How to become a dog groomer

If the idea of spending your days caring for dogs sparks your interest, then you may be interested in pursuing a career as a dog groomer.

The fantastic thing about this career route is that you can explore the theory behind it first – by completing an online dog grooming course – before you get the practical training. This means you can see if it is the right fit, before you spend tonnes of money on training. Plus, if you’ve got your own dog, you can practice your skills for free! Perfect!

But what is a dog groomer? What does their job exactly entail?

What does a dog groomer do?
To describe it simply, the job of a dog groomer is to maintain the fur of dogs and keep it in good condition. This can range from shampooing, brushing, trimming and grooming their hair to going a step further and clipping their nails. This job is not just about being good with animals though. You’ll also need strong customer services skills, as you’ll be dealing with their owners. And with this, you’ll be expected to provide them with care advice, and may on occasion have to travel to their homes to do the job. Likewise, if you plan to work for yourself, you’ll need to have great organisational, administrative and numeracy skills.

How can you become a dog groomer?
You don’t need any specific qualifications to become a professional dog groomer; however, it is essential that you learn how to correctly groom a dog.

Now, there are one of two ways you can do this…
You could go the shadowing route and get hands-on experience from a qualified dog groomer. By apprenticing alongside them, you can acquire the physical training you need to do the job properly, while earning a steady income. On the other hand, you can enrol onto an online dog grooming course or go to college. These will provide you with both the theoretical and the practical training, as well as will ensure that you attain the skills you need but under professional supervision.

How can you improve your odds?
Dog grooming is one of those careers that is rapidly growing in popularity, so to compete with the competition you need to give yourself an edge. One way you can do this is by going on an animal care course. Alternatively, you can try volunteering in a dog shelter or going on specialist dog grooming courses where you learn how to handle the fur types of multiple dog breeds. This is especially helpful if you focus on rare and unusual breeds. Knowledge on how to correctly groom these breeds will make you an instant favourite amongst dog owners as they’ll appreciate this specialist training.

What qualities do I need?
You need more than qualifications, training and an interest in dogs to become a successful dog groomer. You also need to consider your softer skills e.g. your patience, creativity, problem-solving and inter-personal skills.
Remember – like people, dogs have got different personalities. While some will love the attention you give; you’ll encounter others that won’t like grooming or won’t want to make friends with you. They may even have issues which make them hesitant or untrusting of your touch. Because of this, you’ll need to learn how to bridge this barrier and ensure that both dog and owner, walk away happy and satisfied.

Alongside having strong management and communication skills, you also need to be business savvy – particularly if you want to be your own boss. From recognising your customer’s needs to anticipating their over-protective tendencies; with the right mind-set you can effectively run your business; keep your admin in check and keep everyone happy – including your bank account.

If this all sounds like you, then why not check out our online dog grooming courses today? With a click of a button, you can take your passion for dogs and turn it into a career.