How to become a pet groomer

Humans are gregarious animals and have always loved interacting with each other. However, other than the social interactions that they have with fellow human beings, they have also learnt to interact with other animals. This is nothing new and has been going on since the age of cave people, when humans were mere hunter-gatherers.

At that time, the concept of keeping animals as pets was more about keeping companions for their hunting expeditions. Coming from there to the current Digital Age, the role of a pet in our life might have changed, but its importance remains unhindered.

It is the importance of domesticated animals in our lives that has made us keep them as pets. Since a considerable amount of the human population loves to keep cats and dogs as pets, it is obvious that deciding to pursue a career in this field is a worthy profession. Not just will it pay you well, but it will also give you the inner peace and satisfaction that comes from doing what you love.

The gamut of animal-oriented careers is enormous. Amongst those, the world of pet grooming is one of the most attractive ones. Thus, if you have always been fond of animals and want to pursue a career in the world of pet grooming, then this is the article for you.

• Educational Background

This profession does not have any hardcore educational background requirements. There are a few institutes that offer vocational training in this field. These days, there are a number of online portals that offer courses in this regard as well.

To be a successful pet groomer, you need to have a firm understanding of small animal anatomy and understand how the grooming standards vary for the different types of pets.

If you are somebody who dreams of owning your own pet salon some day, you may consider doing a course in business management. You may choose to specialise in either finance or marketing. This type, of course, will give you the required push and the life skills required to be able to manage your establishment effortlessly.

• The Importance Of Experience

It is important for pet groomers to realise that this is one field where you cannot just succeed with bookish knowledge. The skill set of this job is something that can be brushed up only on the job. It is experience that will teach you how to spot changes in a pet's hygiene and how you can go about deducing serious pet's health issues from the same.

Most customers choose their pet groomers based on the diversity of experience they possess. Thus, even if you want to start off with setting up your own pet salon, it is a good idea to work as a pet groomer and learn the finer skills of the profession. Once you are confident of the same, there is no one can stop you from making it big in this profession.

• Skills Required

Most people feel that a genuine love for pets is all that it takes to become a pet groomer in India. However, a pet groomer needs to have a thorough understanding of animals. Like every other service-based profession, in order to make it big here, one needs to display exemplary standards of professionalism and customer service if they want to retain their clients.

Other than this, it is equally important for a pet groomer to maintain high standards of cleanliness and hygiene. If a person wants to own a pet grooming store, they should have the required human resource management skills to be able to effectively manage resources and utilise the full potential of other pet groomers who work under them.

• Increasing Social Importance

When a person or family loves their pet, they do so wholeheartedly. At that point, money does not matter to them and they are ready to spend a bomb on the safety, health and well-being of their pets. This makes the profession of pet grooming all the way more popular. With pet shows (particularly dog shows) becoming more popular, people are ready to pay a lot of money for pet grooming.

• Salary

In the Indian context, the salary of a pet groomer is anywhere between Rs 15,000 to Rs 50,000. The variation in salary is based on the difference in the experience of the person concerned or the town or city they are from. Usually, pet groomers in bigger cities tend to earn more as compared to their counterparts in smaller cities.

With media houses speaking of the same, this profession is becoming increasingly popular. More and more people are becoming aware of this profession and are taking their beloved furry companions to such places. As a result, pet groomers are earning better than ever before and the cycle is continuing.

• Scope Of Growth

As stated earlier, you can grow from being a pet groomer to that of an owner of a pet shop or salon. Other than that, people with experience in pet grooming are preferred for the job roles of pet therapists, pet walkers and dog breeders. The profession of pet supplier is also a coveted one.

Another viable option for those who want to monetise their animal love and experience of being a dog groomer into a robust and adventurous career is to join organisations like PETA as an animal activist.

If you do not want any of this and want to continue with your stance of being a pet groomer, even then you have the option of choosing to work as an employee under some individual, a firm or to freelance. These days, talented freelance pet groomers are seen to make way more money as compared to their employed counterparts.