Entrepreneur Liz Illg shares her thoughts on what product manufacturers are
doing right and what they can improve upon—plus how groomers need to
adapt for evolving customers.
Words of Grooming Wisdom
Have there been any recent
product introductions or developments that have helped
make grooming easier or that
have really improved upon what
was available in the past?
Liz Illg: Dematting tools
are constantly improving.
Dematting a pet is a sensitive matter, and it is very
important that you use the
proper equipment. Using
the proper equipment will
help you avoid irritating the
skin and/or cutting your
pets. Developers have been
doing a great job in keeping
up with new ways to make
them safe and effective.
There’s also been a
growing variety of hypoallergenic shampoos on the
market. This is important
because a dog’s safety is always our No. 1 priority, but
many pet owners still want
a nice-smelling shampoo
that leaves the coat looking nice. It’s hard to always
determine what allergies a
pet might have, so using a
hypoallergenic shampoo is
always a smart move. Developers have created great
and unique hypoallergenic shampoos with different
smells, and those that offer
other benefits as well, like
coat whitening, moisturizing, etc.
What’s missing from the mar-
ket? Is there a type of tool or
product that you think needs
updating?
Illg: I’d really like to see some
other methods or equipment
that might be more effective and less painful for the
pet when it comes to ear
cleaning. Ear cleaning is an
extremely important part
of every groom. Not only
making sure that the ears
are clean from any debris,
but removing the excess hair
from the ear canal is vital as
