Dog Grooming Guidance
Have you ever thought about dog grooming as a career? If you have, then do you have the necessary training?
Certification in dog grooming is not really a requirement in most places, but it will set you apart as a person who is very serious about your business.
An excellent way of getting some training is by getting involved as an apprentice. Several established groomers will take on assistants and teach them the basics of grooming. As an apprentice, you must be willing to do a whole lot of bathing, vacuuming and sweeping when you first start out. Those tasks may not sound like a lot of fun, but they are necessary and you need to start somewhere.
By working with different dogs, you will be able to perfect your dog handling skills. Working as an apprentice will also enable you to see if this career is actually something that you want to pursue. Volunteering at a local animal rescue group can also provide you with the opportunity to try out dog grooming before you make the investment for any formal training.
Your Decision to be a Professional Dog Groomer
Once you know that dog grooming is a career that you want to pursue, you can find several schools available where you can get the formal training.
Petsmart’s Grooming Academy allows students to learn while they work with certified stylists and it is possible to earn a certificate this way.
Another option for training is from online classes. These classes teach the foundation of dog grooming through textbooks and videos, but generally require that you obtain some hands on experience before you can complete the course and get certification.
Have you seen the late night commercials advertising “get a degree on the web”? If you need to continue with your current employment while you learn, this is a great alternative. Online courses enable you to study at your own pace and on a schedule that is convenient for you. Typically, the cost for online classes is a little less than actually attending dog grooming school full time and the course work is very similar. You will learn the basics of dog grooming and, also, the business side at the same time.
Attending a Dog Grooming School Full Time
If you decide to attend dog grooming school full time, you can find several to select from in most of the major cities and surrounding areas. Total instruction time is approximately 1,000 hours with the first 50 hours being orientation related.
Basic Instruction Courses
You will get instruction on salon layout and management, basic anatomy, safety and the proper use of grooming tools. Basic first aid for both pets and people is included in the curriculum. You will also learn pet CPR.
Why learn pet CPR? You want to be prepared in case one of your elderly clients get stressed or overheated and stops breathing. Having one of your clients die on you is not great for business, so understanding pet CPR will provide you with the best possible chance to revive them.
Strategies for dog handling and muzzle use will also be covered. Using a muzzle can, at times, have a calming effect on a dog that is over excited and, at the same time, prevent you from being bitten. Generally, when a dog has a muzzle on, it will calm down and allow you to perform the necessary tasks. Over time, you’ll be able to recognize some doggie body language and know if you should take some extra safety precautions. This may sound like common sense, but this is a very important part of dog grooming.
Basic Grooming Classes
After the orientation portion of your training, about the next 150 hours of instruction will instruct you on basic body clips, lion cuts, shave downs and scissoring techniques. You will also have classes on clipper care, maintenance and minor repairs.
Other grooming techniques that you will learn are the proper ways to handle bathing, ear cleaning, plucking hair from ears and how to express anal glands. Anal glands are considered as useless and are located on either side of the rectum. These glands were once important, but they serve very little purpose now. Today, the anal glands primarily provide irritation to the dog and provide you with foul odors when you express them.
So, why should you express the anal glands? Well, if these glands are full, you have to express them. When the fluid amount in these glands reaches a certain point, the result is an extreme itchy feeling for the dog. In order to relieve this itch, the dog will commonly sit down and scoot its rear along a carpet. If you notice this occurring, there’s a very good probability that these glands are full. You definitely don’t want the fluid from these glands to end up on your carpet.
If your dog’s anal glands are not emptied on a regular basis, they can become abscessed, which means a necessary trip to the vet. The good news is that not all dogs will need this done. For the most part, it seems that dogs of the smaller breeds seem to be more prone to this particular issue. Although dogs of any size that are overweight also seem to have this problem frequently.
Advanced Dog Grooming
Finally, after the orientation and learning the basics of dog grooming, you get to learn the good stuff.
Instruction on advanced breed clipping will now begin and you will get to start the development of your portfolio. A portfolio will help you get a job after you graduate. Another benefit of the portfolio is that it shows your progress in pictures, which will keep you inspired.
You will also learn hand scissoring techniques and specialized grooming.
You’ll be prepared to handle any dog grooming requested by the owner, no matter how strange. You know, those wanting their dogs groomed so that they have similar hair styles with the owner or wanting their dog to have a “puffy” looking lion head. It is amazing how these dogs have the patience for this type of grooming. Do you ever wonder if the dog is worried about what his doggy friends think about his new hair style? These styling requests can be fun for the dog groomer and their creative aspect can run wild.
What is the Cost for this Type of Dog Grooming Education
So, how much will all this cost you?
Training will run about $7,500 and an average cost for products and supplies is about $800 or so.
Not exactly cheap, but remember, this is an investment in your future and most of the schools have financing options available. Many of these schools will help you locate employment once you’ve completed the training. When you have worked in the field for a while, you may want to open your own personal dog grooming business and, at that point, you may be well prepared to make this a reality.
