The Definitive Guide to Becoming a Dog Groomer

Imagine a world without dog groomers. Our furry friends would roam around, tangled in mats, struggling to see through overgrown hair covering their eyes. Dog groomers deserve kudos for their role in keeping our furry family members healthy and feeling their best.

Becoming a dog groomer isn’t just a compassionate choice—it’s a smart career move. The steady increase in dog ownership has resulted in high demand for dog groomers. It’s a profession that offers flexibility and portability. Wherever you go, there will always be plenty of furry clients eagerly awaiting your services.

So many great trades, like dog grooming, let you earn a good living without investing years of your life and going deep into debt to get a college degree. While college was once thought to be THE path to a solid future, higher education is fast becoming financially unaffordable for the vast majority of students.

More and more people are discovering that a college diploma is not the be-all and end-all when it comes to selecting and preparing for a career. Instead, they are increasingly turning to trade schools to learn in-demand careers like pet grooming, massage therapy, HVAC, or plumbing.

Whether online or brick-and-mortar, trade schools can be far more affordable than your two or four-year college careers; plus they get you career-ready and employed faster. Often referred to as vocational schools, many allow you to become certified in your chosen career in a year or less.

Unlike conventional college programs, trade schools streamline the learning process by focusing solely on essential skills. For example, a dog grooming course provides comprehensive training tailored specifically to the vocation. There’s no need to navigate through unrelated courses or general education requirements—trade schools get straight to the point, equipping students with the expertise they need to thrive in their chosen profession, like becoming a certified groomer.

Train to Become a Dog Groomer Online

Anyone who’s done a little digging into a dog grooming career will have learned that no licensing or educational credentials are required to work in the field, but would-be employers and savvy pet owners are going to look for groomers with experience or certification.

The more experience you can get, the better, and if you can luck out and find a professional groomer who’ll take you under their wing to teach you the basics and give you hands-on job training, you are very lucky.  Most people don’t.

However, if you’re looking to become a certified dog groomer, an online trade school wins hands down when it comes to convenience. In addition to being more affordable:

• Local brick-and-mortar schools may not offer the content for the career you’re interested in.
• Because it is flexible, online learning is a perfect time management solution for working students looking for a career change
• You don’t have to wait until a new semester begins; many vocational schools have an open enrollment that lets you enroll anytime.
• The admissions process is far simpler than that for the traditional college admission.
• The flexibility offered by online schooling can be particularly valuable to non-traditional students like working parents or caregivers, who often find it hard to adhere to rigid schedules.
• You can study in your pajama pants!

Learn Dog Grooming Through Hands-On Experience

Even when learning dog grooming online, you can expect to get your hands sudsy! It should come as no surprise that you need to learn by doing. It takes a lot of experience to become a dog groomer.

Even with all the benefits an online education can bring, hands-on practice remains indispensable in the art of dog grooming. Some online grooming schools incorporate a local mentorship. Pairing up students with a professional who works nearby is the perfect solution!

Students get to see what grooming life is really like by fully immerse themselves in the intricacies of grooming, become proficient with fundamental skills such as bathing and brushing, learn how to use the tools of the trade such as clippers, scissors, nail trimmers, and dryers, and encounter diverse breeds and coat types while receiving guidance from their mentors.

So Much to Learn!

As you may have deduced, becoming a proficient, professional dog groomer requires a lot of knowledge and skill. When you look at the curriculum of a dog grooming program, you’ll quickly realize how much you have to learn, but you can do it if you’re motivated!

Earning your certification from a high-caliber online program can give you everything you need to know to launch your grooming career with confidence.