# I passed!!!



## flyingduster (Sep 6, 2009)

I had my non-sporting grooming exam this weekend, which entails grooming a poodle, twice, and a theory test on the rest of the non-sporting breeds.

The poodle I used had been bathed the night before, and this is what I got in the morning:









Fluffed and brushed out properly, and he turned into this:








(lol, his tail had been shaved way too high the last time he was groomed!)

And then I scissored him into this:








I know it doesn't look tooo bad in the photo, but it was utter crap. I was seriously soooooo close to being kicked out right then and there. Nerves or something, I dunno, but it was NOT good at all!!! I KNOW I can do better...

After that grooming though (which I did scrape by, obviously!) we then had to clip them down into a lamb trim (or we could shave a band around the belly as an alternative)








THAT groom was much better, though still room for improvement, it pulled me back up to JUST being able to scrape through!! Ugh. Feeling really crappy about it overall, mainly cos I KNOW I can do better and I let down everyone there cos they know I can do better too... 

Anyway, so once the scores are tallied up, if you pass your practical groom then you are allowed to go on to your theory. I rocked that at 94% easily (less than 10 mins!) so overall, *I PASSED!!!!* 

I'm now certified in gundogs, terriers and non-sporting. Next year, I go on and attempt my masters!


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## Lily123 (Feb 20, 2010)

CONGRATULATIONS!! Oh my goodness though, that sounds like it was a harrowing experience. I take my hat off to you.


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## Gorky (Jul 14, 2009)

Congratulations! It sounds daunting to go through grooming under exam conditions. I marvel at what you have to do for grooming.


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## ArreauStandardPoodle (Sep 1, 2009)

Congratulations and very well done. That second groom is lovely for sure!


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## amerique2 (Jun 21, 2009)

What a transformation from the start to finish! Congratulations on passing!


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## Salukie (Dec 18, 2009)

Congratulations, FD!! 

Your scissoring job looks good to me! What was wrong with it? hwell:

Good luck on your next test! 

Salukie


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## Trillium (Sep 1, 2009)

Congrats. I doesn't enven look like the same dog. Well done on passing!!!


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## Chagall's mom (Jan 9, 2010)

_*CONGRATULATIONS!!! *_You are really something! Don't be so hard on yourself, woman. You outshine most people and I'm so glad you got the recognition you deserve by passing with flying colors!!!! (only seems fit for "flying duster"!!)


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## cbrand (Aug 9, 2009)

Amazing, but you are such a good groomer I don't know how you could have not passed.


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## puppylove (Aug 9, 2009)

Congratulations, FD. I'm sure it was nerve-wracking and stressfull but there would never be doubt in my mind that you would pass this. You're a fabulous groomer and we're very proud of you.


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## aprhj (Jun 16, 2009)

Congratulations!!! Sorry things did not turn out as great as you had hoped, but we all know what wonders you are capable of and passing is passing.


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## Karma'sACat (Jun 1, 2010)

Congratulations! I think you are being too hard on yourself but I'm prone to the same thing. I definitely couldn't do anything like that!


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## Raena (Sep 20, 2009)

Yeah!!!! Thats awesome!!!!! Congrats!!!!


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## Beach girl (Aug 5, 2010)

They sure look good to me! What a transformation, from start to finish.


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## Winnow (Jan 2, 2010)

Congrats 
both clips look good to me, but I am no expert.


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## Pearlsmum (Jun 6, 2010)

Absolutely great awesome accomplishement FD!
CONGRATULATIONS!


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## Keithsomething (Oct 31, 2009)

way to go FD!!
I'm sure you'll ace the Master exam like no ones business!!!


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## Spencer (Oct 7, 2009)

Yay! Congrats! 

Is it sad that many-a-time I have just wished I could ship the Tot out to you to get his hair cut? lol... I think that the total cost would change my mind though  haha


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## whitepoodles (Jul 5, 2010)

Flyinduster:
AMAZING !!! WOWOW what transformation.. KUDOS and congratulations. WAY TO GO GIRL !!!
I love the trim !!!


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## KalaMama (Nov 20, 2009)

Congrats and great job!!


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## neVar (Dec 25, 2009)

Nerves are the WORST. When i did my saddle fitting exam in england (So think 3 years apprenticing.... 5k for the test, plus another 5k to get there and back) i had no problem rocking through the 4 day conference/educational seminars... then test day comes- they start off with "NO worries if you don't pass we only ahve a 60% passing rate!!!" 

we all started puking then. My lord i was SURE i failed- i read my comments- but didn't see my score until the next day- again i was SURE i failed based off o the comments. because your being held against 'perfect' UGH i sucked. 

I had the 3rd highest score out of 12 *L* i couldn't believe it (And btw that was still a 'just scraping by' score!


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## apoodleaday (Feb 22, 2010)

Congrats Congrats Good Job Well Done and oh by the way Congratulations 
Your hard work paid off! Good for you!!


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## Reesmom (Feb 4, 2010)

Congrats!!! I want to start testing next year. I'm already nervous. Congrats again and good luck on your masters next years.


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## spoospirit (Mar 10, 2009)

_Whoot! Whoot! Congratulations to you! Your are a terrific groomer. If you hadn't told us that was your finished poodle, I would not have known he was the same dog as in the first photo.
_


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## tintlet (Nov 24, 2009)

Wonderful!!! Congratulations!!


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## flyingduster (Sep 6, 2009)

lol, well I know I am hard on myself, but it truely was actually a really bad groom! The examiners were nice, but they were honest too, and they also said they had expected a lot more from me.  They said it was really really hard to judge that first groom cos there was so much bad about it. If it was tooo hard to judge then I'd have been kicked out then and there but obviously they managed to enough that I could go on to the second part of it, and it's only cos I did pretty well in the second part of the groom that let me scrape by. 

I needed 75% in the practical to pass, I got 75.5%. I got 94% in the theory so that I pulled a decent overall score. 

In comparison I got 98% in my gundog practical exam, and 89% in the practical of my terrier exam (with two dogs) so 75.5 is just crap.  

But I don't care (too much), as long as I passed!!!! *whew*

I'm already worried about my masters exam though... hwell:


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## SnorPuddel (Jul 8, 2010)

You are your own worst critic 
Congrats on passing, and the work I have seen you do on Paris, only proves that you were more than qualified to pass.


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## BigRedDog (Mar 2, 2011)

I think you did a very nice job on that "Wooly Mammoth"...lol..very even from the picture, and by far..much better then most grooming I see on the street!:adore:


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## PoodlePaws (May 28, 2013)

Congrats 


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

This thread is 3.5 years old...


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## Wild Kitten (Mar 13, 2014)

But now that it has been bumped, I am quite curious 



flyingduster said:


> Next year, I go on and attempt my masters!


Did you take the masters? How did it go?


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## Lou (Sep 22, 2012)

Now I'm curious too Haha! 

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## pgr8dnlvr (Aug 7, 2011)

Awww.... I was getting all excited to see flying duste, cbrant and some of the others back... Oh well... I too wonder how she did...

Rebecca


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

She hasn't posted here in years.


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## schpeckie (Jun 29, 2010)

Congratulations! The grooming is absolutely beautiful! Well Don! :cheers2:

Sylvia & the Girls!


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## Wild Kitten (Mar 13, 2014)

CharismaticMillie said:


> She hasn't posted here in years.


lol.... yeah

to my defense, I did look at the profile when she was last active: 

"Last Activity: 04-16-2013" 

I thought that we are still in 2013 (haha) - though that's April so still would make no sense... no idea where my head was when I read that date.... but that is always the case with me, by the time I get used to what year it is, it is already the next January  

Sorry


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## loves (Jul 2, 2013)

Awesome!!! Congratulations!!!!


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

You are not the only one, Wild Kitten - I had some documents that needed signing and dating and took them round to several neighbours to collect the requisite number of signatures - not one of us got day, month and year right first time!


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