Grooming school
 

I hope i posted this in the right place. I have been playing with the idea of becoming a dog groomer, and just wanted to ask those that are groomers how they got started. I live in San Antonio, Tx and was trying to look for schools but all I get are online schools. Can someone please help?

Thank you
Carla
:aimeeyork

Im thinking the same thing, but im only eleven so i cant really lol. im in mckinney TX.

There is a dog grooming school in Houston. I think they have evening and Saturday classes and from what I remember it was quite expensive. I looked into it at one time not to do it as my profession but to be able to groom my own dogs. I don't remember the name of the school but they sent me a lot of information and brochures. One of the hairdressers where I get my hair cut used to be a dog groomer. I will ask her where she trained.

I have also wanted to learn because I am a pet sitter and would love to offer grooming services to my clients. I looked into school here in the Dallas area and it was about 7,000!!!

I would be interested to know if anyone local can teach me. I have placed ads on Craigslist etc.

still havent found a grooming school here in SA, I think I am going to go ask one or a few groomers here in town and see where they went to school for this, I would really love to work with animals and since I cannot get my yorkie for quite a while now, I would love to spend time with some even if its just for a little while.

Dallas Grooming School
 

You should look into the school in Dallas. www.petitepooch.com Great career choice!:)

will do!...:)

Grooming school can be really expensive! I looked into it out here in SoCal and it was ridiculous along with my other schooling. I just got a job with PetSmart and they sent me to their school for free. It was 4 weeks long and 12 weeks in store training. I'm still at the end of my apprenticeship, but it's been great! Great benefits and a heck load of safety policies all designed to keep doggies safe :) But I warn you it varies from store to store. I've seen some crappy stores, I am lucky to be in a good one. The best thing is that you can transfer out of stores easily.

Has anyone actually done it via online courses or know someone who has? There are absolutely no schools near me whatsoever and I have been trying to find an online one that is at least semi-decent. I'd love to get into professional grooming.

I apprenticed under a groomer that owned her own shop. I made 50% of the groom and learned how to do it all. She was awesome and so patient. That would be the best way to learn in my opinion because it is hands on and not just online. Learning each cut for each breed is the hard part. Good luck no matter which way you go to get your education.

That's a good idea. I didn't know people would do that, I didn't know if there was a degree or anything but upon my research on online schooling, there really isn't. It's just certificates but no actual degree.

I posted on our local craigslist to see if anyone will reply.

I attended a pet styling school in Southern Utah (Shear Elegance Pet Styling Academy), but the owner/instructor has sinced passed away from Cancer. Try to find a school that is accredited.

Unfortunately there are no certificates needed to be a professional groomer. I wish there were though, it would be a lot safer and would let people know where to start looking! Anyone with a Master Groomer title is definitely someone to look in to.

:thumbup: Ditto! :)

There are no physical schools near me, though. It would be online or no go. I kind of don't like the idea of online only because you don't have hands-on with someone there to help guide you as I don't have much experience at all.

I made a post on craigslist yesterday asking if there are any groomers who would take on an apprentice, but no one has replied yet :(

Should I just go to groomer salons and ask them if they'd take an apprentice or?

Well I would also consider looking for shops that need bathers. Learning how to bathe and dry properly is the first step before you can even think about grooming. Also basics like ear cleaning, nail trimming, expressing anal glands, handling dogs, and safety are other things needed. Once you're proficient in those areas you'll be a better groomer because of it :)

I got 2 replies today from groomers. One didn't say much but to call her and that she has a salon.

The other basically wants me to work 8/hr as a bather and start learning from her, but wants me to pay off $5000 to her like it was a school or something. So in otherwords I would not get paid at all for doing actual work + learning. Does this sound weird to anyone else? It's one thing when you are at a school and you are doing hands-on experience and such, but using it at an actual salon (even just bathing) and not even getting a % is strange. I feel almost like she wants to take advantage. Plus I would probably not get my own 'tools' this way, either, as you would going to an actual school (but I can't go to an actual school there are none nearby) which is part of the price and usually all the stuff you get is necessary and plus it helps you to continue practicing at home and such.

Opinions on this please??

Hmmm, that seems somewhat confusing to me. She does need some kind of compensation for training you, but to work for free plus compensation seems somewhat strange. Are you sure she won't pay you to be a bather? If you were paid to be a bather, than paying her to teach you wouldn't be too steep of a demand.

I was checking out grooming schools here in Ohio - I found one that requires only 80 hours to complete and the cost is only like $2500 (give or take a couple hundred dollars). Now taking into account cost of living, it still seems like a lot of money to teach you to groom and without some kind of certification. The school here in Ohio is accredited and you get a certificate upon graduating. Sounds like a scam to me. Good luck though!

Well I know for a fact that 5000 isnt super bad, because I looked at 2 or 3 online schools and with your tool kits and everything it's about 7000-8000$$. So what she's asking isn't that bad, BUT I mean she's not a school or anything, so it just confuses me why she wants me to work off $5000 worth. But on the other hand it could end up being a great opportunity. If this person is really good at what they do and a great instructor, etc.

And for the record upon my research, although having a 'certificate' helps, it's not really required for this type of position. More people that I have spoken to about grooming they have not attended a school at least not one that handed certificates they just learned from starting at the bottom and working up (beginning with bathing etc) or got trained at their job (petco and petsmart train you for styling). So to me why am I gonna pay all of that if I can't even get into physical schooling.

The only reason I'm half considering this ladys offer is because it would be 100% hands-on, I would get to see how they do things first hand and I would be getting work experience right then and there so not only am I getting educated in grooming I'm also getting WORK experience.

I just don't know if it's worth it to do $5000 worth or not (because in essence the lady is the one getting the money, BUT I am still learning what i need to learn). I mean if it turns out to be crappy I could always call it off, right? I need more opinions!

I would keep looking around, don't just take the first offer! I don't think it is fair to have to pay and not get paid in return. THe work is hard and is physically demanding! The groomer that I worked for got 50% of every groom that I worked on, I didn't make much, I also bought my own tools. Find out if she is going to buy your tools with the $5000 and if you would get a certain percentage of the work you do. Good luck!!!

I got another offer, too. But her email didn't say much I still have to give her a call. But in a school you don't get paid either, I think except for tips? So it's not entirely unfair that I'm not getting paid but at the same time in a school you are not in a professional salon, either. I agree she should pay for me to have my own tools at least, though. But what I would be getting out of this deal would be total hands-on experience, no homework or tests, I get to learn from someone directly in the field and watch them do their work and get work experience at the same time. So I'm not like getting absolutely nothing out of this deal, I am getting a lot. But as far sa getting paid, if she doesn't at least either buy me tools out of that money then she needs to give me a small % so that I can purchase my own.

I agree, either she needs to buy the tools out of the money for teaching you or give you a small percent to buy some your self. Good tools are not cheap!! Good luck!!!

I am getting ready to start my training. I am a mother and could not go out of town to a school...or afford it really. so I posted an ad on my local craigslist looking for groomers that would be willing to train. since you do not have to be licensed to groom (at least here you dont) it's not totally necessary to go to school. Yes it helps you get some really nice jobs...as some places only take groomers with certifications and those places typically get higher end clients that pay really well. BUT you can still get a great job or even start your own grooming business without being certified. Maybe you can try that??? I'm excited about getting started...this is something I have ALWAYS wanted to do. I went to cosmetology school during High School thinking I wanted to do people's hair...but quickly realized I would rather work with dogs LOL

sorry...didn't read all the posts...so I want to comment on this. I almost went with a lady that was willing to train me for a fee. then I kept looking around and NO ONE ELSE was going to charge me...in fact...they were going to pay me a percentage AND provide the tools for me to use while I was in training. I am going to be trained by Master Certified Groomers who have been in the business for more than 14 years and I will actually be able to make a little bit of money and not have to buy my tools right away. they are also offering me a job with them if it all works out. I would keep looking :)

The other person I mentioned that replied to my ad on craigslist didn't say anything about a fee so yeah. I'm going to be calling them both tomorrow to see what happens. Those are the only 2 people who replied to my ad at all. So it will have to be one or the other unless I run around to various groomers and ask personally.