Dog groomer

You would help dog owners keep their dog’s coat healthy and looking good. You’d advise them about coat care, grooming and diet.

You’d need to be confident with dogs and be able to handle the animals firmly but gently. You’d have to be patient with them so you can calm and control nervous dogs.

With each owner, you would discuss the grooming they would like, whether the dog is used to being groomed and the best way to handle the animal.

It would be important to start by checking for any sore areas or lumps on the dog's skin, and for fleas or parasites.

You would then:

• carefully shape the dog's coat with electric clippers or a stripping knife

• shampoo and dry the dog's coat

• give it a final trim with scissors

Sometimes you would also clip the dog's claws and clean its teeth and ears.

You would often follow standards for how different breeds should look – for example, poodles are usually clipped to a particular shape. This is particularly important when dogs are being prepared for a show.

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