Some people love animals and want to spend as much time as possible with them. They might decide to become veterinarians, looking after sick animals. How else can people care for animals as a career? One way is to become a pet groomer and to help animals look their best. For people who like animals, a career as a pet groomer can be a good choice.

If you have your own dog, you probably give it a bath and brush its fur regularly. Some dogs, such as poodles, need haircuts occasionally, but dogs that shed their fur also need help with keeping their coats clean and untangled. Cats usually clean themselves up, but even they sometimes need help. You might be able to take care of your pet at home, but sometimes animals need more care. That’s where pet groomers can help. They bathe animals, dry and brush their fur, and give haircuts if necessary to dogs, cats, and other animals. About half of Canada’s trained groomers work with people’s pets, but others work with farm animals and sometimes even with the animals in zoos.

Because their work can vary widely, animal groomers need many different types of training. Graduation from high school is a basic requirement, and many groomers need to complete a training course in their field. For pet groomers, this training might include special techniques for keeping animals quiet and calm without hurting them, as well as practice in grooming styles. Many people also complete an apprenticeship, in which they work together with an experienced groomer and learn what they need to know for their careers. When they have finished their training, they are ready to look for work.

Working with animals can sometimes be challenging. Pet groomers often have to lift heavy dogs onto tables and deal with animals that dislike the whole process. Has your dog or cat ever run away when you tried to give it a bath? Pet groomers have to deal with the same types of problems, and being bitten or scratched is common. Just keeping an animal on the grooming table requires patience and a certain amount of strength. Pet groomers need to understand how to keep animals calm and how to deal with the problems that they encounter.

For many groomers, the chance to work with the animals that they love is what counts the most. Would you like to work with animals every day?