The Groomer's Edit — Issue 01
Debut issue · September 2026
WOW Grooming was created with a simple mission: to provide premium-quality, cruelty-free dog grooming products at affordable prices for professional groomers and pet owners.
— Janet Rabbie, founder
Janet, unfiltered
The story behind WOW, in her own words. Every answer below is Janet’s own writing, printed as she sent it.
Janet and Izzy. Where it all started.
How did WOW Grooming start?
My journey into the canine world actually began long before WOW Grooming.
It started with my Boxer, Izzy. Through Izzy, I met other local Boxer owners and soon found myself looking after their dogs too. What began simply through my love of dogs gradually developed into a career.
I applied for a dog boarding licence and began running my own home boarding service, something I continue to do alongside WOW Grooming today.
What took you from boarding into grooming?
As my experience with dogs grew, I wanted to venture beyond boarding. I was fortunate enough to have the space at home to build a completely self-contained grooming salon and decided to undertake professional grooming training.
It didn’t quite go according to plan!
What didn’t go to plan?
I soon realised that, although I loved the dogs and enjoyed the bathing, preparation and care side of grooming, the actual grooming wasn’t where my skills lay.
My husband, Harry, stepped in and continued the training, successfully gaining his City & Guilds qualification. I concentrated on bathing and preparing the dogs while Harry took care of the grooming.
What did running the salon teach you?
This gave us invaluable first-hand experience of what professional groomers actually need from the products and equipment they use every day.
What was the hardest part?
Eventually, running a busy grooming salon alongside the growing WOW Grooming business became too much. Together with health considerations, we made the decision to give up the salon and concentrate our attention on growing WOW Grooming.
The State of Grooming, 2026
What we are seeing on the table this year: the trends, the coats, and the problems groomers are actually dealing with.
The doodle decade
Cockapoos and cavapoos are now the breeds we see most often. They are lovely dogs, but a designer breed with a working coat is soft, curling and needs a great deal of maintenance. Most owners do not realise quite what that involves until the first serious mat.
The matting epidemic
The largest part of the job is very often not the trim at all, but undoing eight weeks of neglected coat. Groomers are working hard to make humane de-matting the standard rather than an automatic shave-down, and owners are gradually coming to understand why that matters.
Fast drying, done properly
A blaster used together with a conditioning mist cuts drying time considerably and lifts the coat at the finish. It means less heat, less frizz and a fluffier dog, and it keeps the table moving.
Scent as a signature
Owners now choose a cologne for their dog much as they would choose their own. The finish they remember is the one they can still smell three days later, and we have found it is quietly one of the reasons they come back.
Salon results, at home
Owners want to hold the finish between appointments, and professional-grade tools are increasingly finding their way into the home so that they can. The salon is not losing that work; it is selling the maintenance that goes with it.
Shop the picks
Six for the curly coat, chosen by Janet. Prices correct at time of writing.
Wow Elite 7.5" Curved Chunker — £148
This is the pair I would not want to be without on a poodle. Thirty teeth, so it thins the coat without flattening the curl.
- Glide Conditioning & Detangling Misting Spray — £36.00
- “The Swift” 8" Detangling Comb — £25.00
- Long Pin Slicker Brush — £19.50
- Glide 3-in-1 Shampoo & Conditioner — from £11.50
- Half Moon Facial Finishing Comb — £15.00
WOW at GroomFest
Sunday 6 September. The Kennel Club Building, Stoneleigh Park, Kenilworth CV8 2LZ. Free entry and free parking, and we will have the full range on the stand.
Our biggest reductions of the year run alongside it, online from Friday 4 September to Sunday 6 September.
Your dog, on the cover
Our first Cover Dog was groomed by @zukis_groomroom on Instagram. Thank you to everyone who entered — there were more good dogs than we had covers.
October’s cover is open. Send us a photo, or post it and tag @wowgroominguk.
Download Issue 01 as a PDF → (8 pages, 1.2MB)