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If you choose a career in animal grooming, you can anticipate that your business and profits will expand in die future. This is an excellent opportunity for someone who loves working with animals but isn’t fond of academic study, since most pet groomers take training courses that usually last from just ten to eighteen weeks.
The best groomers make a point of taking continuing education courses to keep abreast of new developments and to work toward master groomer or master stylist credentials. Once you’ve graduated from a pet grooming academy, there will be opportunities to go to work in kennels, salons, mobile vans, veterinary clinics, and larger pet stores’ grooming departments. Vocational licensing is not required in this field (though it has become a hot topic and is under consideration in several states), but it is a good idea to go through the process of certification because you’ll learn more and the credential will lend some cachet to your new business. It also should be of help in the job hunting process, if you choose to gain experience as an employee rather than as a business owner.
Is Animal Grooming for You?
If you want to make it in this field, there are some basic questions you’ll need to ask yourself. For starters, do you truly like animals, or are you sometimes afraid of them? Are you allergic to any of them? Are you willing to take inoculations such as a tetanus shot to guarantee your safety on the job? Will you be able to remain a good sport when your canine clients bark nonstop, or when you must spend prolonged time in a warm and humid bathing area? How do you feel about cleaning up animal wastes can you cheerfully regard this as just part of the job? Can you pick up pets that may weigh as much as 150 pounds, or do you have back problems or suffer from repetitive stress injuries? The motions of brushing, combing, and lifting for hours every day can aggravate conditions such as carpal tunnel syndrome, so you’ll need to have reasonable stamina and a clean bill of health from your doctor before you commit to this kind of work.
You’ll need to be artistic, but with the willingness and ability to copy formula cuts. This is especially important for dogs competing in kennel shows, as they are evaluated on whether they conform to classic looks established for their breeds. You’ll also need some knowledge of health care and safety procedures, as animals can suffer just as humans can when they are exposed to caustic or irritating grooming agents.
If you put up your own shingle, you’ll want to have a sound business plan and an understanding of billing, accounting, and marketing procedures. Your state’s Bureau for Small Business Development can be of help here. Trade magazines such as Groomer to Groomer and Pet Stylist also can be of help. You’ll probably need to work with an accountant to set up a system of recordkeeping so that you’ll have a solid understanding of your profits and losses at tax time. Finally, if your state requires you to collect sales receipts or receipts taxes on services (not all states do), you’ll need to learn how to do that, too.
Although the public tends to think of pet grooming parlors as storefront operations, some innovative groomers have taken their small businesses on the road. Lynn Chadney, owner of The Ruff Trade, a mobile grooming business for pets, cruises the streets of Los Angeles in a customized vehicle that includes a bathtub, blow-dryer, vacuum, and products such as shampoos and flea-killing concoctions. For each appointment, she parks in a client’s driveway, retrieves the pet and gives it a bath, a trim, and a “pet-icure.” Her charge per animal is $40, and her clientele has grown into the hundreds.
Although you will not have to become certified unless you want to, virtually all pet groomers attend commercial animal grooming schools, where typically they undergo from 300-550 hours of training. The more hours of training, the likelier the student will be to gain complete mastery of the art.
Madeline’s Institute of Pet Grooming in Santa Clara, California, is a highly regarded institution that offers a thirteen-week, 528-hour professional pet groomer curriculum for $3,600. Madeline’s adds a $75 registration fee and charges students for a grooming toolbox, which costs about $995 wholesale. An advanced pet groomer seminar is offered for $750 for eighty hours. There is also a professional pet bather course that lasts 144 hours and costs $900, plus $75 registration and a $595 toolbox fee. Schools like Madeline’s emphasize hands-on training for students. Industry standard-keepers caution applicants to tour schools they are considering, to insist upon a clear understanding of tuition and fees (many schools offer payment plans), and to try to avoid situations where classmates have to share pets in grooming laboratories or may not get a chance to work on all breeds.
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