Dog Grooming Academy: Your Career Path to Becoming a Professional Groomer
_______________________________________________________________
Best Dog Grooming Academy in Texas!
Hands-On Dog Grooming Training for a Professional Career in Dallas
Do you have a passion for animals and dream of caring for and working with them every day? Are you looking to build a professional dog grooming career, work in a grooming salon, or eventually start your own dog grooming business and make a living doing something you love?
You have come to the right place. Hound Therapy’s Dog Grooming Academy provides comprehensive, hands-on training designed to prepare students for a successful career in the professional dog grooming industry.
Our dog grooming program goes beyond learning how to groom. Students gain real-world experience while learning the skills, techniques, safety practices, and business fundamentals needed to become confident professional groomers. For those who dream of owning a grooming business, the program also provides valuable insight into the day-to-day realities of operating a successful salon.
Each class builds practical, hands-on experience—from proper handling, bathing, drying, nail care, and coat preparation to clipper work, scissoring, breed patterns, finishing techniques, and working with real client dogs.
Starting a new career in dog grooming takes more than a love for animals—it takes education, practice, patience, and hands-on experience. Our comprehensive training combines instructor demonstrations, classroom education, video tutorials, homework, and extensive hands-on practice to help students develop the skills and confidence needed for a professional grooming career.
Program Curriculum
Dog Grooming Basics
At Hound Therapy Dog Grooming Academy, professional training starts with a strong foundation in dog grooming basics. Students learn how to safely handle and work with different dog breeds, understand individual coat and grooming needs, and confidently explain professional grooming services to clients.
Students are introduced to the terminology and techniques used by professional dog groomers while developing essential skills in bathing, brushing, drying, coat preparation, nail care, trimming, and basic grooming. Training also emphasizes pet safety, recognizing changes in a dog's skin, coat, behavior, or overall condition, and knowing when a concern should be brought to the pet owner's attention.
Our program goes beyond grooming techniques. Students gain hands-on, real-world experience while learning the professional and business skills needed to build a successful career in the dog grooming industry. Whether the goal is to work in an established salon, become a mobile dog groomer, or eventually open a brick-and-mortar grooming business, our curriculum is designed to build the skills, confidence, and knowledge needed to succeed.
$4,000 Bathing & Washing (3 months)
$8.500 Professional Grooming (5 months)
$4,000 Master Grooming (3 months)
#1) Bathing & Grooming Foundations | $4,000
440 hrs
This course runs approximately three months, depending on the student’s skill level, experience, and progress. During this segment, students build a strong foundation in professional dog grooming through hands-on training and real-world experience.
After completing this course, students will have developed:
- A basic understanding of safe nail trimming
- Fundamental clipper skills and blade knowledge
- Basic scissoring techniques
- An understanding of different breed coats and coat types
- Knowledge of professional bathing, drying, grooming, and trimming tools
Proper bathing and drying are the foundation of a quality professional groom. Students learn the essential steps for safely bathing and drying dogs of different breeds, coat types, sizes, and temperaments. Training includes shampooing, conditioning, coat preparation, ear cleaning, nail care, drying techniques, and selecting the appropriate products and equipment for each dog.
At Hound Therapy Dog Grooming Academy, students don't just learn these skills in a classroom—they practice them hands-on in a real working grooming salon. Students learn about professional grooming products and equipment, different shampoos and conditioners, flea and tick protocols, and how to recognize potential skin and coat concerns that should be brought to a pet owner's attention.
What makes our dog grooming training different is the real-world experience. Students work with real dogs and encounter the situations professional groomers face every day. Our instructors teach students how to safely problem-solve, adapt their techniques, and build the confidence needed for a successful professional dog grooming career.
#2) Professional Grooming | $8,500
720 hrs
This course runs approximately five months, depending on the student’s skill level, experience, and progress. Building on the grooming foundations learned in the previous segment, students advance into full professional dog grooming with extensive hands-on practice using both clippers and shears.
Students learn complete grooming techniques from start to finish, including clipper work, scissoring, breed-specific grooming patterns and cuts, coat preparation, finishing techniques, and proper clipper and equipment maintenance.
This course covers:
- Complete grooming from start to finish on many of the most common dog breeds using clippers and shears
- Breed-specific grooming patterns, techniques, and finishing skills
- Proper clipper, blade, shear, and grooming-tool care and maintenance
- Understanding client requests and communicating realistic grooming expectations
- Building strong, professional relationships with grooming clients
- Recognizing skin, coat, behavior, and health concerns that should be brought to a pet owner’s attention
- An introduction to the business side of professional dog grooming
- Understanding the fundamentals of operating a mobile or brick-and-mortar grooming business
#3) Master Grooming | $4,000
340 hrs
This advanced course runs approximately two to three months, depending on the student’s skill level, experience, and progress. Students build on the skills developed throughout the program with more advanced breed-specific grooming, scissoring, finishing techniques, and professional grooming patterns.
This course covers:
- Grooming techniques and patterns for a wide variety of AKC-recognized breeds
- Breed-specific, pet, and specialty cuts, including techniques such as Poodle feet and pattern trims
- Advanced scissoring and finishing techniques
- Blending heads, transitions, and grooming patterns for a polished finish
- Developing speed, consistency, and confidence while completing professional grooms
- Basic grooming business plan development
- Understanding the fundamentals of operating a mobile or brick-and-mortar dog grooming business
By this stage of the program, students are bringing together the skills learned throughout their training—from bathing and coat preparation to complete breed-specific grooms and professional finishing. The goal is to develop confident, self-sufficient professional groomers who understand both the grooming floor and the fundamentals of building a successful career in the dog grooming industry.
Starting and Building a Business
Being a great professional groomer is only one part of building a successful dog grooming business. Our program includes business and career training designed to help students understand what it takes to operate professionally, serve clients, manage day-to-day operations, and build a sustainable grooming business.
This is not a quick “learn to groom in a few weeks” program. Hound Therapy Dog Grooming Academy provides in-depth, real-world training that goes beyond grooming techniques. For students who want to become business owners, we introduce the fundamentals of starting and operating a mobile or brick-and-mortar dog grooming business, while helping students understand the responsibilities that come with working for themselves.
Business training includes:
- Legal considerations when starting a dog grooming business
- Creating a safe and professional work environment
- Customer service and building strong client relationships
- Grooming pricing and service strategies
- Marketing, advertising, and attracting new clients
- Insurance, taxes, banking, and bookkeeping fundamentals
- Managing time, scheduling, and business resources
- Understanding bids, contracts, and business opportunities
- Professional standards, best practices, and ethics within the grooming industry
Our goal is to prepare students for more than their next groom. We want them to understand the grooming profession as a whole—whether they choose to work for an established salon, become a mobile groomer, or eventually build a dog grooming business of their own.
Goal Of The Program
The goal of the Hound Therapy Dog Grooming Academy is to develop confident, skilled, and self-sufficient professional groomers through extensive hands-on training and real-world experience. Our program is designed to help students build the skills, knowledge, efficiency, and confidence needed to safely groom a wide variety of dog breeds and work toward completing 6–8 dogs per day in a professional grooming environment.
Our full-day, hands-on dog grooming training program goes beyond learning grooming techniques. Students develop professional grooming skills while also gaining an understanding of client communication, salon operations, and the fundamentals of running a successful mobile or brick-and-mortar dog grooming business.
Students who complete the program will:
- Understand grooming fundamentals for a wide variety of breeds and coat types
- Safely bathe, dry, prepare, and groom dogs from start to finish
- Develop confidence handling dogs of different breeds, sizes, ages, and temperaments
- Build advanced skills in clipper work, scissoring, styling, blending, and finishing techniques
- Improve grooming speed, efficiency, consistency, and time management
- Understand professional client communication and grooming expectations
- Gain real-world experience in the day-to-day operations of a professional grooming salon
- Learn the fundamentals of starting and operating a dog grooming business
- Receive professional guidance, resources, and practical knowledge to help build a successful career in the dog grooming industry
Experienced Profesional Grooming Instructors
Our experienced instructors are International Certified Master Groomers dedicated to mentoring, guiding, and educating the next generation of professional groomers. At Hound Therapy Dog Grooming Academy, training is hands-on and personalized. We recognize that students learn at different speeds, so instruction and guidance are adapted to each student’s experience, progress, and individual career goals.
Shannon, owner of Hound Therapy and lead instructor, brings decades of experience in the beauty, grooming, and business industries to the academy. Her experience as an ISCC grooming champion, professional groomer, former hairstylist, salon owner, and business owner gives students a unique perspective that goes far beyond learning how to complete a haircut.
Students learn in a real, working dog grooming salon alongside experienced professionals. From grooming techniques and client communication to time management and business operations, our instructors share the practical knowledge and real-world experience students need to build confidence and prepare for a professional dog grooming career.
Whether a student’s goal is to become a professional pet groomer, advanced pet stylist, mobile groomer, salon manager, or grooming business owner, our comprehensive program provides the hands-on education and professional foundation needed to pursue that career path.
Advantages of the Hound Therapy Dog Grooming Academy
- Professional grooming equipment and a real working salon environment
- Extensive hands-on dog grooming training
- Real-world experience working with client dogs
- Personalized instruction from experienced professional groomers
- Flexible full-time and part-time training options
- Flexible payment options
- Job placement assistance after graduation
- Resume, career, and professional development guidance
- Continued support and industry resources after graduation
Our students train in a real, working professional dog grooming salon featuring state-of-the-art grooming equipment, professional tools, and educational resources. This environment gives students the opportunity to practice and perfect their techniques while working with real dogs under the guidance of experienced professional groomers.
Students gain practical experience in the same type of environment they can expect to encounter throughout their dog grooming careers. From handling and bathing to complete grooms, client communication, time management, and salon operations, our program connects professional dog grooming education with the day-to-day realities of the industry.
We understand that starting a new career takes time, which is why we offer both full-time and part-time training options. While some programs promise a grooming career in three months or less, becoming a skilled, confident professional groomer takes time, practice, and experience. Our fast-paced program is designed to develop self-sufficient professional groomers with strong fundamentals, practical skills, and the confidence needed to build a successful career in the dog grooming industry.
With continued instruction, practice, and career guidance, students leave Hound Therapy Dog Grooming Academy with a strong professional foundation—whether their goal is to work in an established grooming salon, pursue mobile grooming, or eventually start their own dog grooming business.
For more information about beginning a professional grooming career in Texas, read our guide: How to Become a Dog Groomer in Texas
See What Makes Our Grooming Academy Different
Before You Choose a Dog Grooming Academy, Know the Difference
A certificate does not make someone a professional groomer—education, experience, and skill do.
When comparing dog grooming schools, it is important to understand what terms such as state-approved, licensed, accredited, and certified actually mean. They may describe how a school or program is regulated or recognized, but they do not tell you how many hours you will spend working with real dogs, how many breeds and coat types you will experience, or how prepared you will be to work independently when your training is complete.
Dog grooming is a skilled, hands-on profession. Learning the fundamentals in a classroom is important, but professional grooming also requires repetition, problem-solving, safe handling, time management, client communication, and experience with dogs of different breeds, sizes, coats, ages, behaviors, and grooming needs.
When comparing programs, don't ask only, “Will I receive a certificate?” Ask, “What will I actually know how to do when I leave?”
At Hound Therapy Dog Grooming Academy, our focus is on extensive hands-on education and real-world experience. We believe the more time, practice, and effort you put into learning the profession, the stronger, safer, and more confident groomer you can become.
GET IN TOUCH
CONTACT US
Get in Touch
Being the best takes a toll on our schedule! Book in advance so we can treat your dog to Plano’s finest grooming house! Call or schedule online today.
1 (469)-367-0009
houndtherapy@gmail.com
3509 E Park Blvd, Plano, TX 75074, USA