Dog groomers keep dogs’ coats in good condition, and give their owners advice on coat care, grooming and diet.

Salary Range: £13,000 to £20,000

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 Certificate in Introductory Dog Grooming
• Level 3 Diploma for Dog Grooming

These are offered by colleges and some 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

You could get into this job through an intermediate or advanced apprenticeship in animal care.

Entry requirements

Employers will set their own entry requirements.

More information

• guide to apprenticeships

You could start as an assistant with a qualified and experienced dog groomer and learn on the job.

Volunteering and experience

You could get experience by doing voluntary work with dogs in kennels.

The Dogs Trust and Do-it have more information on volunteering opportunities.

Other routes

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.

More information

Further information

You can find out more about becoming a dog groomer from the Pet Industry Federation.

Skills and knowledge

You’ll need:

• to be thorough and pay attention to detail
• 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 others
• the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
• customer service skills
• excellent verbal communication skills
• to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device

Day-to-day tasks

Your day-to-day duties might include:

• shaping a dog’s coat with electric clippers or a stripping knife
• shampooing and drying the dog’s coat
• giving a final trim with scissors

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.

With experience and qualifications, you could become self-employed and work from home or become a mobile groomer, visiting owners’ homes.

You could also open your own salon or move into training.

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