Is it hard to be a dog bather? Essential Tips

You Must Be Patient, You Must Be Kind

Communicating with a canine is very different from that of another person.

You can’t tell a dog that a dryer is only loud, not painful. Or that clipping their nails can be quick and painless if they’d just hold still. They simply wouldn’t understand.

Each animal you come into contact with will have a unique back story and a different reaction to your tools. This is why its important to ask questions when performing the initial assessment. At the beginning of every appointment, you’ll inquire about the dog’s past and current health and check the skin for lumps and bumps. You’ll observe the eyes, ears, and teeth for abnormalities, and make sure that the pet is fit for service.

This means that the animal can stand on its own, walk on a leash, and be handled without a muzzle. If at any point during check-in you feel that the dog cannot be groomed safely, its at your discretion to turn them away. You should never feel pressured to put yourself in any dangerous situation.

On the other hand, you should keep in mind that a pet’s behavior around their parent may be very different from how they’d act without anyone familiar around. More often than not, once they’re alone in the salon with no one to console them except for you, a dog will usually calm right down. They’ll likely need some reassurance, so move slow, speak in a soft, calm voice, and give them a little time to relax before diving right into clipping their nails or bathing.

Whatever happens, remember to be kind. If you find yourself getting frustrated with an animal, take a break. Groomers and bathers alike have their bad days, and when they’re feeling overwhelmed, their dogs probably are too.

Recognize your limits, and if you need help, ask for it!

What Does a Dog Bather Do?

As a dog bather, your duties focus on washing dogs in a pet grooming facility, animal spa, or boarding venue. In this job, you wash dogs using pet cleaning products, blow dry and then brush their fur, and provide care until their owner picks them up. Some bathers groom dogs themselves, while others focus on washing services and leave other professionals to post-bath grooming tasks. Depending on where you work, you may have additional responsibilities, such as offering nail trim services or tooth cleaning. In addition to pet facilities, dog bathers can work in pet stores or boarding kennels.

Nearby Dog Bather Jobs Within 25 miles of Los Angeles, CA

Is it hard to be a dog bather?

Is it hard to be a dog bather?

Is it hard to be a dog bather?

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WORK DAY IN MY LIFE: DOG BATHER EDITION

1. Proper grooming starts with understanding what a dog was bred to do. Grooming isnt just aesthetic — every part of a dogs haircut has a purpose, including the head floof. For example, poodles were bred to be sporting and hunting dogs. You know those pom-poms on their hips? Those are designed to keep their joints warm in cold water.

2. Dog baths are even nicer than the ones you give yourself. We usually spend an hour bathing our dogs. We start off by cleaning their ears and giving them a blueberry facial, which is a concentrated face wash. Ill do a clay mask on dogs who have skin issues. Then I choose the shampoo and conditioner to match the dogs coat type, and I give all our dogs an argan oil face mask. Then comes the blow-dry, fluff, and style. I also love to finish with a dry argan oil to keep the follicles hydrated and detangled.

3. Some groomers go to dog-grooming school, but youll learn a lot more on the job. You dont need a certification to work as a groomer, but there are schools that will teach you the basics and certification programs like International Professional Groomers or National Dog Groomers Association of America. I once met a girl who took an online grooming class, and I thought that was bonkers. I spent a year working as a bather (the person who washes the dogs and prepares them for their haircut), and it allowed me to work my way up to actually grooming within a few years. Figuring out how to hold scissors was really hard at first, but you pick it up over time if you practice.

4. Grooming equipment can get really expensive. Any hairstylist can tell you that the better your tools, the better the result—and dog grooming is no different. I spend about $400 per shear, and I have 10 pairs (two of each type I use, in case I need to send one in for sharpening). The clippers are about $200 and the clipper blades are $30 each. Those need to be replaced every year or so, depending on the use.

5. Its harder than human hairstyling and doesnt pay as well. The average dog haircut cost about $65, which isnt much considering how much goes into grooming. Groomers make less than hairstylists, and dog haircuts take twice as long. Hairstylists also dont have to deal with trimming their clients butts and feet.

6. Dogs feel calm when you feel calm. Its true that dogs pick up on your energy. I try to keep my studio very zen: I have a diffuser that spritzes calming essential oils, like chamomile and sandalwood. There are no ringing phones, no barking dogs. I try to meditate twice a day to keep my own energy in check. If I can tell a dog is especially nervous, Ill bring my own dog into the room to hang out and doze off. When they see a mellow, sleeping dog, they feel a little safer. For dogs that are especially skittish, I try to gain their trust by showing them that I understand them. For example, Ill give them a little heads up and slide my hand down their arm to pick up their paw to clip their nails, instead of just grabbing their paw. Sometimes it takes pups a few visits to relax, but over time, I hopefully gain their trust completely.

7. Just like a hairstylist needs to understand hair texture, groomers need to understand the differences in dogs coats. There are many different types of coats — long, like a Yorkie; short, like a pit bull, and everything in between. (For mutts, you can determine their coat type by looking at it and feeling it.) They regulate the dogs temperature and protect the dogs skin from the outside world, so its very important to properly care for them. Each coat type requires different amounts of oils, and youll use different tools to groom them too.This content is imported from youTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.Tegan and Sara – 100x [OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO]

8. Sometimes, the dogs get a little out of control. There are always going to be dogs that are badly behaved or poorly trained. When that happens, I just take deep breaths and try to get through it, and then I ask the owner to take the dog on an extremely long hike before their next appointment with me. I also ask owners not to “baby talk” their dogs, which will rile them up. If a dog is really crazy or panicked, Ive suggested clients use a mobile groomer instead who can come to their house and groom the dog there. Its not good for me or the dog to be in a situation where the dog is fighting my every move.

9. Its not uncommon to accidentally clip a dog. People accidentally cut dogs all the time, whether with the scissors or the nail trimmers. Fortunately, that hasnt happened to me in years, but it did when I first started. Sometimes groomers accidentally get water in the dogs ears, which can create an ear infection. Its so important to take your time, especially when youre starting out. Its a good idea for groomers to take CPR and first aid classes to know how to react in an emergency, and if a dog is accidentally nicked, I call the owner and ask if they want me to take the dog in to the vet. Fortunately, thats only happened a few times in the 17 years Ive been working with dogs.

10. People will ask you to do ridiculous things, but you dont have to say yes. Sometimes people want me to dye their dogs hair. If they have a black dog, I definitely wont do that, because it would require bleaching the dog first. I did do a beautiful “sunset” dye on a white Pomeranian, where we did a yellow head, faded to orange in the middle, and then hot pink on the rear and red on the tip of the tail. That was an unusual request, but it was my most beautiful dye job ever.

11. Working with cute dogs all day is even more fun than you expect. I started an Instagram for my grooming business to show off my dogs, because they are seriously so cute and fun. Its so cool to get to spend my whole day with pups. And its only gotten better since I started working for myself: I have my own space, theres no one rushing me, and the room feels so cozy. Its so rewarding to pamper the dogs and make my human clients happy: They drop off their stinky dog and at the end of the day, they get back a gorgeous, clean fluffball.

12. You dont have to be perfect. For a while, I felt like I had to groom every dog perfectly. If there was even a single hair out of place, I would need to fix it. I grew out of that, thanks to the time I was working at this shop and one of our groomers left, and all of a sudden, I had to take on double the amount of clients. At one point, I was doing 22 dogs in a day — it was crazy. I realized that I could not hand-scissor the perfect cylinder legs on every dog. So I learned to be groom my dogs more efficiently. They still looked amazing, but I had to get over the fact that they werent “perfect.” But the truth is, clients dont care (or cant tell) if their dogs are “perfect.” They just want their dog clean, healthy, happy, and cute — and I can do that every single time.

Jess Rona is a dog groomer in Los Angeles. This year, she directed a music video for Tegan and Sara, based on her popular Instagram videos of the dogs she grooms.