If you love animals and love to spend time with them, a great career path for you could be to become a groomer.  Groomers keep those beloved pets in tip top condition and ensure that they’re comfortable, happy, and look their best.  If you’re interested in becoming a professional groomer, or even just learning the basics so you can look after your own pets, there are some great training options available.  Read on for more.

What is Pet Grooming?

Pet grooming is the process of ensuring that a pet is clean, free of fleas and other parasites, and has a smooth, shiny coat with no matts or tangles.  Essentially it is about improving your pet’s condition and hygiene so that they are happy and healthy. Grooming however is not for the sole benefit of the pet.  It is also beneficial to the owner as the owner will have a pet that sheds less, smells good, does not have fleas or other nasties, and that looks absolutely gorgeous.

Working as a Pet Groomer

As a pet groomer, you will use various tools and techniques to groom the pets that come into your care. These could include brushing, bathing, and drying the pet, using de-fleaing techniques, grooming a pet to remove matts or alternatively to create a design in their coat, and much more.  Some pets are very placid and will happily accept grooming while others are a little feistier. As a pet groomer, you will need to be able to understand and predict a pet’s behaviour in order to calm them and reduce any fear or aggression that the pet may be showing. As a groomer, you may also notice signs of early health issues, so you will need to relay these to the owner, so that they can get follow up.

As a pet groomer, you can work in a salon, as a mobile groomer or in a veterinary clinic. You can choose to work in an existing company, or you can open your own business when you are confident enough to.

Pet Grooming Study Options

If you are interested in becoming a pet groomer, you will need to undertake some form of study.  Grooming courses are provided by a number of institutions and you can choose to study on campus, or via distance learning, depending on what is better suited to your needs.  Both short courses and certificates are available.

Ensure that the grooming course that you choose covers a wide range of areas including grooming basics, the history of grooming, what breed standards are in regards to grooming, understanding animal personalities, the basics of starting a grooming business, and more.

Questions to Consider

Before you enrol in a pet grooming course, there are some questions that you will need to answer to ensure that the course is right for you.  These include:

• Do you want to be a professional pet groomer or do you just want to know the basics so that you can groom your own pet?
• Do you know what is involved in being a professional pet groomer?
• How much will the pet grooming course cost?
• What is included as part of the cost (study materials, etc)?
• How is the course offered (at an institution, via distance learning etc)?
• Is the institution providing the course reputable?
• What opportunities are available once the course is completed?