Posts

Top 5 Online Dog Grooming Schools Every SD Owner Should Know About

/in /by

Five Best Online Dog Grooming Schools

Do you feel the calling to work with animals? Becoming a pet groomer is an awarding and creative career that is actually much easier to break into than you might think. There are a few options to get started. You can find a veteran dog groomer and see if they would be open to an apprenticeship. You can attend a dog grooming school to get a diploma or certification.  Or, for those looking for an convenient transition into the industry, a dog grooming school online might be the best bet.

Technically you don’t need a diploma or a certification to practice pet grooming. However, in an industry where you are working alongside animals, and their sometimes very particular pet owners, pursuing a professional diploma or certification program is an advantage you will want to consider. Having an accredited school on your resume combined with experience will help legitimize you as a groomer. It will be much easier to get clients or find a career in a pet spa after completing a program. Since the industry is unregulated—licensing is not required—any accredited school can create their own certification standards.

Depending on your situation, you will need to choose which program you want to attend. There are full online programs. Or blended programs that feature some on-site training and some online courses. A typical dog grooming school online will focus on pet salon maintenance, dog handling, and using professional pet grooming equipment. Courses will cover specific grooming needs of each breed, popular cuts, and grooming techniques like hand-stripping, scissoring, carding, and deshedding. The majority of programs take around are three months to complete.

Penn Foster Online

Penn Foster College is highly sought after because the program is nationally and regionally accredited program. For some, a certification at Penn Foster is reputable and is an impressive bullet point on a pet groomer’s resume.

Penn Foster’s online courses offer information on understanding canine anatomy, personalities, behavior, and more. The curriculum is broken down into 7 segments with corresponding modules. You will learn to groom all dog breeds from mixed breeds to Poodles. Penn Foster’s courses also cover the business side of grooming. Provided by the school are grooming tools; a universal comb, dog nail trimmers, and slicker brush are supplied for use in the program.

The course can be completed in two months and tuition is $519.

ABC Online

ABC, or animal behavior college has an extensive blended curriculum. The program combines online courses with hands-on training. Courses review safe grooming techniques, use of tools, and how to maintain a calm grooming environment.

A complete grooming toolkit is also provided with 40 professional grooming tools including: clippers, blades, shears, brushes, combs, shampoo, and conditioner. This helps propel dog groomers into a career.

The way it works is, you first complete the online portion of the program before moving on to the hands-on training component. The ‘externship’ is an 100-hour hands-on training experience at a grooming salon. The curriculum has 11 stages, and after a final exam, you will also be certified in Pet CPR and First aid.

Completion of the program varies and tuition is $3,799.

Basics & Beyond

This isn’t quite a dog grooming school online but it offers the same premise. Instead of completing online modules you receive the course in the mail which is mostly delivered through DVDs. This schooling is recommended for entrepreneurs who want to start a grooming business. Basics & Beyond offers a thorough education in animal grooming, shop setup, and information about the grooming industry.

Students send in before-and-after pictures with written detailed explanations of their grooming work that will be graded on a rubric. At the end of the course, your certification is provided.

The course costs $325 + $15 S&H.

JKL Grooming

This online grooming school is very flexible and is great for groomers who are already working but want to pursue certification to bolster their career and those who want to break into the industry. There are two online pathways to take at JKL.

The first option is the Internationally Accredited Diploma course. This dog grooming course is a six month home study program with assistance with a practicum for hands-on training, and a final examination. The Certificate Dog Grooming courses is a three-month academic course without the practicum work. An ideal applicant should have at least one year’s experience grooming for this program.  

The total course cost for the diploma course is between $894-$1914. The certificate program costs $524.

Online Grooming School

Getting a certification through the online grooming school overseen by the parent company Wagmytail.com INC—a pet grooming salon, and online and on-site pet grooming school. Using their digital schooling format is the equivalent of attending classes in their facilities in California from the comfort of your own home.

A certification included becoming a “Certified Pet Hygienists & Certified Pet Groomer.” Courses can either be sent to your house in DVD format or streamed online.

 

If you are pursuing a career in the lively pet grooming industry, online courses might be your best option. Learning how to properly groom a dog is an in-depth experience. You need to have a firm but gentle touch and be able to soothe and handle nervous animals. Of course, this not all. You will also need to master the various aesthetic techniques to be able to groom a dog not only to the industry standard but to the wishes of your client.

Attending a dog grooming school online is your first step!

 

Follow Splash and Dash Groomerie & Boutique: