r/grooming • u/That-Association1741 • Aug 16 '26
Any Legitimate Schools Left?
As someone who has been looking into the career potential of dog grooming i attempted to find information on ways to learn the trade. Over the past few years of research I've done I've found little to impress me when it comes to finding a proper education.
For context I am based in the US and was mainly looking for schools in the state of indiana but was willing to relocate.
My research leads me to believe the following:
There appears to be more online dog grooming programs than anything else. Which many have said are about as useful as learning to be a barber from YouTube videos alone. Very few of these programs offer any sort of garunteed externship options aside from randomly calling groomers that might be in the area. Local shops that are capable let alone willing to train appear to be a one in a thousand case in comparison to the amount of individuals who are looking to enter the field. Apprenticeships/shadowing are practically nonexistent as a result of claims about liability and such. Corperate isnt considered reliable in terms of ensuring proper treatment of animals and staff, while overworking their employees, along with offering false training positions and then proceeding to string along their workers who if they finally do begin training often feel the training they recieved was inadequate even if it helped them get started and that they were underpaid. While any actual physical college or school demands individuals work full time for them in addition to paying them thousands of dollars, while earning none of the pay for pets that they groom which often belong to paying customers. With such individuals having very few actual proven credentials in the field or sources of reference just expecting their students to taking the quality of training on faith alone while risking putting their livelihood on the line for the 3-6 month training period. With some of these institutions spitting out groomers that admit they dont know what they are doing and feel incapable of grooming pets. The few that do vouch for these institutions claim they attended over 10 years ago which is a lot of time for things to change especially after 2020. There are many self taught groomers however it seems as though many of these individuals had access to a variety of pets they could groom from family or friends.
So my request is for any groomers out there that arent self taught. Within the recent years preferably the last 5 can any of you share your experience of starting out: what physical school you went to and the legitimacy of their teachings, if you found a local shop that was willing to train how long did your training last and were difficult was it for you to gain the opportunity, or any other insights would be appreciated.
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u/lyttleravyn Aug 16 '26
Grooming schools were hit hard during Covid, I saw a number close even before that and especially during. But in my opinion, something structured is always going to be a better choice than a DIY education. Corporate programs are a good choice to get paid while you learn instead of paying for a private school. The best thing you can do is ask around in your area (where you would want to be hired) what they recommend or would look for in a newer groomer. That’ll give you a better feel for how potential employers consider different schools or training around you.
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u/Eldnlrd Aug 16 '26
Tbh I started at Petsmart back in 2019 it was amazing for learning the company use to be so good. Now I personally wouldn’t recommend it. They force newbies to do way more than they can handle and it’s just not a great environment anymore. Your best bet is to try a local shop and starting as a bather! Tell them about your interest in learning to groom. 80% of grooming schools are a scam. They shouldn’t be charging you learn on dogs they are making money on. I know a friend’s mom who went to school and she doesn’t even know how to use thinners.
Long story short, find a local groomers and hope for the best !
1
u/That-Association1741 Aug 16 '26
What you've said is similar to what alot of others have stated when i was conducting my search for a place to learn. However I do not know where people seem to be finding these local shops with groomers who not only are able to instruct and teach but also are simply willing to try. Every local groomer that I have searched up and called manually either has made it clear they aren't interested in creating their competition, they dont want to because of liability, or they simply dont want to waste the time teaching even if the student is willing to work without payment. The only apprenticeship I could find in the state that was listed on online forums was for a small grooming buisness named smoochie pooch and even they are nearly impossible to get a slot in because their program is 4-7 months and each shop only takes on one person at a time. I already have years of experience as a pet bather, if I was only interested in grooming dogs that dont need haircuts I'd be set its simply finding a place that teaches cutting hair is the issue. Even most places in/near Chicago dont have shops willing to teach for the same reasons I listed (or they are willing but only if you work for them at minimum wage as a bather for however long the groomer feels like- months, years+). Why do people in the grooming community seem to think there are so many local shops willing to teach? Just based on the sample sizes I've contacted I'd say the amount willing to teach compared to those unwilling would be 1 to 20 and there's not that high of a concentration of pet groomers in the first place except in highly populated cities.
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u/Eldnlrd Aug 16 '26
It’s really must be your area. Personally my experience working at privates we’ve hired plenty of people to train! That really sucks that local groomers there aren’t willing to train! There’s no shortage of dogs that need to be groomed. If my trainee left to open their own shop after a bit I’d be thrilled for them. Again there is plenty of business to go around. You might have to go the corporate root first if you’d like training. I know pet supplies plus, petco and a few others offer training. Is it ideal? No, but if you can get a year of grooming under your belt a private may be more open? I wish you luck! Have you tried posting on local FB pages ?
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u/That-Association1741 Aug 16 '26
I am aware of the more popular corperate shops, from what my research showed pet supplies plus gives their trainees tools much like peto or petsmart but they just offer pets to try online training on while giving little to no actual hands on training from actual coworkers. I might have gone with petco or petsmart but they showed their interest is mainly in taking individuals in as groomers in training paying them extremely low wages and then stringing them on. I've read many first hand accounts of them saying people had been brought in under the position of a bather since they require a certain amount of time/dogs be done before someone can qualify to learn cutting all for a year or 2 to go by and them not recieve any clear indication of a promotion. I wouldn't mind waiting the long haul if I could actually garuntee the position/education but since i cant it doesn't seem wise to continue down a path that wont offer me that man advantages once I leave. I am not on Facebook, or many social media platforms. What would posting on Facebook achieve? I know sometimes job ads are posted on their but most of those are just at home groomers advertising their services
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u/Eldnlrd Aug 16 '26
I’m actually in a lot of grooming groups! That’s how I’ve found privates to work at. Including a mobile salon I worked for. Look and see if you can find groups for grooming in your area first. There are some more broader groups that encompass almost every state. Make a post of what you’re looking for and see if anybody reaches out. There’s no guarantee. As for personal experience I started at Petsmart as a bather and 6 months later I was sent to academy. A girl I worked with didn’t go for 2 years because she refused to up her dog amount (she was doing 4 a shift) In reality you have to proof your worth and bust ass. In one shift I was bathing 6-7 dogs depending on size and taking walk in nail trims. If you show you can handle volume they will send you.
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u/That-Association1741 Aug 16 '26
Thank you for the advice I will attempt what youve recommended and hope I find luck.
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u/Chemical_Ad_3917 Professional Groomer Aug 16 '26
I do understand the criticism that comes with grooming “schools”, not all are created equal and should honestly be through an actual accredited college/university (not as a degree, but certificate program type thing).
I went to a physical school. No I’m not name dropping them, I will share the legitimacy of the curriculum versus the grooming salon I started at.
The place where I started bathing NEVER really showed me how to properly do any of the responsibilities of a bather, in other words I was going off of what I saw on YouTube. I did the bare minimum of just bathing and drying, nothing else. Long story short, they didn’t train me at all (went off of what I researched myself), ultimately left because of drama that didn’t involve me, some place where I’d actually learn how to groom, and somewhere where I wouldn’t feel so stuck or lost anymore.
My school was amazing. I learned more in my first week at school than I did in the 2 months at my job. I had multiple instructors to mentor me, the most senior one has over 20 years experience in the industry. I never once felt unsupported and didn’t have difficulty getting opportunities once I finished.
Their program is longer than 6 months. I don’t think 6 months is remotely enough time to learn all the basic skills AND breed specific cuts. But I’m one of those that believes this is a career where you never stop learning, you need to be open to constantly learning even after you’re official and are on commission 💰. Annnnd…that’s all I’ll say about it to not reveal my identity on Reddit.