Dog grooming business: The straight facts

Let’s face facts – you have a passion for dogs and it’s so obvious, your family thinks you don’t love anyone but the dog. Will this be enough to get you established as a dog groomer? Definitely not but it’s a step in the right direction!

To be perfectly honest you will have to put in a lot of effort to qualify as a successful dog groomer. It begins with proper training; you will have to enroll in a dog grooming school and complete the course, sit the exams and become certified.
It’s not all bad; on the positive side you get to work for yourself, enjoy flexibility at work, and best of all work with dogs whom you just love. While it is true that the service you provide is geared to making the dog look cleaner and well groomed, you have to pay more attention to the dog’s owner. If you miss a tangle or don’t trim it just so, you certainly won’t find the dogs complaining now will you! On the other hand the dog owner may raise Cain because of some small problem.

Keeping the owner happy should be your focus, dogs are easy to please unlike human beings who are often demanding. Since the owner is the one paying the money, you need to keep the owner coming back time after time.

So you brush your pet occasionally, that doesn’t mean you are ready to open a dog grooming salon. You have to be well versed in the grooming needs of more than 100 dog breeds. You need to know the kind of brushes to use for different kinds of coats and what kind of shampoo to use for a dog with itch. Do you know what style of cut will suit a Cocker Spaniel?

Your first order of business is to find a training institution that will give you both theory and practical training. You will get the names of good suppliers from your trainer or even some of the basic equipment from the school. In case there are no suitable schools in the place where you live you can always take a course online. If this happens get yourself an apprenticeship with a good groomer who can show you the ropes.

It is only upon completion of your training that you can think about setting up your own salon. However, while you are still studying you can set the wheels in motion to get your business established.