Dog Diversity: A Training trip to Melbourne

In January, I set out to hit Melbourne in May to finally complete my training in Dog Grooming! After researching, I found that there are no official training providers in little old Adelaide, so Melbourne next door was my best bet. I was set on my decision with Dog Diversity as they are the leading provider in Australia and have been training for 20 years now. So - finally all my saving paid off! (For what? Not sure, but I knew there would be a use for it in the future). I made it official and booked an AirB&B, flights and continued to save and save for the trip; Education and exploring a new city; a solid mix! (Being 26 and never having been to Melb; slightly odd, but that was the situation.) I also had not travelled solo to a major city since I was very young... so this trip was a big deal, much overdue, and the best investment I have made to begin my career in dog grooming.

I arrived a few days earlier and aimlessly wandered for a few hours with my tiny suitcase which I managed to pack 4 weeks worth of gear into, all to avoid having to buy an entirely new one (I regret this; just buy the damn suitcase. Queue to me violently stuffing a model dog head into said suitcase). I was left pretty dumbfounded at the expansiveness of the city, and the massive skyscrapers of which we only have a ... well, not many, in Adelaide. I participated in your classic cheesy tourist activities: I hit up the Royal Exhibition Building, sussed out the dome at 333 Collins Street (big old architecture fan), gained 5kg having breakfast at Le Petit Chateau in the Block Arcade and visited the Museum - the rainforest section was my favourite part!

As I travelled on the Skybus from the airport into the city, I realised how small Adelaide is and felt pretty sheltered. It was quite eye-opening and I would verbally 'pfft' whenever I heard people say, "nah Melbourne's pretty small", to which my default response was, "have you been to Adelaide, son?" Even just outside of the CBD still feels like being in the inner city, as opposed to Adelaide where the CBD is enveloped by the parklands which are then surrounded by endless, sprawling suburbia. Even the suburbs have something going on, like Chapel Street in South Yarra and the small retail strips in Footscray.

I was very impressed with the train lines and was blown away by the train station in Footscray - we just don't have stations with escalators planted in Adelaide suburbs! I got very used to shops not closing at 5pm on the weekend; even if you're not a night life person, the vibe in the city is quite awesome and there is entertainment everywhere you go; risky, as this city does chew up your money if you're not careful. I also got used to having table service (sounds simple, but none the less) and would verbally exclaim "oh, another one?" when stumbling into yet another shopping mall by accident. Shopping malls, everywhere. Figuring out the underground train stations also proved to be slightly anxiety inducing, but after a few trips they were oh so convenient. I was told that without the train/tram network, Melbourne would crumble as there are a lot of people to move around and this is very true; as silly as it sounds, there is a noticeable difference between the amount of people you see just walking in suburban streets compared to Adelaide, where at times, I do wonder if my neighbours actually exist.

All in all, the city is very photogenic, and I have my favourite places: Homm Desert on La Trobe street, The National Gallery of which I explored across 3 visits being the artsy fartsy woman that I am (I do read about 85% of the info plaques!) Melbourne Central with the giant glass dome-like structure and QV mall for the cheap, pre-made bowls at Bibimbap Korean Cuisine. I did enter the Emporium at Melbourne Central, and I did get lost many times; Google Maps tried its hardest to navigate me through the many levels of said mall. I wonder how many escalators are in this city? I also visited the Shrine of Remembrance which was very moving, outstanding and very much a glute workout that I did feel the next day, thanks to the many steps.

I picked up my copy of Notes from the Grooming Table (which is known in the grooming world as the Dog Groomer's Bible) and commenced week 1! We learnt a lot on theory; OHS, laws and regulations in the grooming industry in Australia, we looked at grooming tools and clipper care, coat types and the various shampoos and conditioners that suit each one, and animal handling (there are many, many ways that you must handle a dog; it feels very foreign at first and at times you do - safely, need to contort your body, contortionist style. I also quickly realised that I wished I was born with an extra limb - octopus style.) We worked in partners for the first week and really focused on what I like to call, "The Order of Operations", or, the order of clipping a dog. Pads, pits, groin, bum and nails for sanitary - middle body, back legs, front legs neck and throat for body clipping. We quickly learnt that this routine often needs to be modified for certain dogs, like the feisty terriers that hate having their feet done; don't betray the dog at the start!

In week 2 we began working individually and really honed in on getting dogs thoroughly cleaned and dried, which is very important for a good grooming outcome - the most important step in the entire groom! It's also very important when using attachment combs that dogs are squeaky clean, dried and tangle free. We focused also on getting the basics and order of operations down and did a group de-shed on a gigantic Burmese Mountain Dog named Earnie using the hydrobath and ProGroom's "FurEx" 3 step system: Cleanse, Release and Close. Here, we learnt that there are products on the market that are formulated to make the grooming process easier - for de-shedding, most of it can be done in the bath; you don't need to spend hours upon hours brushing dead hair from the coat!

In week 3 we focused on heads, specifically 'cute' round or teddy heads, and we had a few schnauzers and poodles chucked into the mix also. There is definitely a process! Set neck line, brush the entire head free of knots, set the head and cheeks with the appropriate attachment comb, clean out the inner eye area, cut the visor, half moon the cheeks, trim the chin, shape the muzzle and clear the flew area (corner lips) of stained hair and and blend your life away! We learnt a lot about angles and how to safely use scissors around the eyes - never cutting into the dog, and cutting safely near the inner eyes (which freaks a lot of people out), by cutting over the eyes and muzzle like a bridge. For Gus, (the squishy Brussels Griffon dog below) I learnt that I can use a #10 blade to safely clear out the tight skin folds between the eyes and nose. We learnt how to cut and shape the ears and tail. We also groomed a model dog head which was great fun and helped me understand all of the angles used when cutting the head. Click the arrow in the images below to see the rest of the images.

Week 4 was about putting it all together and focusing on timing. It was very satisfying to feel all the pieces and steps come together, and to get to be left with a dog and 'do my thing'. We asked many questions, but I found that being left to my own devices a bit in the end allowed me to figure things out further. It was only in the final week that I realised that I can in fact use my right hand to hold one leg and clip the middle of it with my left hand! You definitely end up learning to work with both hands. The more hands the merrier - our group came together to clean the space most days and this is something I love to see. Cleaning up is best for everyone, and the dogs.

I completed two assessment dogs; Rosie (pronounced Ro-say) the toy poodle and Oscar, the Schnoodle; two of my most confident grooms. With more time and practice, I am very confident that I will get faster and produce even more refined work. Without training here at Dog Diversity, and getting to work one on one with dogs, I would not have reached this point. From week 3 to 4, I was able to groom 2 dogs per day on my own (33 total dogs across 4 weeks). As a result, I feel very confident that I can complete a standard clip with a 'cute' head.

As I've returned back to Adelaide, I now seek out part time or casual work in a salon to further develop my skills. This means my time will be somewhat more limited for dog walking and sitting services; but I'm not letting it go! It is my hope that I may groom my client's dogs in a salon environment, and I very much look forward to it, especially knowing that I have a relationship with these dogs!

I'd like to thank Dog Diversity for providing such a thorough, in-depth and hands-on experience. All of the trainers are so knowledgeable; Le Rae who knows how to show different things in a very straight-forward way, Coleen who has amazing knowledge in theory, parasites and infection control management, as well as being a very hands on instructor, Joe and Lori who's instruction was also fantastic, kind and gentle and of course Nat who introduced the course so well and who has such a gentle and encouraging spirit. I can definitely see Melbourne in the cards for the future!