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AKC

Saturday Programs

Relating Breed Standards to Pet Grooming

Jonathan David

In this session, Jonathan will discuss and demonstrate ways to bring elements of breed profile grooming into your pet grooming. Jonathan will make suggestions on how to make the hair manageable for the owner, yet remain true to the integrity of the breed standard. He will show you how to apply elements of pure breed trims to mixed breeds to create unique looks that satisfy every customer.

Everything Doodle with the Doodle Queen

Anna Stowell

Join Anna, known as the “Doodle Queen” on Instagram, as she shares all the things she’s learned over the years building up a beautiful and well-maintained clientele of doodles. Learn how to communicate with doodle owners, in addition to training them to be a wonderful client. She will go over pricing as well, because no groomer should sell themselves short! You won’t want to miss all her tips in tricks to becoming the doodle expert in your area.

Asian Fusion 101

Olga Zabelinskaya

Asian Fusion is a very popular, innovative, one-of-a-kind, "different" way of dog grooming. Olga will show you and explain how to make your or your customers’ dogs looks like baby dolls, teddy bears or stuffed animals. Japanese or Asian style of grooming helps to "sell" your grooms, attract new customers and bring your grooming ability one step up to a creative way of dog grooming.

Turn Your Business into a Brand

Joey Villani

Most professional groomers know how to groom, and they have some business skills, but there are certain aspects that are always left on the table—and usually are the most important. This seminar will help you figure out your target audience and make your business become a household brand that everyone in your neighborhood will recognize.

Lefty in a Righty World

Markie James

Are you left-handed and needing some direction for tools and how to use them? Not sure how to adapt to some right-hand ways? In this class, Markie James will go over how she's adapted and overcome being left-handed when the majority of what's offered is for the right-handed. She'll even cover ergonomics and good stretches to help maintain that hand strength to help keep us in our “right minds.”

The Bath is Everything

Suzanne Marchetti

Bathing is the most important aspect of a great groom. As the bather, you are in charge of the foundation of the groom, the dog’s first impression of the grooming experience, and the first line of defense for health issues. Done correctly, it is a huge asset to the groom but, done incorrectly, it may cost valuable time and sometimes even a client. In this seminar, we will be covering tips and tricks for different aspects, from the pre-evaluation to the final brush-out. A special emphasis will be put on making sure that the problem areas are addressed as well as ways to enhance or maximize what you do.

Dental Health in Cats and Dogs

Dr. Tiffany Bierer

Dental disease is the number one health concern in both dogs and cats in the U.S. Not only does it result in gum and teeth issues, but advanced dental disease can also lead to other issues such as kidney and heart disease. This seminar will discuss the prevalence of dental disease, what causes it, and what can be done to manage dental disease in pets and keep their mouths clean, fresh, and healthy!

Outline Trim Simplified

Arielle Scavnicky

After winning multiple first place and best in show awards with “Furry and Fabulous” through the IJA’s “Rescue Me,” Arielle is equipped with the knowledge and experience to give you tips and tricks to master the outline trim. This live demo will show you, step-by-step, how easy it is to execute an award-winning trim at your own salon.

The Perfect Poodle Pet Trim

Tammy Siert

Do you want to be a step above your competition? Tammy will show how to do a pet trim on a Poodle using clipper attachments that will add style to your everyday pet trim. She will show you the correct lines on face, feet, and tail, and timesaving scissoring techniques that WILL separate you from you competition.

Grooming by Numbers

Melissa Jepson

Do you struggle with getting lost in your haircuts sometimes? Remember painting by numbers? Now we have grooming by numbers! Join Melissa as she shows you how to pinpoint important areas on the dog so you can connect the dots to creating haircuts you love!

Policies for Employee and Business Success

Denise Heroux

Adding to your team can seem like a very overwhelming task. The trick for setting your business up for success when adding employees is making sure you and the business are both prepared. Whether you are new to hiring or feel you need help getting on track with the staff you have, Denise will use her experience gained from years of hiring and maintaining employees to help you design a solid foundation to grow your business while managing employees.

Add to Your Bottom Line with Add-On's

Elli Bultemeier

Do you want to add to your bottom line but not sure how? Add-on's! Elli will walk you through how to implement add-ons, which ones to pick, and what pricing can look like for you and your customers.

Meow Wow: Alternative Feline Clips

Dana Chavez-Rey

Tired of the same boring Lion Clip? In this one-hour course, Master Groomer Dana Chavez-Rey, global educator for Andis, shows you how she achieves a dino clip, chevron clip, squirrel clip, and plush clip. She will show you how to blend the mane by plucking or with clippers. As a bonus, she will demonstrate the ever-popular mullet.

The Dreaded Deshed

Dr. Cliff Faver

Desheds are time consuming and hard on a groomer’s body long term. Learn tips and techniques that actually make this job easier by working smarter. Learn ways to minimize the work and, even in some cases, eliminate the need by better education for the client, more efficient techniques, and products that do the hard work for you.

Tweaked Faces and Twists on Tails

Jayne Gallagher

Join Jayne on a journey into the fun world of demystifying cute faces and tail art. Learn how to sculpt adorable faces and highlight the best features of the many different types of dogs that come into your everyday salon. Then the often understated tail will be front and center. This class will change the way you see your dogs from head to tail!

Step Up Your Prep Work

Sue Zecco & Jay Scruggs

Do you ever wonder why your grooms don’t come out as nice as you would like? Do you have to keep going over your clipper or scissor work? It’s all in the prep work! Perfect prep work leads to a perfect groom. In this seminar, Sue & Jay will discuss preparing different coat types to get them ready for their finish grooming. They will demonstrate from the basics of prepping to the discussion of bath, brush, dry, de-shed, and fluff-out to have the dog best prepared for the finish groom. Tools, equipment, and product tips will all be shared. This seminar is great for all levels of grooming. Whether you are a bather/brusher or a do-it-all groomer, this will definitely help with the quality of your finish grooms as well as with the speed of your bath and drying time.

Marketing Your Grooming Salon with Community Events

Amanda McGrath

Word of mouth is still the best way to advertise a business, and what better way to get the word out about your grooming salon than connecting with the public? In this session, attendees will learn about fresh new ways to get involved with your local community, how to market these events, and a full breakdown of the planning process.

Training the Neurodiverse Employee

Anjie Coates

Training neurodiverse employees is different, and we need to understand and use those differences in order to communicate the requirements of the position. In this class, Anjie will help you to do this by teaching you different methods you can easily incorporate into your salon that will help your neurotypical as well as neurodiverse employees.

High Velocity Force Dryers: Which One Should You Choose?

Dan Williams

This presentation reviews different high velocity dryer configurations that are available. The benefits of single motor, dual motor parallel, and dual motor series configurations will be discussed. High velocity force dryers are one of a groomer’s most important pieces of equipment. This seminar will help you make a decision on the right model for you. Available utilities, length of hose, intended location of the dryer, tolerance for sound, performance, and budget will be discussed.

Air Art: Blow Your Clients Away

Alyssa Kasiba

An airbrush is a delicate piece of machinery, but with proper maintenance and know-how you can make incredible temporary designs. In this class, Alyssa will teach you care and maintenance and will show you what inks to use. She will also go over how to use stencils and free hand. If you are brand new to airbrush or just looking to improve, this class will have you painting up pups in no time.

Mobile VS Salon. Which One Is for You?

Guzal Adekoje

In this one hour seminar Guzal will reveal all the advantages and disadvantages of the two models of our industry. With her years of experience running both mobile grooming and brick and mortar salons she knows all the ins, outs and whys. Learn all that you need to know to help you make a decision on which route to go.

Everyday Grooms: Grooming Simplified

Ashley Pacini

Join Ashley, competitive groomer and successful shop owner, as she shares her tips and tricks for the everyday client. Simplify your grooming process without sacrificing your quality! In this hour-long demonstration, she will share valuable techniques to accelerate your groom through both your clipper and scissor work.

Captivating Clipped Westie

Diane Betelak

In this session, Diane will groom a Westie to perfection by giving it a stylish breed trim using clippers. Practical for the pet parent, the clipped Westie is what you mostly encounter in your salon. She will discuss the proper pattern, strip and clip techniques, and tips to groom to breed profile and to keep that Westie looking sharp!

Shih Tzu Mix Makeover

Chris Anthony

One of the most popular mixed breeds we see in our salons continue to be Shih Tzu mixes. In this seminar, Chris Anthony will show you a simple method to add style to small mixed breeds without adding more maintenance for the pet owner. Join Chris to learn how to style those cute teddy bear faces and stylish little bums!

Social Media Video Editing and Creation with Jess

Jess Rona

It's no secret that a strong social media presence can make or break a business. In this class, Jess will give you tips and tools on how to create Reels and Tik Toks for your business. Not only will this class cover the basics of content creation and time management, but it will also explore the importance of intention and the mission behind the post. Attendees are encouraged to come to the class with video footage that is ready for editing, and by the end of the class you will have a video that's ready for posting to any social media outlet.

Marketing Your Brand

Mindy Dinwiddie

Now that you have your brand, the next step is to market yourself and your brand. Get you and your business out there for everyone to see! From advertising to social media, what platforms can be used, ideas to get your name out, how to handle reviews (good and bad), and how to avoid the pitfalls will all be covered.

Choosing the Right Bathing System for Your Business

Dave Campanella

Having trouble determining which shampoo bather system and methods will work best for you and your business? Learn the science and workflow process behind each of today’s most popular systems. Discover how to get the most from each system along with many proven tips that will save you time, money, and aggravation. This seminar provides the most complete comparative evaluation and references on the subject today!

Introducing Color to the Salon: Pricing, Selling, and Color Basics

Juanita Harris

Have you been wanting to elevate your salon's offerings, expand your client base, and establish yourself as a trendsetter in the pet grooming industry but not sure where to begin? In this course, we will dive deep into the art of incorporating color into your grooming services and work toward providing pet grooming professionals with a comprehensive understanding of basic color application techniques to increase sales, pricing strategies, and effective communication with clients during sales approaches. This is recommended for experienced pet groomers, salon owners, and professionals in the pet industry looking to expand their service offerings.