Dog grooming seemed pretty simple to me.

Wash the dog.

Dry it.

Cut its hair.

Then I spent two days in a grooming salon.

And I realized there was a lot more to it!

The first dog was already there when I arrived in the morning.

And almost straight away, I had my hands in the water helping to wash it.

At first, I was a little nervous. I imagined trying to wash a wet dog that kept moving around or trying to escape.

Not every dog reacted the same way. Some stood there calmly and let me rinse them. Others moved around much more.

Luckily, the dogs are safely attached in the bath, so that part was easier than I expected.

Then came the drying.

The dryer pushes a strong stream of air through the coat.

And it is LOUD.

So loud that we wore ear protection while using it.

After drying came brushing.

I was able to wash, dry, and brush the dogs myself.

For the cutting and the more technical parts, I watched.

And that was where I really started to see how different every dog was.

Different breeds.

Different coats.

Different tools.

Different instructions.

For this Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, for example, the groomer used a trimming knife to remove some of the undercoat from its back.

With the Collie, there was no haircut at all. Most of the grooming was about maintaining its coat, and a huge amount of loose hair came out during the drying.

I had no idea there were such specific techniques for different coats.

The groomer worked quickly and confidently, but she also had to be extremely precise, especially when cutting close to the eyes and whiskers.

And there was the hair.

Everywhere.

We were sweeping constantly, the dryer was roaring, and the whole salon smelled like shampoo.

I also realized how physical the job is.

You spend the day standing, bending over dogs, brushing, drying, holding them when they move, cleaning, and starting again with the next one.

By the end of those two days, I couldn’t believe how much I had learned.

There were so many little things I would never have known from the outside. Why one tool works for one coat and not another. How differently dogs behave. How precise you have to be. And how much work goes into that before-and-after transformation.

Two days is not very long.

But when you get to step inside a real workplace, help, watch, ask questions, and try things yourself, you can discover a lot in a very short time.

That’s one of the things I’ve loved most about trying different jobs this summer.

I know these are days I won’t forget.

A big thank you to Cosmetichien for welcoming me and taking so much time to show me how everything worked, even on such busy days. I really appreciated how much they let me watch, ask questions, and try for myself.

Solène, for SoliaVenture

P.S. My dad has always insisted that my sister and I learn how to sweep properly. He says you can tell a lot about someone by the way they sweep.

At the end of my two days there, the owner told my mom that I was good at sweeping and that she really appreciated it.

I made sure my dad heard about that. :-)

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