Pet groomers use software for so many things in our businesses. We use software for everything from salon scheduling and point of sale systems to mobile grooming scheduling and routing apps. Groomers that offer retail, daycare or boarding can all benefit from the constantly improving software systems. I noticed at a recent show that there were four different software companies offering a variety of programs to tailor fit each part of the industry that you could specialize in. I was happy to see the variety, as it’s a sign that the industry is thriving and growing.
The grooming industry is also ever-changing. Frequently, groomers enter and leave the industry, as well as pivot within the industry, trying their hands at something different. So, there is always a need for new products that change and evolve with the professionals who are in the industry. That “silly idea” you have today just might be the next big thing that revolutionizes the industry tomorrow, and that product you keep saying you wish existed just might be your ticket to success.
They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but we all know you can. The same applies to our grooming tools—just because you haven’t tried it doesn’t mean you don’t need it. So, check out the trending products and try something new, because if this old dog can learn a new trick, so can you!