How to Become a Dog Groomer: Training, Cost and Pay
There are four routes into dog grooming: trade school, a corporate academy at a chain like Petco or PetSmart, a salon apprenticeship that starts you as a bather, or teaching yourself. Most take two to six months. No U.S. state requires a grooming license, so the decision comes down to time, money, and how you learn.
How do you become a dog groomer?
Every working groomer arrived by one of four routes, and they suit different circumstances. Trade schools give you structured breed-cut instruction and a certificate in a few months, but you pay up front and earn nothing while you study. Corporate academies reverse that — Petco trains groomers through an 800-hour, 20-week program and pays them through it, in exchange for a work commitment. Apprenticeships put you on a salon floor as a bather and let you learn handling from someone experienced, which is slower and the most realistic about what the job actually is. Self-teaching costs the least and demands the most: you have to find your own dogs to practice on.
| Route | Typical length | Cost | Paid while training | What you finish with |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corporate academy (Petco) | 800 hours / ~20 weeks | None — you are paid | Yes | Certification, usually a work commitment |
| Salon apprenticeship | 6–12 months | None | Yes, usually as a bather | Experience, no formal credential |
| Home study (Paragon) | Self-paced | From $1,299 per level | No | Certification, one level at a time |
| Online program (Animal Behavior College) | ~12 months | $3,499 paid in full | No | Certificate, toolkit included |
| Trade school (in-person) | 8–16 weeks | Varies widely by school | No | Certificate, breed-cut instruction |
| Self-taught | Varies | Tools only | No | Skills, no credential |
Published prices as of August 2026: Animal Behavior College lists $3,499 paid in full for its grooming program with the toolkit included, or monthly plans from $190.59. Paragon School of Pet Grooming sells its certification by level, starting at $1,299. In-person trade schools vary too much by region to quote a useful range, so ask each one for a total that includes tools and exam fees. A headline tuition number usually leaves both out.
How long does it take to become a dog groomer?
Most structured programs run 8 to 16 weeks. Petco's is longer at 800 hours across roughly 20 weeks, because it is paid and includes floor time. Animal Behavior College's online route takes about 12 months, since you study around a job.
Those numbers describe how long it takes to finish a program, which is a different question from how long it takes to be good. Groomers generally describe a first solid year of full-time work before breed cuts feel routine and a difficult dog stops ruining the afternoon. Plan for the program, then plan for the year after it.
What qualifications do you need to be a dog groomer?
Legally, in most of the United States: none. Grooming is not a licensed trade at state level, which is why the four routes above all lead to the same job.
Credentials still matter, because clients and salon owners use them as a shortcut for judging skill. The ones that carry weight are the AKC professional grooming credential and certification from a recognized school. Pet CPR and first-aid certification is the one worth doing regardless of route — it is short, inexpensive, and it is the credential that reassures an owner handing over an anxious dog.
How hard is it to become a dog groomer?
The grooming is learnable. The dog handling is the part that separates people who last from people who leave.
A full day is six to eight animals, some of them frightened, arthritic, or unwilling. You are standing throughout, working with sharp tools on a moving target, and reading body language continuously to catch stress before it becomes a bite. The physical toll is real — wrists, shoulders and lower back are the common complaints. Learning to recognize a dog that has had enough, and to stop, is a genuine skill and takes longer than learning a breed cut.
Is becoming a dog groomer worth it?
Financially, it depends on how you set the work up rather than how well you groom.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the median annual wage for animal caretakers — the category that includes most groomers — at $33,470 in May 2024, with the top 10% above $46,480 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). That bucket includes a lot of part-time kennel and daycare staff, so it reads low for experienced groomers. Self-employed and mobile groomers with a full book regularly clear far more. We covered the full picture in how much dog groomers make.
Set the two numbers side by side. The most expensive route in the table is $3,499, and two of the six cost nothing because you are paid while you learn. Against a $33,470 median, $3,499 is about five and a half weeks of gross pay. Grooming is one of the cheaper skilled trades to enter, and it is one of the few where the fastest route in also pays you.
What do groomers earn beyond the grooming itself?
Once you are working, clients ask you what shampoo to use, what brush suits a double coat, and what helps an itchy dog. That advice is part of the job from your first month, and most groomers give it away.
Americans spent more than $158 billion on their pets in 2025 (American Pet Products Association). Some of that spending follows recommendations made at a grooming table. A groomer can stock a retail shelf, which takes cash and space, or curate an online storefront of the products they recommend and share the link with clients. Here is how pet professionals earn from the products they recommend.
FAQ
How many hours does it take to become a dog groomer?
Structured programs run 8 to 16 weeks. Petco's paid academy is 800 hours across roughly 20 weeks. Online routes such as Animal Behavior College take about 12 months studied part-time. Competence at the table generally takes a further year of full-time work.
What qualifications do you need to be a dog groomer?
No US state licenses grooming, so there is no legal requirement. Clients and employers look for a certificate from a recognized school or the AKC professional grooming credential. Pet CPR and first-aid certification is worth holding whichever route you take.
Is becoming a dog groomer worth it?
It suits people who want a hands-on trade with a fast route in and control over how they work. BLS puts median pay for animal caretakers at $33,470, though self-employed and mobile groomers commonly earn well above that. Earnings track how you price and structure the work more than how long you have been grooming.
How hard is it to become a dog groomer?
The cutting is learnable in a few months. Handling frightened or difficult dogs safely takes longer, and the physical demands of standing all day, on wrists, shoulders and back, are what most people underestimate.
Do you need a license to be a dog groomer?
Not in most of the United States. A few municipalities require a general business license to operate, so check locally before you open your own salon or mobile service.
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