lyndal Posted July 12, 2005 Share Posted July 12, 2005 Hi all i was just wondering if anyone knows of any really really good grooming courses to be able to start my own business, other than monkey business but only because it is during the week and dont know whether can afford to give up work for the 3 months, i was also wondering if anyone knows anything with job prospect at the end of it all. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wagsalot Posted July 12, 2005 Share Posted July 12, 2005 I searched high and low for a good grooming course and have yet to find one that is good, has hands on experience and isnt ridicously expensive! Ive ended up doing one through the Australian School of Petcare, although not that happy with it. You also dont get any hands on lessons which makes it hard. I found one course, it was only 4 hours on a saturday morning at a local college, which was all hands on. But 4 hours really wasnt enough. As far as correspondance coures, id say Thomson Education. I havent done their grooming course, but have done the S.O.A in Animal Care and was really pleased with everything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rascalmyshadow Posted July 12, 2005 Share Posted July 12, 2005 Hi Lyndal, I have been grooming for 10years and my advice would be to forget the course and try to get a job bathing in a grooming parlour and learn hands on from there. It takes more than a course to make someone good enough to open a business, there is also a lot of groomers around so a lot of competition. Most breeds have different clips, coat textures etc. so there is a lot to learn that is only half, you also need to learn the best way to hold or position the dog while clipping certain areas, without making it uncomfortable or dangerous (for yourself and the dog), especially if you have to deal with aggressive or nervous dogs. Hope I havn't put you off but there is a lot more to it than people think and I often get in dogs that have been physically or mentally scarred by other groomers, I have to go through a very slow process of rehabilitation to build up their trust and confidence,some are so bad they have to be heavily sedated and gradually we decrease the dosage until they dont need it anymore. Good luck I hope you succeed, if you need any help feel free to PM me, Nicole Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
espinay2 Posted July 13, 2005 Share Posted July 13, 2005 (edited) Most groomers in Australi learn by 'apprenticeship' such as becoming a bather first as suggested and through trial and error. That said I believe www.groomersfriend.com does offer courses and have an excellent reputation. you may also wish to join the Groom-TNT-Australia email list at www.yahoogroups.com where you can chat and exchange information with other Australian groomers both new and experienced. You may find out more info about course in different areas from members there as some of them have done different ones I think. Two very good websites for learning about grooming and running your own grooming business are: www.petgroomer.com www.groomers.com Edited to add: I just want to agree with Nicole that grooming is not an easy profession. It requires a degree of skill and understanding of dog behaviour as often the dogs you will be dealing with are not the easiest. You have to be aware that the equipment you are using can cut and hurt both the dogs and yourself if you are not careful. You have to know how to deal with agressive dogs and dogs that do not want you to do what you are doing to them. Most groomers have been bitten at least once and have had dogs try very hard to bite them a lot more times than that. You need to have the skill to deal with scared dogs and hyper dogs, and agressive dogs and dogs that wont stand still or dont like their paws being touched and do it in a way that will not make things worse the next time around, hurt or traumatise the dog as well as making sure you are safe as well. You have to be able to deal occasionally with dogs that come in with maggots on them eating at their flesh, bad skin conditions, nails grown around and into their legs and feet and other problems. You have to deal with owner neglect of dogs that come in for a shavedown once a year and dont get touched the rest of the year. You have to be prepared to get tired, dirty and wet and to get a sore back and arms from working all day. You need to deal with rude customers, angry customers who dont want to pay the measly price you charge for a lot of hard work or are angry because you had the shave their matted once a year mess instead of leaving it long, with late customers and customers that cost you money by not showing up. Of course you do get good customers and good dogs and these are great, but you have to be able to take the rest of it too, and even the 'easy' ones require hard work and skill. An 'easy' dog can also be made into a hard one by bad handling. Not meaning to put you off, but more to make sure you are going in with open eyes. Edited July 13, 2005 by espinay2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Akitagal Posted July 13, 2005 Share Posted July 13, 2005 (edited) Have you looked at box hill tafe? They have just started a fairly in depth course that is hands on and also organizes workplace placements. It is also a good idea to see if you can maybe do a work experience type thing with somewhere reputable to see if this is really an area you want to get into. I have been grooming for 15 years and it does really take its toll physically. I also like nicole have to desensatize alot of dogs from bad grooming experiences and so you need to learn alot of handleing skills. If you would like some names of places you could do some voluteering or work experience then pm me and i may be able to help. Edited July 13, 2005 by Akitagal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lyndal Posted July 13, 2005 Author Share Posted July 13, 2005 Would the best way to get a job bathing to be too just call around places or what would you all suggest thank you so much for the help you have all given me i havent been turned off one week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
espinay2 Posted July 13, 2005 Share Posted July 13, 2005 Yes, call around groomers in your area. Realise though that some may not be able to take you on until the weather warms up a bit as that is when you get the rush of once a year type jobs. A lot of salons get much busier in the few months before and after xmas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winterpaws Posted July 13, 2005 Share Posted July 13, 2005 Groomers friend is where I have booked in to do my course but have had to put it off for a bit. She does one week and two week intensive courses and I spoke to a few people about her before booking in. All the reports I had back were that she really knows her stuff and is quite modern in technique her site is at www.groomersfriend.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lyndal Posted July 13, 2005 Author Share Posted July 13, 2005 sorry all i forgot to mention that i am in melbourne and looking for courses there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lyndal Posted July 13, 2005 Author Share Posted July 13, 2005 i was also wondering what you all thought about the aussie pooch, hydro dog, jims dog wash franshises and if buying into something like that would be worth it as i am starting out or if i would be alot better off just trying to get employed by someone!?!?!?!?!? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rascalmyshadow Posted July 13, 2005 Share Posted July 13, 2005 I wouldn't go for a mobile personally. Where in Melbourne are you and how much experience do you have handling dogs. PM me if you don't want to post here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
espinay2 Posted July 13, 2005 Share Posted July 13, 2005 Based on personal experience I would strongly recommend against purchasing a dog wash franchise. If you want to be a mobile groomer you will be better off in the long term starting up your own business rather than being stuck paying huge amounts of what you earn back to the company. Be careful as they talk a good talk to get you in. Do your homework VERY carefully if you are considering it. My own experience and those I know who have also taken that route however, is that they suck you dry once you are signed up, and burn you big time if you try to get out. Bitter? You bet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lyndal Posted July 13, 2005 Author Share Posted July 13, 2005 That is what i thought i was just thinking that it may be a good place to get a client base to start but i didnt think that it would be easy to get out at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsfevr Posted July 13, 2005 Share Posted July 13, 2005 When it comes to grooming you have 2 types of clients. Regulars that come back year after year,the dont care types that go anywhere thats convient at that moment & very raely return these kinds are very active in summer. Grooming is hardwork on the body,expensive to start out & even more expensive if you dont have a good client base. You also need to look at what sort of dogs you where thinking of grooming,how fancy a groom you wish to learn & above all how confidient you are in handling dogs because as a groomer you are also a trainer & advisor to your clients. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wagsalot Posted July 13, 2005 Share Posted July 13, 2005 Ive done a few animal health care courses, one day course on grooming and currently doing a grooming course by correspondance. ive started dog washing from home on the weekend, after practising on friends and relatives dogs for 6 months. i would like to groom later on, but at the moment friends have been lending me their dogs to practice on. these dogs have been to groomers all their life so they're all very well behaved and are excellent to get some experience on. hands on experience is definately the best, and lots of practice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kavik Posted July 13, 2005 Share Posted July 13, 2005 I've also done some grooming and agree with the other comments. When I asked my boss about any good grooming courses she said she didn't know of any that were worth the money - people are looking for experience not paper. I started out in the summer doing bathing and brushing (there is more to that than I thought too!), and now that I have a few days off my other job, I am helping her out bathing and brushing for no pay in return for learning to clip (now that it is not busy she can help me and spend time showing me, too busy in summer). I would suggest scoping out the local grooming salons in the summer and pick up a bathing/brushing job to get some experience. If that works out, they may keep you on and show you how to clip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
t-time Posted July 14, 2005 Share Posted July 14, 2005 Why pay a fortune to a company for a mobile wash business when all you have to do is buy your own and send out flyers, advertise and have a mobile?? Very easy when you think about it like that. The only thing they really "offer" which you can't do yourself straight away, is a very small client list and a central phone number. Really, you will end up working in your own area anyway, so why not try to do it for yourself? I've heard that groomers friend course is excellent - if you've got enough to pay for it. Pretty expensive but apparently worth every penny. There are a couple of TAFE's that offer grooming course and I haven't heard any bad reports about those either. And a lot cheaper too :rolleyes: Hands on experience is always a great way to go. Why not approach a local groomer to see if you can do some work experience to see if you really like it? Good luck and have fun. Satisafaction is a fantastic reward in a career. :cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lyndal Posted July 14, 2005 Author Share Posted July 14, 2005 is the groomers friend course only in sydney???? or is it in melbourne too??? You all have been so much help thank-you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlemania Posted July 14, 2005 Share Posted July 14, 2005 Hi, I have been grooming for 8 years and started out as a bather. I also did a TAFE grooming course which was very expensive and pretty hopeless. Learning on the job is the way IMO. Just a word of caution-remember your health is more important than money. Buy the best equipment you can, be sure to get good tables with a sling system especially for big dogs. Stand on a rubber mat, dont try to lift too heavy dogs and become best friends with a physio, chiro or massage therapist. I had an accident at work (grooming) and for nearly 2 years I have woken up in alot of pain, every day. Grooming is a hard job, but it can be made easier with good quality equipment. Jodi from GRoomers Friend will tell you this too, and believe her. Hope this helps, Georgia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rascalmyshadow Posted July 14, 2005 Share Posted July 14, 2005 Georgia: good advice I also did an injury at work (grooming a samoyed) about 4-5 years ago and have been having physio ever since. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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