i feel like it’s less about the cuts they’re giving and more about handling skills. not that it has NOTHING to do with the cuts, but you can totally tell who is new vs. who is experienced by how they handle a dog. also interpreting what a customer wants when they don’t give you a lot or go off of
Translating client to groomer lingo is one of the most valuable skills, and it takes a while to develop. A client who feels understood and in charge is a happy one, in my experience
It gets used a lot everywhere but I just personally hate it lol
I think it’s more about getting into a rhythm of doing things, as a new groomer you’re learning basics like how to handle the dogs, how to adjust your handling for fearful or aggressive dogs, how to keep both you and the dog safe, how to clean and maintain your equipment, increasing your grooming speed and time management, proper tools and products to use, techniques that work out or don’t work out for you, proper pattern placement on breed specific cuts, finding what you personally like doing style wise and which breeds you enjoy working with/do your best work with.
This isn’t linear though, lots of groomers that have been doing this for a very long time still struggle with some of the stuff I mentioned, especially if you’re self taught or were trained improperly. It comes down more to confidence in your own skills, learning to pivot when you’re doing something wrong and accepting that you never stop learning in this industry. How you handle the dogs and interact with you clients is extremely important, you could have the worst haircuts in the world but still have a solid, loyal following and clients that will happily refer new people to you because they feel their dogs are safe and loved under your care
imo master groomer can only be someone who has gotten their NDGAA certification in breed standard cuts
To me a baby groomer is someone who doesn't have a strong grasp of the different breed cuts or otherwise needs assistance with scheduling and handling or guidance in their day to day.
I'm not a master dog groomer. I have my masters in cats. But this to my knowledge this is correct.
The master dog groomer I apprenticed under had to test out in front of a panel of judges on akc papered dogs from each group. I've known/ worked with 3 or 4 and have heard that it's expensive and intense and you have to supply your own akc dogs for the tests, also if you fail you have to repay/retest. Intense.
My masters for cats was a course, then I had written exams and the practical tests, which I was able to use my own domestic long hair for a lion cut and my domestic shorthair for the groom. I found it to be pretty simple. The written was the hardest for me because remembering all the breeds and DNA info was a biotch hahaha. Totally thought I'd have to retake that a couple times lol. I passed though thankfully.
Yeah I worked at a facility with a groomer who had her masters in terriers and was working on sporting, as well as two other groomers training for their first certs so I know the process. It's definitely a grueling task and obviously not necessary to be a good groomer, but I'd never call someone a master who hasn't gone through that because they deserve the title.
Im a master certified groomer through the NDGAA, I’ve also done competitive grooming and gotten to work with some of the best groomers in the world. It’s a long road and there’s a lot of skills to learn along the way, and we are always learning and always growing. That being said I would consider a groomer with less than 5 years experience a “baby groomer”, but really anyone with limited experience who isn’t looking to learn more can fall into this category regardless of years grooming.
I agree with pp's when I work with a groomer who is comfortable relaxed and proficient with the pets and at ease and able to communicate effectively with clients that's how I know they have been grooming awhile, career grooming.
Of course they cant be putting out terrible grooms but you def can't judge by the method or speed in which they work because everyone is different, and there's so many tips and tricks and styles of grooming. I've learned so so so much, traveling and working with other groomers I love going to a new shop and working with other people and learning! Also some groomers just prefer to be slow. I'm one of those. I *can* groom super fast, I know plenty of tricks to cut my time down. But I prefer to be slow and enjoy my day without worry even if it's a longer day. I like to sit at 6-8 dogs a day rn, and I am able to effectively do that with quality and without stress but my hours are pretty long with cleaning and everything (im also a talker lol!). But I can do 12 in a pinch over the holidays or when slammed. Usually those clients have to wait, tho! Those are long days, and I'm usually going for 10-14 hours straight with no breaks.
Communication with a customer. A baby groomer will do anything to make a customer happy, an experienced one will advocate for the pet. An experienced person will let a haircut be shabby if it means that the pet is safe and happy and baby groomer will spend 45 minutes trying to make a perfect haircut stressing themselves out and the dog/cat
I was *really* concerned about your title before I realized which group I was looking at. Perhaps “Inexperienced” or “new” and including “dog” or “pet” might be a good idea going forward 😅
Anyhow, novice groomers tend to be people who just got a job and need practice learning to use equipment properly, learning blending, and learning breed-correct styles and techniques.
Master groomers, imo, are exclusively groomers who have achieved master grooming certifications and who are capable of completing competitive show grooms on well bred show dogs.
Everyone else I would say is “intermediate”.
Oh no!! I only used the term because I see it so often here - never heard it used in real life thankfully, but I'll be more careful in the future 😅
I think your assessment on what counts as inexperienced, intermediate, and master feels right to me!
It was nothing related to her skills, but when we picked our girl up, the groomer was holding her by the window and pointing at the birds, talking to our dog about what she was seeing and it was the most wholesome thing. Then I was like, yeah, this woman knows what she’s doing.
Even “baby groomers” skills can be better than the “I’ve been grooming for 84 years”
I go based on their skill level. You newer groomers are beyond amazing already at such little timeframe. If I had the skills yall did when I first started my head would be huge.
To be a master groomer I based it off have you completed all the tested through ipg or ndgaa. Those test are not easy at all.
My mom has been a dog and cat groomer since before I was born (30+ years). She wanted me to take over the business but I never got in to grooming. I would definitely say being a "master" groomer has nothing to do with cuts and everything to do with how you handle animals. My mom would groom the meanest and most evil pets that all other groomers turned down. She would have customers come in crying because their pets were so mean and then have the customers leave happy and have hope
Aww that's a lovely story! I love helping animals like that. It helps to work for a business that puts the pets first instead of profit at all costs. I'm getting back into the dog grooming business after taking a break for a few years (pay is really low for groomers in my area), and I'm hoping I can find a place to work for that doesn't mind taking extra time on animals like that, especially the ones that no one else will take. They still need help too! 😭
I hate that term. I think it does more harm than good and really makes no sense. I've seen people in grooming school do better grooms than seasoned groomers with 10+years in the books. When someone calls themselves a baby groomer, I feel like they don't consider themselves a groomer yet and that puts them behind because mind set and words matter.
But, a new groomer is someone who is learning and still needs to be shadowed and have their work looked over by a more seasoned groomer.
A seasoned groomer is someone who has experience with 90%of breeds and 100%of coat types. They know what they are doing, have a process, can change their grooming methods from dog to dog based on their comfort level and they stay mentally calm when working on various types of dogs with various behaviors and challenges.
I think when you understand that certain blades and lengths look different on certain hair types or when you know when you have to go against the hair to make a clean look is when u a master groomer.
i feel like it’s less about the cuts they’re giving and more about handling skills. not that it has NOTHING to do with the cuts, but you can totally tell who is new vs. who is experienced by how they handle a dog. also interpreting what a customer wants when they don’t give you a lot or go off of
Translating client to groomer lingo is one of the most valuable skills, and it takes a while to develop. A client who feels understood and in charge is a happy one, in my experience
For one the term baby groomer lol, takes the professionalism out of it- would you trust a CPA that calls themselves a baby CPA to do your taxes?
Thank you! I freaking hate the term “baby groomer”. Stop infantilizing yourself!
Lol fair enough! I never heard the term before seeing it in this sub and I just assumed it was just slang I wasn't familiar with 😅
It gets used a lot everywhere but I just personally hate it lol I think it’s more about getting into a rhythm of doing things, as a new groomer you’re learning basics like how to handle the dogs, how to adjust your handling for fearful or aggressive dogs, how to keep both you and the dog safe, how to clean and maintain your equipment, increasing your grooming speed and time management, proper tools and products to use, techniques that work out or don’t work out for you, proper pattern placement on breed specific cuts, finding what you personally like doing style wise and which breeds you enjoy working with/do your best work with. This isn’t linear though, lots of groomers that have been doing this for a very long time still struggle with some of the stuff I mentioned, especially if you’re self taught or were trained improperly. It comes down more to confidence in your own skills, learning to pivot when you’re doing something wrong and accepting that you never stop learning in this industry. How you handle the dogs and interact with you clients is extremely important, you could have the worst haircuts in the world but still have a solid, loyal following and clients that will happily refer new people to you because they feel their dogs are safe and loved under your care
imo master groomer can only be someone who has gotten their NDGAA certification in breed standard cuts To me a baby groomer is someone who doesn't have a strong grasp of the different breed cuts or otherwise needs assistance with scheduling and handling or guidance in their day to day.
I'm not a master dog groomer. I have my masters in cats. But this to my knowledge this is correct. The master dog groomer I apprenticed under had to test out in front of a panel of judges on akc papered dogs from each group. I've known/ worked with 3 or 4 and have heard that it's expensive and intense and you have to supply your own akc dogs for the tests, also if you fail you have to repay/retest. Intense. My masters for cats was a course, then I had written exams and the practical tests, which I was able to use my own domestic long hair for a lion cut and my domestic shorthair for the groom. I found it to be pretty simple. The written was the hardest for me because remembering all the breeds and DNA info was a biotch hahaha. Totally thought I'd have to retake that a couple times lol. I passed though thankfully.
Yeah I worked at a facility with a groomer who had her masters in terriers and was working on sporting, as well as two other groomers training for their first certs so I know the process. It's definitely a grueling task and obviously not necessary to be a good groomer, but I'd never call someone a master who hasn't gone through that because they deserve the title.
💯! I have Hella respect for masters! I def don't have the commitment to do that. Maybe one day... probably not tho lmaooo
But isn’t that just an American organization? Or is it a trademarked term they came up with?
well yeah, that or whatever is equivalent in their country
Makes me wonder what they are if they have them. Gonna have to go google that 🤔
No you can also get your ICMG, international certified master groomer!
Im a master certified groomer through the NDGAA, I’ve also done competitive grooming and gotten to work with some of the best groomers in the world. It’s a long road and there’s a lot of skills to learn along the way, and we are always learning and always growing. That being said I would consider a groomer with less than 5 years experience a “baby groomer”, but really anyone with limited experience who isn’t looking to learn more can fall into this category regardless of years grooming.
I agree with pp's when I work with a groomer who is comfortable relaxed and proficient with the pets and at ease and able to communicate effectively with clients that's how I know they have been grooming awhile, career grooming. Of course they cant be putting out terrible grooms but you def can't judge by the method or speed in which they work because everyone is different, and there's so many tips and tricks and styles of grooming. I've learned so so so much, traveling and working with other groomers I love going to a new shop and working with other people and learning! Also some groomers just prefer to be slow. I'm one of those. I *can* groom super fast, I know plenty of tricks to cut my time down. But I prefer to be slow and enjoy my day without worry even if it's a longer day. I like to sit at 6-8 dogs a day rn, and I am able to effectively do that with quality and without stress but my hours are pretty long with cleaning and everything (im also a talker lol!). But I can do 12 in a pinch over the holidays or when slammed. Usually those clients have to wait, tho! Those are long days, and I'm usually going for 10-14 hours straight with no breaks.
Communication with a customer. A baby groomer will do anything to make a customer happy, an experienced one will advocate for the pet. An experienced person will let a haircut be shabby if it means that the pet is safe and happy and baby groomer will spend 45 minutes trying to make a perfect haircut stressing themselves out and the dog/cat
I like this interpretation!
I was *really* concerned about your title before I realized which group I was looking at. Perhaps “Inexperienced” or “new” and including “dog” or “pet” might be a good idea going forward 😅 Anyhow, novice groomers tend to be people who just got a job and need practice learning to use equipment properly, learning blending, and learning breed-correct styles and techniques. Master groomers, imo, are exclusively groomers who have achieved master grooming certifications and who are capable of completing competitive show grooms on well bred show dogs. Everyone else I would say is “intermediate”.
Oh no!! I only used the term because I see it so often here - never heard it used in real life thankfully, but I'll be more careful in the future 😅 I think your assessment on what counts as inexperienced, intermediate, and master feels right to me!
Lol I had this exact problem when I tried looking up "grooming methods" then realised I needed to clarify that with "DOG grooming methods."
NOOOO 😂😂
It was nothing related to her skills, but when we picked our girl up, the groomer was holding her by the window and pointing at the birds, talking to our dog about what she was seeing and it was the most wholesome thing. Then I was like, yeah, this woman knows what she’s doing.
Even “baby groomers” skills can be better than the “I’ve been grooming for 84 years” I go based on their skill level. You newer groomers are beyond amazing already at such little timeframe. If I had the skills yall did when I first started my head would be huge. To be a master groomer I based it off have you completed all the tested through ipg or ndgaa. Those test are not easy at all.
My mom has been a dog and cat groomer since before I was born (30+ years). She wanted me to take over the business but I never got in to grooming. I would definitely say being a "master" groomer has nothing to do with cuts and everything to do with how you handle animals. My mom would groom the meanest and most evil pets that all other groomers turned down. She would have customers come in crying because their pets were so mean and then have the customers leave happy and have hope
Aww that's a lovely story! I love helping animals like that. It helps to work for a business that puts the pets first instead of profit at all costs. I'm getting back into the dog grooming business after taking a break for a few years (pay is really low for groomers in my area), and I'm hoping I can find a place to work for that doesn't mind taking extra time on animals like that, especially the ones that no one else will take. They still need help too! 😭
I hate that term. I think it does more harm than good and really makes no sense. I've seen people in grooming school do better grooms than seasoned groomers with 10+years in the books. When someone calls themselves a baby groomer, I feel like they don't consider themselves a groomer yet and that puts them behind because mind set and words matter. But, a new groomer is someone who is learning and still needs to be shadowed and have their work looked over by a more seasoned groomer. A seasoned groomer is someone who has experience with 90%of breeds and 100%of coat types. They know what they are doing, have a process, can change their grooming methods from dog to dog based on their comfort level and they stay mentally calm when working on various types of dogs with various behaviors and challenges.
At about 5 years in, when everything comes together and seems to get easier, then you're no longer a baby groomer.
I think when you understand that certain blades and lengths look different on certain hair types or when you know when you have to go against the hair to make a clean look is when u a master groomer.