<![CDATA[After The Last Dog]]>db33194b-17cf-53ba-b45a-b195da1a5189Thu, 11 Jun 2026 15:00:18 +0000Captivate.fmJennifer Oppelhttps://artwork.captivate.fm/e420facb-ff49-4c64-b195-bb6e4c25be58/Untitled-design-1.pngAfter The Last DogJennifer OppelJennifer OppelAfter the Last Dog is a podcast for grooming and pet care business owners who are tired of feeling like everything depends on them. You may be booked, trusted, and working hard every day, but still feel like you are constantly putting out fires. Staff issues, pricing stress, client problems, training gaps, unclear expectations, and the same conversations over and over can make business ownership feel heavier than it should. This podcast is here to help you step back and see what is really happening inside your business. Each episode takes one real grooming or pet care business problem and breaks it down in a practical way: why it keeps happening, what pattern is underneath it, and what you can do next. This is not generic business advice. It is for owners who understand the pressure of a real salon, mobile route, home-based business, or pet care operation. You do not need to work harder. You need clearer standards, better structure, and decisions you can trust. Because you built something worth protecting, and you should not have to carry it all alone.https://after-the-last-dog.captivate.fmfalseepisodicnopodcastThe Checklist Is Right There… So Why Are They Still Asking You?The Checklist Is Right There… So Why Are They Still Asking You?You have the checklist. You have explained the process. You may have even shown the team more than once.

So why are they still coming back to you with the same questions?

In this episode of After the Last Dog, Dara talks about one of the most common owner frustrations in grooming and pet care businesses: repeat staff questions that should already have an answer.

Using a simple cleaning checklist example, Dara breaks down why this may not be a “they don’t care” problem. It may be that the team has learned to use the owner as the final answer instead of checking the standard first.

You’ll learn how to use the Before You Ask Me to help your team know what to check, what they can decide, and when they really do need to come to you.

Because the goal is not to stop your team from asking questions.

The goal is to stop solving the same question over and over again.

When Everyone Is Responsible, No One Is Responsible Companion Blog and PDF

]]>You have the checklist. You have explained the process. You may have even shown the team more than once.

So why are they still coming back to you with the same questions?

In this episode of After the Last Dog, Dara talks about one of the most common owner frustrations in grooming and pet care businesses: repeat staff questions that should already have an answer.

Using a simple cleaning checklist example, Dara breaks down why this may not be a “they don’t care” problem. It may be that the team has learned to use the owner as the final answer instead of checking the standard first.

You’ll learn how to use the Before You Ask Me to help your team know what to check, what they can decide, and when they really do need to come to you.

Because the goal is not to stop your team from asking questions.

The goal is to stop solving the same question over and over again.

When Everyone Is Responsible, No One Is Responsible Companion Blog and PDF

]]>799b421e-5bef-4657-8b59-3be36e10efbeThu, 11 Jun 2026 10:00:00 -050034:06falsefull11Before We Begin: More Than a GroomerBefore We Begin: More Than a GroomerI'm Dara Forleo, and before we talk about standards, pricing, hiring, training, and business growth, I want to share why this podcast exists. In this special introduction, I share my journey in the grooming and pet care industry, the lessons I've learned as a business owner, and why I believe owners deserve practical support that respects what they've already built.

]]>I'm Dara Forleo, and before we talk about standards, pricing, hiring, training, and business growth, I want to share why this podcast exists. In this special introduction, I share my journey in the grooming and pet care industry, the lessons I've learned as a business owner, and why I believe owners deserve practical support that respects what they've already built.

]]>8ad3fd80-7827-4a63-8b77-9d56548d81ccTue, 09 Jun 2026 09:00:00 -050006:23falsefullYour Salon Shouldn’t Depend on You for EverythingYour Salon Shouldn’t Depend on You for EverythingA full schedule can look like success from the outside. Dogs are booked. Clients are waiting. The phone keeps ringing. But inside the salon, it may still feel like the whole day depends on the owner keeping every person, pet, and decision moving.

In this episode of After the Last Dog, we look at why being booked out does not always mean the business is actually getting ahead. Sometimes the problem is not a lack of clients. It is unclear roles, uneven skill levels, developing staff being scheduled too far ahead of their ability, and work that keeps getting stuck before it reaches the finish line.

Jennifer breaks down why “bather” and “groomer” are often too broad to be useful, how to think about the middle ground between learning and fully independent, and why adding another person does not automatically fix a salon where nobody is clear on who owns what.

This episode is for salon owners who are busy, needed, and trusted — but still feel like every slowdown, question, and unfinished piece lands back on them.

You will walk away with a simple way to look at your team, identify where the day is getting stuck, and decide what each person is actually ready to own right now.

]]>A full schedule can look like success from the outside. Dogs are booked. Clients are waiting. The phone keeps ringing. But inside the salon, it may still feel like the whole day depends on the owner keeping every person, pet, and decision moving.

In this episode of After the Last Dog, we look at why being booked out does not always mean the business is actually getting ahead. Sometimes the problem is not a lack of clients. It is unclear roles, uneven skill levels, developing staff being scheduled too far ahead of their ability, and work that keeps getting stuck before it reaches the finish line.

Jennifer breaks down why “bather” and “groomer” are often too broad to be useful, how to think about the middle ground between learning and fully independent, and why adding another person does not automatically fix a salon where nobody is clear on who owns what.

This episode is for salon owners who are busy, needed, and trusted — but still feel like every slowdown, question, and unfinished piece lands back on them.

You will walk away with a simple way to look at your team, identify where the day is getting stuck, and decide what each person is actually ready to own right now.

]]>3ef57dd6-edfa-432b-bff3-8c8c8a5bea2aSat, 06 Jun 2026 12:50:00 -050009:47falsefull22