The Barkroom Chat

Ep 35 - How to Run an Efficient and Successful Home-Based Dog Grooming Business During a Heatwave

• Linda • Episode 35

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0:00 | 21:55

Heatwaves can create real challenges for home-based dog groomers. From keeping dogs comfortable to managing your own energy levels, working in high temperatures requires a different approach.

In this episode of The Barkroom Chat, I'm sharing practical, easy-to-implement tips to help you continue running a safe, professional and efficient grooming business during hot weather.

We'll chat about:

🐾 Why Ireland (and many other countries) aren't built for heatwaves

🐾 How to adjust your daily schedule

🐾 Keeping your grooming space as cool as possible

🐾 Recognising the signs of overheating in dogs

🐾 Why communicating with your clients builds trust

🐾 Looking after your own wellbeing during extreme temperatures

🐾 Knowing when it's time to slow down—or even reschedule appointments

Because success isn't about squeezing in one more dog.

It's about providing exceptional care, making smart decisions and building a business your clients trust.

Mentioned in this episode

Read the accompanying blog post for even more tips and practical advice.

Join our free Facebook community for women starting and growing home-based dog grooming businesses.

Visit Glossy Pup Academy for free resources, business tips and training designed specifically for home-based dog groomers.

If you enjoyed this episode…

⭐ Follow The Barkroom Chat so you never miss a new episode.

⭐ Leave a review—it really helps the podcast reach more groomers.

⭐ Share this episode with another dog groomer who could benefit from these tips.

Other Resources

Remember:

"Your clients won't remember that you groomed one extra dog during a heatwave. They'll remember how well you cared for the one they trusted you with."

Thanks so much for listening, and I'll see you in the next episode!

SPEAKER_00

Hey there, welcome to the Bark Room Chat Podcast, the show for women who dream of building a thriving dog grooming business from home. Whether you're just starting out, already seeing clients, or somewhere in between, this is your go-to space for real talk, practical tips, a little bit of gossip, and a whole lot of encouragement. I'm Linda, the founder of Glossy Pop Academy, a former dog groomer, turned business mentor, and your biggest cheerleader. Let's turn your passion for pups into a profitable, feel-good, successful business that you've always dreamed of. Grab a cuppa, get coffee, and let's dive in. Hello and welcome back to the Barkroom Chat Podcast. My name is Linda, I'm your host, and today is a very exciting episode. Well, for me anyway, hopefully a little bit for you. But this is the first podcast episode that I am actually recording in my new house. So many of you will know we've been trying to buy a house for quite a while now, almost two years. So it's been a long old road. However, we are at the end of it, we are in our house. Actually, I say we're at the end of it, we're not actually in our house. I'm currently in the house right now, but we're not actually moved in yet. So hopefully, we're gonna move in at the weekend. Uh, we have had the keys since the first of July. There's been a lot of work that we've been doing to move in, and a lot of work that needs to be done to this house as well. Now, you can live in it, there were people living in it before we moved in, but there is rooms that definitely need a lot of work done before we can actually use them. So we're actually cutting off the back of the house. There's two rooms there, well, two and a half rooms, it's kind of an awkward space, and we're actually going to cut that off until we completely renovate it, and that will be our room and Ethan's room, uh, my son, and we're currently moving into the spare room, uh, which will be our spare room when we have the other two rooms. But at the moment, we are going to use it as our room to live in until the other two rooms are done, and Ethan is gonna stay sleeping in the room with us in his cot. He will actually be two next month, which is very exciting. So, yeah, I can't believe actually. I have a toddler, I have an almost two-year-old, so that is Matt. And then one of our other rooms, which was being used as a dining room, we're actually going to turn into our kind of main living room, but again, that's gonna take some time. That room needs a bit of work to it, so we've kind of turned this into a one-bedroom apartment because it's a bungalow, so there's no stairs, so we're using the sitting room that's currently there, that's kind of going to be Ethan's playroom, like day sitting room kind of thing. So, that's currently actually is exactly what that is. It's just we haven't decorated anything, so the decor is still uh from the family who used to live here before, and it was an elderly couple, they raised their kids here. They bought this house in the 1940s, I think, um, because it's a 1920s uh cottage, and um, yeah, the decor is still kind of I would say set in the 80s, 80s, 90s. Um, don't hate it though, don't hate all of it. Um, obviously, some has to go, but yeah, so the that's what's being used there is the sitting room and then the kitchen and then the bathroom and then our spare room, which is our bedroom. So we've turned it into a one-bedroom apartment while we work on the rest of the house. So yeah, we're very excited about this. Um, but this is not what you're here for today. Today I am talking about how to make your business as successful as possible while struggling through this heat that we have been dealing with for the last couple of months. I don't know about you where you are, but here in Ireland we've had three heat waves, and it isn't even like the end of July, so yeah, it's been it's been a lot, and we've been hitting the 30s, and you know, some countries are like, Oh, we get this heat all the time. Yeah, but you're more equipped for it. Like, there's just some differences to countries like Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales getting these types of temperatures, then we'll say countries that would be more used to it, such as France, Italy, and Poland. Although I do know obviously those countries are getting hit with even higher temperatures and are really struggling at this time. So I honestly don't know how you're doing it. But for us, we don't deal with these types of temperatures normally. In fact, our houses are insulated to the hilt. Now, not this one, thankfully. We actually need to add insulation into it, so it's been a bit cooler, which we have been happy about. Um, but in general, all houses are we all talk about keeping the heat in, how to like get those electricity and heating bills down in the winter time, you know. Our focus is about keeping our houses warm, and because of that, when the temperatures get to the 30s, we absolutely die. Like, we have no air conditioning, we have maybe fans, um, cooling boxes that'll go on sale in Aldi. We used to have Argos, Argos is now gone, so you're looking at Amazon and you know, Harvey Norman's places like that, curries, I suppose. Um, but they're all probably sold out within three days, I would say, so you have to be there as soon as possible. And yeah, it's just it's very hard. It is very hard. Like I have been on to my friends, and we are going to places like Aldi and shopping centres and Tesco just for the Air Con. And I'm not even making that up. I have literally gone to Aldi and stayed there walking around for about 45 minutes just for the air con. So, yeah, yeah, I wanted to address this and hopefully provide you with some ideas and inspiration on how you can continue working um during this heat. So I really hope you are doing well right now. I really hope you're keeping as cool as possible. Because, like, honestly, wow, like wow, this summer has been it's been too much to be honest with you. And I had one irrational thought as well, which is crazy, which is like I did not ask for this. I remember I was driving down the road. Oh, my air con broke in my car as well, like a few weeks ago, and we brought it to the garage to be fixed, and we were told it was fixed, and then it wasn't fixed, and then like couldn't get it back in. It's a whole thing, but I was like, I didn't ask for this, and it dawned on me the only time I really um appreciate these temperatures is when I choose to go somewhere, I choose to go on holidays and have these temperatures and I relax and I'm enjoying myself. But when you're living your normal daily life, wow, it's just a bit too much. I mean, come on, who thought who would have thought we'd be complaining about sunshine in Ireland? But I suppose you know it's hot, we complain, it's cold, we complain, it rains, we complain. It's just kind of part of our personality as a collective. Okay, so let's get into it. How do we continue running a successful home-based dog grooming business when the weather becomes unbearably hot? Because let's be honest, when the sun comes out, most people are thinking about barbecues and beaches and ice cream and all that good stuff. But dog groomers, we're honestly just wondering how we're gonna keep ourselves and the dogs that walk through the door safe and comfortable. So today I'm going to share with you some practical tips that can really help during a heat wave. So let's jump in. So tip number one is start earlier or work later. If you possibly can move your working day around to kind of suit the temperatures, in certain countries, they close during the middle of the day because it's the hottest part of the day. People don't want to go outside, people don't want to do things, and you don't want to be working. So we can take a tip from that, and we can move our schedule so that we can be earlier or later, depending on how that suits the weather. Another thing is you need to book by priority, so you need to move your larger breeds, your senior breeds, your double-coated breeds, uh, to first thing in the morning or last thing at night, and while those temperatures are still manageable, you know, if possible, avoid booking anxious or nervous dogs, especially during the pollest part of the day. You know, every dog is different, so you need to really look at that dog as an individual and say, Is this dog going to cope well today? And if not, how can I avoid any potential problems? So sometimes the safest option is actually completely postponing that appointment, and that's perfectly okay. Um, my best friend, her dog, was postponed because it was just too hot at the facility that usually grooms her dog, and she actually rang me and she said, I am so grateful that they actually just cancelled because I love that she cares about him and puts him first. She genuinely said that to me. So, this is how people feel about their dogs. If you have dogs, you would feel exactly the same. Tip two, keep your grooming space as cool as possible. Sounds obvious, right? But it's amazing how much difference, like a small few changes, can make. You don't need a luxury salon right now, you just need things like fans if possible, the cooling boxes I mentioned, you can get air conditioning units. Like I said, you have to be quick, they're all gonna be gone pretty soon. But maybe you could borrow, maybe you could rent, you know, maybe you could borrow from someone that doesn't need it during the day. Maybe your friends are going on holiday and you know they've an air conditioning unit or something, borrow it. Open your windows where possible for ventilation. However, you want to close your curtains or blinds or anything during the hottest part of the day, maybe you can even get those reflector things that you put on the window that actually reflect the sun back so it keeps the room cooler. I mean, obviously, if you have air conditioning, then I am extremely jealous of you. Another thing is that maybe you could actually work outside. Um, if you've got like a safe outside area that's covered over, maybe you could put in a gazebo or something. But if it's actually cooler to be outside than inside, because that is the case in a lot of houses in Ireland, let me tell you, we are still not sleeping in this house, we're sleeping at still my parents' house, and that room is hotter at night inside than it is outside. Like I'd rather sleep outside, and that's the case in during the day as well. So, if that's the case for your house, especially newbills, newbills heat up so quickly, then maybe outside you could have like a designated area, get a gazebo, you know, you can use a hose outside, the dogs are not gonna care, they want to cool down as long as you've got clean water, you've got soap, you've got sods, and you've somewhere to like dump the water, then the dogs honestly don't care. You can use hairdryers outside, they're gonna dry quicker in the sun anyway, in the heat uh with the breeze coming through them. But they won't overheat if you've got the hairdryer on them, if there's a breeze out there already, and yeah, like you can do all your work outside. Most people aren't gonna care about that, they want their dogs to be safe. If you can provide a quality groom during a heat wave outside, people are not gonna care that it's not in a room. Obviously, every setup is different, but it's worth thinking about. I mean, you can still wash them inside, bring them outside for drying and clipping and cutting and all the finishing touches. Tip three water water and more water. It sounds incredibly obvious, but when you're busy, it's surprisingly easy to forget it, not only for the dog, but for yourself as well. Every dog should have access to clean, fresh drinking water before, during, and after the groom because it's so easy for them to get dehydrated in this heat and yourself as well. So put alarms or reminders on for you and the dog for having water breaks. Tip four is slow down, the heat changes everything. Let me tell you, I was moving in a heat wave, and honestly, I was just angry with the world, and I just couldn't cope. Like, I genuinely couldn't get maybe half as much done as I could when the heat is at a normal level, and for you, that's gonna be the same if you're working in a hot room, even if you're working outside and it's hotter, you know, it's hard, it is hard work. You are doing manual labor, it is physical work, you know. So your heart rate's gonna go up, your your temperature is gonna go up naturally from moving so much, and then you're in a heat wave as well. Although, I will say, obviously, if you're gonna be outside, have your sunscreen on and take all those protections for being outside as well. So, yeah, the heat changes everything, the dogs become tired more quickly, they may need more comfort breaks, drying coats can suddenly become much more uncomfortable because the dryers create extra heat, so you've got to be aware of that. Even if you have it on a low setting, you are increasing the temperature of the room. Don't be afraid to towel dry for longer before you're reaching your dryer. Do whatever you can for as long as possible to give the coat more time to air dry. Give yourself extra time between appointments. Try not to squeeze in any more dogs than you already have, just give yourself a break. It means you'll be able to provide a much better service. If it's possible and you want the coat to dry a little bit quicker, after the bath, take the dog outside. Even if you're not going to groom the dog outside, just take them outside, dry off that coat a little bit. Take them for a little walk around, a stroll, a wander, whatever, and just try and get that coat to dry as much as possible without having to use any extra heat on it. Now, tip five is an important one, and this is to know the signs of overheating. Every groomer should know what it looks like for a dog to overheat so that you can watch out for it. Now, this week I actually did send an email to my subscribers with a whole sheet with all the signs and everything that they can print out and put somewhere in their grooming rooms so that they can refer back to it if they need to. Offer fresh water, if necessary, contact the owner, contact the vet. Nothing is more important than that dog's welfare. Tip six, and this is another one that I think is probably the most important, and that is communicate with your clients. You've probably heard me say this before, but communication is one of the biggest foundations for a successful business. Don't be afraid to say that you're changing your appointment times or adjusting your opening hours because of the weather. Your clients are suffering too, they're suffering at home as well. Unless they have aircon, and even if they do, they still have to live their daily lives. They are suffering too. So they're gonna understand, they're not gonna turn around and say, This is ridiculous. Why aren't you grooming my dog? Like they understand that the temperature is in the 30s and that it's not possible for you to do it safely, and that you want to postpone it until 7 or 8 o'clock in the evening because you want it to be cooler, you know? They're gonna understand this. So, like I said, with my friend ringing me about her dog getting their appointment change, I'd actually argue that they'll trust you even more because you're showing them that their well-being comes before making another seal. It's exactly the type of groomer that most people are looking for. Tip seven, look after yourself. Yes, this is one we often forget because the dogs come first, and I'm not saying the dogs shouldn't come first and that their well-being isn't important, but yours is too. So drink plenty of water, keep that water bottle next to you and keep it topped up all the time. Wear lightweight clothing, take breaks, keep healthy snacks nearby. Dog grooming is incredibly physical work, and then you add 30 degree heat in the mix, it's absolutely exhausting. You deserve to look after yourself too, and if you don't, then guess what's gonna suffer? Your business. So make it a priority to make sure you're healthy enough to take care of dogs to make sure they can stay healthy enough during the groom to actually get a quality experience and benefit from that groom. Tip eight, and this one's gonna sound a bit contradictory, but hear me out. Sometimes you just need to close. This might sound like strange advice coming from someone who teaches business, but honestly, sometimes closing your business for a day or two is the right decision. If your salon's becoming dangerously hot, if your dryers are making things worse, if you simply can't keep dogs comfortable, time to call time out. Yeah, you lose a little income, sure, but they're gonna come back, you're just gonna postpone it, you know. It's you're not gonna lose them forever over it. But protecting the dogs in your care and protecting yourself is worth far, far more. Your clients will understand, you know, and if they don't, then they probably aren't your ideal clients anyway, and you're gonna fill the slot anyway, so it's fine. I wouldn't worry about it that much, you know. Like if if you have a client who can't understand why you would close in 30-degree heat with dryers and baths and all the grooming equipment and everything that makes the room hotter, then you don't need that client. That's just the answer I have for that. Well, success isn't always about doing more. You know, one thing I really want you to remember is success isn't about fitting in one more appointment. Success is about making good decisions, it's about professionalism and it's about trust, it's about constantly putting that animal's welfare first. Your clients probably won't remember that you squeezed in one extra appointment during the heat wave, but they'll absolutely remember how well cared for and calm and safe they felt with their dog around you. You know, that builds loyalty, it builds trust, it builds a brilliant reputation, and that's what creates a long-lasting business. So, my final thoughts here heat waves can be difficult no matter what you're doing. They can disrupt schedules, they can leave us feeling tired and frustrated, but thankfully they don't last forever. It's a short period of time, and then we will get back onto regular schedule programming, you know? Everyone is adapting, everyone is trying to stay cool. Your clients will understand if you make changes to keep their dogs safe. Sometimes slowing down for a few days is one of the smartest business decisions you can make. So if you're currently working through a heat wave, be kind to yourself, plan ahead where you can, communicate with your clients, and always put that dog's welfare first. So that's all I have for you today. I am so happy to be back doing, like I said, regular schedule programming. I had to take a bit of a break due to moving and everything else that was crazy going on in my life, but we are back and I can actually get a proper schedule now that I am not a homeless person anymore. Um I'm joking, of course. I was living with my parents for the last two years. It was not supposed to be two years, it was supposed to be a few months while we got our house, and uh that didn't work out. We moved in May two years ago, so yeah, we it was just over two years, but um, but look, everything worked out for the best. We are happy with our new house, and now I can actually just foresee bigger and better things for Glossy Pop Academy now that we have a proper home base to work from. So I'm super excited. I hope you are all doing well. I hope you're enjoying the sunshine where you can, and yeah, I'll talk to you all soon. And remember, together we can change the world one dog at a time. Bye, friends. Thank you so much for tuning in to the Bark Room Chat Podcast. If today's episode gave you a little boost or a new idea, I'd love for you to subscribe, leave a review, or share it with a fellow groomer who needs to hear it. And don't forget, you can grab my free resources and join the Glassy Bob Academy group anytime for more support on your journey. Until next time, keep going, keep growing. You've got this. I'm cheering you on every step of the way, and remember, together we can change the world. One dog at a time.