Dog groomer
Dog groomers keep dogs' hair in good condition and give their owners advice on fur care, grooming and diet.
What you'll do
Day-to-day tasks
As a dog groomer, you'll:
- prepare the dog for bathing
- shampoo and dry the dog's coat
- check for common disorders and parasites
- shape a dog's coat with electric clippers or a stripping knife
- use scissors to trim and style the dog's coat
- manage the dog's behaviour while in your care
- deal with clients, give grooming advice and do admin tasks
Working environment
You could work in a salon, at a client's home, at a store or at a veterinary practice.
Your working environment may be dusty and physically demanding.
Career path and progression
With experience and qualifications, you could become self-employed and work from home or become a mobile dog groomer, visiting owners' homes.
You could also open your own salon or teach dog grooming classes.
What it takes
Skills and knowledge
You'll need:
- to be thorough and pay attention to detail
- customer service skills
- the ability to use your initiative
- to be flexible and open to change
- patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
- the ability to work well with your hands
- the ability to work well with others
- the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
- to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device
How to become
You can get into this job through:
- a college course
- an apprenticeship
- working towards this role
- specialist courses run by private training organisations
You could take a course in dog grooming like:
- Level 2 Certificate for Dog Grooming Assistants
- Level 3 Diploma in Dog Grooming
- Level 4 Higher Professional Diploma in Dog Grooming
These are offered by colleges and private training centres.
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- 2 or more GCSEs at grades 9 to 3 (A* to D), or equivalent, for a level 2 course
- 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, for a level 3 course
More Information
You could get into this job through a Dog Grooming Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship.
You might also be able to apply for an Animal Care and Welfare Manager Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship, if you plan to become a supervisor or manager in a business.
Apprenticeships can take up to 1 year and 6 months to complete.
Entry requirements
There are no set entry requirements but it may help you to get in if you have:
- some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship
- 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship
More Information
You could start as an assistant with a qualified and experienced dog groomer and learn on the job.
You could get experience by doing voluntary work with dogs in kennels, which can help when applying for courses or jobs.
The Dogs Trust and Do-IT have more information on volunteering opportunities.
You could take a private training course to get some of the skills and knowledge needed in this job. The Pet Industry Federation has accredited some organisations to deliver professional training.
Further information
You can find out more about becoming a dog groomer from the Pet Industry Federation.
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This page contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.