ANIMAL GROOMING BAG106

Learn how to make your pet look good or study for a career in the animal grooming industry.


Pet owners are spending more and more on grooming their pets, whether for show or because they want them looking clean, smart, and healthy.

  • Being able to groom animals is a way for you to care for your own animals or even set up your own business grooming other people's animals.

COURSE STRUCTURE AND LESSON CONTENT

There are 10 lessons in this course:

 

Lesson 1. Scope and Nature of Grooming
  • Introduction to grooming behaviour.
  • Why do humans groom animals?
  • What animals are groomed?
  • Generic grooming tasks.
  • Common tools and equipment.
  • Combs, brushes, rakes, blades and other equipment.
  • Confidently handling animals Introduction.
  • The industry and workplace opportunities.
  • Workplace skills.
  • Accessing the right information online.
Lesson 2. Animal Biology
  • Skin – Epidermis & Dermis.
  • Claws, Nails and Spurs.
  • Hair.
  • Horns.
  • Hooves.
  • Physiological control – Homeostasis.
  • Thermoregulation.
Lesson 3. Caring for the Skin and Coat
  • Animal nutrition.
  • General nutrition.
  • Micronutrition.
  • Water requirements.
  • Common skin problems in dogs and cats.
  • Ringworm – fungal infection.
  • Flea and flea control.
  • Ticks and tick control.
  • Lice and control.
  • Mites (mange) and control.
  • Treating skins problems in dogs and cats.
  • Common skin problems in equines.
  • Caring for the coat – brushing, bathing, blowdrying, dematting, clipping, trimming.
  • Removing burrs from fur.
  • Caring for cats – combing, brushing and bathing.
Lesson 4. Specialised Grooming Tasks
  • Risks of working with animals.
  • Selecting a suitable grooming location.
  • Understanding animal psychology and behaviour.
  • The flight or fight response.
  • Environmental Influence on behaviour in zoo animals.
  • General considerations when handling animals.
  • Pre-restraint techniques.
  • Physical restraint.
  • Medical restraint – sedation.
  • Safely handling different animals when grooming: dogs, cats, cattle, poultry, rabbits, captive wildlife.
  • Handling Horses: Safe and Respectful.
  • Catching, releasing, leading, tying up and working around the horse.
  • Indicators of pain, mild fear and extreme fear.
  • Transporting horses.
Lesson 5. Handling Animals
  • Risks of working with animals..
  • Selecting a suitable grooming location.
  • Understanding animal psychology and behaviour.
  • The flight or fight response.
  • Environmental Influence on behaviour in zoo animals.
  • General considerations when handling animals.
  • Pre-restraint techniques.
  • Physical restraint.
  • Medical restraint – sedation.
  • Safely handling different animals when grooming: dogs, cats, cattle, poultry, rabbits, captive wildlife.
  • Handling Horses: Safe and Respectful.
  • Catching, releasing, leading, tying up and working around the horse.
  • Indicators of pain, mild fear and extreme fear.
  • Transporting horses.
Lesson 6. Grooming Dogs
  • Communication in dogs.
  • Use of scent.
  • Barking & body language.
  • Grooming different types of dogs.
  • Long Coat types.
  • Short coat types.
  • Single coat types.
  • Double coat types.
  • Smooth coat types.
  • Wire haired coat types.
  • Woolly or wavy coat types.
  • Corded coat types.
  • Bald or hairless coat types.
  • Brushing and bathing care.
  • Clipping and styling.
  • Grooming procedures that can go wrong.
  • Cutting toenails too short.
  • Cuts or nicks when clipping.
  • Overheating.
  • Water trapped in the ear canal.
Lesson 7. Grooming Exotic Animals
  • Grooming birds.
  • Handling birds.
  • Beaks.
  • Feathers.
  • Bathing birds.
  • Grooming rabbits.
  • Handling.
  • Moulting.
  • Transporting.
  • Grooming captive wildlife.
  • Bathing small and large mammals.
  • Handling large animals and exotics.
  • Dangerous animals.
  • Fear of humans.
  • Issues with handling animals.
  • Psychological effects of different handling techniques.
  • Grooming areas.
Lesson 8. Safety in a Grooming Workplace
  • Safety for people and staff – workplace health and safety.
  • First aid.
  • Legislation and duty of care.
  • Safety of animal owners and visitors to the premises.
  • Protective equipment.
  • A groomer’s personal protection.
  • Equipment and workplace safety.
  • Storage and disposal of chemicals.
  • Handling Tools and Machinery.
  • Safety with tools and equipment.
  • Safety audit.
  • Example of an audit checklist.
  • Safety for animals and people.
  • Transportation.
  • Safety of the animal at the salon.
  • Electrical safety – at home and the groomers.
  • Slip risk – wet surfaces.
  • Cat and dog allergies.
Lesson 9. Preparing for Showing
  • What is animal showing?
  • Why do people show pets?
  • Showing dogs.
  • Training your show puppy.
  • Preparing for show – dogs.
  • Days and evening before the show.
  • The day of the show and in the ring.
  • Showing – dress to impress.
  • Showing poultry.
  • Getting started – selecting your breed and buying your birds.
  • Preparing birds for show.
  • The day before the show.
  • The day of the show.
  • Showing cattle.
  • Preparing cattle for show.
  • In the show ring on the day.
Lesson 10. The Business of Grooming Planning a new grooming business
  • The business plan.
  • Financial planning.
  • Long term goals.
  • Medium term goals.
  • Annual financial plan.
  • Financial records.
  • Commonly used finance related terminology.
  • Cash flow.
  • Make the business a success – know your market.
  • Insurance and risks – risk analysis and managing risk.
  • Groomers insurance.

Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.

 

Duration: 100 hours

 

COURSE AIMS

  • Discuss the scope and nature of grooming animals, including the animals that are commonly groomed, the situations in which they are groomed, equipment that is used and the tasks carried out by a groomer.
  • Describe external anatomical structures and physiological processes of animals which are relevant to grooming.
  • Describe how to manage the coats of different types of animals.
  • Discuss tasks used in grooming animals that are supplementary to grooming the coat.
  • Describe a range of techniques used to control a variety of different types of animals during grooming.
  • Compare grooming techniques used for different types of dogs.
  • Describe a range of techniques used to groom a variety of different types of animals other than dogs.
  • Determine protocols for safety of both animals and groomers, when grooming different types of animals
  • Explain how to groom dogs, cats, horses and a variety of other animals for a show.
  • Explain how to establish or improve a grooming business to be more successful.

 

WHAT YOU WILL DO

  • Undertake research and find an organisation which cares for animals other than companion animals. Investigate the role of animal groomers in caring for the animals in their facility.
  • Go to a local pet shop, feed store, livestock equipment stockist or wholesaler and view the range of grooming equipment for sale. You should take photographs of any equipment you view.
  • Watch a number dogs being clipped – coat trimming. You may watch these in person at a grooming facility or you may opt to watch these online if attending a grooming salon is not possible. You should make notes on how the dogs are handled, communicated with and treated by the professional groomer.
  • Attend a show and observe animals being groomed, ahead of judging. If you cannot attend a show in person, search the internet and watch videos of animals being groomed for competition at shows.
  • You should go through the process of bathing an animal you have access to. After bathing you are expected to dry the animal in an appropriate way for that particular animal. Once dried you should undertake further grooming actions suitable for the animal e.g. ear cleaning, cleaning out the hooves, sponge cleaning the eyes etc. (whatever is relevant to the animal).

 

START AT ANY TIME

With more pet ownership than ever before, there has never been a better time to get into the animal grooming industry. This course is a great first step along the path to working as a groomer or starting your own business.

You can start the course at any time - you can enrol today!

  • The course is studied by distance learning - you can study when you want to and from wherever you want to.
  • You are supported in your studies by our expert tutors - they will mark your assignments and give you feedback, and they are onhand to help with any questions you may have whilst you are studying.

If you have any questions - get in touch with us today on (UK) 01384 442752, or (International) +44 (0) 1384 442752 or use our FREE COURSE COUNSELLING SERVICE.