Love Dogs? Learn How To Start A Dog Grooming Business For The Ultimate Career

If you’re a massive dog lover, then no career can beat one that involves working with these furry friends. Imagine going to work every day and interacting with loads of different puppies and doggos. It sounds like a dream come true – so how do you make it a reality? 

There are many dog-related career paths you could go down. Obvious ones include becoming a vet or a dog walker. However, training to be a vet takes a lot of time and money – and it’s extremely emotionally draining. Being a dog walker is easier to get into, but the money isn’t that great. 

You want something that splits the two and gives you a fulfilling career in the dog world, and starting a dog grooming business is the perfect answer. Dog groomers can charge a decent amount of money for their services, plus you get to clean and play with all sorts of dogs every single day. How can you get started? Let’s explore the essential steps in starting a dog grooming business! 

Gain the necessary training

Have you ever groomed a dog before? You’ve probably washed your dog and maybe trimmed its nails, but that’s not grooming. Proper grooming involves loads of skills that the average dog owner doesn’t have. You don’t need a licence or a degree to become a dog groomer, but it’s extremely beneficial to go on some dog grooming courses to learn and develop the right skills.

These courses give you 1-on-1 training with real dogs, so you start understanding the complexities and difficulties of training. It’s also an excuse to refine your skills, if you have some grooming experience already. 

While anyone can technically set up a dog grooming business, it’s better if you’ve got a proper diploma to show off. This gives prospective clients more confidence in your business and skills – they’re more inclined to book their dog in with you than a groomer that doesn’t have a dog grooming diploma.  

Determine your business model

How will you provide dog grooming services? It’s such an easy question, yet it stumps you for a moment. What’s the best way to run a business like this? Firstly, it depends on what you want to get out of this business. Is it a side hustle, or do you want this to be your primary source of income?

Your answer matters because it determines which business model makes the most sense. If this is just a little side hustle, then there’s no point paying to rent a dog grooming salon. It’s far smarter to provide mobile dog grooming where you go to people’s homes and provide your service. 

Conversely, it could make more sense to rent a salon or convert part of your home into a dog grooming salon if this is a full-time business idea. Having a fixed location makes it easier to drive clients to your business, so you’re not constantly running around from appointment to appointment. 

Work on a pricing structure

After figuring out your business model, you need to work on a pricing structure. Two big questions stand in your way: 

• How much should you charge?
• What services should you offer?

Carry out some general research to see the average cost of dog grooming in your area. Apparently, it’s currently around £43 across the UK – according to Asda Money – but expect some fluctuations. This gives you a base understanding for how much your service should cost. 

Then, you should think about different pricing tiers and options, almost like a car wash. You know when you get your car valeted and they offer just an outside wash, outside/inside wash, additional wax polish, etc. Each service adds something extra, which increases the price. You could do this with dog grooming by adding extra things to your price tiers – some additions could include the use of special dog grooming products, trimming the dog’s fur and so on. 

In an ideal situation, you’ll end up with this: 

• A suite of different services with various features
• Price options for each service based on dog sizes

That last little thing is important to keep in mind – it’ll always take longer to groom a big dog than a small one, so you need to charge a little bit extra for this. 

Arm yourself with the right equipment

This is the fun part! Head online and look for all the equipment you need to start a dog grooming business. Again, part of this depends on your business model – for example, if you’re a mobile business, you’ll need a portable dog grooming table, a portable bath, etc. 

Some other common items include: 

• Clippers and scissors designed for dog fur
• Lots of dog-safe towels for drying
• Shampoos and conditioners made for dogs
• Ear-cleaning wipes or tools
• Dog nail clippers

The more you go down this rabbit hole, the more equipment you discover. It’s generally never a bad thing to be over-equipped – if you’ve got more tools than the average dog groomer, you can theoretically do more for your clients.

Spread the word

After all of the previous steps, you’re ready to set up your dog grooming business. There’s one final problem in the way: does anyone know about your business? You need to spread the word through a carefully planned out marketing campaign. 

Start with a website to drive online traffic, but focus on word-of-mouth when you’re just getting started. This is likely to be a local business, so get friends and family to recommend and share your business with others. You could also offer some of your closest friends/family free dog grooming sessions to get the ball rolling. This will let you generate some positive reviews and create photos for your website/social media accounts. 

As word spreads, you’ll soon get plenty of customers eager for you to clean and neaten up their doggos! 

Why spend your whole life working without fulfilment? It’s time to finally do something you love! If you’re passionate about dogs and would love to make your life revolve around them, then dog grooming is a great career to go down. Pursue it as a side hustle or make it your full-time job. 

Top photo by benjamin lehman on Unsplash