Dog bathing comes with labor and requires lots of time sometimes. Depending on the temperament of the dog you're grooming you may need to take constant breaks in-between while the dog calms down from each stress induced lunge, you might need to muzzle them and that can make bathing harder and less efficient since you won't be able to wet their face (risk of choking on water), depending on the business you may either be using kennel dryers or velocity dryer (used in this video) it can take up to four hours for some breeds to be bathed and dried and then trying to get the dog into the tub is the labor challenge (along with the constant standing on sometimes flat hard ground with no padding mats) you have to manually pick these animals up and lift them into a tub that is on average waist high with you. So consider the ammount of heavy lifting (live animals that are sometimes uncooperative and can be very large and heavy) and the amount of time and waiting and resilient patience is required as a bather (and groomer). Groomers come with some more physical risks (like tendinitis) and they share the same risk in chronic back pain as bathers do (over time of course). Most groomers retire from their career at the 8th to 10th year mark because of these health related conditions, but there's also a lot of groomers that have gone onto their 20th year, so it just depends on your passion. The money is good for bathers and the money is bank for groomers and it comes with the benefit of creating client relationships. There's tips and depending on you your schedule can be pretty short if you're able to get through your appointments quickly. But also because of each dog being unique, if you get temperamental dogs your schedule could get pushed out and you'll be stuck till the last dog is finished regardless of your hours. It really is just labor and time intensive but depending on you, the accommodations you might need, and the business you work for, it could be very rewarding or very stressful.
How are you doing with your Grooming career so far? I will appreciate if you could share so important and experience with me. I’m starting tomorrow as a bather and and making my way up to be a groomer.
