Mobile groomers provide bathing, grooming, nail, teeth, and ear care for dogs and cats. While, services vary from groomer to groomer, mobile groomers will generally provide a bath and full-groom as standard. Some groomers supplement their services with separate basic services, such as nail-trimming, or add-on premium-priced services, such as flea-dipping and de-skunking.
Bathing
There are significant differences between a professional groomer bathing an animal and its owner doing the same job.
- Professional groomers stock shampoos and conditioners formulated for different coats and skin conditions. Please Note: Owners may not be aware that shampoos made for humans, even baby shampoos, are considered too strong for their pets and may actually damage the animal’s coat.
- Groomers use tools and tubs designed for the rigors of washing an animal, so that bathing becomes a positive experience for the animal and for the groomer as well.
- The combination of heavy towels and specialized hot air blowers allow the groomer to dry and comb out the animal’s coat without damaging it or hurting the animal.
- Lastly, groomers know from experience what to do and what to avoid doing and that makes bathing much easier on the pet and ultimately on the owner.
Grooming
Professional groomers work on heavy-duty tables, topped with ruggedized, scratch resistant mats designed to be slip-resistant and to take the wear and tear of animal’s sharp claws. Modern grooming stations incorporate a number of features which make grooming easier, such as scissors jacks to raise or lower the table and a yoking system to hold the animal safety in place while the groomer is working. This usually includes a spongy neck yoke and/or a wider strap for around the belly to keep the animal from sagging down or fidgeting during grooming.
In larger, more spacious grooming trucks there is room enough to walk completely around the animal as the groomer is working. Larger dogs become a challenge when groomed in smaller vehicles, as the animal itself must be unleashed and physically turned. Whereas, smaller animals can be groomed on a portable turn-table.
Nail Care
Nail care is generally considered part of a standard groom. Untrimmed nails can curl and grow into your pet’s skin or paw pads, resulting in an infection and pain. This is true of all nails, but especially the dewclaws. In the wild, dogs and cats wear down their claws naturally, but this generally not the case for domesticated animals. Nails that are too long can break, chip and splinter. And the owner may be upset to find the damage that long nails do to their floors, furniture, and skin.
Tooth Care
Pets have a surprising number of dental problems, and like to keep their teeth clean as well. At their option, the groomer may choose to brush down the animals teeth with a toothpaste formulated for pets. A groomer is often the first one to spot bad teeth. Not being a medical professional, the groomer should always recommend professional care from a veterinarian.
Ear Care
The structure of a pet’s ear canal makes it difficult for material trapped deep within the horizontal canal to be expelled without the assistance of cleanings. Pets can be prone to any number of ear problems from ear mites to ear infections. In chronic yeast infections or other infections of the ear you may notice a smell and/or the ear producing a dark wax. Regular cleanings avoid the worst of these problems.
Why Offer Some Basic Services Separately?
There are a number of scenarios where a basic service like nail clipping can be done profitably. Generally, (not always) driving to a client’s home just to clip their pets nails will not be worth the time and gas required for the job. However, if the pet owner brings the pet to you at a prearranged time and place that may be okay. Other scenarios, include parking your truck at a dog park or rabies’ clinic, to expressly work on nails. A few hours of work may add several hundred dollars to your bottom line.
What Are Considered Premium Services?
There are a number of services which are at best – unpleasant – hence they can command a premium-price. Three items come to mind, the removal of fleas and ticks (flea-dipping), de-skunking, and the expressing of anal glands. You may not get requests for these services very often, but we mention it as it will come up during the course of your grooming career. Also, show dog grooming and pet dyeing are specialties beyond the scope of this blog.