What is it like to be a pet groomer ?

Have you ever thought about what it's like to be a pet groomer? Is sincere love for animals enough? How to be a professional in this field?

I am not only a dog breeder but also a groomer for more than 35 years. On my 16th birthday, I got my first dog - a Silver Poodle named Kika. I loved her so much, but I could not afford to take her to a professional grooming salon. I decided to learn about poodle grooming myself so I could take care of my beloved Kika. Soon I received great compliments about Kika’s look, and people started to ask me to groom their pets too. Two years ago, I established the Tauro Grooming Academy where I teach other groomers about the technique of this profession and help to solve difficult cases (e.g., alopecia, atopic dermatitis, seborrhea, etc.). 

Being a professional groomer is hard and responsible work. It is not enough to just learn how to bathe and groom the pet. A grooming specialist is one of the TOP 3 people who receive clients’ questions about the issues of a pet’s looks or health (the veterinarian is usually in the first place and the breeder is in the second). To become a professional in this field, you have to refresh your knowledge constantly, be able to identify different types of fur and use products accordingly, be able to recognize skin and coat problems and solve them, help the client to take care of the pet, and a very important part - educate your client on general pet care and well-being.

Insights from Groom Expo 2022

Recently my team and I participated in Groom Expo 2022. It is the world’s largest grooming show, welcoming thousands of pet professionals. Groom Expo hosts dozens of educational seminars, exciting grooming competitions, and a weekend packed with extra events to meet and mingle with fellow pet professionals. We came here as grooming equipment, tools, and pet product developers and presented our Tauro Pro Line grooming system. I believe that effective grooming system contains natural and pet-safe coat care products, innovative equipment and professional tools which makes the grooming process more convenient not only for the groomer but also for the pet.

While participating in Groom Expo, I marked a few insights about groomers in the US. First of all, it is a respected profession, requiring specialized education. I admire that groomers are treated like serious specialists who are able to solve problems and improve the pet’s welfare. I experienced that pet owners highly trust groomers and are ready to provide the pets with the best conditions despite the price. But what fascinated me the most is that groomers are a strong and unified community that willingly shares knowledge and advice, discusses, participates in competitions together, and constantly improves their competencies. I’m sure that this point of view is a healthy way for a grooming specialist to grow. It perfectly corresponds to my teaching philosophy as well: I believe that professional groomers should help each other instead of competing. That’s why I want to share my knowledge and discoveries with you.

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