Online Dog Grooming Classes

Is it possible to learn how to groom pets from information on the internet? Sounds impossible, right? Will you have to groom virtual pets to acquire your on the job experience? What is available for someone who wants to learn to pet grooming, but hasn’t got the time or the money to enroll in a traditional pet grooming school?

It may be surprising, but there are both certificate and diploma programs available. You’ve probably seen some of them advertised on television in one of those late night commercials. Are these worth the cost? You be the judge.

In this post, we will discuss general information related to this area. We’ve had many requests from our readers wanting more detailed information, so we did another post about online dog grooming courses.  We tried to select online courses that appeared reputable.

Courses Providing Certification

The certificate course is a good option for a person who is already working inside the pet grooming business. It takes approximately three months to complete the course and the cost is substantially less than actually attending a school. Financing plans are available for those who need it. The certificate course teaches anatomy and various grooming techniques through CD’s and books. It also covers information on starting a business, client relations and several other items that one needs to know for their own pet grooming salon. There isn’t any on the job training provided in these courses since the individual is already acquiring practical experience in their current job.

Programs Providing Diplomas

The diploma course will take longer to complete. It consists of six months training and six months of practical experience. Exams are required at each stage of the course and generally tutor support is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The diploma course is a good alternative to traditional pet grooming classes if you currently work in another field and want to learn pet grooming at home in your spare time. It is possible to take the classes and exams at your convenience. Do these during the evening or on weekends, whatever fits your schedule. The cost for the diploma course is between $1,000 and $2,000, not including needed equipment and tools. That may seem kind of high but it is still much less than actually attending a school. Typically, school costs may be close to $7,500.

Learn Pet Grooming with Books and Videos

You can definitely study anatomy and simple haircuts from a video or a book and learn basic pet grooming skills on the internet. You will still have to obtain some hands on experience and many of us don’t own multiple pets to practice on. Some practicing pet groomers will take on apprentices. As an apprentice, you will have to do a considerable amount of bathing and drying before you get to do any actual practicing with clippers, but these tasks are an important part of grooming and you will also gain valuable experience. The more you handle various pets, the more opportunity that you have to learn the right handling techniques.

If you are unable to find a pet groomer willing to have an apprentice, there are other ways to get the necessary practical experience. Check with your local animal shelter. Many of these shelters have pets that are in desperate need of grooming. It is possible to practice your skills and provide the animals a better opportunity to get adopted. The appearance of these animals is an important factor among many potential adopters. So, you not get to practice the necessary skills, the animal benefits too. Another potential option for you is to practice on pets that belong to accommodating friends and family members. I stress “accommodating” because your initial efforts may possibly be very poor. You can also place flyers advertising your services at very little or no cost. If you decide to do this, be sure to stress that you are learning to groom. This method of getting hands on training could be a sensible way to build a future client base if you’re planning to open your own shop after you graduate.

How Do You Decide Which Method is Best?

That’s really a hard question to answer and it’s one that you have to make, but some things to consider are:

• Cost
• Flexibility
• Reputation

Each training method has its Pros and Cons. Remember that some of the online courses will require you to get some “hands on” training before you can get certification or a diploma.

There are several accredited programs that can help you obtain the training that you need. You will need to be self-motivated and have the ability to work on your own. Remember, what you put into it can be what you’ll get out of it. The harder that you are willing to work, the better the results. If you make a commitment to this endeavor, you could be working for yourself in your own pet grooming business and doing something that you love in a relatively short time period.