Talk With a Dog Groomer | Animal Behavior College
Like 2 Dislike 0 Published on 8 May 2015
http://www.animalbehaviorcollege.com/blog/talk-with-a-dog-groomer-colleen-riley/?id=3198
My name is Colleen Riley. I’m a Program Manager for the dog grooming program. I’ve been working here for going on four years. Outside of here, I’m an actual dog groomer. I go to a grooming salon and they set up appointments for me so when I leave here, I get straight there and I get started on my dogs. I’ve been working there for about six months. Before that, I was working at another salon for five years. But I’ve been grooming since I was 14 because I got a little Westie, a West Highland Terrier, and he requires a lot of grooming so I would do that myself.
When did you decide to become a pet groomer?
Growing up, I always loved working with animals. I wasn’t sure what part of the animal industry I wanted to work in. So I started with the dog training and then from there I went into exotic training. And then I needed to figure out an easier career because it’s not that easy getting into the training career so I found my passion in dog grooming. I really enjoy teaching dog grooming, learning it. I work with other groomers and they’re always teaching me new things and I teach them new things. It’s a really good creative outlet.
Well again, I got my West Highland Terrier and I worked with a dog groomer. Once I realized I wanted to make this into my career, I found a brick-and-mortar dog grooming school and I started there and got my certificate. And then I started from the bottom again and worked my way up in the grooming salon. From there, I met other groomers who taught me more stuff.
What’s the best way to become a pet groomer? School? Certification? Volunteering?
I recommend all of it. I think the more education, the better. The more experience, the better. Getting the certificate will help you in the long run because you’ll always have that and you’ll have that on your resume and it proves you went to school for it. But experience, that’s how you build your skill level.
Of course, doing research, finding a school that would work with their schedule, and again experience. They can go to their friends’ dogs they can practice on, rescues they can work with while they go to school. The schooling is really important because it teaches you safety and handling—the basics you would need to complete the full groom, especially when it comes to the breed cuts. But once you learn the basics, you can go from there and modify it yourself on how you like to groom. You create your own style.
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