Education With Intent

You did it! You watched the power point, did the quizzes, emailed the results and now you’re waiting for that shiny piece of paper to confirm that You Did The Thing.

That really is excellent, especially considering that many places in the world don’t require a formal grooming education or even proof of proper apprenticeship at all.

Some of the most skilled and wonderful groomers I’ve worked for, though, were indeed self-taught. That phrase, ‘self-taught’, is often a bit disingenuous, and tends to give people the idea they can just pick up clippers and learn to groom over night. One of the best poodle groomers & salon owners I know told me the key to becoming as successful as she is…
is to never stop learning.
Attend seminars, trade shows, watch zoom classes, buy the new editions of grooming books. When she first started some 20 odd years ago, she looked up every event and every resource she could to improve. I’m sure that was a lot harder then than it is now, with the world literally at our fingertips.

The pandemic drastically increased the amount of first time pet owners (with designer dogs at that) and in response, the grooming industry too is growing exponentially. More emphasis is being placed on skill sets regarding scissoring for those Insta-worthy styles, coat maintenance to handle matting, skin care to remedy allergies, and even advanced dental care that can be done safely at a salon (specifically talking about EmmiPet, NOT scaling- don’t even want to get into that here, no ma’am.)

In the past 10 years I’ve seen more and more online educational courses pop up- which is great! However, as with any boom in services- not all offerings are created equally.

And really… that’s fine. That’s great, even!

The wider variety of price points make it easier for groomers of all skill levels & experience to get their feet wet & see what they specifically want to learn or need to grow in. You don’t want to drop $500 on a course just to figure out it’s not really in line with what you do or the way you groom.

But regardless of what the course offers- if you don’t take it to better yourself and your skills, it’s a waste of time & money. I specifically remember a Fear Free certified practitioner near me post a video complaining about barking dogs in their salon- when they should clearly know that’s a sign of stress that needs to be addressed. Don’t advertise that the skill set if you’re not going to adhere to what it stands for. It invalidates the program and dissuades genuine people from taking the course. That certificate truly becomes just a piece of paper.

My personal example would be the holistic style of “consent” grooming. I think it’s really neat that people can dedicate the time to that, but I don’t have the client base nor the desire to rework dogs with prior grooming trauma. I took some small courses on it and found it wasn’t for me… thankfully before I dropped a couple grand on the big program I was looking at.

And that’s fine. Everyone runs their business differently and works with dogs differently.

Don’t let price tags of these larger programs make continuing education seem impossible. Start with little nibbles before you (and your wallet) take that big bite.

Some of my recommendations are:
GroomHaus- I love love love how they have a la carte style webinars that are available to rewatch! They’re also very affordable, and occasionally they offer free ones. The certificates of completion are a nice touch, to show that you are dedicated to honing your skills and growing as a groomer. Certificates of completion are not the same as certifications, though :P
Barkleigh- They host multiple shows a year, and offer many of their seminars, classes, & certifications through zoom as well! I love their specific AKC Breed certifications, (I just hope they eventually make them available for individual purchase so I can pick up the ones I missed) They usually offer some bather/brushing courses, have offerings for all skill levels, and generally have CPR & First Aid certifications as well.
AKC SAFE- This is a great foundation for salon safety & pet handling to have under your belt. I started at a corporate store, and while I do appreciate them drilling some basic safety standards into me, this program rounds out the how & why of proper policy & procedures. I don’t care how long you’ve been grooming- take this course if you haven’t. This course can be completed in a day, just be sure to take notes.

If you can afford to spend a couple hundred dollars, Iv San Bernard’s Skin & Coat program is highly educational. But do they try to sell you products? Yes and no. The therapies section is based around the products they offer and the recipes using them that can be made to achieve specific results. I was skeptical for a long time because of this, but I enjoyed the course and had a newfound respect for the quality & research behind their brand. What I enjoyed about the program is that it first provides a deeper look into the science & biology behind a pet’s skin and coat before jumping into product lines. Even if you decide not to use their products, you’ll leave this program with more enlightened understanding of the pet in front of you. This can be completed in a weekend, but be sure to take thorough notes! Especially if you want to pass the test to qualify for part 2.

Another step up from this would be the Canine Esthetician Certification by Christein Pearson-Sertzel. It costs a little bit more, but the book it comes with is an amazing resource. It’s very in-depth and doesn’t show a bias toward any particular brand, providing you with the knowledge to make your own decisions based on what you have available. It really gets into the science of products. The end part regarding marketing & appreciating the advanced skills you learned was a really nice touch. This course has zoom videos as well as the book. It is very fact heavy, and not something you can finish in a weekend. This is more of a certification than a seminar, and it took me about 3-4 weeks to complete if I remember correctly. This is a little more in-depth than some of the more basic options mentioned above.

If you have a bit more of a budget and time, I highly recommend
The International Society for Canine Cosmetologists’ Dermatech Specialist- I cannot say enough about how in-depth and thorough this program is. Aside from the base cost of materials from them, you only pay for the tests as you take them. It makes it a lot more feasible, and you can go at your own pace. There is a LOT to take in, so be prepared for it to take some time. While it does focus somewhat on the SuperCoats line of products, it still educates on the “how & why” behind how different products & techniques work so that you can use what you have on hand. This certification covers many aspects of grooming beyond the skin- canine behavior, zoonotic disease & sanitation, anatomy, CPR and First-aid, and more. My only gripe is that the material does look a little dated. Honestly this one is a little in-depth and shouldn’t really be listed as a basic course- but I’m sharing it anyways.

After these comes the more advanced programs, like Bullet Brown’s International Certified Pet Esthetician course , the International Society for Canine Cosmetologist’s Certified Pet Groomer Program (which took me a year to complete, but I did do it in my spare time), the Whole Pet Grooming Academy, the International Professional Groomer’s Program, the new World Pet Association’s PGC program, and I’m sure some more that I missed. You may even have established grooming schools near you that you can attend- which is great! But some of us in the more rural areas of the world don’t have that luxury.

Anyway. Happy snipping, and I hope you find yourself in a conference room or behind a computer screen learning something new soon. <3