How to Become a Successful Dog Groomer

The decision to take the path to becoming a dog groomer is not one that should be made lightly.  Perhaps one of the most important things you need to ask yourself is: Do dogs make me happy? If you answer is yes, then dog grooming just might be the job for you!

Grooming dogs however is not as easy as it may seem. With exception of the dirty hair, shoe lace mouths and an occasional nip; you will need to treat your doggy clientele like royalty. There are several important things anyone considering entering into this line of work should consider taking into consideration, if you want to increase the chances of success in becoming a dog groomer.

While not an exhaustive list, some critically important things to know about becoming a dog groomer are:

1. Know what the dog’s owner expects from you: Grooming does not only entail brushing a dog’s fur. To properly groom a dog, you first need to examine the dog for any skin problems. Should the dog have no apparent problems, brush its fur and bathe the dog thoroughly. Make sure that you dry the dog’s fur before styling or cutting it. A professional dog groomer will clean a dog’s ears as well as trim its nails.
2. Know a fellow groomer: If you are a beginner dog groomer, you can gain a lot of experience by watching and learning from another groomer. A saying has it that experience is the best teacher. And given that you would just be starting out in this field, you would as yet not have any experience.This is where the experience of a more seasoned groomer will come in handy.
3. Volunteering: Working at an animal shelter will give you a great sense of how to act and react in the presence of a dog. If a big dog breed tends to scare you, perhaps becoming a dog groomer is not the right job for you.
4. Schooling: If you attend a pet grooming school, you will quickly gain the professional experience needed to become a great dog groomer.
5. Dog breed styles: When cutting and grooming a specific dog breed’s fur, you need to know how and where to cut efficiently. A purebred dog’s fur and a cross breed dog’s fur will not be the same and therefore will need to be handled differently.
6. Problems: Learning about different kinds of skin problems will help you to know when a dog needs special attention. Should a dog have a skin problem, it can be difficult if not impossible to groom and bathe the dog without a nip here or a howl there.
7. Certification: The owner of a dog will want to take their bundle of joy to someone they can trust. Getting certification for a dog groomer will benefit your business by letting your clients know that you are here to see to their every need.
8. Location: Before becoming a groomer, you need to decide where your business will be located. It can be difficult to haul a big dog all the way to a busy shopping center. You need to make sure your clients will be comfortable in their environment. A mobile business can be the solution as you can go directly to the homes of the dogs in need of a groom.
9. Advertise: You need to put your name out there! Put posters in shopping centers and use social media to get people to make use of your service. Remember that word of mouth helps a great deal: A happy client will always return! Make their pooches your canvas!
10. Handling animals – Not all animals are well cared for. You might need to groom a homeless dog that can be frightened of human contact. Make sure that you know how to handle dogs that are not used to be handled and groomed.
11. Extras: Make sure that you keep your clients as well as their owners happy. Add extras to the services you offer such as nail painting, bows and teeth cleaning. Be creative in what you do and your clients will definitely give you a good wet kiss as a thank you present!

Making a best friend out of a dog does not mean that you have to make them listen to you. It simply means that you need to treat them with the respect they deserve. Whether they are guard dogs or show dogs, just as humans, they also need a spa day every once and again. What better way to show your appreciation by taking them to a one-of-a-kind dog groomer!