If you love dogs, are patient, and have ever had any interest in being a beautician, becoming a dog groomer might be a good career. You can not just hang out a shingle one day and declare you're a dog groomer, though. Here's how to get started, and how to tell if you really are cut out to wield a dog brush full time.
You Need to Have a Long-Term Love for Dogs - and People
Grooming can be difficult. You are not going to see the best side of all the dogs you will be working on. To be happy in your new career, you will need to love dogs enough that you can get through an eight hour day, five days a week, being covered in pet hair, getting growled at, and (this is the hard part for some groomers) putting some of the dogs you see through an frightening experience. But if you have a good history with dogs, and if you have had success working with problem dogs, even if it was not as a professional dog trainer, then you could be suited to this work.
Most dog groomers will tell you the people give them more trouble than the dogs. You will have to have good people skills to be successful. You are in a service business and that means you will be dealing with everyone who walks in the door. If you just want to be a dog groomer, and not a business owner, your people skills will not be required as much, but you will still be dealing with the public. That said, if you ever had a service job, even as a teenager, you've probably gotten a taste of what it takes, and you'll probably be fine.
By the way - you should also like cats. Some cats are sent in to be cleaned up almost as often as dogs are, and depending on the cat they can be much more difficult to groom.
Get Training
You will have to be trained before you can start getting paid as a dog groomer. There are over a dozen online schools, but if you live in the city I highly suggest you try to find a brick and mortar school. Computers are great, but there is nothing like a real classroom experience, and that is especially true when you are learning a hands-on skill. Frankly, I have about as much faith in an dog groomer that's been trained online as I do in a human hair cutter that's been trained online. It might be a perfectly good school but I would prefer to have my hair cut by someone who learned in a real class, thank you.
Going to classes will also introduce you to other dog groomers, and you will learn as much from each other as you do from the teacher. It also gives you a great opportunity to network for jobs after you get your certification. Most certification courses take six to twelve months and cost anywhere from $600 to $2000. The more established schools may offer some scholarships or payment options.
One way to tell a good school from a mediocre one is what kind of placement opportunities they have after you have completed their course. Before you put down your money, you really should talk to at least five different professional dog groomers and see what they think of the school you are about to attend. All careers have their own communities, and you are going to be joining the dog grooming community. Find out which schools are considered good and which are not - before you are on the job interview and you find out most groomers just laugh at the school you are considering.
Pamella Neely writes about how to start a dog walking business, including how to get dog walking insurance.
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