Thinking of becoming a groomer..help!!

[Debbier2010]

Hi everyone it has been a long time since I have been on YT when ever I get a chance I log in a read a few posts but really don't have much time for anything else.. I have been working a lot of hours at a job I hate and have no future in and it started me thinking what makes me happy? The only thing I could honestly say makes me truly happy was spending time with my yorkies and so I thought what can I do that would give me more time with them and the answer was clear.. dog groomer!! So what I want to know is are there any groomers on YT that could offer any information such as do I need experience, how long are the classes, could I make a decent living,are the classes expensive, basically the pros and cons I want to do as much research as possible because it would be a career change for me and as much as I would love to do this its a bit scary to start a new career...any info would help thanks in advance

[Dara311]

Originally Posted by Debbier2010

Hi everyone it has been a long time since I have been on YT when ever I get a chance I log in a read a few posts but really don't have much time for anything else.. I have been working a lot of hours at a job I hate and have no future in and it started me thinking what makes me happy? The only thing I could honestly say makes me truly happy was spending time with my yorkies and so I thought what can I do that would give me more time with them and the answer was clear.. dog groomer!! So what I want to know is are there any groomers on YT that could offer any information such as do I need experience, how long are the classes, could I make a decent living,are the classes expensive, basically the pros and cons I want to do as much research as possible because it would be a career change for me and as much as I would love to do this its a bit scary to start a new career...any info would help thanks in advance

That is an awesome thing to do, however, not trying to rain on your parade, and I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but dealing with your own pets vs. other peoples pets is a very delicate thing, and sometimes VERY frustrating and stressful! I started out working as a dog walker at a local animal hospital, then moved on to doing kennel work, and then became a bathing assistant, and then a grooming assistant, I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED It, but it is very stressful, and VERY detailed in how you cut, trim, shave, bathe, and all that for certain breeds of animals. I loved bathing and prepping the dogs for the groomer I worked with, but it is a very time consuming job. You also have to consider, mean animals, making sure they are up to date with vaccines, and even more so, if things should happen, if you have the proper medical care around you!

I would have loved to become a groomer, but after being a vet tech for 6 plus years, I was like, I cant do this anymore! Ha! I love my pets, and everything, and wouldnt not want to have animals around, but working with them, isnt the thing for me anymore!

Good luck in what adventure you choose!

[Debbier2010]

Thank You for being so honest it's exactly what I needed to hear... I don't want to go into something without hearing all the cons and be blind sided I had always been interested in working with animals but like most people life got in the way lol I got pregnant young and worked one dead end job after another and now that my kids are all grown up the old feelings come back but of course now I'm older and like I said earlier it's a bit scary so again thanks for your input...

[AlicetheYorkie]

Hi. I've been considering this recently too. I worked as a vet tech for 10 years kind of off and on (had a baby in between there lol) and it is WAY different working with other people's animals than your own. I'm not going back to that now only because with having a young child the job just isn't flexable enough (last minute emergencies etc.)The most recent vet office I worked for did basic grooming for their clients, and once in a while if the kennel staff was busy one of us techs would have to do a brush/bath. Of course also as a tech we had to do a lot of clipping for surgeries and we'd get the ocassional matted dog or cat that had to be sedated to shave, so I have some experience.

I liked doing the grooming (unless i was really in a hurry to have to get back to assisting the Dr.) but you just have to remember that it will not be all nice tiny dogs like your own You're going to encounter some that will not be happy with you and you may have to muzzel them, you're going to have some very large breeds and some really hairy shedding ones (Great Perenese are a PAIN lol). I'm used to this so I know I'm up to that challenge, just something for you to consider.

My only personal concern for myself with moving forward is that groomers (in my area anyway) tend to be a-dime-a-dozen and I'm not sure how lucrative it will be, so I have to research that. My other consideration (and hopefully a pro groomer here will mention it) is if I were to eventually open my own shop, how expensive and hard to deal with is insurance on the business?

My plan for now, and I'd suggest it to you also is to find a job as a grooming assistant and learn as much about the business aspect of it as well as the actual grooming.
Hope it goes well for you and I hope I wasn't too negative here, but you want to know the good bad and the ugly when it comes to working with animals right? LOL We'd have soooo many people come apply at the vet clinic when we needed a kennel attendant and bather that "wanted to work with animals" that unfortunatly were un-pleasantly surprized to find how chalenging and yes, stressful it can be.
If you think you're up to it then good luck!!

[Debbier2010]

@Alicetheyorkie I didn't know there was such a thing as groomer assistant would I need experience to do that? I wonder if I could do that part- time just to get a feel for it, it's very hard to find a job in Florida as it is... I know there is alot to consider that's why I reached out to the YT family I knew you guys wouldn't let me down... Thanks

[Mardelin]

Grooming is very satisfying.....however, dealing with the public can be tiresome at times.

Yes, groomer's are a dime a dozen. However, the successful groomer offer's specialised services....think outside the box....make services unique....specialise in small breeds....become proficient in breed specific hair/cuts/grooming, etc.....in otherwords...a Bishon's show cut...a poodle's show cut....types of grooming products....

[tjdmom]

If you think this might be for you, why don't you see if you can get a job as an assistant at Petsmart or for some private groomer? Just part time on the weekends maybe and then you can sort of get your feet wet and you'll have a better idea if it's for you and you'll get some practical experience too which should help if you decide to continue.

[citygirl123]

This is something I had thought about also. I feel like I'm pretty good at grooming Copper....hmmm....

But...the more I thought about it and the fact that I would have to deal with dogs that are less than cooperative with teeth on one end and who knows what on the other....welll I did some rethinking of my 1st thought...
So...no thanks.

Some people however, really love it. Just like any job, it has its good and bad parts...

[Mardelin]

Originally Posted by Debbier2010

@Alicetheyorkie I didn't know there was such a thing as groomer assistant would I need experience to do that? I wonder if I could do that part- time just to get a feel for it, it's very hard to find a job in Florida as it is... I know there is alot to consider that's why I reached out to the YT family I knew you guys wouldn't let me down... Thanks

Groomer's assistants are appenticeships.....in other words starting from the bottom up....great way to start...

[AlicetheYorkie]

Originally Posted by Debbier2010

@Alicetheyorkie I didn't know there was such a thing as groomer assistant would I need experience to do that? I wonder if I could do that part- time just to get a feel for it, it's very hard to find a job in Florida as it is... I know there is alot to consider that's why I reached out to the YT family I knew you guys wouldn't let me down... Thanks

It would be someone who just brushs, bathes and maybe does some "secretary" type work. I just applied yesterday for an opening for one at my local Petco and they don't require experience. Petco also offers some kind of "schooling" so you can learn to become a regular groomer (do the actual cutting, clipping etc.) that's free for their grooming assistants (I'd imagine after working there for a while) but I haven't looked into that yet to see how good it would be. You can probably find something like that part-time Check your local pet stores such as Petco, Pet-Smart that have a grooming service or maybe local vet offices (some do grooming, some don't). You could also probably call around to the different grooming shops in your area to even see if anyone would be willing to take you on as an apprentace part-time to help with their bathing and brushing and clean-up. It's prob. not going to pay much, but as a little PT job (that's all I'm needing right now) it'll give you some experience at least with the handling and bathing of other breeds of dogs Hope you can find something

[AlicetheYorkie]

Originally Posted by Mardelin

Grooming is very satisfying.....however, dealing with the public can be tiresome at times.

Yes, groomer's are a dime a dozen. However, the successful groomer offer's specialised services....think outside the box....make services unique....specialise in small breeds....become proficient in breed specific hair/cuts/grooming, etc.....in otherwords...a Bishon's show cut...a poodle's show cut....types of grooming products....

Yes, that's what I was thinking in my consideration of looking into grooming. There are groomers all over the place in my area, but a majority of them unfortunatly aren't very good (I've seen some hack-jobs). I know it would take time to build up a good reputation, but that would definatly be the key to success, as with any small business

The only time I needed a groomer for my Akita was because she was throwing her coat while it was still really cold out and she was very itchy from it and needed a good bath, I did have a really hard time finding one that would take a large breed, so i guess there's always a nitch to be filled I agree with you also about the dealing with the public, working for a vet, the owners were a whole lot harder to deal with than the animals LOL.

[Debbier2010]

I was planning on going to petco to talk to the groomers and pick their brain I little... Every bit of info helps...

[kalina82]

I was a vet tech during my summers at college. Graduated with a BS in Biology. Went back to teching. Worked as a chemist at a major pharmacology company. Went to work as a surgical vet tech. Got burn out from all the stress and decided to go to grooming school. I'm SO much happier now and don't have any where near as much stress as I had in the past. I enjoy going to work and don't count the seconds until its time for me to leave. I groom all breeds, big to small, puppy to senior, sweet to aggressive, submissive to stubborn ass (lol), etc... Plus I now have a mentor that is teaching me the "zen of hand plucking" terrier coats, which i am loving.

I'll be honest with you, if you are in any way intimidated by dogs or afraid of being bit, then this is not for you. The dogs will walk all over your if you let them. When i was at school there were two people that decided to go to grooming school because they loved dogs and wanted to have fun with puppies all day. they didn't last a week. The dogs totally took advantage of them because they did not know how to handle dogs properly.

Also, I wouldn't choose petco or petsmart as one of my first choices for training. Check your area for grooming schools. There are quite a few out there now. There is also a great grooming forum with lots of knowledgeable people who can give you advise too. There is a grooming convention this weekend in NJ so the forum may not be as busy as usual.

[kalina82]

Originally Posted by AlicetheYorkie

Yes, that's what I was thinking in my consideration of looking into grooming. There are groomers all over the place in my area, but a majority of them unfortunatly aren't very good (I've seen some hack-jobs). I know it would take time to build up a good reputation, but that would definatly be the key to success, as with any small business

The only time I needed a groomer for my Akita was because she was throwing her coat while it was still really cold out and she was very itchy from it and needed a good bath, I did have a really hard time finding one that would take a large breed, so i guess there's always a nitch to be filled I agree with you also about the dealing with the public, working for a vet, the owners were a whole lot harder to deal with than the animals LOL.

I will say that being a vet tech has definitely helped my "people skills" when dealing with those PITA clients.

[AlicetheYorkie]

Originally Posted by kalina82

I will say that being a vet tech has definitely helped my "people skills" when dealing with those PITA clients.

LMBO - That is definatly true... Good to hear from from someone on this thread too who has done vet tech work and now grooming and that there's a difference in the "stress level". I think alot of tech burn out is from the vets, not the animals lol.