What Should Know Before Becoming a Pet Groomer

Pet grooming is one of the jobs that can be overlooked despite the numerous benefits it can have for people who wish to get started in a career right away and are looking to work for themselves moving into the future. The skills people learn in this job allows them to bring it with them anywhere they go and can get started easily in a pet salon, pet store, or run their own side business if they choose to. If you’re interested in pursuing a career in this field there are a few key things you should know before diving headfirst into pet grooming school.

Pet Grooming School Only Prepares You for So Much

While it’s true for people going into their pet grooming career for the first time it can be daunting to them to see the amount of time and energy that goes into working with these animals. Just like people though, each dog breed has its own fur type and you’ll find yourself having to deal with clients to keep not only them but their dogs happy too.

For example, you’ll have to learn how to work with different textures and thickness of dog hair which can vary from breed to breed. Depending on the breed of the dog you may have to use different shampoos and conditioners to bring out the best in their coat and to ensure it stays healthy. You can expect to probably get dogs in who will have skin conditions so you’ll have to have the right products on hand to help moisturize their skin and are gentle enough to clean their coat. Different breeds of dogs require care, but you’ll be doing just as much learning on the job as you would be in a classroom setting, if not more.

Remaining Calm throughout Pet Grooming School

When taking your pet grooming courses one of the first things you’ll learn is how dogs will pick up on your mental state rather rapidly. Dogs can sense if you’re stressed out and this can affect how difficult it will be to groom a particular dog. You’ll need to learn how to remain calm when grooming an animal and how to read its body language when you’re handling it so they don’t become nervous. For instance, if you’re clipping a dog’s nails and its nervous about how you’re handling it, you may want to run a hand down the side of the dog’s leg before picking up its paw. This gives the dog a warning that you’re going to be picking up its paw so it’s less of a surprise since it’s expecting your hand to be around that area, but also helps it to be less nervous.

Each dog is different and you’ll have to be patient when starting out to understand how to work with nervous pups and put them at ease when grooming them. Over time when you have regular clients coming the pups will most likely come to trust you and know what to expect when you’re around. When there are dogs that are just so nervous grooming will stress them out more than help them, you may want to recommend the client go with a pet groomer who can do it in the comfort of their own home. Or if you offer such services yourself, offer to do it in a more convenient place where the dog will feel most comfortable.

You Don’t Have to Aim for Perfection with Each Pooch

Last and foremost, when taking your pet grooming courses you’ll want to relax when it comes to grooming each pooch and not stress out about each session being absolutely perfect. If one hair is out of place you don’t have to go in with every tool available to fix it. Mistakes do happen and while you should aim to bring out the best in every dog, your main goal is going to be grooming each dog as efficiently as possible and ensuring their needs are met before they go back to their owner. Chances are, you’re the only one who’ll notice that one hair out of place and the owner won’t.