A dog groomer is a person who tends to the physical appearance of a dog. They take care of their cleanliness as well. Dog groomers are necessary for people who have expensive breeds of dogs. Their hygiene has to be maintained impeccably and a dog groomer is necessary for that. A dog groomer takes good care of the dog’s fur. They cut it neatly and according to what the owner is asking for. Dog grooming requires special skills since management of a dog’s eccentricity is also to be taken care of. Here we will see about Salaries For Dog Groomer.
The range of salaries of a dog groomer is not very wide. They earn somewhere between $20000 per year to $43000 per year. The salary of a dog groomer can depend on a lot of factors. Whether the person has their own business or works for someone else influences their salary. The salary also depends on the breed of dog the person grooms. The more expensive the dog breed, the higher a person will earn for professionally tending to it.
The factors on which the salary of a dog groomer depends are explained in detail below:
Company in which a groomer works:
While most companies offer somewhere around the national average of $38000 per year to dog groomers, there are exceptions. Companies like: “Little brown dog pet groomer”; “Urban dog pet groomer”; “THE DOG HOUSE pet groomer” offer salaries well over $60000 per year. Other companies like: “Groomit for pets” offer more than $45000 per year and “Wagging tails LLC pet groomer” offers more than $55000 per year to their employees.
If the dog groomer is self-employed:
While working for a company is a stable job, it comes with its own disadvantages. A dog grooming company always takes a commission on the groomer’s income. That is somewhere around 50%. Hence, the groomers are not able to make more than $38000 per year except in a few select companies. However, if a dog groomer has his own company, he gets to keep 100% of his income. That will result in a yearly salary of $75000 if not more. However, opening one’s own company involves a lot of risks. If proper research is not done before going into the venture, the decision may backfire. To open an individual business, a person should also preferably be well educated. Groomers just starting out have to spend on travel as well. This is because dog grooming start-ups generally lack buildings to house their businesses. The groomers who travel hence put a charge of $25 to customers. It may take some time for a groomer to have a building for business.
Education
Being a dog groomer requires certain educational qualifications. An apprenticeship is necessary along with a high school degree. The training program lasts for around 6 to 10 weeks. During these training programs, they learn various things. They learn how to handle different moods of dogs. They learn about the various manes or furs the dogs possess. They then learn how to groom different types of furs. The most basic of their knowledge requirements is to learn about all the various species or breeds of pet dogs. Each dog has different grooming requirements and the training covers all these techniques. The “International Professional Groomers Inc” conducts a test. “International model of pet grooming distinction” is obtained by those who pass with more than 70% in this test. With more than 86%, they are given the “International certified master groomer” accolade. The more qualified a groomer is, the more their chances of being hired by an upscale company. With better education comes better knowledge regarding opening an individual business. Also, with more educational qualifications, chances of getting hired individually become higher as well. All these influences the salary of a dog groomer.
Experience
Experience plays a very important role in determining the salaries of dog groomers. As entry-level work, a dog groomer is not allowed to do anything except bathing and dry a dog. As the groomer gains experience, he is allowed to tend to the mane of the dog. He is allowed to cut it in different styles once he has gained enough trust with experience. One very important aspect of dog grooming is tending to the dog’s emergency medical needs. They have to give emergency CPR to the dogs if and when the need arises. A dog owner will not entrust a rookie with their dog’s health. Hence, proper experience is required. Hence, with more experience, a bather transitions into a stylist. With even more experience, a stylist transitions into even more specialized grooming. Each level has more earning potential than the one before it.
Location
Generally, in crowded cities, the pay of a dog groomer is higher than in less crowded places. This is because affluent people generally tend to live in cities with greater working opportunities. In other words, the higher the cost of living in a city, the higher the pay of a dog groomer working in that city. A few cities with the salary a dog groomer can expect to earn in them are mentioned below
• Los Angeles, California- $42200 per year
• San Diego, California- $40900 per year
• Phoenix, Arizona- $40300 per year
• Chicago, Illinois- $41800 per year
Many of these cities house the high-paying dog grooming companies mentioned at the beginning of the article. The pay in different cities also depends on the various dog breeds commonly available there.
Dog breeds
The salary of a dog groomer will obviously depend on the breed of dog they are given to groom. The most expensive dogs to groom are:
• Tibetan Mastiff- have luxurious fur which is very difficult to maintain
• Golden retriever- fur expensive to maintain
• Chow Chow- costs a lot to keep their luxurious coat free from tangles
• Old English sheepdogs- they have shaggy fur which is very difficult to maintain
Conclusion
Dog grooming is a good career option for those living in the USA. They have the luxurious tendency to have expensive pet dogs and will spare no expense to groom them properly. The national average of $38000 per year is a good enough salary to attract new talents in this field. Also, the job has a certain appeal to it since it involves the handling of animals. Through this article we have learned about Salaries For Dog Groomer.
