Dog Grooming School

[elizabethann]

Are there any dog groomers on this board? I'm thinking of learning dog grooming and was wondering how I can find out where to go to learn? I don't think we have any schools in NH that teach dog grooming, but I don't know that for certain.

Also, are you glad you got into this field? Is it something you would recommend to others? Does it pay the bills? Will I be able to live off of dog grooming? I was thinking of perhaps starting a traveling dog grooming business. Purchasing a van and traveling to my clients to groom the dogs. Anybody here do that now? What do you think of it? How is it going?

Sorry for so many questions.

[zoomer]

I'm not a dog groomer or anything but I think we have a couple on the board. This website might help you out :)

http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=pets_groomdog

[Muddy4paws]

Im a trainee :D I love it and I would definatly recommend it, you need to be serious about dogs and cats if you plan to go down that route too, I started out by getting a job as a bather which is where most people willl start and I was doing that for about a year before I even got to prep a dog for a bath! :o I only have a NVQ certificate in animal care but nothing in grooming yet as I'm being taught by groomers on the job which I find alot better for me to learn..

I have been doing it for 2 and 1/2 years now and I still love it and I only know about 9 styles which I can do myself but I have picked up so much just from being in that enviroment and I would reccomend trying to get a place in a groomers rather than learning from a college but thats my opinion because I find it so much easier doing the job rather than writing about it!

I know two groomers that make a living off of dog grooming, one which is a mobile groomer and one which is a groomer in a shop.

One thing about some of the courses in UK so I'm not sure if they apply to your area but my boss paid £1000 for a grooming course and she came out with VERY basic skills and it turned out I know more than her and I haven't been on any course so just be aware that some of the course can be very expensive for some very basic skills so make sure you do loads of research before you apply to a course.

I would reccomend phoning some groomers in your area and asking if they are willing to train you up, its worth a try and its how I've been doing it but the thing is you will be on quite low pay until you learn how to properly groom dogs and I would also say that I think starting at a groomer shop would be alot more easier for you rather than going mobile.

I know 2 groomers which aren't properly qualified so I guess its up to the shops and people who bring their dogs in but I know one of these people are vet recommended and they both have 100+ customers so if you are not too into getting the qualifications then you could learn on the job being trained up by a groomer?

I know there are a few other groomers on here including Nebo's mum and I think Pam is too but I cant think of anyone else :o

anyway hope I helped a bit! :D

[elizabethann]

Thank you so much for your replies! You've been very helpful!

[lisahumphreys882]

What kind of requirements do you need to approach this career. Do you need to have taken all sciences and what other cources do you need? I'm interested in getting a career working with animals but I'm pretty sure you need to have taken bio in high school or university to get into those types of careers. I have a problem...I didn't take bio and I'm not very good at science in general so i don't think I'd be able to get a career (with animals) without that. :( Anyhow I'm just rambling on now...so if anyone could knows the requirements that would be great. :D

[wolfsoul]

I got into grooming by taking work experience through highschool at a grooming parlor. I was offered a job there before I graduated, and that's where I am now. It takes alot of time to learn when you do it this way -- you pretty much have to spend the first year or two working as a bather for minimum wage and doing grooming inbetween before you can groom fulltime. My coworker has been there for over two years and she only just got a .50 cent raise and is still bathing

Grooming schools usually don't require you to have taken anything. One of my coworkers only got up to grade 11 and she was accepted into grooming school no problem. I prefer not to do it this way though, because every shop does things differently, and a school will not teach you how your shop likes things done. Working as a bather is also much harder than grooming and makes you appreciate your job alot more once you start grooming fulltime. It also helps you learn about dog behaviour before you start handling scissors and clippers around dogs. Grooming schools are also too much money for me, I haven't found an 8 week course for under $6000.

I really recommend getting in to dog grooming. It was the best thing I ever could have done. It got me to move out, it gave me my dog, it got me into different sports, and I've learned alot and met alot of great people. Just remember the downsides --- Hair constantly in your eyes, nose, mouth --- Dogs biting and scratching you --- Angry owners complaining that the groom was not what they had wanted or that their dog was most certainly NOT matted or that their dog is a perfect angel and would never do anything to make a groom difficult (my boss actually told a lady that she'd meet her in Hell hahah) --- Dogs shaking water all over you --- Anal glands squirting on you --- Sharp hairs getting stuck in your skin and being more difficult to get out than slivers --- Hair entwining itself into the fabric of your clothes and being impossible to remove --- Coming home from work looking and smelling like death. It is also extremely physical, something most people don't realise. The chiropractor next door says we have the worst backs of anyone he's ever seen. And working around dogs who bite and scratch and who've been God knows where, we're always getting sick or getting infections (my coworker right now has a huge swollen pussing infected cat bite, my other coworker suffered a severe concussion a few months ago when a dog pushed her into the wall and had to get stitches when a rottie scratched her leg). We all have scars on every part of our bodies (especially arms, some dogs will scratch when you hold their beards), we rip tendons from using scissors so often, etc. The job is great for some people --- terrible for most!!!

There is one mobile dog groomer in town. I hear that she doesn't make alot of money. I personally wouldn't do it, I don't know how anyone could fit the proper things in such a small environment. I would find ot much too cluttered and difficult to clean.

Hope that helps, feel free to ask any other questions. :)