Hi from San Antonio, Texas

[GabZilla]

HI Everyone!
I am really happy to have found this website. I am VERY interested in starting a career in pet grooming. I really want to have my own shop someday.
I would really like to meet new people and have them tell me about their experiences.
I am very lost on where to start?
If there is anyone out there reading this , can you tell what you did?
They don't seem to offer a pet grooming school here in San Antonio , Texas.
Would it be a good idea to get a job at a Petsmart or Petco as a grooming assistant?


Hope to make some new friends and maybe find a mentor.

A new friend,
Gabby

[Debbiedogs]

Hi! And welcome!

Sometimes you have to post again if no one answers, because sometimes the time frame is just a bit off, and people are busy, and then your post gets a bit lost.

However, there have been many discussions on here about learning from one of the big box stores. It can be good or bad, depending on the people in the specific store. Also, when they send you to school, you will likely have to sign a contract to work there for a certain length of time OR pay them to get out of the contract. A couple of people posting here have paid to get out of the contract so they could start their own place and make more $$. They found it to be worth it to do that. Others have enjoyed the store they were at, made good $$, and had paid holidays and a health plan!! So it would depend on the specific situation.

I think it would be worth working at a decent store to help you find out if this is a good career for you. You would start as a bather, I guess. Find out from the store what the process is. Others may tell you of some schools, but whether you go to a school or learn on the job, the learning part is just the basics!! It's just the beginning! There is much more to learn after you get the foundation stuff under your belt, so I think you should start wherever you can and go from there.

Enjoy!

[GabZilla]

HI Debbie Dogs!

Thank you so much for replying to my post. It was great to read it. It made me feel great!
You gave me a lot of great advice and I hope to find more people like you on here.
Thanks so much again for the wonderful advice.

Gabby

[itsgot2bme]

Welcome to the forums and congrats on deciding on pet grooming as a career!

How I got started:
I started bathing for a PetSomething (not allowed to identify employer) and ended up getting training through them. After I was trained I did not have a good experience with my salon so about 1 and half years after I started grooming I left and have now started my own salon.

There's tons of information here and I would say read everything you can in the Career Seekers forum.

[GabZilla]

Cool!
Thanks for replying to my post! I really look forward to people talking to me and sharing their experiences.
IT's great to know that you started at one of the big corporate stores and then moved on to open your own salon. That it what I would really like to do one day.

Thanks. Hope to keep in touch.

Welcome to the forums and congrats on deciding on pet grooming as a career!

How I got started:
I started bathing for a PetSomething (not allowed to identify employer) and ended up getting training through them. After I was trained I did not have a good experience with my salon so about 1 and half years after I started grooming I left and have now started my own salon.

There's tons of information here and I would say read everything you can in the Career Seekers forum.