Groomers Drowning in Salon Stress

“I work at a locally-owned salon that almost certainly pays better and has a better work environment than most others in the area, but we are struggling to make contact with groomers and bathers that might be interested in working here through places like Indeed. We have the most success when groomers at other shops do get hired here and bring most of their coworkers with them (since we pay/treat better). I have been tempted to loiter outside a chain or other salon and discreetly pass out busines”

“Hi I need some advice! I’m currently in level 2 paragon. It’s been frustrating and awful the whole way through and I continuously get behind with the pressure of my boss demoting my pay. The sourcing of my own dogs to practice on has been terrible. Between me and the groomer, he has to make his money but I do too. My mentor seems to not be as available as they made it seem when I initially started with level 1. Other than family and friends how are we finding dogs? I’ve dropped coupons off every”

“when i still had my salon (Purewag, Sammamish/Redmond WA, sold it a while back) the reviews that stuck with me werent really the ones about the cut looking perfect it was the ones where people said their dog used to freak out at groomers and then somehow came back calm. like actually relaxed. that felt like a bigger win than a fluffy finish tbh curious if other groomers feel the same. is that your favorite kind of feedback too or do you care more about the aesthetic stuff submitted by &#32”

“Here is my situation: I am a bather at Petsmart. Bathers are basically grooming techintions, you start off as a bather and after so many dogs you get to go to academy to become a groomer or stylist in training before becoming a professional stylist I started about three-four months ago. When I initially started, I was seeking some sort of part time or temporary employment while I continued a job search for something that better aligned my experience and skills. While I am not opposed to attendin”

“This is not an entirely serious question but something my husband and I were pondering.. We have a groomer we absolutely love going to and our dogs love them too. They’re affordable and do great work.. only downside is they’re open like Monday through Thursday from 8-4.. I work until 3 and my husband works until 5.. we both find ourselves taking small time off work to get both of our dogs to their grooming appointments. My one dog is short hair and just gets a good bath/deshed/nail trim while my”

“Has anyone started working for a brand new salon with zero client base? How long did it take to build enough clientele to actually make a living? There are four groomers where I am and we are only getting about 6 or 7 a week. I’m trying to stay optimistic but it’s tough for sure. submitted by /u/EchoesOfMe_ [link] [comments]”

“I’ve been grooming for around 5–6 years. My current salon has been open just over a year and is part of a larger veterinary/pet care group. I was the only groomer in this massive company from the beginning until now, so I’ve essentially built the grooming department from scratch. It’s based in a wealthy area of London, and I’ve built up a client base where people are happy with my work and recommend me. I’ve worked with behaviourists, pain specialists and a physio to develop protocols around beh”

“Hi! Just wanting to get some help.. I’ve been thinking about possibly going back to corporate to learn dog grooming again. I started my own business for pet sitting and truly, my heart is with animals.. so I want to learn as much as I can, without becoming a vet. Plus, maybe what I learn.. I can also add into my own personal business? I worked at PetSmart before as a dog bather and worked to be a groomer trainee.. but when I quicked a dog, it terrified me. Tremendously.. to the point that I don’”

“Today I learned that at my current salon if clients decide to not pay their invoices the groomers don’t get paid 🙃 I had a couple paychecks come back super short and I now know why. Is this normal in the industry? My last place was a franchise that treated people poorly for sure but nothing like this would ever happen. There was an incident a couple months ago where I shaved a dog that the owner didn’t want shaved (I didn’t check the dog in & was just told to do what was in the notes which”

“i’ve been doing full grooms now on my own for like a month or 2? i went to a paragon school but it didn’t teach much besides the basics and it was all online but everytime i go to start a groom or think about it i immediately am already overthinking and having anxiety. i don’t know if it’s me stressing about time management or what but my mind just starts racing going thru everything im gonna have to do and as soon as i start shaving i just continue to be overwhelmed. i have a routine with doing”

“I'm currently on the hunt for a new salon and have so far been ignoring mobile grooming but am beginning to warm up to the idea. I'm still kind of a baby at grooming, even in the past year I maybe have an average of 5 full grooms a week with baths filling in between, a far cry from the average groomer's 5 a day. It's part of why I'm looking for a new salon. I'm a little worried that if I do shoot for a mobile company the culture shock would overwhelm me. What are your exp”

“Ugh same! I work days but on the rare times I have extra time and have someone with tangled /matted hair I love brushing it with the shitty cheap combs and taking my time it’s SO satisfying”

“I started working for a small mobile grooming business as a dog bather and groomers assistant around May 2026. There were only three of us. I was paid $10 per dog, so I would work 6–10 hour days, 5 days a week, and make anywhere from about $30–$90 a day depending on how many dogs we had. I also didn’t receive any portion of tips when I worked with my boss which was majority of the days. When I first started my job she told me we only make $10 per dog since all we do is bathe the dog and sit ther”

“Do you still work as a groomer after diagnosis and if so what changes did you have to make? I’m looking for groomers with MS to share their experiences with having the disease and being a groomer! Thanks! submitted by /u/blueskybirdsfly [link] [comments]”

“ive been stuck as a bather for like 4+ years. I know how to do trimming and some haircuts but not well or in a timely manner. Every private salon I’ve worked for has taken advantage of me being a good bather and hang “we’ll teach you to groom” over my head until I cant take it anymore and quit (last job they stopped paying me for months and when I quit the boss guilt tripped me and cried). My current job is better but my boss is never gonna train me, I just know it. My body is broken, I’m in pai”

“We've owned a grooming salon in North Carolina for about 4 years, and we've hit a pattern I'm hoping other owners can weigh in on. We've had groomers leave to go mobile, one on her own and one through a franchise. One of them grew a lot while she was with us. The owner helped her constantly with everyday stuff like "how would you do these legs" or "my faces keep coming out rough, what am I doing wrong." Between them, they took a good chunk of their regular cli”

“4 weeks ago I left my job of 3 years working part time at a salon I loved but had to leave for something more full time, I started at a new salon, I was told they had a lot of clients wanting to book and their prices were higher, I’d get %50 commission, PTO and benefits, it sounded great. It started well, I got a lot of dogs, averaging 6 haircuts a day, but it stresses me out more than my last job ( not being able to think about anything other than work, spending 10 hours a day there, being expe”

“So for just a little background, I’m going into my fourth year of full-time grooming. All of my experience is with small family owned shops. All has been great up until now. I moved across the country (rural Georgia - south coast Massachusetts) and started a new job at a small salon that I thought would match with me well. Boy was I wrong I’ve only worked at the salon for four months and what could go wrong has gone wrong. Whether it be clients being booked that aren’t on the schedule walk-ins b”

“Okay so I work in a corporate salon and was working on these two spaniels for only about 5-6 months, but they had been coming into the salon for a few years. Over the last few appointments I've been instructed to give them plenty of breaks as they are well into their seniority (about 11-12 years old) and have had shoulder problems in the past. I got a point where I got so done with dealing with this lady, she is rude, doesn't listen and expects me to work miracles on her dogs constantly.”

“Ive been friends with a groomer for a pretty long time. We worked at a shop together, we both left, then stayed in touch while working at different salons. The salon I was at the owners announced they were retiring, and low and behold I ended up at the same shop as her. She's pretty close with another girl there, and her and I get along well too. During all this Ive been working on opening my own salon and they both want to come with me, and be business partners. I was okay with it at first”

“Hello everyone! I originally worked at petsmart but they kept screwing me over so I decided to move on and find a different job. I realized a week ago that dog grooming is my dream. I found a private salon and the owner will train me to become a groomer!! Im super excited for this second opportunity!! Any tips or advice would be great ☺️ submitted by /u/AsleepPersonality440 [link] [comments]”

“For groomers who run their own salon or business, what part of the admin side causes you the most frustration? Things like: Last-minute cancellations No-shows Keeping track of pet information Managing the diary Rescheduling appointments Client communication Keeping on top of repeat bookings What causes you the most hassle, and what do you currently use to manage it? Interested to hear what actually takes up your time day to day. submitted by /u/AstridawntomyMod [link] [comments”

“I've been having a couple of full body #10 shave downs recently for 3 days straight and finally couldn't hold it in at work yesterday. I had to leave the grooming room for a bit to calm down, but i still ended up crying and i could sense my senior groomers dont really get what i was feeling. These dogs are usually senior dogs, wouldn't stay still, sensitive everywhere, so its very hard to groom, fully matted, soaked in pee and poo. It breaks my heart to see them like this and my cowo”

“Hello everyone! I quit my petsmart job back in the end of July and had a couple jobs from then to now. I realized last week that I just felt my life was unfilled when it came to my career. I realized that I really want to become a groomer. I really did enjoy what I did at petsmart (besides them fucking me over). I am applying at some bather positions and I have emailed a few mom & pop salons. Anyone who experienced this, share your stories 🥲 submitted by /u/AsleepPersonality440”

“i know i’ve dragged this out, and made multiple posts about it. i apologize to anyone who has seen me ranting about this😭 im in my early 20’s and have put in my notice to my current grooming shop. i have no idea what im gonna do next. long story short, i grabbed the wrong dog on accident, and gave it a shave when it wasn’t supposed to (a pom mix, potentially damaging the coat). i have multiple posts from the past of me talking about it. i feel like ive spiraled and its completely damaged my men”

“Hey yall, just hoping to get some advice before I go into work tomorrow. My coworker texted me today to let me know one of my regulars called today saying that his dog got pneumonia from my grooming with her last week (or at least that’s what the vet had told him). Not sure yet if it was aspiration pneumonia or what. I’m heartbroken because I know this most likely means she won’t be coming back to me and she’s one of my top 3 favorite pups ever :(. My first question is how likely is it that she”

I have a work interview coming up for a pet bather role. It's my second interview, and my first work interview/interview for any grooming position, so I'd like to be sure I…

“Hey I'm a groomer, I own my own shop out of a shed beside my house as of Feb 2026. Since owning my own salon I have experienced the good, the bad, and the ugly. I vent to my husband and family, but no matter how much you tell someone "dog grooming is really hard" they'll just never understand. I have a friend from my old salon who I text sometimes, but usually not about business. I'd love to have other groomers to bounce thoughts and ideas off of, or to ask questions when i”

“so, ive been a bather since march this year. i recently moved from a privately owned salon to a petsmart! i have a issue tho. WHY IS IT SO HARD??? i was told by a coworker who had worked at petsmart that it was sooo much better there and its so much harder for me. i dont expect things to be easy, i know grooming and bathing are hard as we work with live animals but upon hiring, the salon manager told me that if a dog bites me once, its handed off to him or our salon lead and that hasnt been the”

“This post doesn’t have a question, I guess maybe it’s a rant? Maybe I’m looking for someone to say something that makes me make a decision to leave or to stay. Sometimes I just like to post for support. Anyway, I own my own business out of a finished shed beside my house. I’ve owned my business for a year, groomed for about 2.5-3 years. At first opening my business was great because it seemed like I got a lot of good dogs in comparison to where I worked prior, but lately it feels like every dog”

“NOT looking for medical advice, this is well documented with my doctor and I have sleep aids that I simply ran out of. Looking for anecdotal advice from others with similar experiences and also just reassurance seeking. For other groomers who have insomnia like I do, do you go into work the next day when you've had a night of no sleep? I've had terrible insomnia since I was a small child, I absolutely need prescribed sleep aids to sleep or I simply can't. It feels dangerous to do bri”

“I’m a new bather and i’m just wondering if the time i’m given for certain services is long enough.. I feel like i’m going at a pretty good pace most of the time but i still seem to be taking too much time. For a full service i get 30 minutes for very small dogs, an hour for small-large and and hour and a half for some large-XL,, 2 hours if it’s like a newfie or something. For desheds it’s at least 1 and a half hours, going up to 2 for very large breeds. All of these include nail clipping (dremel”

“Hi all! For some context: I’m based in the North East of England, I worked at an extremely high end spa for around half a year before totally crashing and burning due to performing 6 full body massages 3-4 days a week. I absolutely LOVE to do massages, but the experience of working there totally destroyed my passion. I don’t think I could ever work in a spa environment again. I have my Level 3 Diploma in beauty therapy, A-Level Bio + Chem, as well as other miscellaneous awards such as student of”

“Exactly I was about to say the same thing. My Ex wife managed a large vet hospital with grooming. Keeping groomers was a nightmare and as far as I remember in the area we are they pay 50/50 split of each groom. Her hospital also paid for all supplies and scissor and clipper sharpening. My Daughter in-law has her own mobile grooming business and is booked out months at a time and won’t add anyone because she knows the hassle.”

“Sorry about my post last week, I have searched thru the grooming page for what I’m looking for, someone who has ever been in the situation I am in. I’m worried about failing, I’m in level 2 now, my expiration date is this weekend and I am still on guard comb cuts. I n kw I can get an extension, but is there a limit before they tell you that you fail? It’s so discouraging when I have turned in an assignment and it comes back straight up zero. I do work next to a full time groomer and she is helpf”

“Looking for advice during this especially slow few weeks, I'm sure it will continue to he slow until the holidays. I get 1-2 grooms a day and a couple baths sprinkled in between (like 2 or 3) on the good days. Some days are just baths. Do you take on other jobs on the side? Do you do house calls? submitted by /u/SlightArgument [link] [comments]”

“This is going to be a bit of a long one. I've been a full time bather for a little over a year now. I left my last salon/daycare at the beginning of this year (was there for 2 years) due to management and lack of career growth...among other drama. I got this job at a corporate facility within a week of leaving. Initially, everything was fine. There was definitely a learning curve because things are done way different from my last salon, but I was excited and eager to move forward. Then came”

“I live on the east coast right and I have been so incredibly lucky so far as far as salons go, on really good months I was making 5-6k which was such a comfortable life. Where I am now I make less, but I’m also very comfy and can afford rent and bills and a lot of extra fun things and trips. I’m single, have no intention of changing that any time soon, I live with my one dog, and we are both very flexible. I enjoy where I live but the only thing that is absolutely killing me is that my heart is”

“Hello, I am completely new to grooming. I am very passionate about starting this career. However I need to seek advice on how to deal with heartbreaking cases of animal abuse. So I was shadowing and observing my first day. We then receive a dog that came from another kennel. One of the groomers there was caught doing something horrible to all of the dogs. The dog that we were grooming was one of them. It was so sad, he held my hand and everything. I didn’t cry right away because I was in shock.”

“My current salon is crumpling under poor management, since the start of the new school year our bookings have plummeted and my boss is now the only one allowed to schedule for us, so if someone calls asking for a groom our receptionist writes the time and name down on a sticky note and tells them my boss will call you back. Naturally people book somewhere else and the ones who don't have to be "split" between me, my coworker and our soon coming third groomer that my boss has been p”

“I’ve spent over 24 years in the beauty industry. I’ve done everything for running a school to advance education to sales. I really want to transition and do something less volatile. But it’s scary because I do not have a college degree. Most jobs that are more customer service focused are looking for a bachelors degree. I am 44 and married with kids. I don’t really have the luxury to go to school full-time. I do enjoy working with people. I do enjoy sales and I do enjoy customer service. But I j”

“I've been trying to find certifications to take to improve as a groomer and business. When I was in the veterinary field, Fear Free was a big one. I found out they had one for groomers as well. The price for one person to take the course is $229, which is a bit much for an online course but then you have to pay $59 per year to maintain "fear free registered?" Has anyone done this course? Did you learn anything that made it worth the money, do you maintain an annual membership? &#32”

“I have had 10 very spread out days in the salon so far bathing/drying/nails/paw pads/ teeth brushing. Yesterday I was given: Shar pei with yeast and irritated folds Large Golden Retriever Aussiedoodle Siberian Husky Siberian Husky Siberian Husky Shizu 3 of the of the dogs were almost an hour late. Only one dog could kennel dry. 4 hours to complete them all as a newbie. Does this seem reasonable? submitted by /u/Fit_Peach- [link] [comments]”

“almost every night i have grooming nightmares. cutting dogs, not getting dogs done on time, doing the wrong haircut, etc. it makes me not wanna do this anymore. i’ve wanted to call out a lot lately. it’s like i have a fear of grooming. i’m terrified to do sanis, use a 7, and trim ears. i’ve been doing this 8 years and i don’t have any other skills or else i’d leave just to hopefully stop this. idk if this is a rant or asking for advice. just needed to get it off my chest. submitted by &#32”

“Has anyone else had to switch careers? Ever since I started this grooming journey. I have never been able to keep myself afloat financially. It’s like I am never able to find a good place that charges accordingly, have to take in way too many dogs to just to survive somewhat. And it’s put a strain with my partner. He hates that I chose this job. But I don’t want to switch. I put in so much work into this career.. and I love what I do. I recently decided to join mobile instead. And even then, I s”

“Hi everyone ive been a groomer the past four years at a small business with hourly pay. Ive overall enjoyed it and learned alot starting as a bather and moving up to doing haircuts. Ive hit a point that I feel Im unable to advance anymore in my current position, so ive started looking for other grooming jobs. I have an in person interview with Chow hound for a grooming position in a few days. Has anyone worked at chow hound before as a groomer, how was your experience? The woman said on the phon”

“Hey everyone, I work at a dog boarding/daycare business and the owners wanted to offer grooming so they offered to put me through grooming school. I'm still going through school, I've only been grooming for about 5 months now. I'm a little frustrated with the owners because they are constantly questioning what I do even though they know nothing about dog grooming. They have a mentor that runs a large grooming facility about an hour away from that they get a lot of their advice from.”

“So I've been working at a grooming salon for about 2 months now as a grooming apprentice after working in a corporate salon. (Not going to give either salons name). But anyways I was told I'd be going in 4 times a week for 6 hours a day and it started out that way then it was 1 day a week for maybe 3 hours. I'm still not on payroll and I've sent my manager pictures of my social and ID. (Ya I know stupid of me) thinking I'd be on payroll by the next week and I kept asking abou”

“I’m a new groomer (been grooming for just a little over a 1 year) who’s been offered a job recently that I’m very interested in. We have already done an interview, they’ve seen photos of my grooms, I’ve already toured the salon informally during the interview, and we’ve already had 2 discussions about commission and pay. Forgive me as I’ve only had one other job related to grooming (which honestly wasn’t the best experience or place start out in), am I right to ask for a working interview before”

“My boss got after me for using too much soap. But the water is limited and I do the most dogs out of all the groomers. So I usually have to be choosy about who I rinse before lathering. Our super sudser is shit. Can’t use it. So suggestions have to be anything else lol submitted by /u/Dog_Queen98 [link] [comments]”

“photo for dog tax i dont know whats been in the air for the last month or so, but clients have been complaining about my grooms nonstop for context i work at a franchise, im the only groomer with 3 or 4 bathers under me, and ive only been a full time groomer for about a year and a half post-academy. i dont have a ton of experience, but on average im doing 8-13 haircuts a day. so on top of all of this im exhausted now i would 100% understand if people were complaining about the quality of the gro”

“I was going to use a clients clipped mini for pet stylist groom off but had a lot of matting. so me manic in the garage the night before the comp closes- not the best lighting but got a podium result. the stripped jacket does look much nicer at the show of course schnauzer specialist submitted by /u/Governmenthookerr [link] [comments]”

“I am getting sad reading these posts. There are bunch of new groomers that are putting out pretty decent work. What I hear them saying is its not good. In the days of social media, we need people to remember that what gets posted is the cream of the crop of peoples grooms. A lot of which are being done by people who have been grooming a long time. I am guilty of only posting my best when my average groom is pretty darn good, but i see that stray hair or that place the shear put a tiny s”

“Sometimes I feel like the baby groomer being stepped on all over again. Story time. I have this pretty infamous client. I know she's not welcome at at least one other salon in the area. My coworkers refuse to take on her dogs. Two lovely but very old doodles. They are big, they are lumpy, and they are old. She is picky. I don't mind a client knowing exactly what she wants. I've kinda dialed in the specifics as to what she's looking for. Today was a nightmare. She always insists s”

“Hello, i was previously a grooming manager at a shop before where I am at now. I got paid hourly + commission. Im at a new place and theyre fairly new and havent needed a manager per say yet but are looking into bringing that into play. I may be that person. However trying to discuss pay and duties im unsure how to go about. Old manager/groomer shift i was grooming, handling quality checks, helping groomers grow in their craft, answering their questions. Handling customer ranging from dissatisfi”

“I 22F have been working for a small grooming shop for nearly 2 years I was originally hired as a receptionist/dog bather. I am really good at bathing and love it and since 3-4 months into my job I have been told I’d learn to groom and it’s something I’m very passionate about learning and it’s what I want to do which at my age is rare to know but I most definitely found what I would like to do for my passion career. I was told more recently that she really doesn’t want to teach me since she doesn”

“Hello everyone! I’ve been a bather for a year and recently started practicing my baby grooming skills under my boss. She’s been doing it for 13 years and isn’t the best at teaching so I’m learning by trial and error. (I have my own dog who i do full grooms on independently). I’m not really interested in joining grooming schools. I do enjoy courses and such and learning by hand. Recently I got the chance to visit Jess Rona’s grooming salon and got to ask soo many questions while i was there. I le”

“How much is clover monthly?”

“I have a lot of experience in the pet industry but recently decided I wanted to become a groomer after grooming my own dog for years. I’m currently a bather. I don’t bathe the groomers dogs, just dogs that come in for baths. I get paid $17/hr plus tips. This is Chicagoland area. (Minimum wage is $15) I love my job but I was told it was going to be 40 hours a week and I barely make full time … some weeks I’m part time. This is because I’m not getting enough dogs to bathe. I’m having to go home ea”