How Long Does It Take To Become A Dog Groomer?

Female Groomer Drying a Bichon

Interested in becoming a dog groomer? Because of the lack of regulation in the industry, it’s a decently accessible career to break into. That being said, how long it takes you to become a dog groomer depends entirely on the path you take to get your education and hands-on experience.   Use this information to…

Read More

How Old Should You Start Grooming a Puppy?

How Old Should You Start Grooming A Puppy

The ideal age for a puppy to start grooming is between 12 and 16 weeks, assuming they are up to date on their vaccinations.    Preparing for Your Puppy’s First Groom Once your puppy has become accustomed to its new home and family, you can begin to prepare it for it’s first grooming appointment.  The…

Read More

New Veterinary Assistant School in St. Louis

Vet assistant school offering certification and training in vet assisting

ST LOUIS, MO – January 13, 2020 – With the recent closing of Vatterott College, not far behind Hickey and Sanford Brown, the St. Louis veterinary community is left with an unprecedented demand for qualified pet professionals.  The Academy of Pet Careers hopes to fill this void by opening St. Louis’ only Vet Assistant School.  …

Read More

Tips to Improve Your “All Over Trims”

Dog demonstrating what an all over trim looks like in dog grooming

It is important for dog groomers to know how to make all over trims look good, despite not having much fur to work with. Even if a dog is being trimmed short due to matting, we should try to make the trim look cute. Here are some helpful hints.   Fluff Drying All Over Trims…

Read More

Sequential Overload in Pets

Sequential Overload in Pets Infographic

Stress isn’t all bad.  Stress is needed to avoid potential dangers; it’s part of animals’ natural responses to threats: if they don’t respond to threats in nature, they don’t survive!   Some level of good stress (eustress) is even needed for learning. Learn more in this blog on The Canine Learning Stress-O-Meter.   Certainly, too…

Read More

How Much Stress Is Too Much Stress?

The Canine Learning Stress-O-Meter Infographic

In the force free training world (aka positive reinforcement), we try to minimize the amount of stress our pets experience during training. But in order to answer how much stress is too much stress, we must first understand a little bit more about “stress.”   Types of Stress There are two types of stress an…

Read More

When Medical Problems Are Found in Grooming

Medical Problems in Grooming Image, The Academy of Pet Careers

Assessing Medical Problems   Most of the dogs that we groom see the groomer more often than they see their vet. It’s important for us as groomers to be an additional set of eyes. During grooming we often find problems that owners weren’t aware of or we take a closer look at something that they’re…

Read More

9 Tips to Improve the Longevity of Your Grooming Career

Longevity Of Your Grooming Career Image, The Academy of Pet Careers

The grooming job is hard work. We can take steps to keep ourselves healthy and strong and to be able to continue grooming as long as we would like. I’ve accumulated the following 9 tips to help you improve the longevity of your grooming career.   1. Ear Protection The noise from dryers, shop vacs,…

Read More

Talking to Owners About Behavior Problems In Grooming

Groomer Talking To Owner Image, The Academy of Pet Careers

When we’re grooming a dog who is stressed, scared, aggressive, or even overly silly the risk of an accident or injury goes up. For many years the grooming industry has completed trims and grooms on dogs without doing much about the behavior problem. It’s common for our customers to think that it’s our job to…

Read More