Final voting will be conducted soon  

via email survey to 32,000 groomers and vendors for her "Website" nomination.

The final vote for her "Speaker" nomination will be determined by the show producers of all of the major shows based on speaker reviews and comments.

We're just getting back from the All American Grooming Show in Chicago. We had a great show. I'd like to personally welcome all of you who became new members to the Learn2GroomDogs.com (and cats) family.

Marc held down the booth while I met with many current Training Partners and discussed options for new potential Training Partners. I can't wait for you to see what we have in store for you in the upcoming months. Marc and I have an extremely busy shooting schedule before the snow flies in Michigan!

One of the scheduled shoots this fall is with awarding winning stylist, Irina Pinkusevich. We'll be headed to Florida where 'Pina' lives and works to do a multi-day shoot. Pina has recently 'retired' from the contest ring. Luckily for us, most of her competition dogs are still in coat. They need haircuts. Pina is going to line-up many of her top winning dogs for us to film. As a Learn2GroomDog member, you'll get to see up-close and personal Pina's winning ways.

In the meantime, you'll get to see Pina do a few demos from the All American show. Jerry Schinberg, the show promoter, graciously allowed us to film one of her lectures on a Portuguese Water Dog. Plus, we filmed a private session as Pina corrected a beautiful Standard Poodle from the contest ring. Pina had no idea the dog that gave her 'goose bumps' in the ring belonged to one of my employees! She was dying to get scissors on the dog to bring out its beautiful features. Both lessons will be up in the next few months for your viewing.

While we're on our Florida road trip - after all it's a long drive from Michigan to Florida - we're in the process of confirming shoot dates with many top stylists between here and there.

 Attach-On Comb Tricks & Tips  

by Melissa Verplank

By using attach-on combs or guard combs, you can create a very soft and appealing haircut that mimics the look of hand scissoring.  Attach-on combs offer the groomer a wide variety of lengths to choose from, simply by changing the guard combs over the clipper blade. In this video, Melissa takes you through the entire grooming process on a daisy type dog, using multiple guard combs to achieve an adorable trim.

This 2 part video will help you learn how to:

• Work with guard combs to get a smooth finish
• Style a round head using guard combs
• Choose the length of guard combs for different parts of the body
• Set a pattern using the pet's anatomy 
• Detail the finished trim

Part 1  

Attach-On Combs Selection

Part 2  

Attach-On Combs - Using Guard Combs 

Don't we all want to be successful? In life? As a person? In your career, job, business?

The fundamental law of human achievement is the law of belief. It suggests that you always behave in a manner consistent with your beliefs. If you believe you are a Roman Catholic, then you are. If you believe you are a Buddhist, you are. If you believe you can ride a bicycle, then you can ride a bicycle. Even if you can't ride a bicycle as long as you believe you can, you will persist in failing until you can actually ride. Unfortunately, once you decide you can't ride a bicycle, then you can't. Even though we are all capable of riding a bicycle, once you believe you can't, you can't.

You will then suffer from the self-limiting belief that you just cannot do it. Your belief is not based on fact - it is just a belief. Even though our self-limiting beliefs are not based on fact, we always behave in a manner consistent with our beliefs. If you believe you can drive a car, be creative, set goals, implement a successful life strategy, or marketing strategy, sell well, negotiate, be a leader, understand the financial implications, manage your time well, etc., then you can master all these skills.

Even if at the present time you have not mastered these skills, as long as you believe you are excellent, then you will make the necessary efforts. You will set goals, design a personal development plan, and set personal and family goals and resolve to pay the necessary price.

Another vitally important aspect of the law of belief is that you can believe anything that you want to believe. You can believe that you are brilliant at marketing, selling, finance, relationships and time management. You can believe that you are successful in business. You can believe that you are a millionaire. As long as you truly believe, then you will hang on to that belief, despite setbacks, until your beliefs become your reality. Without a doubt, your beliefs are your reality.

Make a decision to adopt beliefs which are consistent with achieving your goals. All successful people have beliefs consistent with what they want to achieve. Join them! Make a decision to change your beliefs. The beliefs you hold at the moment are largely responsible for the position you hold at the moment. If you change your beliefs, then you change your reality. Changing your beliefs about yourself means changing your self-concept. Your self-concept is your bundle of beliefs about yourself. Make a decision to adopt the self-concept which is consistent with achieving your goals. We get our beliefs from our culture and what other people tell us. When we are little our most significant others tell us things which describe us. If the parent tells the child he is useless he will grow up believing it and manifesting that uselessness in his life. If the daughter was told she is beautiful and sings like an angel, she will grow up believing it whether it is true or not.

Everything starts with ideas or thoughts. Thoughts and ideas become feelings which eventually become beliefs. Your beliefs have a powerful effect on your expectations. Your expectations have a powerful effect on your attitude. If you believe you are destined to become successful then this has a strong effect on your expectations which in turn become very positive. Your positive expectations are translated into a very positive attitude. Your attitude is the major determinant of your success in achieving your goals.

Everything comes back to beliefs. Successful people have the beliefs of successful people; unsuccessful people have the beliefs of unsuccessful people. Make a decision to adopt the beliefs consistent with being successful. Make a decision to shake off self-limiting beliefs and negative emotions. This drains energy and is time wasting. Replace them with positive beliefs and positive emotions. Start now! And believe in yourself! 

Grooming a Bedlington Terrier    

Colin Taylor, CMG    

and Certified by the United Kingdom and Guild   

Most professional pet stylists will agree: the Bedlington Terrier is one of the most challenging breeds to groom correctly. British-born star stylist, Colin Taylor, built much of his reputation on mastering this breed in the contest arena. In this session, Colin walks you through the steps of grooming the Bedlington Terrier to breed profile. He even guides you through the differences between English and American styles. When done properly, the bulk of the work with this particular breed consists of short clipper work combined with skillful hand scissoring. This lesson is so packed with useful information, we had to split the video into two lessons. Grab your notebook and join Colin as he shows you how to groom the Bedlington Terrier.

The Bedlington Terrier Part 1

This session deals primarily with setting the body pattern, clipping and scissoring skills and breed profile trimming tactics.     

In this video you will learn:   

• How close to take the flat work and why
• Where to set the highest point over the back
• How to easily see the angles of the rear leg
• How to roll over the elbow to get it perfect every time
• The shape of the front legs

Approximate running time: 30 minutes

 Click here to see the full video!       

The Bedlington Terrier Part 2

This session deals primarily with styling the unique head of the Bedlington Terrier including; setting parallel lines, elongating the head, trimming the eyes, and styling the ears. Plus, Colin discusses the American versus English style of feet and how to stack the dog.  

In this video you will learn:   

• The general shape of the head and how to get it
• The most important part of setting the proper eye on the Bedlington
• The highest point on the head
• The trick to get really clean lines on the lips
• How long to leave the ears

Approximate running time: 15 minutes

  Click here to see the full video!  

Grooming the Pet Bichon    

in a Modified Show Trim   

Misty Fowler, CMG   

Bichons. They seem to be everywhere. White and curly coated, this breed requires a fair amount of care in order to keep it in good condition. Misty walks you through the steps to maintain a typical little pet Bichon in a modified show style trim. She'll show you how to clip, scissor, and style this dog into a low maintenance trim that is easy for an owner to care for. The trim itself is quick and easy to execute on a professional level. Misty talks about basic breed standards and how to apply them to the trim. She also gives you lots of grooming advice that can help your speed and improve your handling techniques. BONUS! Learn about different products and tools that work well with this coat type. 

In this video you will learn:    

• How to set in angles in the rear leg with a guard comb
• How to set up the coat to get the best scissor finish
• How the back of the front leg plays in with setting the crest
• How to layer the coat above the eyes to create an "S" shaped bevel
• How to blend the ears into the headpiece

Approximate running time: 44 minutes 

 Click here to see the full video!

Misty's Favorite Grooming Tools    

Misty Fowler, CMG  

Every seasoned pro has favorite pieces of grooming equipment. These personal favorites are typically used every day in routine grooming. In this session, award-winning stylist, Misty Fowler takes you through her top 10 tools of choice. She'll show you what they are - and the key points that make them stand out in her mind

In this video you will learn: 

• Misty's favorite brush of all time
• Why she loves a variety of undercoat rakes 
• What thinning shear is super versatile
• Why she loves this basic tool that you can find in most general purpose stores
• One of her favorite clippers and why she likes using it  

Approximate running time: 20 minutes

 Click here to see the full video!     

In this video you will learn:    

• How to determine the average groom price per pet
• The revenue potential for your situation
• The most effective form of advertising
• What all cat owners want you to believe
• The number one goal and dialoguing with a client

 Approximate running time: 20 minutes

 Click here to see the full video!