How to Become a Dog Groomer in Florida

Becoming a dog groomer in Florida is relatively easy.

You’ll learn more about the profession and how to get started if you continue reading this guide.

Ideal Candidate

You should love spending a lot of time surrounded by animals and their owners.

Additionally, you should be:

• A patient person
• Compassionate
• Detail-oriented
• A tidy person
• Good at communicating
• Able to stand for longer periods

Job Duties and Responsibilities

It’s important to know that dog groomers play a pretty important role in the animal’s health.

During the grooming process, they can notice various issues that can lead to serious health problems if nobody attends to them.

Therefore, you’re expected to inform the owner of these issues if you do notice them.

Your main duties are:

• Bathing and fur drying
• Cutting, styling, and clipping fur
• Clipping nails
• Cleaning ears and eyes
• Choosing the right products based on breed, size, and possible allergies

A dog groomer will often work with cats well, especially long-haired cats.

The types of animals you’ll work with will depend on your workplace.

It will be your responsibility to know how to and be able to handle animals:

• With different personalities
• With a variety of fur types
• Of considerably different sizes and shapes

Knowing how each animal is different will ensure the procedures are performed safely.

A very skilled person will know how to make the pet look its best according to the wishes of its owner.

Training and Certification

Florida doesn’t have requirements related to licensing or certification.

It is a good idea to become certified as many employers will prefer the candidates that got certified.

You will have to enroll in a training program before earning your certification.

While in training you’ll learn more about:

• Dog grooming in general
• Inspecting the animal
• Preparation techniques
• Handling the pet
• The tools of the trade
• The standards for dog breeds
• The basic and correct techniques to use
• Cat grooming

Some of the shortest programs last for as little as two months.

Some of the programs are offered by institutions that also offer dog training.

Depending on the provider, those enrolled in the programs can even receive some basic tools for their future careers.

Even though you complete the training and pass the exam, you’ll still learn as long as you practice as a pet groomer.

It is also possible to focus your skills on a single breed of dog, or just a few of them that have similar coat textures.

Employment and Salary Information

The easiest way of getting hired is to apply to one of the following businesses:

• Animal shelters
• Vet offices
• Pet stores
• Kennels

In Florida, dog groomers earn on average $32,963 per year, depending on their skills and experience.

There are many cities in which the median income is higher than the state average.

These cities include Miami, Tampa, Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, and Hialeah, though many factors influence how much you’ll earn.

Regional Salary in Florida

Dog Grooming Schools in Florida

Additional Information

It is common for pet groomers to run independent businesses, usually on the side or during the weekend.

If you want to start a business in this industry, pet grooming training can also teach you how to run it.

Dog Grooming by State