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Animal lovers in Georgia have a relatively easy way of earning a good income if they decide to become dog groomers.
This guide will help you discover the steps you must take for this endeavor so that you’ll get started as soon as possible.
Article Table of Contents
Ideal Candidate
Just like with any job, there’s an ideal candidate for a future dog groomer as well.
Loving animals is not enough.
Earn your accredited, affordable Pet and Dog Grooming Certificate online with Penn Foster in as little as 2 months!
You’ll also need these qualities:
- Patience
- Good at communicating
- Tidy and organized
- Able to stand for prolonged periods
- Compassion
- Detail-oriented
- Strong enough to handle animals
- Dexterity
The best candidate for the job will have to be comfortable working with a variety of animals and their owners.
Depending on where you work, you’ll have to work with other types of animals, most commonly being cats.
Job Duties and Responsibilities
A dog groomer helps maintain the health of the pets they handle.
Sometimes, they can discover health issues early on, and owners can tackle them before is too late.
This means these professionals have to alert the owners should they notice something wrong.
However, most of their duties are limited to:
- Bathing
- Brushing, combing, and styling the dog’s fur
- Trimming away tangles in the fur
- Cleaning the eyes and ears of the animal
- Trimming the animals’ nails
While you groom animals, accidents can happen.
Should the animal get injured, you’ll have to know what to do:
- To calm the animal down
- To stop the bleeding
Not all injuries are as serious, but the pet’s owner needs to know about it, as well as what to do to avoid infection, minimize pain, and speed up the healing process.
Training and Certification
Like most other states, Georgia has no requirement when it comes to the schooling of future dog groomers.
To increase your credibility, you have several options if you are interested in getting some formal training.
However, your learning process won’t end once you graduate.
You’ll learn more about:
- General pet grooming
- Grooming dogs
- Dog behavior and appearance based on breed
- Grooming cats
- Controlling and subduing the animal
- How to use the most common tools, such as clippers and scissors
- Running a pet grooming business
There are some really short programs available, as well as programs offered online.
The training period will be filled with assignments and skills tests.
Employment and Salary Information
A good idea to find employment is to start applying for a job while still in training.
You can start with any of these businesses:
- Animal shelters
- Vet offices
- Pet stores
- Kennels
In Georgia, pet and dog groomers earn a median salary of $33,570 per year, based on their skills and experience.
The location of your workplace can influence how much your paycheck will be, and this aspect includes the city you’re in.
These cities with higher salaries include Atlanta, Athens, Roswell, and Alpharetta, though many factors influence how much you’ll earn.
Annual Salary Range:| Location | Avg. Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| Atlanta | $34,323 |
| Augusta | $32,261 |
| Columbus | $31,348 |
| Macon | $32,230 |
| Savannah | $32,435 |
| Athens | $34,080 |
| Roswell | $34,193 |
| Warner Robins | $32,133 |
| Albany | $31,895 |
| Alpharetta | $34,145 |
Regional Salary in Georgia
| Region | Employed | Avg. Annual Salary | Avg. Hourly Pay | Top 10% Annual Salary | Bottom 10% Annual Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albany, GA | 110 | $26,030 | $12.51 | $36,060 | $16,940 |
| Athens-Clarke County, GA | 450 | $34,040 | $16.36 | $48,160 | $21,690 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | 5,970 | $29,640 | $14.25 | $38,880 | $22,420 |
| Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC | 420 | $29,390 | $14.13 | $38,530 | $21,740 |
| Brunswick, GA | 70 | $27,140 | $13.05 | $42,660 | $22,400 |
| Columbus, GA-AL | 190 | $26,110 | $12.56 | $33,280 | $20,620 |
| Gainesville, GA | 140 | $29,170 | $14.02 | $35,820 | $21,930 |
| Macon, GA | 100 | $29,790 | $14.32 | $38,850 | $22,480 |
| Rome, GA | 60 | $26,190 | $12.59 | $30,270 | $18,740 |
| Savannah, GA | 400 | $29,550 | $14.21 | $38,790 | $22,430 |
| Valdosta, GA | 90 | $25,550 | $12.28 | $31,460 | $18,630 |
| Warner Robins, GA | 140 | $27,770 | $13.35 | $38,450 | $21,370 |
* Employment conditions in your area may vary.
Dog Grooming Schools in Georgia
| School Name | Address |
|---|---|
| Blossom's Grooming Salon | 1368 Housers Mill Rd, Fort Valley, GA 31030, |
Earn your accredited, affordable Pet and Dog Grooming Certificate online with Penn Foster in as little as 2 months!
Additional Information
You can become a dog groomer at any point in your life, no matter your background.
You don’t even have to perform this occupation full-time, and you’ll meet many folks using this trade as a second source of income.
Read the full guide: How to Become a Dog / Pet Groomer
Dog Grooming by State
I do not have a high school diploma or Ged. However I worked as an uncertified Vet Tech/Surgery Tech/Vet asst/ kennel tech in a vet office for 8 years learning all I could from a very respected Vet!! Most recently I have worked for the past 2 years as a kennel tech/ groomers asst (for uncertified groomer) at a boarding kennel! I love animals and most seem to really love and respect me in return! I am thinking of my future since I have 3 children 1 that is still kind of young and depends on me to work and pay the bills. Working for anyone is never guaranteed so therefore I thought having something to secure our future would be in my best interest and why not something I already love and know the basics of as well as have had some experience with!!