Courtney Ramstack Shows You How to Turn a Poodle "into" a Kerry Blue Terrier!

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Recommended Reading

If you like
"Notes from the Grooming Table,"
you'll love
"Theory of 5" and "Notes Pocket Pal!"

Look Who We're Filming -

It's a Who's-Who in the Grooming World!

We are so excited as we go into the final months of 2011 with Learn2GroomDogs.com. We have an amazing lineup of Training Partners! We will be filming these talented pet groomers and stylists during this final quarter of the year. It reads like a Who's Who in the grooming world! You'll see their demonstrations and videos lessons hit the L2GD monitors as soon as December and continue all the way into the spring of 2012.

In October we welcome a new Training Partner, Jeri Hoppe. Many of you have seen Jeri's work in the ring with Old English Sheepdogs and Norwich terriers. (Her Norwich, Wicket, has a fan club!) We also have Suesan Watson and Lisa Leady returning to the L2GD studio. We can't wait to see what they do is a follow-up to their well-received Home Remedies video lesson.

Right after Thanksgiving Marc and I hit the road for a two-week tour. We leave Michigan heading to Arkansas to film Angela Kumpe. Angela is best known for her work in the creative styling ring. She's going to be bringing lessons to our members that are easy ways you can apply creative touches to your everyday grooms with color and accessories.

Next, we went to the Nashville, Tennessee area. We had a day scheduled to film with one of our all-time favorite people in the industry, Judy Hudson. You've seen her in the contest ring, judging and doing lots of demo work with the Oster grooming platform demonstrations. Judy has a great, no-nonsense style about her - she'll tell you how to get her to 'get er done' in the least amount of time without skimping a quality.

Then we headed further south. Destination - Florida. On the roster we have two days slotted to film with Irina (Pina) Pinkusevich and Julie Ostoski in the Fort Lauderdale area. After that, we head back north to the Orlando area to film with Karen Tucker and Lindsey Dicken. These stylists are equally at home grooming pet clients, winning awards in the competitive pet styling area or exhibiting dogs in the conformation ring. These Florida stylists are some of the top pet stylists in the world! We can't wait to see what lands on the grooming tables when we film this team of professional pet stylists.

At this point, we haven't confirmed all the dogs and talks we will be filming with this extremely talented line-up. (But WOW on some that that we DO have confirmed!) We'd love to hear from you. What would YOU like to see Angela, Judy, Pina, Julie, Karen or Lindsey demonstrate on? We are still open for a few suggestions from our members. If we can't work it in with this tour, we'll just have to come back and film some more with them!

November 4, 2011

Welcome to

Learn2GroomDogs.com, the first streaming video library for the professional pet groomer and stylist! Select from over 100 training videos - all available with just a few simple mouse clicks! L2GD.com (and cats) is a unique way to get the edge on your competition.

Stay curious. Challenge yourself. Let your drive and creativity increase your success. As the saying goes, 'the more you learn, the more you earn.' L2GD.com (and cats) can help. All of our Training Partners are at the top of their field. For the first time ever, you don't have to travel to shows or clinics to learn the secrets of the masters - we bring them right to you from the comfort of your computer!

Learn2GroomDogs.com (and cats) is for you if:

You are a solo stylist and want to see how your work compares to top level stylists
You work in a small shop and want to know how your work compares to top level stylists
You struggle to complete 6-8 or even 12 grooms a day with ease
You are looking for an easy way to visually enhance your current grooming skills
You struggle with efficient tool use
Handling difficult pets drives you crazy

Here are a few of the items you'll learn in the videos that are going up for full view today.

Grooming the Poodle Like a Kerry Blue Terrier, Part 1: Why you should get 'your motor running' before you even start - set a beat
Grooming the Poodle Like a Kerry Blue Terrier, Part 2: A great visualization on how to trim an ear
Using Notes From the Grooming Table, Part 3 (England Lecture): Techniques to trim 4 poodle feet in under 4 minutes
Greatest Hits - Round Heads Only, Version #2: How to work with long eye lashes without risking cutting them off
Open Mic Q&A with Melissa Verplank at the Festival of Grooming in the UK - How to raise your prices

We have some amazing footage to share with you. See what is on our editing table in these fabulous Sneak Peeks for our latest release.

Grooming a Mature Golden Retriever in a Puppy Cut with Misty Fowler, CMG
Shop Maintenance 101 with Marc LaFleur, CMG
What Do You Do With a Wire Coated Doodle? With Jennifer Hecker, CMG
Showcase Salon: Bridgeview Grooming Salon with Courtney Ramstack, CMG
Common Groomer Physical Aliments that Plague Our Industry with Misty Fowler, CMG

Membership pricing as low as $33.60

Membership Information

Please take a moment to check out our "Membership" tab and be sure to share this link with all of your friends and associates!

Happy Trimming,

Melissa Verplank

Great Videos Going Up for Full View

Grooming the Poodle Like a

Kerry Blue Terrier

Courtney Ramstack, CMG

Want to have some fun in your grooming salon? Try turning one breed into another! Courtney does just that with a retired Champion Miniature Poodle. Courtney has groomed this dog many times but never in this style - that of a Kerry Blue Terrier. Join her as she goes through the transformation. Courtney has a gift for not only grooming but also explaining how and why she does things. In this lesson she discusses the advantages of using guard combs to set the basic outline. She then goes into detail how to set the profile and the challenges you typically face when turning one breed into another. She also does a fabulous job of talking about scissor technique. Courtney shares a wide variety of helpful tips and tricks you could apply to most any pet immediately.

Grooming the Poodle Like a Kerry Blue Terrier

- Part 1

In this lesson, Courtney talks about setting the body pattern using guard combs to save time. She also covers scissor techniques, shaping legs, rounding feet, setting in the front and rear assemblies, plus establishing the topline and the undercarriage line.

In this video you will learn:

Why it's important to 'feel' a dog with your eyes closed
Tricks to establish the tuck-up so it's right every time
How to work with your clippers like a paintbrush
Why you should get 'your motor running' before you even start - set a beat
How to set in the waist line but not get an 'hour glass' effect

Approximate running time: 45 minutes

Click here to see the full video!

Grooming the Poodle Like a Kerry Blue Terrier
- Part #2

In this lesson, Courtney guides you through styling the head and crest. As a bonus, she summarizes what she has done and shows you how different the look the body takes on between being fluffed out or re-curled by moistening the body coat after you are totally finished. (As a Kerry Blue should be!)

In this video you will learn:

A great visualization for how to trim an ear
Where to set the lines on the jaw to create a 'goatee'
How to open up the eye with both clippers and straight shears
How to use your fingers to set the line at the occiput
How to curl a finished coat

Approximate running time: 22 minutes

Click here to see the full video!

Greatest Hits - Round Heads Only

Version 2

In this video lesson, three top stylists lead you through three different round head styles. Annette Quick works on a Portuguese Water Dog. Even though she's showing you how to trim the head to breed profile on a PWD, think about how many other dogs this head style would well on! Lhasas, Shih Tzues, Doodles plus an entire range of mixed breeds. Next, Misty Fowler trims an adorable black and tan mixed breed (whose pet parents want the eye lashes saved.) She'll share tips on how to work around those eyelashes without accidently trimming them. Suesan Watson works on a pet Westie she's never trimmed before. She guides you through styling the head of a Westie. She's working with less that the ideal amount of coat. She'll help you see what you can do and what you need to do so the next haircut will be more in line with what the head should look like.

In this video you will learn:

How to create the 'heart shaped ears' so they disappear into the head
How to visualize the PWD head like a 'bowling ball and a cup'
How to work with long eye lashes without risking cutting them off
How to get a very natural look on a pet with lots of cowlicks in the coat
How to set a beveled edge on the jaw line of a Westie to force the fur to stay up and rounded

Approximate running time: 56 minutes

Click here to see the full video!

Open Mic Questions & Answers at the Festival of Grooming in the UK

Melissa Verplank, CMG

This is a rare occurrence - while speaking in the UK, Melissa ended up with some extra time on stage! In this session, filmed before a live audience, you get to be a fly on the wall. Melissa looks for questions from the audience. Real problems you - and they - deal with every day! With over thirty years of experience running multiple grooming facilities, there isn't much Melissa hasn't dealt with. Join her as she trouble shoots, coaches, and makes suggestions on ways to handle 9 different problems her UK audience tossed to her for suggestions.

In this video you will learn:

How to raise your prices
Ways to manage, motivate, and train your staff
How to handle the clients that wants to stay and watch
What type of information do you gather on your client cards
What is the #1 tip for someone just starting out as a new groomer?

Approximate running time: 24 minutes

Click here to see the full video!

Using Notes From the Grooming Table:
Part 3

Filmed Before a Live Audience at the Festival of Grooming in the UK
Melissa Verplank, CMG

Notes From the Grooming Table is the hottest grooming reference guide out on the market! In this session, the author, Melissa Verplank-CMG, will personally share her best tips pulled from the book. In the second part of this three part series, she talks about how Notes is used as a resource for pet grooming. In this session, Melissa highlights the art of scissoring. She'll share with you exercises you can do at home to gain control of your shears. With practice, you'll master the art of a velvet finish on all your dogs. Next she shares tips on how to trim the natural foot plus how to trim 4 poodle feet in three minutes. To conclude this lecture, Melissa guides you through a number of different breeds represented in Notes From the Grooming Table. She reviews the principles outlined in the book and how you apply the techniques to your everyday dogs.

In this video you will learn:

How to hold your shears for optimum control
Multiple exercises you can do anywhere to gain full control over your scissors
How to create natural looking, tight and neat cat type foot in the least amount of time
Techniques to trim 4 poodle feet in under 4 minutes
How to set the double pattern line to a real dog from the images of Notes.

Total approximate running time: 28 minutes

Click here to see the full video!

5 New Sneak Peeks!

Grooming a Mature Golden Retriever

in a Puppy Cut
Misty Fowler, CMG

Do you have Golden clients that insist they want a haircut for their pooch? We know, we know... it's considered a cardinal sin to trim a Golden, but some owners just won't give up - they want their dogs shorter! If you don't do it, the groomers down the street will - and happily collect the money for doing it! What options do you have? The simplest trim is a shave off, but it's not all that appealing. Misty shows you two versions of a super cute trim. The first one she calls a "sporting trim." The second one she terms a "puppy trim." On both trims, Misty uses guard combs to set the length of the body coat. With one trim she leaves the feathers longer. In the second version, she trims the longer furnishings shorter. The differences are slight bit but both haircuts turn back the clock of time on this dog. The Golden looks like a puppy again. The end result is a trim that is appealing and easy to care for

Shop Maintenance 101

Mark LaFleur, CMG

Many of us are guilty of this - we ignore basic maintenance of our salons. We're just too busy grooming dogs! But overlooking these items will slow down your productivity or - worse yet - could be just down-right dangerous! Marc shares with you some of the more routine items that need to be addressed to keep your salon running smoothly. We are headed into one of the busiest grooming times of the year - the holiday season! Is your shop ready to handle the load? In this lesson, Marc rolls up his sleeves to tackle dryers, tub drains, laundry dryers, hot water heaters, vents, hydraulic tables, and much more.

What Do You Do With a Wire Coated Doodle?
Jennifer Hecker, CMG

How many of your have been faced with a Doodle type dog with a wiry coat? They are out there. In this video lesson, hand-stripping expert, Jennifer Hecker, shows you some great styling options. This dog has a coat similar to a Bouvier des Flandres. It has not been groomed in about five months. Jennifer shows you how to rake out the coat, cutting down the time it takes to hand strip. Finally she shows you how to detail the haircut with shears along with styling the head. The end result is a tidied up rough coated dog. The look is natural and appealing.

Showcase Salon:
Bridgeview Grooming Salon
Courtney, Ramstack, CMG

Bridgeview's mission is to provide the highest quality veterinary medical care and grooming salon services in a friendly, relaxed setting. They sincerely care about owners and their pets! That is what Bridgeview Animal Hospital and Bridgeview Grooming Salon is all about. Join Courtney Ramstack, the director of the grooming department, as she personally shows you through this well-designed grooming facility. This 2000 square foot salon imparts an uncluttered 'spa' atmosphere. It was designed to be bright and airy. The styling area has room for 6 styling stations. The bathing area boasts three tubs at various heights. The abundance of holding spaces for the pets allow the Bridgeview's grooming department to streamline their day to maximize productivity in a relaxed, caring manner.

Common Groomer Physical Aliments that Plague Our Industry
Misty Fowler, CMG

Professional pet grooming is a far cry from a cushy desk job. It's physically demanding and dirty. The dryers are loud -- and occasionally the yapping dog in the corner even louder. There are days when you leave the shop mentally and physically drained. Despite the negative components of grooming pets -- most of us wouldn't trade it for any other career. It can be one of the most rewarding jobs we have ever done. Unfortunately, the demanding elements can take a toll on our bodies. Join longtime stylist, Misty Fowler as she shares her extensive list of problems she has learned to overcome through the years. She'll share many solutions that have allowed her to stay at her grooming table for well over 20 years.