Lisa Leady has a fair share of awards and recognition within the grooming industry, including a spot on Groom Team USA and the 2003 Cardinal Crystal Award for Congeniality, but now, she’s seeking recognition for the grooming industry on a national stage! Lisa is currently being featured on Groomer Has It, a fierce reality competition in its second season on Animal Planet.

We’ll be following her progress with each new episode, and feature tips, tricks, and observations based on the episode from Lisa herself!

Interview #4

When she was competing in “Groomer Has It,” Lisa and her fellow contestants had to scrub down a pig, give overweight dogs a makeover, cut within a limited amount of time and groom a dog without being able to give it a proper bath. While these might not be things groomers see on a day-to-day basis, they aren’t great exaggerations either, according to Lisa.

While it's unlikely a pig will come to a dog grooming salon, some groomers do see cats or even horses. Does grooming for one species help translate to others? Do you think that grooming the pigs was easier for you than it would be for a person with no previous experience?

It does translate. For a horse, for instance, that is going to be shaved, the clipper is still held the same way or you could risk injury to that large animal. I had groomed a pig only once before and it was not nearly as big, so this was a big challenge for me. I learned that you must shave the whiskers off a pig, very hard to do when all they want to do is eat the clipper.

How can you use grooming to "sculpt" a dog, like you did in the Obesity challenge? Is it comparable to breed-specific cuts?

Not only can "sculpting" a dog make a dog appear a little thinner, but it can also hide flaws if the dog has enough coat. Some dogs may have crooked legs for example, and by leaving hair we can make them appear to be straight.  A groomer can even hide a bad topline. In my opinion, it is very comparable because it is what we should be doing on a daily basis. Making that animal look like a million bucks!

Losing time seemed to really affect one of the groomers on the show. How do you balance time and quality?

I have found that if I keep rotating around my dog and not get hung up at one spot I can still get my job done. I break down my time into blocks and I keep track of where I should be by a certain time. I try to save the last ten minutes to review anything that I had to move from.

One key thing: Don't worry yourself about it, stay focused to the task at hand. Know you have a time limit, but do not dwell on it.

One of the challenges focused on rescue work, and there's often an element of charity in grooming competitions. How important is it for a groomer to be active in animal causes?

I think it is important for us as groomers to get involved with different causes.  There are so many animals in the shelters that need some attention. If a groomer takes time to help groom some of the animals, they may get adopted quicker. It is hard for the public to see that "diamond in the ruff" when a dog or cat is dirty and smells. I think we as groomers can look past that, because we see a lot of animals in not so good condition, but the public is different. By getting involved, it is self-rewarding, knowing you may help get that animal get into a loving home and be part of a family.

You also had to work without water. In competitions, you might be faced with similar limitations, and your experience showed. What are some tricks that you can share?

There are so many tricks of the trade that can be used; cornstarch or baby powder will help absorb dirt and oil. Sea Breeze astringent will also pull off dirt and oil and not damage a coat. 

If a dog owner cuts their dog’s nails at home and clips the nail too short to the quick, they can use either flour or a bar of soap to stop the bleeding. If a nail does get quicked and starts to bleed at home, let’s say on the carpet, you can take a wet rag with a little peroxide on it and clean it up. Peroxide will also take blood out of the dog’s fur.

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