Considering a career in dog grooming but unsure of how much you can earn?

One of the most common questions we encounter when speaking to potential students for our Level 3 Diploma in Dog Grooming & Salon Management is how much the typical groomer can earn when they are starting their career. This blog will aim to answer that question and provide some insight into the earning potential of a career in dog grooming.

Demand for Dog Groomers in the UK

Let’s start with overall demand of pet groomers in the UK, since 2019 the population of pet dogs has increased from 6.2 million to 13.5 million, with 36% of UK households owning a dog. This increase has driven a huge increase in demand for qualified dog groomers meaning there is no shortage of supply, with our academy having a waiting list for grooming bookings of over 3 months! 

Since Groomarts started training professional pet groomers in 2015 we have helped start over 2000 businesses through not only teaching them to be fantastic pet groomers but also great business owners. We asked our community of graduates how many dogs they were grooming per day within their first 6 months of qualifying and here are the responses:

5% - 1-2 average dogs per day

55% - 3-4 average dogs per day

28% - 5-6 average does per day

10% - 7+ average dogs per day

What can I charge as a qualified dog groomer in the UK?

When you look at these averages, it is clear to see that you can groom 4 dogs per day on average and that’t when you are still building your confidence. Now lets take a look at what the average charge was for a standard medium dog, here are the responses:

23% - £31.00 - £40.00

52% - £41.00 - £50.00

20% - £51.00 - £60.00

So let’s put an average of £45.00 per standard medium dog groom, and let’s say that you completed 4 professional grooms per day, that  would give you a total of £180.00 per day earnings before any extras. That’s £900.00 per week, or £3900.00 per month before any expenses. A annual take-home of £46,800.00.

Now, that may seem like a lot but remember you will need to account for costs such as insurance, equipment, utilities and location expenses but these can all vary depending on your budget and willingness to search for the right solution for your circumstances. We have seen businesses start up for as little as £1500.00.

Ways to make extra money from the dogs you are grooming

There are also a number of ways that you can increase the average revenue per dog through ‘add-ons’, these can include things such as perfume sprays, teeth cleaning and other pet grooming accessories such as the brushes and combs supplied through Groomarts online shop. All of these extras mean you increase your margin per dog and can choose to either increase your earnings with this uplift or reduce your dogs per day to deliver a better work-life balance.

In summary, there is clear earning potential if you were to qualify as a professional dog groomer, but remember you will only be as good as your reputation. So, it is important that you qualify with a reputable grooming academy and invest in develop your skills when grooming.