Dog Grooming as career - Any experience/advice?

[RubyR]

I would love a career change and have always loved animals, especially dogs and horses. I am considering my options at the moment and wonder if anyone on here is a dog groomer, what there experiences are - good or bad? Is it possible to earn a decent living from it? Any thoughts gratefully appreciated. (Thought this would get more views in here than the 'careers' section). Thanks

 

[CAYLA]

I had my own grooming parlour before an illness forced me to slow down...so I packed it in but carried on with my nursing and boarding, I recently picked grooming back up again....I now do it when I choose, but I do make a fair bit of money as all my equiptment is paid for now.
It's back breaking work and can be very frustrating when u are dealing with full on neglected matted dogs, or you as the groom and the poor animals for this u would need to charge a large premium to cover the extra time spent and as a punishment to the owner...thats what I do

There is alot to learn with all the variation of styles, and it takes time to learn re coat types, breeds, hygeine, restraining, handling, grooming tools e,t,c but IMO u can make a good living from it given a good customer base, but it's a hard living and kills your back

U will need lots of full on hands on experience

 

[RubyR]

Thanks Cala. Thats given me food for thought.