Pet Grooming Secrets from Hollywood’s Top Groomer Jess Rona

Grooming Tips for Pet Owners

Announcer 0:02

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Amy Castro 0:25

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Amy Castro 0:57

Welcome to Starlight Pet Talk . I'm your host , amy Castro , and today we're going to talk about grooming your pet . It doesn't matter if you have a dog or a cat or some other animal , and it doesn't really even matter what kind of coat they're wearing . All our pets need grooming to be at their happiest and healthiest . So my guest today is Jess Rona , and Jess is an award-winning groomer , an instructor and president of her own multi-dimensional grooming empire . She has a cult-like following you would not believe on social media and an impressive celebrity clientele for her Los Angeles business . She's also a content creator and a comedian , and she spent her 20s and 30s basically grooming dogs by day and making people laugh doing improv at night . So I think we're going to have a fun episode . Jess , thank you so much for being with me today , and I know you're super busy . I appreciate you making the time for us , of course . Thanks for having me , hi . So how did you get started as a groomer ? Because ?

Amy Castro 1:55

obviously I'm sure if everything's a path right .

Jess Rona 1:58

Yeah , And it was the path that I was not expecting to take . I sort of fell into it organically . My mom would get cat food at PetSmart deep in the valley in LA , in Recita , and I went with her to get cat food and there was a help wanted sign . She found out they were hiring and she's like a very pushy mom and she was like we're getting you a job . I just needed a job of any kind .

Jess Rona 2:22

I was 18 , and so I saw all these different jobs on the application . You can work with the aquatics In the aquatics section , you can work as a cashier , You can do all these things at PetSmart . But then , oh , there's dog-bather And I was like , ooh , that's cool . That's not a typical nine to five job . I feel like that would be more fun . And so I started bathing dogs and I was so bad at it , It was so hard . I did love it , though . I loved it .

Jess Rona 2:52

And then , because I had always wanted to be an actress , I saw myself as an actress , And so I was like , well , this is a fun temporary thing just to make some money while I pursue acting . And then I was at PetSmart for four years , and over those four years I was a bather for two years and then I slowly just started to learn how to do pads , What's a cock , or haircut , What's a schnauzer , Like all these different breeds , because when I first started I knew nothing about dogs , I only had cats . So I knew nothing . I didn't even know dog breeds , I didn't know anything . And so , yeah , I just started to learn organically over the years . But that's the short answer , but that's how I got started .

Amy Castro 3:33

It's funny that you said that you thought dog bathing would be fun . That's anyone that has a dog would know . It's probably , unless it's a little dog Like . I don't mind bathing my chihuahua , but bathing my bulldogs a whole nother wallowax .

Jess Rona 3:43

Oh yeah , And I was a kid , You know , I didn't know anything at that time really He didn't know enough to be very afraid .

Amy Castro 3:50

No , so going from working at PetSmart to building your own business , i mean that is a I think it's a huge accomplishment . I mean for anybody to have a business , but to have a business that's operating at the level that you're operating with the clientele that you have , because and I will speak as a client And also I actually was a dog bather and I got to trim the pads and I got to do anal glands as far as they let me go- So I love that .

Jess Rona 4:17

You said I got to do anal glands Like it's a privilege . That's right , yeah .

Amy Castro 4:23

That's a , it's a graduation from bathing , right , but people can be very demanding And so it's a challenge . I think when people get into working with animals , you think about working with animals . You don't think about how difficult it can sometimes be working with people , whether it's clients , employees , things like that . So more power to you for doing what you're doing . So what I was hoping we could talk about today a little bit is because I have kind of seen it from both sides .

Amy Castro 4:49

I think there are definitely things that people can do to make the whole trip to the groomer easier for everybody involved , not only for yourself as the pet owner , but for your pet , but also for the groomer , because I think we expect groomers to . Sometimes we see these . I mean , i've seen your fabulous videos . You see these fabulous looking animals , but they don't happen in a vacuum . You know that that miraculous haircut or whatever it might be , doesn't happen without a lot of stuff happening behind the scenes to make that even a possibility . So what would be a couple of things you think that that pet owners could do , let's say , before they even leave the house or between grooming appointments ? that would make the whole process easier .

Jess Rona 5:33

Well , when you say between grooming appointments , are you talking about making the process easier for everybody , at the groomer or at home ?

Amy Castro 5:42

Let's start at home and then we'll go and then we'll kind of like , we'll kind of progress chronologically , because I think there are a lot of things at least in my experience that if you just did this first , then your groomer could do this magical thing that you want them to do .

Jess Rona 5:55

Well , sure , i mean , the first thing I think about is brushing , but I want to talk about brushing in a way that also , a lot of times , a new client will come in and say I brush my dog all the time , every day , and it's still matted . Or they don't believe that the dog is matted because they brush every day but they're using like a soft bore bristle brush and it's not getting through the coat , or they're only brushing the back of the dog And so when you brush a dog , you just want to make sure . For the most part , with most coat types , i recommend a slicker brush for pet parents . I sell one on my website . That's my favorite . I went to Tokyo to a dog show and I found this tiny brush and I was like what is this little , cute little brush ? I'm going to try it and I'm obsessed with it . So I contacted the company and I was like please send me all of your brushes because I'm obsessed . So it's called the tiny K-Pro , but what I love about it is that it has a tiny , hollow handle .

Jess Rona 6:52

So a lot of times pet parents are like well , my dog hates getting brushed . So here's the thing with pet parents they think their dog hates getting brushed and they are brushing just the back or their dog won't allow them to brush certain parts . So there's so many ways you can tackle this . First of all , the dog hates being brushed because it probably hurts or it hurt in the past , so they have this memory of like brushing equals pain or discomfort . So what you can do is how can we think about rebuilding the trust , and that's what I'm working on . I have a new course coming out all about rebuilding trust . It's more for groomers , but I'm sure pet parents would benefit . But it's just like once you break the trust which happens like , oh , you're going to snag a mat sometimes And not every dog is going to be like now , i don't , i don't like you , but it's like what can I do to make this the most comfortable for the dog ?

Jess Rona 7:44

And so what I recommend ? there's a couple of things . Number one always have a slicker brush . Have maybe try to do a conditioning spray while you're brushing , which is just a nice thing you can do . You can mist it on the brush and glide the brush through , or you can mist it on the coat . If you don't have a budget for a conditioning spray , you can take some really high quality dog conditioner and mix it into a spray bottle and create sort of like a spray on leave on conditioner . Don't overspray and don't leave it in the bottle for months and months . That has a shelf life if it's mixed with water .

Jess Rona 8:16

Another thing I tell pet parents is to do one small section at a time . So let's say you just let's say your dog needs to be brushed , but your dog hates to get brushed . What if you only brush the tail ? Just brush the tail today , that's it . And then give lots of treats And then tomorrow do one leg . And what I also recommend is put the dog up on a high surface , maybe on a yoga mat or a towel or something , so they're not slipping , and start by brushing the feet first and smush up the coat and do section by section and start with the foot and then go up from there . And if you can't do that , no problem , but just give it a shot . The key is you want to be able to open the coat and see the skin and also never leave a harness on Those harnesses . Make so many mats , and this also , you know , this just doesn't apply to short-coated dogs , but this is only for those dogs that really will get mad at if they don't go to the groomer . And so this is more for like maintaining your dog between groomings .

Jess Rona 9:12

I also have a pet parent course on my website for maintaining your dog between groomings , because I'm in alignment with you . I want to teach pet parents how to make it like not just easy on the dog but easy on the groomer and easy on the pet parent . Like what can we do ? There's so many things you can do . That's just brushing . That's like one small thing . I also just highly recommend starting a nice relationship with the groomer early on in the dog's life or as soon as you adopt a dog . And so if you get a puppy , i even encourage people to go bi-weekly for just baths for the first three months after their last set of shots and book it when the puppy is like not even ready to go , pre-book it . I love saying do the first appointment if you can . Those first early appointments are usually the best because the groomer is focused on that one dog . There isn't the whole day of dogs coming in . There's so many things . I feel like I'm going off topic .

Amy Castro 10:06

No , but you're right If you think about it . I remember when my daughter's 30 now so , but when she was little , you know it wasn't like you wait till they're five and take them to the dentist and expect that they're going to cooperate and it's going to be a pleasant experience . I mean , at least our dentist was great in saying bring her here and we'll do nothing , just have her hang out while you're getting your teeth cleaned and then you know like we'll let her sit in the chair And you can tell I mean , even as a lay person , i can tell

Reduce Pet Grooming Stress Tips

Amy Castro 10:30

you talking about walking by . you know pet smart , you can tell the animals who've been there done that and the ones who somebody decided I'm eight years old and I need to go to the groomer out of the blue and they've not had that acclimation . that , i think , is really important for their not only their stress level , but I would assume it makes them much more cooperative when you're trying to work on them .

Jess Rona 10:49

Yeah , i mean I've been surprised , though Sometimes the dog is like an adopted dog and they haven't really been to the groomer and they're fine . So I mean , i think it's a lot about building trust and if the dog is just naturally submissive and passive , they're going to be okay . But if the dog has anxiety or isn't trusting , that's like another thing . It's funny that you said it's like a dentist , because when I teach groomers I compare our experience at a dentist to a dog's experience at the groomers . It's just this thing it sucks , we got to do it . It's like it's not fun , it's uncomfortable . But it's so funny that you said dentist , because that's how I explain , that's my , how I imagine a dog would feel about the groomer .

Amy Castro 11:36

Yeah , i was talking to my veterinarian the other day and she was basically talking about the same way with the vet . You practice by going in the car . you practice by making it a positive , like you said , giving treats , things like that , doing things in little steps If you need to . I mean , if somebody is go with the flow and they're great with it , then great . But I think being prepared to go through that process is probably important .

Amy Castro 11:58

So , let's talk about some of the things maybe that clients do , whether it's once they get there and making their appointment . That makes the process harder on everybody .

Jess Rona 12:09

Yeah . So a lot of times I will coach my clients to have a no big deal energy when dropping off the dog , because even some of my regulars the dog will get a little trembling and this is just their way of releasing their anxiety , so it's nothing to get too worried about . But what happens is with some of my clients they'll carry the dog in like a baby . They'll try to treat the dog like a human baby , which of course human babies give them all the comfort that they need , or little kids like , of course , hug all the children . But when you do it with a dog sometimes it makes it worse . So my biggest advice is to have a no big deal energy only at drop off And then when you pick up , also sort of have a no big deal energy and then wait for the dog to calm down before you say hello And that's sort of like just any greeting for the most part , because sometimes that big excitement can lead to other behavioral issues with dogs Too much jumping , just like overly excited , just crazy . So I just say just ignore , act like no big deal . And this is usually with newer clients that are new dog owners And I just say , like the biggest lesson I learned especially when I was a new puppy owner and I did all this research and I realized I have to wait till I had a little puppy . She's 11 now , but when she was a baby I had to kind of ignore her until she settled . And I never pet the dog when they're not in a state that I want them to be in .

Jess Rona 13:40

And so that's the biggest advice I can give to pet parents is , the more anxious you're feeling , the dog will pick up on it . So even fake it , fake having a no big deal energy . And if the dog is nervous at drop off , see if you can call ahead of time or email your groomer and give all haircut instructions or chat about it , so that you're not sitting and talking to the groomer while your dog is like panicked , because a lot of times once the pet owners leave , the dog calms down instantly with us . So it's like usually just that drop off And I have to convince them like I promise you they're fine once you leave . It's like the leaving part is really hard .

Jess Rona 14:20

And I'm a pet parent too . I'm the same way . I'm overly protective of my dogs . I have two dogs And I'm just I'm a naturally sort of anxious person . I do a lot of work on it . You know I meditate , i do a lot of work on that , but it's just in my bones And so I accept it . I live with it . But I don't want to put it too much on my dogs .

Amy Castro 14:42

That's great advice , and I did see that one of your videos about the short and drop off time . Yeah , i remember It's quick and easy . Yeah , make it , make it , make it no big deal And it's going to be no big deal . That's that's great advice

Challenges With Pet Grooming Expectations

Amy Castro 14:54

. What else ? what else do they do that might make things difficult for you in trying to accomplish what it is that they want you to accomplish with their pet ?

Jess Rona 15:03

Well , i mean , pet parents are not groomers , and so if a pet parent is really heavy handed with the instructions , it makes a groomer feel like they're not trusted . That said , i don't mind some feedback , i don't mind being guided . You know , if you like . Long years , great .

Jess Rona 15:21

Before I became known , i would have to prove myself to my clients , and so they didn't know what I could do . So I would get a list of things like do this , this , this and this , and I would just be like well , of course I'm going to do those , like clip the nails , you know all that stuff . And this is just a responsible pet parent , you know , trying to make sure that they're getting what they're paying for . But I think there's a fine line between letting the groomer do their job and being too heavy handed , and so that's another little point that I wanted to make . Luckily , i don't have a ton of that .

Jess Rona 15:52

I don't think a ton of people are like that . For me personally , my preference is to allow me to do my job , and then I always say , especially with first time clients , it might take a couple tries for me to get it right , because I am a people pleaser and I want people to like what I do . So , yeah , i feel like , just if there's anyone out there listening , that is just not trusting of the groomer just maybe try to give it a shot and see what they do . I don't know , could backfire , who knows ? I think it just depends on the skill level of the groomer .

Amy Castro 16:24

Yeah , And I think it's important too that people have not only realistic expectations of the groomer , but also of what you're giving the person to work with . It's like if you're expecting me to make a really high quality , fancy Italian dinner and you give me the cheapest canned tomato sauce and want me to use that instead of making my own with fresh ingredients , you're going to get what you get . So how do you handle people that have unrealistic expectations ?

Jess Rona 16:56

Oh , I'm very honest with them And I've done so much work on how to run a business and how to have clients and treat them with empathy and love which I do , and I love all my clients And I just say , if you bring me a photo of a dog , that's a totally different breed . It's usually people bring me a photo of their dog when their dog was a puppy and say can you recreate this ? Or they'll give me a photo of a dog that is not freshly groomed . They want a natural puppy look And what happens is puppies have a different coat than their adult . There's an adult coat and a puppy coat , and so I'll just be really upfront and just say well , this is , let's just call the dog , josie . This is Josie as a baby , so her nose is smaller . Like , puppies have different coat types , their features are different , and so I won't be able to recreate it , but I can use this as inspiration for sure .

Jess Rona 17:50

But I'm just totally honest with people . That's how I handle it . I'm just like you know . I'll do my best . This can be a beautiful starting point , but that's why I kind of give myself an out when I have new clients and I just say let the haircut settle for a couple of days , see how you like it . I'll check in in a couple of days and we can go from there and just I love this , i don't love this . I love feedback . So I want to make sure I get that from my clients because ultimately , i'm in the service industry and I want to make sure I'm being of service . I also , like I said , i'm a total people pleaser , so I'm in the right line of work . So if you're happy , i'm happy .

Amy Castro 18:27

Well , and you've got the double challenge too . I've , you know , not only keeping the person happy , but keeping the animal happy and doing what's what's right by the animal , for sure , oh yeah .

Jess Rona 18:37

Oh yeah , if a dog , it's a very . I'll tell you . There's a very common cycle , especially with doodle owners . Doodle owners are getting a reputation in the grooming industry . I don't know if you know about this , but what happens is I'll tell you , and especially since you have a an audience of pet parents , if you're a doodle owner . Here's what we groomers are starting to say . I mean , i don't know if you're noticing , but it's harder to get your doodle groomed unless you are grandfathered in or you've started as a puppy and you come regularly New doodle owners . It's hard to get in , especially in LA . I don't know if it's like this everywhere , but here's a cycle that we're seeing over and over again is the pet parent wants to keep the dog fluffy , so fluffy . Sometimes they don't even want the eyes trimmed So fluffy . Right , i don't care that . You can't see I know they don't care , the dog can't see .

Jess Rona 19:28

I mean , not everybody's like that , but some of them are . They do not brush properly . And when they say I brush every day , all I do is brush my dog , Do you brush in between the toes ? Do you brush the armpits ? Do you brush the ankles ? How about under the tail ? How about behind the ears ? These little details ? let's say I brush my whole dog , but all those little spots are matted .

Jess Rona 19:49

So now the dog is matted , according to the groomer , because this is going to take time , and the time is . I mean we charge $2 a minute for dematting at my shop And the clients pay for it because they get beautiful work , but also we draw the line . But hold on , i'm diverting . So the cycle is my dog is long , i want them long , great . They're a little matted . Let's demat today , but I recommend that you take the dog shorter so it's a little bit less of maintenance . No , no , no , no , no , no . I want my dog long , great . Next time I promise I'm going to brush and I'm going to stay on a schedule . Next time , same thing , same thing . So now a little bit more matted because the coat didn't get cut the last time , or the cut . The coat was left too long . Now the dog's more matted and now it's another D mat charge and the client is frustrated . Now the dog is associating being at the groomer with getting dematted . Luckily , at my shop I've trained everybody . We have a very gentle dematting technique . It's time consuming , but it is not uncomfortable for the dog for the most part . So now we have a cycle And then what happens is the client comes in again . The dog is so mad that we have to shave it . So now we shave the dog and now it's a shaved dog and the owner is so upset And so are we . We don't want to shave the dog , we want to do something beautiful . And then it happens again where we want to grow it out . Now I'm not going to go to the groomer for two months because they're not going to need a haircut . So here's what I recommend If you have a doodle that is a big boofy bear and is so cute , fluffy , there are alternative haircuts you can do that are still fluffy and adorable , especially those feet .

Jess Rona 21:24

My friend has a doodle and there's . In LA there's Fox tails everywhere and the dog got a Fox tail . She couldn't find it . He had to go to the vet The feet are all mad at it . It's like a whole thing . And this is like my best friend's dog And I'm like girl come over So like it's just better to just get on a routine .

Jess Rona 21:41

So if you want to keep your dog fluffy , go to the groomer weekly or bi-weekly and get just a bath and condition and just get the groomer to brush out the dog If you can afford it . If you can't afford it , come go once a month . If you can't do once a month , do every other month . But see if you could do a bath and tidy in between haircuts at the groomer , which is a less expensive service . People don't realize , like , if those bath and tidy appointments are just so valuable . Because we check the nails , we trim the nails , we trim the pads . Sometimes you could do the sanitary area . I mean , at my shop we do everything And then we glide a comb through a beautifully conditioned coat and it's perfect . So take advantage of your groomer for bath only appointments to , not just haircuts .

Jess Rona 22:23

And also one more thing short hair dogs need grooming too . A lot of people think if they have a short hair dog they don't need a grooming . That's not true . And if you don't want to go monthly , that's fine , but I recommend I think every dog should get a beautiful bath at least once a month . I have a short hair dog . She gets bathed , we de-shed , we deep condition , brush her teeth , clean her ears , trim her nails . There's so much you could do for a short-coated dog . We de-shed . So all the bears and babies need grooming , and when I say bears and babies I mean dogs . That's just how I could say .

Amy Castro 22:59

So many excellent points there . Obviously , doodles are super popular in Houston , as they are around the world . I guess they're just popular now . They are very popular . That's a whole other subject , but it brings up a couple of key points . Number one , obviously , what you said the things that people should be doing and then don't . So you're going to pay the price , whether it's paying the price or whether your dog's paying the price because it's there for hours or it's unhappy because it's getting mats taken out , things like that . But I think people need to think about that when they think about what kind of pet they're getting . how much maintenance is required . Do I have the time , energy , budget to maintain a doodle , or would I be better off getting a shorter hair dog ? I mean , it kind of starts from the very beginning .

Jess Rona 23:45

Yeah , And as groomers , like , if we're doing a beautiful haircut on a doodle , one doodle could be the same time as three small dogs or two small dogs . For us , One doodle could be the same as , yeah , like two poodles , two little mini poodles , So I need to charge double for a doodle . So people are like , oh my God , groomers charge so much . Well , it's because you're taking the spot of two or three other dogs And I hope at groomers listening that you know that charge for your time and skill . And so if you're taking the time , charge the amount that you should charge for that . And people don't realize this is why it's so expensive And this is also why some groomers are like you know what , for my back and my time , everything , I'm just going to not have doodles over and I'll just have two Maltesers come over and it'll be much easier on my body . So I mean there's some groomers that feel that way because it's hard work . You're just a big doodle on your table . You're lifting the leg to get the armpit . It's physically a lot of work .

Jess Rona 24:50

It depends on the doodle though . Like some of them are just as big as horses . They're just so big . I mean I love the little mini ones . They're so cute . I mean , give me a mini doodle any day . It's just those big bears that are just so much work . And so if you're on the fence and thinking about getting a big doodle , I mean they're amazing . Keep them short , especially if they swim . Oh my God , swimming makes dogs so matted . If you have a dog that loves jumping the pool I'm talking doodles or big , curly coated dogs Just keep them short . It's so much easier . They'll grow out again .

Amy Castro 25:25

That's right . That's what I was going to say too earlier is like nothing we're doing here is permanent , So in another month you can try something different or take a different approach .

Jess Rona 25:35

The only kind of cut that is sort of permanent is if you cut a double coated dog too short For poms and stuff . I would not recommend cutting those dogs short because it totally damages the coat and it's just not great for them .

Amy Castro 25:49

That brings up a great point , because I remember when I saw you on Drew Barrymore and that was like a year or so ago , she had , i think it was , a golden retriever . But let's just say it was a golden retriever and you were talking about , other than maybe tidying things up , that you wouldn't cut the hair on a dog like that .

Don't Shave Double-Coated Dogs

Amy Castro 26:05

One of the things people do down here in Houston , because it is so ungodly hot and humid , is that they like to shave their animals down . So they shave down golden retrievers and they shave down things that 40 years ago maybe not quite 40 years ago , but pretty close to 40 years ago that I worked at a groomer and the philosophy then was those aren't kind of dogs you shave . You don't shave a golden retriever .

Jess Rona 26:27

Still the philosophy .

Amy Castro 26:28

Yeah , okay . So what is the rationale ? My dog will be cooler if I shave all its hair off in the summer .

Jess Rona 26:33

Oh , i have this conversation with my clients every summer and every winter . So dogs coats are not like sweaters , they're more like insulation . There's these little muscles around each follicle of a dog's coat . They're little follicular muscles that move the coat up and down to regulate their temperature . Dogs are absorbent through their skin . They have very sensitive skin And so when you take off their first defense , which is their coat , now they're going to be prone to skin issues . I hope they don't get sunburned , but it could happen . They're just exposed to the elements so much when they don't have that first line of defense .

Jess Rona 27:10

So the best thing to do with a dog to cool them off . I mean they're going to be hot at summer , everyone's hot . Don't leave them outside all day . Bring them inside , keep them cool and take out that undercoat . It's the undercoat that gets packed in for , like those thick double coated dogs , like the Huskies , the Palms , samoyeds , those kinds of dogs , some shepherds , so you just want to get . I love the Artero double-sided flexible slicker . It's a brush , they are . Tero love that brush for double coated dogs . They come in a different sizes , but what I love about them is that they're great for the undercoat of dogs And so for a dog that has a double coat , the best thing to cool them off is to brush them and bathe them and let their skin breathe by removing their undercoat . Because what happens is you shave these dogs and you completely damage their coat . I mean , it's not life or death , they're going to be fine . I get worked up . I used to get so upset seeing like shaved , double coated dogs , like , oh my God , like how could you ?

Announcer 28:13

Because they don't know people don't know .

Jess Rona 28:14

There's one in my neighborhood . There's like a Husky that gets shaved and I'm just like you know what . When it comes down to it , these dogs are being taken care of , they have a home , they have food . Like you know , when it really comes down to it , it's not the end of the world , but I mean me as like a picky , opinionated groomer . I do , you know , scoff when I get upset , but it's not great for them . So I'll just say that it's not great . I think that , like something that's even worse is dental neglect or you know , if they neglect the nails and the nails grow into the pads . I mean , i've seen it all And the biggest , biggest pet peeve of mine is seeing dogs out on hot asphalt .

Jess Rona 28:54

In the summer I go to the flea market , I go to the farmers market in LA it gets to 80 or 90 degrees And these are in parking lots . The flea market is in a parking lot . It is 100% asphalt And I see these panting low to the ground dogs , especially smush face dogs like hugs , that are in this hot parking lot . They will overheat and you can really potentially harm them . That is what I'm really concerned about is walking your dog outside on hot asphalt . Even in boots it's still too much , because they're low to the ground and the heat will emanate from the ground .

Amy Castro 29:31

Yeah , we try to do a lot of education down here , because obviously it's ungodly hot here too And you get animals their pads burn . The philosophy is if you can't walk on your bare feet on it , they shouldn't be walking on it either .

Jess Rona 29:43

Yeah And like , don't just take a flip-flop off and put your foot down for a second . Walk bare feet for 10 or 15 minutes , can you do it ? So , like , people think of their dog's coat as a sweater . They think they need to keep them longer in the winter and shorter in the summer , but that's just not the case . It's insulation and it regulates their temperature , so leave a little coat . That said , if your dog is a matted poodle or something and it gets short , that's great . You can keep your dog short if you need to to prevent matting .

Jess Rona 30:15

You can shave a dog with that kind of coat type and it won't damage the coat and it won't hurt the dog at all . It's mostly just the double-coated dogs the shepherds and that sort of thing the golden , the huskies Those are the dogs that should not be shaved , and especially Pomeranians , because I've seen it cause alopecia . I've seen it where the coat doesn't grow back or like half the coat grows back and only the undercoat , not that glossy guard hair . That's the . Those are the double coats . It's like a , a cottony undercoat and a glossy guard coat , and so sometimes only the undercoat grows back and it grows back and patches . And don't do it . Keep your dog brushed And if you can't maintain a long fluffy Pomeranian , do a longer haircut . It still damages the coat but it's not as bad . Or just like hand scissor the tush and the underline or something . Just one more thing If you do have a shaved dog that's like a white dog that gets shaved don't leave them out in the sun too long , cause they can get sunburned . Those little babies ?

Amy Castro 31:11

Yep , they definitely do . What would you say would be some tips that would be helpful to facilitate communication between groomer and pet parent ? I love , i love the advice to call and and have those conversations in advance and not at the door when your dog is nervous . But what are some things that we can do to better communicate with our groomers so that we're on the same page ?

Jess Rona 31:31

Well , i think , just as humans let's just talk about human communication Have empathy and listen , and I feel like if both parties are having empathy and listening to each other , i think it would be a great relationship and a great way to communicate

Grooming With Gratitude and Honesty

Jess Rona 31:46

.

Jess Rona 31:46

When you're a groomer , you're in the service industry , and so you're of service to your client , and when you're a client , you're of service to your dog , really , and so you want to make sure that everyone is taken care of . One thing I really love is , on both ends , to show gratitude . When a client gives us gifts for the holidays you know I give gifts for the holidays I just really love to show gratitude , and I think it goes a long way in any relationship . So if you have a groomer that you love , show them some kind of gratitude , whether it's a big tip out of the blue or a gift , or if you're a groomer listening , what can you do to give your clients a cute little something ? And it gets a lot to buy a bunch of clients something , but even if it's just some homemade dog treats or a little one year I did little custom name tags for my clients Just something to give back . So I feel like that's good for communication is empathy , listening and gratitude .

Amy Castro 32:40

Great , great . I was thinking of something else that I wanted to ask you related .

Jess Rona 32:44

Well , what is it ?

Amy Castro 32:45

Oh , honesty , i'm trying to know . Okay , honesty , honesty , honesty . You were talking about these people that they say they brush their dog every day , but they maybe they do , maybe they don't . Do you feel like people are generally honest ? Do you think that they think they're being honest , that they're not ? Are they trying to pull something over ?

Jess Rona 33:02

I think they're honest . I think their techniques are wrong . I always assume people have the best intentions . It's just an assumption I put on everyone my clients , my employees , every relationship . So I feel like I think they're trying their best . Whether or not they do it every single day , i don't really care . Basically I just care is the dog matted or not ? And like I think they're just brushing the back , i think they're using the wrong tools . I think they just aren't educated on what real good brushing is . And so that's where the empathy comes in , where I'm like okay , you're saying this , it doesn't matter to me if they're lying or not , let's just go with the facts . Like you're saying this , i think what's happening is you're using the wrong tools . Let's get you on the right path .

Jess Rona 33:47

I'm going to give you this brush . I usually make them get the tiny K pro brush , and I have a conditioning spray that I sell at my shop . Those are the two things I send them home with . I say , if you're going to bathe your dog between groomings , just make sure to brush the dog when they're dry before the bath . Bathe and condition even if you're in a human climate condition the dog And then , once they're dry again , brush again . And I say brush with a slicker brush and brush the feet , brush the armpits , the legs , the legs , the back legs . Usually people will have their dogs sit when they get brushed , but then their back legs don't get brushed . So it's just like you know they're not professional groomers . I don't expect the world from them . So if they can't do it , let's get them into the shop , more especially if they have goals of keeping their dogs stunning and gorgeous and fluffy . If you have those goals , we got to get you in more , that's all .

Announcer 34:34

And if you can't ?

Jess Rona 34:34

afford it . We'll just keep the dog shorter And it's not the end of the world . They look so cute when they're short . You can have a fluffy short . It doesn't have to be shaved or fluff . There's all different lengths now . The grooming I mean since you've been in and there's clip on combs . There's like all different blade lengths now . There's so many options for haircuts now . And also groomers are getting so good because now there's so much education out there . When I was starting , i was just emailing before and after photos to my mentors saying can you please help me Now , i mean with my online courses . There's online courses for everyone And I feel like there's just so much education . That wasn't there before . It's amazing . So now groomers are getting really good . Like the chop-chop , crappy groomers are few and far between . Now Groomers are getting really good . It's exciting .

Amy Castro 35:23

Yeah , That's kind of how I first started thinking about this concept of what we can do to do a better job with the groomer . We're speaking at a grooming conference and to see the hundreds and hundreds of groomers and how hard they were in the competitive grooming , That's a whole another . I know you've done that before . For those who've never watched or participated in competitive grooming and then correct me if I'm wrong at least the one that I went to they're basically handed a dog that they've never worked on before and are tasked with grooming that animal on a stage in front of a bunch of people . So that's pretty accurate , or not always ? Not always .

Jess Rona 36:03

But that actually goes into consideration . With judging . I was apprentice judging in Hasidina at the Groom Expo . I'm starting to apprentice judge And one of the things I learned as what they take into account when judging is they say like , have you met this dog before ? And if they haven't , they'll make sure that they know that on the file when they're pre-judging . Just to see the transformation , see how the groomer handles the dog .

Jess Rona 36:27

There is a competition called the rescue rodeo which is really fun And it's just a rescue competition where a rescue comes in and groomers get assigned a dog at random And those are the dogs . But there's a lot of leniency with those . I mean it's like rescue dogs But some of them get adopted after the show and it's really cool . Some of the groomers want to adopt the dog , which is really special . I mean I've been to rescue rodeos where I'm like , okay , how do I get this dog And take it home ? because there should be bears . Some of these are just little terrier , little mixes that are just needing a home and they're so sweet And the rescues will only bring dogs that are well behaved and sweet and trusting .

Jess Rona 37:11

But now most , a lot of groomers who are really in the competitive world will buy purebred dogs to use for competition And also these groomers are obsessed . They will buy a purebred , gorgeous , perfectly bred Bichon or whatever And they'll show the dog . They'll groom the dog in competitions And these are their lifelong companions . So it's not just like I'm meeting this dog and grooming it And what happens is they groom the dog throughout the dog's life in every competition . For the most part , i mean , they stop grooming the dog at like . I think when they get to be like eight or nine or something , they'll stop . But what happens is the groomer gets better and better and better And each competition is different depending upon who your competition is . But these groomers will use the same dogs in every competition just to try to tweak it to get better and better . There's so much to know about perfecting a groom that it takes years upon years to learn one breed standard perfectly .

Amy Castro 38:08

I can't even imagine the amount of hours . I don't have any that need haircuts at this stage , thank God . But I did have this little Rescutarier Mix name buddy , and I used to try to give him my version of a schnauzer cut . He wasn't a schnauzer , but I wanted him to have the little beard , and when I took my time it would look okay . But sometimes it was just like , yeah , i'm not doing this , and then my husband would look at the dog and say , oh , buddy , did mama give you a haircut again ? I'm so sorry . It's like didn't . I wasn't exactly a professional , should have left it to the professionals . So I couldn't wrap this up without asking if you have either a great story to share or something that you're particularly proud of , or just maybe some want to know a little about your celebrity clients . Can you tell us who any of those are ? Well , those are three questions . Which one do you want to answer All of them , and then we'll decide .

Jess Rona 38:58

Okay , What do you want to answer ? The first one is is there something I'm proud of ? Yeah , i'm proud that I've been able to build a business that builds up groomers and teaches groomers and helps groomers Not only the groomers who work for me , my employees and I want to empower them with knowledge , but I want to empower groomers everywhere . So I'm able to do that with my online platform . So that's something I'm really proud of . And I'm leaning more into pet parents too . I'm starting a YouTube series soon , so stay tuned for my YouTube channel , which is going to be . I still I put up some videos , but I'm going to be more mindful about it throughout the rest of the year and next year . But that's one thing I'm proud of is my online courses and just being able to reach more people and help more people . And then , what was the other question

Dog Grooming and Care Tips

Jess Rona 39:45

?

Jess Rona 39:45

A particularly interesting dog grooming story like oh one of the ones I tell and I've told this before but I had this very flamboyant , very colorful client . This was like 15 years ago and color on your dog was not that popular , so I cringe thinking about it . He wanted like a pastel you know white Pomeranian and he wanted a pastel beautiful , like mint . I had done a beautiful sunset on the dog before where I did like pastel yellow , blended ombre into pinks and oranges And the tail was like an orange , the whole dog And I accidentally did like a dark Smurf blue and he did not like it And it was too dark And it's a palm and the coat just didn't . It took like two years for it to grow back , like it was a whole thing And it was .

Jess Rona 40:38

I was devastated , i was so sad , like I just I wish that I could go back to that moment . But I got to learn . You got to learn . He was so , so sweet about it and so kind to me and like was not angry And that was just . That was a . That's just a crazy story . I mean the dog looks really cute , it was really cute . I mean this was a really long time ago , but yeah , well , didn't ever do that again .

Amy Castro 41:06

It's permanent . We all , yeah , we learned from our mistakes , but it was nice that he was , that he was nice about it and didn't have a big cause . I would have been two years of help .

Jess Rona 41:15

Oh yeah . And also now they have , you know , shampoos where you could do a nice pastel wash on the dog , where it's not like you know a whole thing . But this was a long time ago , okay . So , celebrity clients Well , my biggest one is Katy Perry and she is a huge supporter of my business and really helped me so much . Like she put a blurb on the front of my book . She's just been a dream and I love her so much . She's a pleasure to work with , she's a delight , she's such an inspiration . I'm so inspired by her and love her so much . And I mean I have , like Jane Lynch as a client . Natasha Leon We have I have a list written down Maya Rudolph , cause I'm like , who are my celebrity clients ?

Jess Rona 42:04

It's just , it's funny because I grew up in LA and it's like celebrities are so cool and fun . But I don't , i mean they're just like When you grow up in LA , they're just kind of everywhere and it's not really a big deal . I mean it's a big deal because you're like , wow , i kind of describe it , as you know , when you see like some sort of great wonder of the world , like Yosemite Falls or you know , like the Egyptian Pyramid , something like where you're kind of awestruck by something . That's sort of how I feel when I see Katy Perry or someone where I'm like wow , you're a wonder of the world . You're a wonder , you're a magical , sparkly , special type of person that has this talent and charisma and magic . So of course , i'm going to have some kind of reaction to them And then , after knowing them for a little while , you're like oh , you're just like a normal person that just happens to be extremely talented , and you can honestly say that about a lot of people . If you're really talented at woodworking and the world is obsessed with woodworking you're going to be famous .

Jess Rona 43:11

You know , i just feel like it's hard for me to remember who all my celeb clients are , but definitely Natasha Leon , jane Lynch . When I met Jane Lynch Best in Show is probably my favorite movie of all time I was like I don't usually do this , but I just have to tell you I'm a huge fan , i love you . I'm like my world is sort of like that world . It's not the dog show world , but it's the dog grooming world and it's very similar And I'm obsessed with you . And then , okay , now let's talk about your dog . I had to get that out of the way . Get it out in the open . Yeah , yeah , there's been some celebrities where I'm like okay , i love you a lot . This is cool , that's nice .

Amy Castro 43:50

It's nice , yeah , it's great . Anything else to kind of pull it together , anything that we didn't talk about that you feel like pet parents need to know ?

Jess Rona 43:59

Yeah , i think just being a caretaker and just making sure that you're taking care of this little beast that relies upon you . So making sure their dental is up to date , like get their teeth cleaned And if they can't go under anesthesia , do an anesthesia-free dental cleaning every six months or every year . Make sure their nails are short and they're not growing too long , Make sure they're not getting mad and make sure you check their ears . Just keep up with them . Just make sure they're well-maintained . Senior dogs have a different lifestyle . As a younger dog . If you have a younger dog , don't keep them outside all day in the backyard . Take them on a walk , Keep them inside . Dogs are pack animals . It's just very isolating and sad and lonely if a dog's outside in the backyard with no one else , They're pack animals . So at least get them another dog or bring them inside if they're part of your family . I don't really know how common it is for people to just leave their dogs outside anymore . I think like it's .

Amy Castro 44:56

I mean , I don't know , maybe It's sadly common I mean , i shouldn't say common It's a real issue in Texas . Here there are a lot of people who a dog is property . Well , in the state of Texas it considers dog property And so you have a lot more leniency as to what you can do with it . Although there's a lot of people working super hard to fight a lot of that , right now the biggest fights are about dogs being chained outside .

Jess Rona 45:26

So it's like , let alone being outside , being chained to a tree or something .

Jess Rona 45:30

Yeah , it's inhumane . Dogs are pack animals . They need to be socialized , they need to be with other dogs or with people . A lot of people are like , oh , i'm going to get another dog for my dog to like help them . But sometimes that backfires because you're their pack , you're their pack leader . If they're isolated outside , it's inhumane And I feel like that's my opinion And I feel like it shouldn't be allowed . Or if they're outside , yeah , don't chain them to . I mean , what's that life ? What life is that ? That is just so sad , why have a dog .

Announcer 46:01

Why have a dog .

Jess Rona 46:02

Yeah , But these are people that are just unevolved . They're people that don't understand . They're just , it's just old school . They don't . They don't get it . They're not tapped into their empathy , They're not tapped into the dog at all . They don't care . They have numbness or they're shut off . They're not like these people that are in therapy and learning about healing and all that stuff .

Jess Rona 46:27

I feel like they're just whatever who cares ? So it's a little bit of a harsher way And there's just some people like that . It's part of the world . I love that it's getting this changing . It's still a thing , I think in LA . I don't think it's as big of a problem . Maybe I'm just sheltered and I don't know , but I don't see it very often And it's also very much not the type of person I attract as a client . People I attract as a client are like I'm obsessed with my dog , Do anything , Please , just keep , take great care of my dog , And I feel like that's probably the person who's listening to this . But if a person who's listening to this knows of someone whether it's a neighbor or a friend or someone who has a dog being chained outside and just lives their life like that , maybe you can do something to help the dog . Maybe it's time .

Amy Castro 47:14

Yep , like I said , there's a lot of people , a lot of people working to fight that on a daily basis , thank goodness , but it's a process like everything else . Like everything else . Well , gosh , jess , i really appreciate you taking the time . I know you're super busy and you have a business to run and all kinds of things going on . So thank you so much for being with us today and sharing these tips to make make everybody's lives easier and make our dogs happier , which is what we're definitely all about , of course . Thank you for having me .

Amy Castro 47:45

Thank you for listening to Starlight Pet Talk . We really appreciate you

Supporting Animal Rescue

Amy Castro 47:49

. We also want to remind you that Starlight Pet Talk is brought to you from Starlight Outreach and Rescue and our rescue ranch outside of Houston , texas . So if you love animals and you want to help us do more to rescue and save animals , please consider getting involved . Whether it's donating , volunteering , fostering or just sharing our social media posts , everything helps to help get animals off the streets and into loving forever homes . So , again , make sure that you follow us at Starlight Outreach and Rescue .

Announcer 48:22

You've been listening to the Starlight Pet Talk podcast . We're glad you joined us to gain new insight on the many loving ways to adopt and care for your pets . Be sure to subscribe so you'll never miss an episode , and if you want more information , go to starlightpettalkcom . Because your pet can't talk . Be sure to join us next time for Starlight Pet Talk .