One-to-One Dog Grooming Training
Practical, hands-on dog grooming training at Centre Stage in Ascot, Berkshire.
Whether you want to learn how to groom your own dog, train for a new career as a professional dog groomer, or develop skills you already use professionally, our training is tailored to you.
Please choose the option that applies to you.
Professional Groomer Training, 20-Day Level 1 Course
£3,285
If you are starting from scratch and want to train for a career as a professional dog groomer, this is the course for you.
Our Level 1 Professional Groomer Training programme consists of 20 practical training days at Centre Stage.
Training is predominantly one-to-one and hands-on. You will work with real dogs throughout the course, although we may initially use a grooming mannequin for some techniques while you become comfortable handling clippers and scissors.
Professional grooming involves considerably more than producing a nice haircut. You need to understand the dog underneath the coat, work safely, recognise stress and discomfort, prepare coats correctly, use grooming equipment competently and learn how to work efficiently without compromising welfare.
Training can include:
• canine behaviour and body language
• safe handling and restraint
• recognising stress and knowing when to stop
• coat and skin assessment
• brushing and coat preparation
• bathing, rinsing and product selection
• blasting and drying
• clipping and blade selection
• safe clipper and scissor handling
• scissoring and finishing
• nail care and nail grinding
• different coat types and grooming techniques
• equipment selection and maintenance
• salon hygiene and safety
• time management and improving efficiency
• client communication
• pricing and calculating your true hourly rate
• diary and salon management
• running a viable grooming business
How Long Does the Course Take?
The course contains 20 training days.
Students attending two days per week would therefore normally complete their 20 days over approximately ten weeks.
Regular attendance is strongly recommended. Large or frequent gaps between training days can affect progress and may mean that additional training is required.
Importantly, 20 days is the training programme, not an automatic guarantee of passing Level 1 on Day 20.
Everyone learns at a different rate. To pass, you must be able to demonstrate the required skills safely and independently. If further training is needed before you reach the required standard, additional training days can be booked.
Level 1 Requirements
Before Level 1 can be completed, you will need to:
• complete Canine First Aid training with Animal Love, either online or in person
• demonstrate that you can correctly assess and prepare a dog for grooming
• bathe, rinse and dry the dog correctly
• work safely throughout the groom
• recognise and respond appropriately to canine behaviour and signs of stress
• use grooming tools and equipment safely
• complete an appropriate kennel trim
• complete the bath and trim assessment within a maximum of two hours
• demonstrate that you can work independently without continuous prompting
For your final practical assessment you will need to provide a suitable dog, either your own dog or a dog belonging to a friend or family member.
The assessment dog must be agreed with Centre Stage in advance. Not every breed, coat condition, age or temperament will be suitable for the assessment.
Communication and Safety
You do not need perfect spoken English to train with us.
However, because professional grooming involves live animals, sharp equipment and situations where instructions sometimes need to be acted upon immediately, students must be able to understand spoken and written safety instructions sufficiently to work safely.
If we are unsure whether training will be suitable, we may recommend a Career Taster before accepting a booking for the full course.
Course Price
£3,285 for the complete 20-day Level 1 programme.
Additional training days, if required, are charged separately.
Please contact us before booking so that we can discuss your goals, availability and whether the course is the right fit for you.
Specifications
Professional Groomer Training, 20-Day Course
£3,285
Thinking about becoming a professional dog groomer?
This is where you start.
Our 20-day Professional Groomer Training Course is designed for people who want to develop the practical skills, knowledge and confidence needed to begin working as a professional dog groomer.
Training takes place at Centre Stage in Ascot, Berkshire and is predominantly practical and one-to-one.
Dog grooming is much more than learning how to use a pair of clippers. You need to understand the dog underneath the coat, how to handle and restrain safely, how different coats behave, how to prepare them properly and how to produce a good groom efficiently without compromising welfare.
During your training we can cover:
• canine behaviour and body language
• safe handling and restraint
• coat and skin assessment
• brushing and coat preparation
• bathing and product selection
• blasting and drying
• clipping and blade selection
• scissoring and finishing
• nail care and nail grinding
• different coat types and grooming techniques
• equipment selection and maintenance
• salon safety
• working efficiently
• client communication
• pricing your services
• calculating what you genuinely need to earn
• diary and salon management
• setting up and running a viable grooming business
Because the training is predominantly one-to-one, your course can develop with you. If you pick something up quickly, we move on. If something needs more work, we spend time on it.
The aim is not simply to get you through 20 days of training. It is to give you a strong practical foundation from which to build a professional grooming career.
Course Price
£3,285 for the complete 20-day course.
If you are completely new to grooming and considering it as a career, this is the professional training option for you.
Please contact us before booking so we can talk about the course, your expectations and whether professional grooming is going to suit you.
Specifications
Professional Groomer Training, Half Day
£125
A 3½-hour session of focused, one-to-one professional grooming training.
Half-day training is available to existing professional groomers and current or previous Centre Stage professional grooming students who need help with one very specific area.
Before You Book...
Full-day training is strongly preferred.
Half days are considerably harder for us to accommodate within the grooming and training diary, so availability is very limited.
If your training needs can reasonably fill a day, please book a Full-Day Professional Groomer Training session instead.
Half-day sessions work best when there is one clearly defined objective, for example:
• improving a particular scissoring technique
• working through one specific groom
• help with a particular coat type
• salon systems or pricing
• troubleshooting one problem area
They are not suitable for trying to squeeze an entire day's tuition into half the time.
Price
£125 for 3½ hours.
Eligibility
Half-day training is available only to professional dog groomers who can provide evidence that they are already working professionally, or to current or previous Centre Stage professional grooming students.
It is not available to complete beginners.
If you are hoping to become a professional dog groomer, please see our 20-Day Professional Groomer Training Course.
Availability
Half-day sessions are offered strictly subject to diary availability.
Specifications
Personal Home Groomer Training
Learn to Groom Your Own Dog
£250 for one person and one dog
Would you like to learn how to groom your own dog properly at home?
Bring your dog to Centre Stage in Ascot and spend the day learning how to groom them yourself, with one-to-one professional tuition throughout the entire process.
You don't practise on a model dog or watch somebody else do it.
You bring YOUR dog.
Together, we take your dog through their groom from start to finish while you learn the techniques, equipment and methods appropriate to their particular coat and style.
Depending on your dog, your training can include:
• correct brushing and combing
• removing knots and preventing matting
• coat preparation
• bathing techniques
• choosing appropriate shampoos and conditioners
• drying and blasting
• safe handling and restraint
• clipping and blade selection
• scissoring and finishing
• feet, faces and hygiene areas
• nail care
• maintaining the coat between professional grooms
• choosing the equipment you actually need
This is practical, hands-on training, tailored specifically to you and your own dog.
And Your Dog Gets Groomed Too
Your £250 training day includes your dog's groom.
A comparable professional groom at Centre Stage would cost at least £90, depending on breed, coat and grooming requirements.
So you don't just leave with a day's one-to-one tuition.
You also leave with a beautifully coiffured dog and, considerably more importantly, the knowledge to understand how we got them looking that way.
Price
£250 for one person with one dog.
This course is for ONE person.
If another family member or partner would also like to learn alongside you, one additional person may attend for £100.
Maximum attendance is two people and both people train using the same dog.
Please contact us before booking so we can discuss your dog's breed, coat, current condition and the style you would like to learn.
Personal Home Groomer Training is a full-day course. We do not offer a half-day version because there simply isn't enough time to teach you properly and safely.
Specifications
Personal Home Groomer Training, Additional Person
£100
This option is ONLY available as an add-on to a £250 Personal Home Groomer Training Day.
It cannot be booked separately.
If two members of the same household would both like to learn how to groom their dog, one additional person can join the training day for £100.
Both people will:
• attend the same training session
• learn together
• work with the same dog
• receive one-to-one guidance throughout the day
Price
£100 for one additional person.
This is in addition to the £250 Personal Home Groomer Training booking.
Maximum attendance is two people in total.
This option does not include a second dog or a separate training session.
If you would like to bring a second person, please book the main Personal Home Groomer Training Day first and add this option to the same booking.
Specifications
Professional Grooming Career Taster
Not sure whether professional dog grooming is really for you?
Before committing to our 20-Day Professional Groomer Training Course, spend half a day at Centre Stage experiencing the reality of professional grooming first-hand.
This is not a fluffy “come and watch dogs get haircuts” session. You will get a proper insight into what the job actually involves, including the practical work, handling, coat preparation, equipment, salon routine and the less glamorous bits that tend not to make it onto Instagram.
The taster is ideal if you are seriously considering grooming as a career but want to make sure it is the right fit before investing in the full course.
During your session you can expect to:
• spend time in a working grooming salon
• see how dogs are assessed, handled and prepared
• learn about the different stages of a professional groom
• get hands-on where appropriate
• discuss training, equipment and business realities
• ask as many questions as you like about working as a professional groomer
Price
£125 for a 3½-hour taster session
If you enrol on our 20-Day Professional Groomer Training Course within 14 days, the full £125 taster fee will be deducted from your course price.
So if you decide to go ahead with the full training, the taster effectively costs you nothing.
If you decide grooming is not for you, that is useful too. Far better to discover that after half a day than after spending £3,285 and realising you hate dog hair in places dog hair should never reach.
This taster is intended for people genuinely considering professional dog grooming as a career.