Pet groomer is a very unique niche in enhancing pet health, more than any other of pet health care professionals. The job of a pet groomer is to provide grooming services for domestic pets like: brushing, trimming, bathing and other grooming services simply keeping pets looking and smelling nice.
Pet groomer can also be a small business owner, owning and managing his own grooming salon, or can find work at some places such as: large pet themed specialty stores, veterinarians, animal hospitals, kennels, resorts, up-scale hotels and shelters.
How to become a Pet Groomer
There are no specific requirements to become a Pet Groomer, as the real learning comes from experience although training programs are available through online courses, some programs that offer certifications in pet grooming and some vocational schools, experience is considered the most important factor when customers are choosing a Pet Groomer more than formal training.
A skilled and successful Pet Groomer must be hands-on, effective, observant, and makes a lot of research on different styles of pet grooming as it is a huge responsibility to be the best Pet Groomer by being also an important member in the healthcare team of a pet by discovering a potential problem early for example: skin abnormalities, ear infections or tooth decay.
Skills needed to be a Professional Pet Groomer
A Pet Groomer must have high standards of cleanliness, caring and professionalism in addition to genuine care for pets and patience in dealing with them. Moreover the Pets Groomer who owns his own salon needs also excellent customer service skills and good management skills if needed when they employ other pet groomers or assistants.
A professional Pet Groomers must keep good records about every single moment with the pet; by taking a few minutes and write down what he notices and done with every pet and every time he grooms a pet. Keeping good records will be the best time investment a professional Pet Groomer can make, it makes the job easier and the clients will be impressed by the organizational and professional manner this professional offers.
Well you can simply make a chart for the pet you groom: some general notes about the health of the pet the physical (skin / coat, anal sacs, teeth, ears, nails, lumps) and the emotional status (attitude), ending with your observations in a section of comments you provide with, for example if the pet seemed in pain or not to hear well or lost or gained significant weight.
Economic Outlook on Pet Groomer career
The animal services industry is in continuous need for workers as it has risen as a conclusion to the rapid increase of the interest in pets. PayScale.com reported in 2016 that the median annual wage for a Pet Groomer was 29.615$. The U.S. Bareau of Labor Statistics found that there is a faster than average growth of 11% for pet care and service workers. However, the U.S. Bareau of Labor Statistics projected an average employment growth of 9% from 2014 to 2024 and it reported that the annual salary for a Pets Groomer in 2015 is 24.360$.
In fact pay varies slightly by location and industry, for example: the highest paying locations were in Hawaii and the District of Columbia in 2015, where the animal caretakers in Hawaii earned an annual mean wage of 31.590$ and those of the District of Columbia earned a mean wage of 29.660$ in 2015.
So,after reading about the training skills, salary and employment outlook, do you see this career is for you?!