Oberon
Well-Known Member
If so - tell me all about it 
.
.
Is anyone a dog groomer?
- Thread starter Oberon
- Start date
Taffyhorse
Well-Known Member
I think PuccinPony on here is.
I'm considering a career change so I'd also be interested in hearing all about it :-]
I'm considering a career change so I'd also be interested in hearing all about it :-]
PucciNPoni
Well-Known Member
Yep, there's a few of us
What do you want to know?
Training is usually about 20 to 30 days to get the basics, then you could be working with someone for a year or two before becoming reasonably proficient. Many groomers are self employed, but personally that's highly overrated.
It's a good job, but expect to be on your feet, standing, lifting and other hard graft dirty work.
It's expensive to kit out your own place, expect to pay prob a minimum of £2k for table, clippers, dryers to get started.
Pets at Home are hiring like mad, and I expect they'll also help pay for some of the training, and all of the equipment.
Get a subscription to Total Grooming Magazine -- the second one is due to be out Monday or so. If you need details, you can either google, look them up on FB or if you want I can send you details for the magazine.
I'm sure I left out lots of vital infor but today's a typical busy day - I had only four booked in and a surprise extra (a standard poodle which I had booked in for tomorrow) arrived today. So fit it in between a shaved down lhasa and a Husky - and meanwhile my hoover broke today and I have nothing to hoover up all that husky hair with! aaaacck!
What do you want to know?
Training is usually about 20 to 30 days to get the basics, then you could be working with someone for a year or two before becoming reasonably proficient. Many groomers are self employed, but personally that's highly overrated.
It's a good job, but expect to be on your feet, standing, lifting and other hard graft dirty work.
It's expensive to kit out your own place, expect to pay prob a minimum of £2k for table, clippers, dryers to get started.
Pets at Home are hiring like mad, and I expect they'll also help pay for some of the training, and all of the equipment.
Get a subscription to Total Grooming Magazine -- the second one is due to be out Monday or so. If you need details, you can either google, look them up on FB or if you want I can send you details for the magazine.
I'm sure I left out lots of vital infor but today's a typical busy day - I had only four booked in and a surprise extra (a standard poodle which I had booked in for tomorrow) arrived today. So fit it in between a shaved down lhasa and a Husky - and meanwhile my hoover broke today and I have nothing to hoover up all that husky hair with! aaaacck!
s4sugar
Well-Known Member
As above training takes time & doesn't replace practice.
Beware of the places offering a very expensive short course so you can set up on your own -rarely does a month go by without someone calling to see if I want to buy their "hardly used" equipment.
P@H may be a decent way in. At least you won't be thousands out of pocket if you decide it isn't for you.
Beware of the places offering a very expensive short course so you can set up on your own -rarely does a month go by without someone calling to see if I want to buy their "hardly used" equipment.
P@H may be a decent way in. At least you won't be thousands out of pocket if you decide it isn't for you.
Oberon
Well-Known Member
Just musing really.
Who does decent training?
Is it possible to earn a living from it?
Who does decent training?
Is it possible to earn a living from it?
PucciNPoni
Well-Known Member
I've been living off of grooming for ten years....
Decent training is Scotland - Scotgroom; Agnes Murphy is one of the top groomers in the world (International Groomer of the Year 2006). Absolutely Animals (Heidi Anderton) in London is also very good. Look North is another excellent reputation school.
GeeGeeboy
Well-Known Member
I am! Have worked in a salon for over two years. Went to do my training at Scotgroom and have just started my own mobile business. It's a great job but very hardwork and physical. There is decent money to be made if you're willing to work hard.
padderpaws
Well-Known Member
I am a fully qualified dog groomer. Trained with Groomers in Shropshire. Six week residential course. Best £10,000. I ever spent. Got that back easily in the first year working part time. That was back in 2005 though so probably more to train to a decent standard now. Also that included all equipment you would need to start a pet grooming business.
Oberon
Well-Known Member
£10,000
Is that a standard amount?
Is that a standard amount?
padderpaws
Well-Known Member
Don't know if it is a standard amount but that is how much it cost to hit the ground running so to speak. I think that it would cost about that to start a professional dog grooming business up. That would include training to City and Guilds standard, all professional good equipment (not cheap) and I am not a mobile groomer. I would imagine that it would cost a whole lot more if you have to buy a purpose built van and maintain it. BUT once you are trained and have a good reliable client base you can easily earn a decent living.
PucciNPoni
Well-Known Member
The initial 10K outlay for just a course is pretty high, but as Padderpaws is saying they got equipment (minimumm outlay on that would run about £2k), six weeks of training and what not - it sounds about right.
I think Scotgroom for a month was about £2k way back then. I have since gone for loads of top of training days, seminars, master classes, competitions (national and international) which all add to the learning experience. I couldn't imagine what I've spent over the years on all the extra training. The difference between someone who does those training dates and someone who doesn't will sometimes be very obvious. Don't get me wrong, there are some extremely talented groomers who just quietly do away on their own, but most of us aren't that naturally gifted and do benefit from the extras.
I went residential - ten years ago - and it was cheap then - but it was still I think £50 / week (so another couple of hundred)
Then my equipemnt alone was £2-3k - and that was the bare minimum!
then the cost to kit out my salon........
by the time I was all in it cost me in excess of £30k to get up and running!!!
Then to do the C&G exams you're talking a bit more because you're needing to travel, take days off for mock exams and brushing up technique, the exam fees, and in my case, in order to maintain the dogs in proper length and quality of coat I groomed them FOC on a weekly or monthly basis (again, it costs to do this).
THEN, the amount you earn will vary greatly with the speed in which you can do quality work. A groomer will take at least a couple of years to get up to speed where they are comfortably and consistently doing enough dogs to a good standard in a quantity where they're making money. Most newbies straight out of school can manage no more than 2 to 4 dogs in an 8 hour working day. After the first year you might see them up this by 1 or 2.
Ten years on, I can do up to 8 dogs per day at a good standard, but it knackers me....especially if I'm working in my shop alone where I've got the door tod deal with, the phone to answer, stupid things like the hoover breaking down! These are full scissor and breed profile trims rather than fast easy shave offs. And sometimes "fast easy shave offs" end up being anything but - the dog might be really matted, flea infested, the ears really thick with waxy hair, the dog might be an alligator in fur. There are so many variables in a single day which can make or break it.
I love my job - but I don't recommend it for the faint of heart!
I think Scotgroom for a month was about £2k way back then. I have since gone for loads of top of training days, seminars, master classes, competitions (national and international) which all add to the learning experience. I couldn't imagine what I've spent over the years on all the extra training. The difference between someone who does those training dates and someone who doesn't will sometimes be very obvious. Don't get me wrong, there are some extremely talented groomers who just quietly do away on their own, but most of us aren't that naturally gifted and do benefit from the extras.
I went residential - ten years ago - and it was cheap then - but it was still I think £50 / week (so another couple of hundred)
Then my equipemnt alone was £2-3k - and that was the bare minimum!
then the cost to kit out my salon........
by the time I was all in it cost me in excess of £30k to get up and running!!!
Then to do the C&G exams you're talking a bit more because you're needing to travel, take days off for mock exams and brushing up technique, the exam fees, and in my case, in order to maintain the dogs in proper length and quality of coat I groomed them FOC on a weekly or monthly basis (again, it costs to do this).
THEN, the amount you earn will vary greatly with the speed in which you can do quality work. A groomer will take at least a couple of years to get up to speed where they are comfortably and consistently doing enough dogs to a good standard in a quantity where they're making money. Most newbies straight out of school can manage no more than 2 to 4 dogs in an 8 hour working day. After the first year you might see them up this by 1 or 2.
Ten years on, I can do up to 8 dogs per day at a good standard, but it knackers me....especially if I'm working in my shop alone where I've got the door tod deal with, the phone to answer, stupid things like the hoover breaking down! These are full scissor and breed profile trims rather than fast easy shave offs. And sometimes "fast easy shave offs" end up being anything but - the dog might be really matted, flea infested, the ears really thick with waxy hair, the dog might be an alligator in fur. There are so many variables in a single day which can make or break it.
I love my job - but I don't recommend it for the faint of heart!
PucciNPoni
Well-Known Member
....meanwhile I have an uncle in the US who has been grooming for over 30 years. No formal qualifications (though he was trained up in the show world). He grooms something like 19 dogs per day, on his own. He works 4 days a week (long days though) and makes a VERY good living. The 19 dogs per day he does come every week -- it is a very different culture there where the price for grooming tends to be higher and they come more often.
Some top groomers can make six figure salaries. I know of one, Jay Scruggs - who is mobile. (I don't know how much he makes) He's a top international competitor, judge, speaker - and he still runs his mobile business. However the demand for him is so great that he has a year long wait list for new clients. Someone apparently offered to give him $500 to get to the top of his wait list - and now that's a regular thing (or so the story goes).
Some top groomers can make six figure salaries. I know of one, Jay Scruggs - who is mobile. (I don't know how much he makes) He's a top international competitor, judge, speaker - and he still runs his mobile business. However the demand for him is so great that he has a year long wait list for new clients. Someone apparently offered to give him $500 to get to the top of his wait list - and now that's a regular thing (or so the story goes).
Skippys Mum
Well-Known Member
I make a very (very) good living as a self employed dog groomer . I wouldnt do this job if I was working for anyone else as its dirty, backbreaking at times and can be quite heavy going.
I have staff now though who do the dirty, backbreaking, heavy going bits of it now. I work 5 days a week but not really full time hours. Its pretty exhausting and by 4pm I am knackered. At certain times of year I work 7 days a week but its well worth it.
I am a pet groomer. I dont do fancy clips, I dont do show dogs. I can do them but I choose not to (personally, I feel show dogs are a league apart. Every breed will have such differing specs that only someone showing that breed will know all about so I stick to pet dogs). I am trained to C&G level although I have never sat the exams (when I did my training you had to go to England to sit the exams and I wasnt in a position to travel with dogs I could use for the exams). I have to say that very very few groomers in my area (West of Scotland) are C&G qualified. Mind you, half of them are barely trained *bangs head off desk*.
I got into it by clipping horses - then getting asked if I could run the clippers over the odd dog - then it was logical to go for training and set up. The first year was scary but then it took off. I dont advertise and my clients are all word of mouth.
Mind you, I've had to take Arnies shoes off as obviously I dont earn enough for that
. I wouldnt do this job if I was working for anyone else as its dirty, backbreaking at times and can be quite heavy going.I have staff now though who do the dirty, backbreaking, heavy going bits of it now
. I work 5 days a week but not really full time hours. Its pretty exhausting and by 4pm I am knackered. At certain times of year I work 7 days a week but its well worth it. I am a pet groomer. I dont do fancy clips, I dont do show dogs. I can do them but I choose not to (personally, I feel show dogs are a league apart. Every breed will have such differing specs that only someone showing that breed will know all about so I stick to pet dogs). I am trained to C&G level although I have never sat the exams (when I did my training you had to go to England to sit the exams and I wasnt in a position to travel with dogs I could use for the exams). I have to say that very very few groomers in my area (West of Scotland) are C&G qualified. Mind you, half of them are barely trained *bangs head off desk*.
I got into it by clipping horses - then getting asked if I could run the clippers over the odd dog - then it was logical to go for training and set up. The first year was scary but then it took off. I dont advertise and my clients are all word of mouth.
Mind you, I've had to take Arnies shoes off as obviously I dont earn enough for that
PucciNPoni
Well-Known Member
Skippy's mum -you can now sit your exams in a few locations in Scotland. I know they do the theory in Galashiels as well as Carluke. I did my theory in Carluke and two of my practical modules at Scotgroom too. Agnes has been holding study/training dates for exam preparation again this year.
Oberon
Well-Known Member
Mind you, I've had to take Arnies shoes off as obviously I dont earn enough for that
I'm a nurse, so earn a fair wage from that. I wouldn't want to drop in wage.....
Having looked into it, it's possible for me to do some training and pick up equipment along the way.
I'd love to work for myself, but I'm not business savvy
I'm a bit fed up with paying dog groomers who are either unreliable, half hearted or unable to deal with large dogs.
The final straw has come when I went for my monthly appointment with the professional dog groomer I use......
She was busy, so her helper was in charge of washing the dogs first. This helper was obviously not a dog person and frightened. She insisted I stay with my dog as she was scared and wouldn't go near his face......I had to wash it for her. I wouldn't mind - but you can easily read Salem's body language and it was all submissive.
She half drowned the little fru fru doggie before mine while calling it 'stupid'
.And I pay £40 for this
I could do better - plus specialise in large dogs....which seems to be a gap in the market here
PucciNPoni
Well-Known Member
Just out of curiosity Oberon, what breed of dog do you have?
There is a gap in the market for an obvious reason. Okay, so your groomer's bather sounded horrible if they behaved the way you said. But IMO, if the groomer was too busy, and left a frightened bather in charge, something is happening here - and that is the very fact that the groomer in question is charging WAY too little! They've overbooked themselves and had to pass the buck so to speak.
Large dogs are absolutely back breaking. They often take the space of 2 or 3 smaller more profitable breeds of dog...and often require more than one person to handle it to lift it correctly and to dry it quickly so the dog isn't standing on the table for hours on end.
If I booked a newfoundland in, I would be required to charge upwards of £100 because THAT's how much I'd need to take for it in order to keep profitable. Then you get "sorry, that's too dear!" from the cheapskates who just don't understand the time and effort it takes to do that dog correctly. So then the groomers, for lack of wanting to turn away the business, undercharge what it should be, and pass the job on to the lower paid bather/brusher.
So rather than book these big beasties in, I specialise in smaller breeds that I don't have to rely on a second helper for lifting/efficiency purposes.
Yes, there IS a gap in the market - but I would think really carefully about how you'd go about dealing with the biggies. I know some groomers who do specialise in them and love doing them. But things you'd have to consider when doing them
a - time to groom
b - time to clean up
c - time spent at chiro/physio
d - cost of special equipment (large bath/large table/suitable flooring cos when a big dog shakes EVERYTHING in the shop is soaked!) etc
e - when you've booked a 3 hour block just for one dog, what you will do when the owner no-shows (so do you collect the fee in advance of booking or take a deposit?)
Yesterday I groomed a husky - it was it's first visit in to my shop. I got wetter than the dog did in the bath - in fact despite my protective clothing I was soaked to the knickers every time she shook herself. After that she was absolutely good as gold. In fact she was lovely to deal with. However, my hoover died so I had to try to sweep husky hair off every surface in the shop...and husky hair doesn't sweep so well!! I spent 2 hours on the dog in total by the time I'd bathed, dried, deshedded the undercoat, nails and trimmed the pads. While she was passive drying in the drying cabinet (which she rather enjoyed) I swept and swept and swept a bit more. I charged £40 for that -- and that's not a "big dog".
There is a gap in the market for an obvious reason. Okay, so your groomer's bather sounded horrible if they behaved the way you said. But IMO, if the groomer was too busy, and left a frightened bather in charge, something is happening here - and that is the very fact that the groomer in question is charging WAY too little! They've overbooked themselves and had to pass the buck so to speak.
Large dogs are absolutely back breaking. They often take the space of 2 or 3 smaller more profitable breeds of dog...and often require more than one person to handle it to lift it correctly and to dry it quickly so the dog isn't standing on the table for hours on end.
If I booked a newfoundland in, I would be required to charge upwards of £100 because THAT's how much I'd need to take for it in order to keep profitable. Then you get "sorry, that's too dear!" from the cheapskates who just don't understand the time and effort it takes to do that dog correctly. So then the groomers, for lack of wanting to turn away the business, undercharge what it should be, and pass the job on to the lower paid bather/brusher.
So rather than book these big beasties in, I specialise in smaller breeds that I don't have to rely on a second helper for lifting/efficiency purposes.
Yes, there IS a gap in the market - but I would think really carefully about how you'd go about dealing with the biggies. I know some groomers who do specialise in them and love doing them. But things you'd have to consider when doing them
a - time to groom
b - time to clean up
c - time spent at chiro/physio
d - cost of special equipment (large bath/large table/suitable flooring cos when a big dog shakes EVERYTHING in the shop is soaked!) etc
e - when you've booked a 3 hour block just for one dog, what you will do when the owner no-shows (so do you collect the fee in advance of booking or take a deposit?)
Yesterday I groomed a husky - it was it's first visit in to my shop. I got wetter than the dog did in the bath - in fact despite my protective clothing I was soaked to the knickers every time she shook herself
. After that she was absolutely good as gold. In fact she was lovely to deal with. However, my hoover died so I had to try to sweep husky hair off every surface in the shop...and husky hair doesn't sweep so well!! I spent 2 hours on the dog in total by the time I'd bathed, dried, deshedded the undercoat, nails and trimmed the pads. While she was passive drying in the drying cabinet (which she rather enjoyed) I swept and swept and swept a bit more. I charged £40 for that -- and that's not a "big dog".
Oberon
Well-Known Member
Salem is a 'Utonagan' (husky/mal/GSD mongrel). I get him done every month so he isn't such a 'management issue' with his coat.
This groomer states POA for big dogs, so £40 must be her price for a dog like him.
I chose her specifically as her website indicated she was happy to accommodate big/aggressive dogs (not that he is aggressive), we schedule each month for when she has a helper in (although I've never seen THIS one before) and I always help to get him in the bath before I leave him.....
I'm just disgruntled at paying for a professional and getting the incapable helper.
This groomer states POA for big dogs, so £40 must be her price for a dog like him.
I chose her specifically as her website indicated she was happy to accommodate big/aggressive dogs (not that he is aggressive
), we schedule each month for when she has a helper in (although I've never seen THIS one before) and I always help to get him in the bath before I leave him.....I'm just disgruntled at paying for a professional and getting the incapable helper
.padderpaws
Well-Known Member
Oberon, I may be able to shed some light on groomers who are unable or unwilling to do large dogs and it is this. They are not cost effective. I myself do not do large dogs for this reason. I am able to but I choose not to. I can earn £30. for 45 mins work on a small dog (westie for eg) but a large dog would take very much longer and the owner would not usually want to pay me in excess of £60. for two hours work.
I always say that I love big dogs but don't have the room as it sounds better than saying "sorry but your dog is not cost effective"
I always say that I love big dogs but don't have the room as it sounds better than saying "sorry but your dog is not cost effective"
Oberon
Well-Known Member
I certainly don't earn £45 an hour as a nurse .
.
Skippys Mum
Well-Known Member
I think I may move my shop!! I only take £26 for a westie!
I'm another one who doesnt do big dogs as a rule. My bath is at waist height and I dont want to risk either my back or the dogs back by trying to lift them in. I dont let the owners stay though as I have found dogs behave far better when their mums and dads arent around (bit like kids). I do the odd big dog as an exception but I am very strict about what I'll do. Regulars can have a bath and a brush out but the folk who want to bring their Newfie in once a year, matted to the skin and think I would be grateful if they decided to pay me £20 for it I chase. I dont need it and I dont want that sort of work. As the others have said, the money is in the smaller dogs. You get endless comments about how its costing more than their hairdos to get the dog done.
I also have a dematting policy. If its matted solid it gets shaved. If they dont want it shaved they can take it elsewhere. I do some dematting but if its all over solid then I dont want to know. It can really hurt a dog doing full body dematting so I am not interested. Its a lot easier to be strict about this when you have a full diary though.
Dogs will come in with a strip of hair down the middle of their back brushed and you will get told that it gets brushed every day. Yeah, what bit?? They come in bone dry on a pouring wet day and the owners are surprised that they pee or crap the floor. Really, what surprised you about the fact that your poor dog clearly hasnt been out this morning??
*bangs head again*
There is good money to be made though. Its something you can start off part time with and grow as it grows.
I'm another one who doesnt do big dogs as a rule. My bath is at waist height and I dont want to risk either my back or the dogs back by trying to lift them in. I dont let the owners stay though as I have found dogs behave far better when their mums and dads arent around (bit like kids). I do the odd big dog as an exception but I am very strict about what I'll do. Regulars can have a bath and a brush out but the folk who want to bring their Newfie in once a year, matted to the skin and think I would be grateful if they decided to pay me £20 for it I chase. I dont need it and I dont want that sort of work. As the others have said, the money is in the smaller dogs. You get endless comments about how its costing more than their hairdos to get the dog done.
I also have a dematting policy. If its matted solid it gets shaved. If they dont want it shaved they can take it elsewhere. I do some dematting but if its all over solid then I dont want to know. It can really hurt a dog doing full body dematting so I am not interested. Its a lot easier to be strict about this when you have a full diary though.
Dogs will come in with a strip of hair down the middle of their back brushed and you will get told that it gets brushed every day. Yeah, what bit?? They come in bone dry on a pouring wet day and the owners are surprised that they pee or crap the floor. Really, what surprised you about the fact that your poor dog clearly hasnt been out this morning??
*bangs head again*
There is good money to be made though. Its something you can start off part time with and grow as it grows.
PucciNPoni
Well-Known Member
I certainly don't earn £45 an hour as a nurse
Whoa, back the truck up!
Just because it has a price tag of £45 per hour does NOT mean that's what the groomer earned!
By the time rent, rates, water, elec, taxes, insurance, shampoo, maintenance on equipment, etc etc etc, the amount that the groomer might take HOME from all that is probably far less than half of that.
I had one guy come in to my shop, who I charge about £70 for his two small dogs to be groomed. He asked me how many dogs I groom in a day, I said about 5 or 6. He did the math (35 x 6) and immediately got this illusion that I'm rolling in it because I earn over £200 a day. However, my overheads are in excess of £2000 a month, before I earn a penny.
PucciNPoni
Well-Known Member
I think I may move my shop!! I only take £26 for a westie!
I'm another one who doesnt do big dogs as a rule. My bath is at waist height and I dont want to risk either my back or the dogs back by trying to lift them in. I dont let the owners stay though as I have found dogs behave far better when their mums and dads arent around (bit like kids). I do the odd big dog as an exception but I am very strict about what I'll do. Regulars can have a bath and a brush out but the folk who want to bring their Newfie in once a year, matted to the skin and think I would be grateful if they decided to pay me £20 for it I chase. I dont need it and I dont want that sort of work. As the others have said, the money is in the smaller dogs. You get endless comments about how its costing more than their hairdos to get the dog done.
I also have a dematting policy. If its matted solid it gets shaved. If they dont want it shaved they can take it elsewhere. I do some dematting but if its all over solid then I dont want to know. It can really hurt a dog doing full body dematting so I am not interested. Its a lot easier to be strict about this when you have a full diary though.
Dogs will come in with a strip of hair down the middle of their back brushed and you will get told that it gets brushed every day. Yeah, what bit?? They come in bone dry on a pouring wet day and the owners are surprised that they pee or crap the floor. Really, what surprised you about the fact that your poor dog clearly hasnt been out this morning??
*bangs head again*
There is good money to be made though. Its something you can start off part time with and grow as it grows.
I think I love you! LOL
PS, I charge $45 for a westie. I'm giving up my shop the end of next month - you want my pitch?
PucciNPoni
Well-Known Member
Errr, make that £45 (silly keyboard, leaving the $ and £ next to eachother!)
Skippys Mum
Well-Known Member
Good God, I'd get run out of town if I tried to charge £45 for a westie. I am very jealous . Mind you, my overheads are not so much.
I do on average 9 dogs a day but I always have someone in to bath/dry for me. I hate doing the bathing myself these days. There has to be some advantages to being the boss
. Mind you, my overheads are not so much.I do on average 9 dogs a day but I always have someone in to bath/dry for me. I hate doing the bathing myself these days
. There has to be some advantages to being the boss
PucciNPoni
Well-Known Member
Good God, I'd get run out of town if I tried to charge £45 for a westie. I am very jealous
I do on average 9 dogs a day but I always have someone in to bath/dry for me. I hate doing the bathing myself these days
My advanatge to being the boss is not having to be a boss
I'll stick to doing 5 or 6 a day on my ownsome and not have to worry whether a bather is going to turn up or call in sick....or hungover as I used to get a lot of!
GeeGeeboy
Well-Known Member
Loving this thread. I think a lot of owners are very ignorant of how much work and time goes into a full groom, including bathing and drying, nails, ear cleaning etc and they actually get very good value for money. We had a client drop off a very hairy , dirty Cocker Spaniel once and as she was leaving she called out "I'll be back in half an hour!" eh , more like two and a half hours for a hairy beast like that!
PucciNPoni
Well-Known Member
Years ago as part of a grooming forum gag, which was then published in a grooming magazine, and then subsequently copied and made in to a poster by a shampoo manufacturer...we did a list of "101 reasons why dog grooming costs more than getting your own hair cut".
There were things on there like
- if you are unwell, your hairdresser won't take your temperature or take you to the doctor
- if you peed on the floor of the shop, you would probably be arrested
- if you bit your hairdresser, you would definitely be arrested!
- anal glands, your hairdresser probably doesn't know what they are (or in fact want to know)
- your hairdresser's blow dryer costs about £20, a groomer's cost about £400
....and so on.
Faithkat
Well-Known Member
Reading all your replies has been something of a revelation. I was a dog groomer for 25 years but never, ever was I able to make a full-time living out of it. My original plan, after training, was to set up my own "shop" but had to do it from home in an adapted spare bedroom as the income would have barely been enough to cover the expenses of the premises and equipment. However, I do firmly believe that it depends where you are as to whether or not you can make a living at it. I trained in Manchester and the cost of living was considerably lower than where I am (eastern of the New Forest) so people had much more disposable income and were, therefore, happier to pay the price of having the dog groomed. Down here which was/is much more expensive, people do not have such a large disposable income and as a consequence are much more careful. I reckon it took me about 3 years to recoup the initial outlay for equipment - don't forget that when you are starting out you won't have any clients and will need to spend money on advertising and that customers will only dribble in at the beginning. Unless they are unhappy with their current groomer they won't be looking around for a new one. In the end I found that word of mouth was my best way of getting customers and I had ones who stayed with me for years. When I was doing it, there weren't many dog groomers in the area (I think I was only one of three) and I ended up with permanent client base which numbered somewhere around 250. The main problem I always found was that while people would cheerfully cough up extraordinary sums of money for their own cut and blow dry (in and out of hairdressers in 45 minutes), they expected to pay considerably less to have their dog done which took a minimum of 2 hours, consequently the amount earned in a day/week was either enough to pay for premises OR live on but most certainly not both.
I was stunned to read that someone who replied here reckons they can do a Westie in 45 minutes! Eh??????? I certainly could not bath, dry, clip/strip and scissor a Westie in 45 minutes, it used to take me around 2 hours!
I have recently been asked to blow the cobwebs off my scissors to do a Bichon for my son's friend. They took it to a local salon who returned it in less than half an hour obviously not bathed and looking as though it had a run-in with a Flymo . . . . .
I was stunned to read that someone who replied here reckons they can do a Westie in 45 minutes! Eh??????? I certainly could not bath, dry, clip/strip and scissor a Westie in 45 minutes, it used to take me around 2 hours!
I have recently been asked to blow the cobwebs off my scissors to do a Bichon for my son's friend. They took it to a local salon who returned it in less than half an hour obviously not bathed and looking as though it had a run-in with a Flymo . . . . .
PucciNPoni
Well-Known Member
Faithcat - I'm not quite sure how to word this without sounding awkward...but one thing I've learned about grooming for profit and speed/efficiency is that until you've HAD to do it, you don't know that you CAN.
When I first started grooming from my shop, I was happy to bumble along doing 3/4 dogs a day. But I wasn't really making much money (like *any* because it was all going back in to the business) - I was taking a long time to do those three or four because I was new and still a bit cautious. However, I had to PUSH myself in order to cover the expenses and really work at it to improve my speed (and still be careful). I learned there were ways to reduce the time without cutting corners. I started to multi-task and do other time saving techniques...and then you get hte confidence of KNOWING your trims inside and out (which you will cetainly have had with 25 years of experience). But with the advent of grooming forums, magazines and seminars, you learn new ways, about new equipment and so on - which helps to no end.
Many at home groomers who are isolated a bit just don't get that information unless they actively seek it out.
Nowadays you do get a lot of cowboy groomers who just do some quick training and don't get the ins and outs of conformation, health issues, styling to breed standard - some don't get any training at all in fact!
A favorite saying of mine (that I learned on a grooming forum in fact)
A good groom is never cheap.....a cheap groom is never good
People will try cheaper groomers because they're cheaper, but will nearly almost always go back to the better groomer because of the value that they are in fact getting. Some groomers still have the idea that people won't go to a higher priced groomer, but I can assure you that they do.
When I first started grooming from my shop, I was happy to bumble along doing 3/4 dogs a day. But I wasn't really making much money (like *any* because it was all going back in to the business) - I was taking a long time to do those three or four because I was new and still a bit cautious. However, I had to PUSH myself in order to cover the expenses and really work at it to improve my speed (and still be careful). I learned there were ways to reduce the time without cutting corners. I started to multi-task and do other time saving techniques...and then you get hte confidence of KNOWING your trims inside and out (which you will cetainly have had with 25 years of experience). But with the advent of grooming forums, magazines and seminars, you learn new ways, about new equipment and so on - which helps to no end.
Many at home groomers who are isolated a bit just don't get that information unless they actively seek it out.
Nowadays you do get a lot of cowboy groomers who just do some quick training and don't get the ins and outs of conformation, health issues, styling to breed standard - some don't get any training at all in fact!
A favorite saying of mine (that I learned on a grooming forum in fact)
A good groom is never cheap.....a cheap groom is never good
People will try cheaper groomers because they're cheaper, but will nearly almost always go back to the better groomer because of the value that they are in fact getting. Some groomers still have the idea that people won't go to a higher priced groomer, but I can assure you that they do.
Skippys Mum
Well-Known Member
Faithkat, I am one of the cheaper groomers (although after reading this thread I may just relocate ) but I am a good groomer. People travel from far and wide to get to me. I am based in the West of Scotland but I have clients travel from as far as Dunfermline (East of Scotland), Aviemore (up further north) and even one from Birmingham. Tbh, they are not coming to me to save a fiver (I'm still always stunned because I only class myself as a pet groomer not a fancy posh "proper" groomer), so its not just about cost.
Things have changed recently though. Its now fashionable to have your dog groomed. Its the done thing. As PnP says though, you fair speed up once you get under pressure
Not including bathing and drying I allow an average of half an hour to clip a dog. Thats assuming the dog has been brushed out for me and is ready to clip. I bring the dogs into my shop for approx 3 hours and we work as a bit of a conveyor belt system, bathing, drying and brushing out and then finally to me to clip. It works well and allows a bit of an overlap if one takes a bit longer or if someone is running late. Working like this I can do 6 or 7 dogs a day on my own but I usually do about 9 with a bather. I can do a lot more than that in a day with assistants but I am basically a lazy cow so thats way more than enough and makes me a very good living (I am the main wage earner and earn far more than my hubby does yet he has to work much longer hours). Sadly though, I am a spendthrift and cant keep a fiver in my pocket without racing out to spend it so I am still always skint *blush*
) but I am a good groomer. People travel from far and wide to get to me. I am based in the West of Scotland but I have clients travel from as far as Dunfermline (East of Scotland), Aviemore (up further north) and even one from Birmingham. Tbh, they are not coming to me to save a fiver (I'm still always stunned because I only class myself as a pet groomer not a fancy posh "proper" groomer), so its not just about cost.Things have changed recently though. Its now fashionable to have your dog groomed. Its the done thing. As PnP says though, you fair speed up once you get under pressure
Not including bathing and drying I allow an average of half an hour to clip a dog. Thats assuming the dog has been brushed out for me and is ready to clip. I bring the dogs into my shop for approx 3 hours and we work as a bit of a conveyor belt system, bathing, drying and brushing out and then finally to me to clip. It works well and allows a bit of an overlap if one takes a bit longer or if someone is running late. Working like this I can do 6 or 7 dogs a day on my own but I usually do about 9 with a bather. I can do a lot more than that in a day with assistants but I am basically a lazy cow so thats way more than enough and makes me a very good living
(I am the main wage earner and earn far more than my hubby does yet he has to work much longer hours). Sadly though, I am a spendthrift and cant keep a fiver in my pocket without racing out to spend it so I am still always skint *blush*