I am in a dilema, I am going to start up my own grooming salon around September time and want to gain the correct training. I have done a lot of research, and I mean a lot, and have be given conflicting opinions. Firstly should I pay a fortune on a 4-6 week block course at a good collegue, coming away with an NVQ certificate or attend an in house training course with a reputible salon who is a member of BDGA. I am told that the NVQ qualification doesn't really mean anything towards obtaining the City Guilds qualification, which is what I eventally want. I have also been told a lot of the collegue courses are stressful because they try and cram everything into the timescale alloted and it would be better to do say 3 days a week groomer training with 2 days theory over a time period more suitable to me. This I am told is better because I would gain more practical experience from the salon and the "real world" of grooming. I want to specialise in larger breeds but am told I should spend most of my 2 years up to the City & Guilds concentrating on small breeds. I have the added problem that I would have to travel to other ends of the county to attend any decent collegue or reputible BDGA groomer, as there are none in the Essex area. Any opinions welcome..........

Many years ago I did a crammer grooming course and there were several of us training. I didn't feel that it was very good doing it over a short period. Because there are so many varieties of dogs and you have to rely on whatever customers coming in. It take a while to get your scissor skills so you need quite a few poodles to practice on. You also need to learn how to hand strip and understand coat texture and I don't feel a crammer course is long enough.

I found I had learnt the basics and then practiced on customers dogs, which is an awful thing to admit. Luckily nothing went wrong. I had been trimming my own dogs for a few years but they didn't need much trimming. You really also need to understand dogs and learn sympathetic handling which on the course I was on I felt was greatly missing. Also on my course quite often there weren't enough dogs to go round and you had to 'share' a dog which meant you didn't get much practice.

So I think a longer course in a salon would be better depending on what experience you have already had.

i dont know if this is correct but i have been told that the city & guilds will cease to be as of june / july
scatty