How To Become A Dog Groomer

According to the latest statistics, there are approximately thirteen and a half million dog owners in the UK at the time of writing and that’s a lot of fur! I recently took my dog to my favourite groomer, which we visit twice a year. Even though my dog doesn’t seem to enjoy the experience too much, she does look extremely pretty with her neat haircut and well manicured nails.

The UK pet grooming market reached approximately £425 million last year and is predicted to continue to grow. As pets, (especially dogs) are considered as much a part of the family as anyone else, it explains why we are not holding back in wanting our beloved furry friends to look and feel their best and of course, grooming is just one of the factors that goes in to a dog leading a long happy and healthy life.

To become a dog groomer it goes without saying that you must have a love for dogs! You also need to understand that it is not a very glamorous job ( although the end result for the dog will be) and you will often get wet, dirty and smelly due to the nature of handling dogs in your care. It is a very hands on job so you will need to have an aptitude for practical skills and a keen eye for attention to detail. You will need to be thorough in everything you do and be able to take orders from clients, work by deadlines and depending on where you work, be comfortable working in a team as well as efficiently on your own. You will need to know how to use the various instruments which are used for grooming as well as have sound knowledge of the grooming products and identify basic health conditions in dogs such as allergies and parasites. There may be some challenging situations or even potentially distressing scenarios that you may have to deal with but on the whole it is a fun and rewarding job where just as no two dogs are the same, you will find no two days are the same.

To enter into this line of work, there are a variety of options and pathways available which include college courses, apprenticeships, training within private companies or even by volunteering your time to work with dogs where you can observe and potentially learn some of the skills involved in grooming dogs. There are also online courses available but nothing beats having hands- on experience and being taught by qualified and competent groomers where you can ask questions and get expert guidance as you learn. Qualifications can vary from no qualifications to several GCSE’s so it is best to check with where you may wish to learn from and see what their requirements are.

Hours are generally sociable but after qualifying, some dog groomers will work for themselves so have the advantage of being able to choose their own hours. Salaries can also vary, depending on where you work and what services you offer as well as the products you use. Most people expect to pay between around £30 to £70 for basic grooming. I paid £65 recently for my dog to have her hair trimmed and her nails cut but I could have added extras if I had wished which would have at least doubled that! It is a fairly diverse profession and there is good potential for it to become a lucrative business as long as the hard work is put in and you remain dedicated.

There are numerous basic qualifications you may work towards to become a qualified dog groomer but many of these can lead on to progressing into many different areas of animal care from offering bespoke grooming services in a pet shop to working for animal welfare organisations. Whatever animal related job you want to do once you are a qualified groomer, remember - where there's a dog there's a way!