Im a trainee 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! 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

anyway hope I helped a bit!