Grooming Future Pet Stylists

Holistic health is a growing trend these days, and that applies to pets as well as people. Last month Dara Forleo opened The Whole Pet Grooming Academy in Peterborough to train future groomers in pampering and caring for the health and wellbeing of dogs and cats. Approved by the state as a trade school, Borleo graduated her first student in March.

Students are taught grooming, cleaning and styling techniques that are practiced in a stress free, cage free and restraint free environment. Students can also take courses in the business of pet grooming and learn about communicating with pet parents. “Basically my goal is when they leave my shop I want them to be able to open their own business,” says Forleo, who runs the school out of Dara’s Paw Spaw, a holistic pet grooming facility. “Dogs are often groomed and put in a kennel for the rest of day. We stand out a bit because we don’t do that.”

While http://www.wagntails.com/html/why/schools.htm and http://www.petgroomer.com/pet_grooming_schools.htm both list over 50 grooming schools nationwide, very few have a holistic approach. The program takes between 150 and 300 hours and costs $400 to $10,000 depending on the courses taken. She offers seven pet professional diploma programs including feline grooming, canine grooming, pet sitter and pet walker. The program also includes all start up equipment needed to begin a career as a pet stylist.

The students are learning from a growing business. Forleo opened about three years ago on her own and now has two people who work with her. The spa sees 10-12 pets a day on average and a lot more during the holiday season, when they may groom 150 dogs in a week. Forleo says 90 percent of her customer base is now outside NH and that her appointments are booked a year in advance.

Forleo aims to have no more than two students at a time as she wants to offer them hands-on experience in a working grooming salon. “It really makes for a better education when students have two teachers giving their full attention. I hope to reach all over the country [for students].”