Just for jollies, let's take a look at the numbers.
Imagine you have one dog and clean up once a week for a year. If you had a definite plan to study and improve, you would get better, yes? Now imagine two years, no wait, three years. My people call that a short work week. Now imagine 7 dogs for one year. You're still not through your probation period. I'm certainly not trying to put anyone down, but I do want to make clear that cleaning up after your own dogs is not the same. In my experience, new employees who think that must first be taught. Some never get over the idea that they are experts and must be terminated, usually for poor quality, but sometimes for speed.
Matthew may remember Linda, who told me during the interview process that there was nothing I could teach her about scooping poop. She had 7 - 10 dogs for over ten years and scooped regularly. In four weeks, she had a set of professional tools, a set of professional skills and had drastically increased her efficiency with her own dogs. Once she set aside her firm opinion that she knew it all, she learned very quickly. I was very pleased, because I almost didn't hire her because I didn't want to waste the time to break down her misconceptions. I'm glad I took the chance.
It's not rocket science. It's just scooping poop. Still, there's more to it than anyone ever thinks when they get started. It's very likely that you'll be better after 200 professionally scooped yards than you are now. It's VERY likely that you'll be better than that after 1000. It's almost a sure bet that by 1000 pro yards cleaned that you will have gone through your "Super Scooper" phase where you'll think you know it all... then you'll learn better. I have a very strong memory of going back to clean a yard that "Couldn't possibly have old poop in it", but it did. Quite the eye opener for me, and one of the reasons I'm still in the biz. If I hadn't gotten that lesson, I'd be gone by now for one reason or another.
Hey, if it was easy, everybody would be doing it.
Exactly why I asked for a lesson in the mechanics. I can sure pick up poop, but I can do it correctly and efficiently? Never hurts to ask and listen and learn.
