Dog groomer
Help dog owners keep their pet's coat healthy and looking good. Advise them about coat care, grooming and diet.
About the job
What it's like
You would help dog owners keep their dog’s coat healthy and looking good. You’d advise them about coat care, grooming and diet.
You’d need to be confident with dogs and be able to handle the animals firmly but gently. You’d have to be patient with them so you can calm and control nervous dogs.
With each owner, you would discuss the grooming they would like, whether the dog is used to being groomed and the best way to handle the animal.
It would be important to start by checking for any sore areas or lumps on the dog's skin, and for fleas or parasites.
You would then:
carefully shape the dog's coat with electric clippers or a stripping knife
shampoo and dry the dog's coat
give it a final trim with scissors
Sometimes you would also clip the dog's claws and clean its teeth and ears.
You would often follow standards for how different breeds should look – for example, poodles are usually clipped to a particular shape. This is particularly important when dogs are being prepared for a show.
Hours
In a dog grooming salon, you would usually work around 35 hours a week, Monday to Saturday, with one day off during the week. If you were self-employed, you would arrange your own working hours.
Environment
The work can be quite physically demanding with larger breeds. It can also be dusty and hairy, and would not be suitable for some people with certain allergies.
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Related industries
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Top skills
Skills are things you're good at. Whether you know what yours are or not, everyone has them!
It's useful to learn which ones are important in a job so you know the areas you need to brush up on. It can also help you work out if you're suited to a career.
Top specialised skills
These are the top specialised skills that have been found in job vacancies across Scotland. From March 2024 to March 2025.
- animal care
- animal welfare
- animal handling
- pet ear cleaning
Meta skills
Here are some of the meta skills you'll need to do this job.
- reliable
- attention to detail
- social conscience
- empathising
- creative
- cooperating
- positive attitude
- persevering
Your skills are important
Our unique skillsets are what make us stand out from the crowd. Learn about each skill in depth and discover what employers look for in your applications and interviews.
Getting in
Explore each section to find more information about getting into this career.
Colleges and universities will list subjects you'll need for entry to a course. Some useful subjects include:
Skills for Work: Rural Skills
There are no formal entry qualifications for this role however some employers may ask for applicants to have a good general education (SCQF Level 3-5).
Previous experience with animals.
Work-based qualifications such as a Scottish Vocational Qualification in Animal Care (SVQ Level 2/3).
As many dog groomers are self-employed, it could be useful to have qualifications and experience in:
customer services, such as Skills for Work: Retailing (SCQF Level 5)
enterprise such as SQA Enterprise and Employability SQA Awards (SCQF Level 4/5)
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