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Instructors with a wealth of knowledge, years of experience, and certifications including an International Certified Master Groomer.
Students graduate certified in pet CPR & First Aid.
A completely hands-on learning environment that allows students to learn with an instructor present and able to give immediate guidance.
Our graduates have had a job placement success rating of 97 – 100% for the past 15 years.
Our Basic Grooming Program is a 400 hour program that covers all aspects of grooming from bathing and drying to breed profile haircuts. You complete the program being both capable and confident to secure a job in the grooming industry.
The Pet Grooming Plus Program is a 600 hour program that takes your grooming education to the next level. In addition to all the skills covered in the Basic Grooming Program, the Pet Grooming Plus Program focuses on the more advanced skills of hand-scissoring and hand-stripping. In addition, students gain more in-depth knowledge of pet care and the grooming industry through additional class lectures
In addition to being a school, we also offer full service all-breed pet grooming. All of the grooming is done by the students who are supervised by the instructors. Our grooming services are scheduled by appointment Monday – Friday and we typically schedule in 3-4 hour time blocks.
What a Dog Groomer Does
People underestimate the role a dog groomer plays in a dog’s life.
Most of them think that all the groomers do is clean dogs.
Don’t underestimate this job because it’s tightly connected with a dog’s health.
Every grooming session starts with a full examination.
Groomers report to owners if they notice something wrong with the dog.
This is a way of preventing bigger troubles, e.g. skin diseases, from turning serious.
When a dog has to see a vet, that’s usually something that could have been prevented, but wasn’t.
If there aren’t any visible skin or coat conditions, you may proceed to the actual grooming.
Here are the steps of a normal grooming process:
Don’t be surprised if the owner asks you to paint the dog’s nails, color its hair, or do a unique cut.
These are all normal requests that can be done using techniques learned from grooming school.
What you won’t learn is how to take care of your workstation and tools.
Common sense kicks in at this point because you need to work in a tidy and clean environment.
A groomer is no groomer without its special grooming tools!
You simply can’t have a grooming treatment without using clippers, brushes, trimmers, and so on.
Sure, techniques like hand stripping and hand scissoring will help you get rid of a matted coat.
But how on Earth can you trim a dog’s nails or give its coat a final styling?
So better sure you’re equipped with the following tools:
Keep an eye on this list because it could help you a lot if you’re starting your own business.
Setting up everything from the scratch is hard, but cheat sheets like this one are a true treasure.
Finishing grooming school opens many doors to great job positions.
Try inquiring at these local establishments and sending your resume:
It’s not important where you work as long.
What matters is you like what you’re doing and you’re happy seeing dogs look their best.
Further, not all dog groomers are the same.
Many prefer working on tough cases like rescue dogs, while others find joy volunteering at animal shelters.
That’s why this industry lets you pick out the side you’re most comfortable working at.
Not a lot of careers can brag about that fact.
There are many factors that determine a groomer’s salary in Michigan.
Your skills, education, specialization, and the area of working all play a significant role.
However, the money you earn here in Michigan is actually good compared to the nearby states.
According to Salary.com, the average annual wage here is $35,701 as of January 2022.
And the range typically runs from around $29,000 to $44,000 a year.
Here’s how much your baseline salary will be if you belong to a certain percentile.
Percentile | Salary |
10% | $23,283 |
25% | $29,201 |
50% | $35,701 |
75% | $44,501 |
90% | $52,513 |
Of course, if you’re a big city groomer, you will have a fatter paycheck.
Similarly, smaller cities offer smaller wages.
So if you’re working in a big grooming salon, your payment will be much higher than those from a dog shelter.
Check our list of salaries of all of the Michigan cities to know the potential pay in your area.
Who knows, maybe your city is a treasure mine for dog grooming!
Dog Groomers’ Employment and Salary in Michigan
There are many places where you can find a job as a newly certified dog groomer.
These facilities include:
As a dog groomer, you will have a higher salary if you choose to work for yourself.
Your job opportunities will also be better if you work for a big company or are located in a big city.
This is also the case if you have some years of experience in the field and a lot of credentials.