Curriculum - Dog Grooming School ABC’s Grooming Instruction Program is designed to offer each student the convenience and cost of a home-study program with the added benefit of working with a professional groomer in an actual grooming facility or mobile grooming environment.

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• Written Curriculum

Our comprehensive curriculum consists of 11 stages. The written portion of the grooming school curriculum includes over 900 pages of Study Guides containing pertinent information. Each stage is full of highly relevant and detailed information providing you with the tools needed to pursue a career in the grooming industry.

• Grooming Tools

In addition to the written materials, you will receive a plethora of grooming tools, including clippers and blades, brushes and combs, shears, nail clippers, and so much more! These items will provide you with the opportunity to learn and become familiar with the common tools of the trade that you will encounter and use throughout your grooming career. The grooming tools will be useful during your hands-on training and well into your career as a professional pet groomer.

The first stages of the curriculum give you a strong foundation and understanding of dog grooming and cat grooming along with the responsibilities you will encounter working in a grooming shop as a pet or dog groomer. Once your foundation has been established, you will be given the opportunity to work in an actual pet grooming setting. You will work closely with an ABC Mentor Groomer to gain real life experience as you move closer to launching your new animal career.

Study from the Privacy of Your Own Home
What makes ABC stand out from other professional groomer schools? When you choose to enroll in ABC's unique Grooming Program of study, you can keep your present job while completing your grooming training. The ABC Grooming Instruction Program brings the classroom to your living room and neighborhood, which means no added expenses will be incurred for housing at a distant grooming school and no time will be wasted with commuting back and forth to campus every day.

Flexible Hours
You can study around your current work or school schedule making this program a custom fit. With this flexibility, the normal completion time is 52 weeks.

Personal Program Manager
The first portion of the program is done in the privacy of your home; however, you will not be alone. An ABC Program Manager will be appointed to you upon enrollment and they will be with you every step of the way! They will be there to guide you through the program, counsel you, answer all your questions, and grade all your exams. Your personal Program Manager will contact you shortly after enrollment to get acquainted and welcome you into the program. At that time, you will be given the Program Manager's toll free number and email address for future interactions and assistance as you journey to become a professional groomer.

Curriculum Description by Stage
Here is a brief overview of the ABC Certified Groomer Training Curriculum

Stage 1 – INTRODUCTION TO GROOMING - 28 Days (2.00 Units)
This stage educates students on the introductory knowledge of the grooming industry. You will learn about the origination of grooming and how it has developed over the years. You will also learn about the anatomy of a dog and cat, including the proper movement of the joints, which will be prove to be beneficial when needing to groom areas that require you to move an animal’s leg, tail, etc. Included in this stage, you will find information on the breed groups and the common temperaments for each group. Additionally, this stage discuses ergonomics and ways in which to perform tasks without causing any strain or damage to your own joints and muscles.

Stage 2 – A GROOMER’S TOOLKIT - 21 Days (4.67 Units)
This stage is designed to introduce the student to the many types of grooming tools. These include: clippers and blades, brushes and combs, shedding aids and de-matting tools, shears, nail clippers, shampoos and conditioners, tables, dryers and much more. Students will learn how to maintain their tools and what the benefits are for using each item. Whether or not every tool is used, it is critical for students to have a basic understanding of each tool and how to properly utilize it should they need to use it during their grooming career.

Stage 3 – HEALTH & SAFETY - 14 Days (4.67 Units)
In this stage, students are taught about the importance of how to maintain a safe work environment for themselves and other pets in the grooming shop. You will learn the fundamentals of animal restraint and handling. Additionally, as groomers are generally the first to notice any health problems with an animal, you will also be educated the common skin and medical disorders, how to identify them and how to report them to the pet’s owner.

Stage 4 – DOG GROOMING DETAILS - 14 Days (2.00 Units)
In this stage, students learn how to conduct the preliminary steps in the grooming process. Your studies will range from nail trimming, ear cleaning, eye care and how to remove eye stains to cleaning wrinkles and dental care. You will also learn about finishing touches, such as how to create and apply bows and bandanas.

Stage 5 – BATHING, BRUSHING AND DRYING - 28 Days (6.00 Units)
This stage contains invaluable information on how to properly bath, brush and dry dogs based upon their coat type. Not all dogs have the same type of coat, so it is important that you learn about the different techniques and procedures for grooming dogs depending on their coat.

Stage 6 – CLIPPER USE & SCISSOR CONTROL TECHNIQUES - 14 Days (4.00 Units)
Two of the most common tools you will use in your career as a grooming professional are clippers and shears. This stage was designed to provide you with the essential knowledge on how to utilize and master them both. Clipper instruction includes how to properly hold clippers, clipping patterns, how to remove a dog’s coat and ideas for desensitizing a puppy or dog new to grooming. Scissoring skills you will become knowledgeable with consist of how to choose the right shear, how to hold your shears, basic scissoring skills and finishing techniques through the use of hand-scissoring.

Stage 7 – BODY STYLES & BREED SPECIFIC CUTS - 35 Days (6.67 Units)
This stage focuses on educating you on different body styles for dogs. Once you are knowledgeable of the different style of cuts for a dog’s head, stomach, legs, tail, etc., you will learn how to incorporate them all for specific breed cuts. You will be educated on how to complete grooming cuts for some of the most common breeds, including the Poodle, Shih-tzu, Yorkshire Terrier and Schnauzer.

Stage 8 – CAT GROOMING - 28 Days (6.67 Units)
In this stage, you will learn the fundamentals of cat grooming. A key factor that sets ABC’s Grooming Program apart from other grooming schools is our educational materials contain viable information on how to groom cats. You will learn the pertinent skills needed to become a cat groomer, including how to properly handle and restrain felines, bathing, brushing and drying techniques, dental care and clipping excess fur. With your cat grooming education, you will be able to set yourself apart from other groomers by offering feline services that many of your competitors won’t.

Stage 9 – BUSINESS BUILDING - 21 Days (5.33 Units)
This stage explores the business side of the grooming industry. Your education will consist of valuable information regarding starting your own grooming shop or mobile grooming business, including how to create a business plan, how to create a budget and how to successfully market your business using a variety of techniques. Additionally, this stage will provide you with the skills and information needed to work as an employee in the pet industry, including resume writing, job search skills and interviewing techniques.

Stage 10 - EXTERNSHIP - Up to 21 Weeks (3.33 Units)
Upon reaching Stage 10, you will have the unique opportunity to reinforce your studies by practicing what you have learned in a grooming facility. Unlike other programs that generally charge in excess of $8,000 for a hands-on program, we include this rewarding and educational experience at a fraction of the cost as an essential part of the ABC learning experience. We believe that a hands-on component will provide each student with a better understanding and working knowledge of what is expected of a groomer in the working world.
As a student, you will be evaluated on your aptitude for performing the tasks expected of a professional groomer. This stage allows you the opportunity to put what you have learned into practice. The externship consists of 100 hours of unpaid work experience which combines grooming basics with mastery skills while assisting a professional groomer with their four-legged clients.

Stage 11 – FINAL EXAM & GRADUATION - 14 Days (3.33 Units)
The Final Exam is given once your course work and externship have been successfully completed. You will review all of the material presented in the previous stages to prepare for the final. This review time is allotted for you to re-read and study the various concepts that have been taught. The Final Exam is designed to test your overall knowledge of skills required to become a professional groomer and will cover all areas of the curriculum.

Continuing Education Courses
 
ABC is also proud to provide supplementary Continuing Education Programs (CEPs) to graduates of our Grooming Instruction Program. ABC’s vastly informative CEPs were created due to our ongoing efforts to ensure that our students receive the most comprehensive and well-rounded education possible well after graduation. Each CEP is jam-packed with remarkably valuable, up-to-date and relevant information that enhances the student’s knowledge in the animal industry. Once students have become an ABC Certified Professional Groomer, they are provided with the exciting opportunity to gain additional information on working with dogs and cats. The CEPs are available for purchase at the time of enrollment, during the program, and at graduation.

Pet Sitting and Dog Walking
The animal industry is continually growing with new ways of caring for our pets. Two of the fastest growing animal services are pet sitting and dog walking. Using our decades of experience in the pet industry, ABC has created a Pet Sitting and Dog Walking Continuing Education Program (CEP) to help you offer this invaluable service to pet owners in your area. This CEP contains 400 pages of detailed material written by Wendy Bedwell-Wilson, author and former editor for Pet Product News International. Topics range from identifying and understanding body language, canine, feline and avian behavior, basic nutrition and hygiene, creating mental and physical stimulation, building relationships with your clients’ pets, personal and home owner safety, creating and maintaining schedules, walking a dog calmly on-leash, building clientele, and much more!

Upon completion of this course, you will have a new and highly sought after service to provide to your existing and future clients. With the knowledge of the ins and outs of creating a Business Plan and Budget, how to properly build client relationships, as well as the expertise of caring for a variety of pets, you will have a highly sought after service to provide to your clients and their pets with fur, feathers and scales.

Professional Grooming School

 We invite you to click through our site or speak with an ABC Admissions Counselor at:
 
1-800-795-3294
 
or Request Information on Becoming a Professional Groomer