The Best Dog Grooming Courses Online & In Australia

Are you considering getting into the dog grooming business? Or maybe just want to learn how to style your own canine companion on a professional level?

The best dog grooming courses are a great place to start. However, we have also put together this round up of online courses available. These are a great option especially if you don’t have the time to study full-time, or there is no grooming school available where you live.

To help you decide which dog grooming courses are available online and in Australia, our expert team collaborated with known professionals to determine the best courses that we can recommend for you, spending months researching various course providers.

In today's guide, we will list which courses you can avail of and cover everything you need to know about choosing an online course to suit your needs.

Do I Need a Grooming Course to Clip My Own Dog’s Coat?

Enrolling in a full-length grooming course is definitely not necessary for grooming your own dog. If you attend a quality dog grooming course, you’ll get to learn about styling different breeds and different types of coats.

There is really a lot to learn there, but, while this is valuable knowledge, you don’t really need it to style your own dog. In that case, you only need to know about one breed. Luckily, some pet grooming schools do offer short courses where you get to learn about washing, drying, and clipping your own pet’s coat.

That being said, dog grooming courses do give you a lot of valuable knowledge. With a dog grooming education, you get to know all the basics about dogs and their anatomy as well as coat and skin health.

You learn how to handle temperamental dogs, how to care properly for each breed’s coat, and how to create amazing styles. If you like to take your dog/dogs to shows, for example, learning how to do the grooming yourself is a great skill to have. You get to enjoy styling your pooch just the way you want it, plus it saves money in the long run.

How to Choose a Dog Grooming Course Online?

When it comes to picking a course to attend online, you will inevitably be faced with a lot of options. A quick search for a dog grooming course will yield lots of results. But how do you know which ones are worth the money?

A good place to start is to check who designed the course. If the course was written by experienced groomers it is definitely a good sign. In addition to this, you probably don’t want to just read through materials. If that’s all you need, you might as well get a book.

A quality online course will have experienced mentors that can answer your questions and provide feedback and that’s one of the main benefits of enrolling in a course online. Additionally, it’s definitely a good idea to look for courses that have lots of quality video tutorials. That’s the closest thing to hands-on experience with dogs you can get online.

Finally, before choosing a course, you should know why you are enrolling. If you just want to style your and your friend’s dogs, and maybe make it into a career one day, there is no need to get a course that lasts half a year and overwhelms you with information. A short introductory course will suffice for a start. However, if you are serious about opening a business, many online courses also offer modules covering the basics of setting up a business, working with clients, and marketing yourself successfully.

How to Get Hands-On Experience?

Practice is key if you want to become a successful dog groomer. Online courses will not force you to do this, but if you want to get confidence, you’ll need to find a way to hone your skills. Without experience, you will most likely need to start doing unpaid work - but not for long!

Your own dog is always a good place to start, but to learn about grooming different breeds you’ll need to cast a wider net. Contacting local animal shelters or rescue centres is a nice way to do some good while improving your skills.

Dogs at shelters are often in need of care and human contact, and volunteering at such facilities is something that will always look good on your CV. Finally, you could also advertise on social media or otherwise and offer free services. Most likely, you’ll quickly find models to practice on, and if it all works out well, they might turn into paying customers in the future.

Dog Grooming Courses Online Australia 2024: Our Top Picks

We’ve done the research and checked all the ways you can learn about dog grooming online. These are our top picks:

Vibe Learning is one of the most popular distance learning providers in Australia, and that’s because they tend to make really good online courses. Their Dog Grooming Diploma Course is one of the best dog grooming courses we have found online.

You can complete this course entirely online which also means you can enrol any time you like and complete the curriculum at your own pace. The lessons are easy to follow and rich with video instructions and tutorials. Plus, you get a personal mentor who will guide you through the process and give you feedback and answers whenever you need them. Additionally, there is also a students-only Facebook group so you won’t lose out on the community experience.

Unlike the second option, the Vibe Learning Dog Grooming Diploma Course Bundle, this diploma course focuses solely on dog grooming. It provides a comprehensive curriculum and offers a practical experience through optional tasks.

The thing we liked most about this course is how thorough it is. It consists of 12 modules during which you’ll really get to know all the basics and specifics of dog care and grooming. The course starts by introducing a standard dog grooming kit and the moves on to canine health, basic care, and anatomy. By the time you finish the first third of this course, you’ll be ready to interact with dogs and work as a bather/brusher.

As you progress through the course, you start learning about clipping, starting from the basics down to the specific ways of styling each breed. In the final modules, you’ll also get to learn about setting up and running your own business. As you can see, this is not just a basic introductory course - it is designed to get you ready to start grooming dogs professionally.

One thing that often worries prospective students of online courses is the fact that dog grooming is a practical skill, so you really need hands-on experience to gain confidence. This course from Vibe Learning includes 12 practical tasks, which you are not required to complete but definitely recommended. You will need to find your own dog models, but the course will guide you through the process, so there is no need to worry.

Finally, this dog grooming course has six to eight months worth of learning included. You can complete it faster if you want, but that’s how long it would take with a standard workload. Considering this, the course is much more affordable than in-person courses, plus they offer flexible payment plans and sometimes have sales where you can enrol for half the standard price.

We recommend this one if you want a course that is simple but provides all the basics and practical skills that you need to know in dog grooming.

Also, we like how flexible this course is if you are someone who has a busy schedule but wants to learn dog grooming at your own pace and time.

The Vibe Learning Dog Grooming Diploma Course Bundle is a great opportunity for those who are serious about starting a dog-related business. When you get this bundle, you will get three of the most popular courses from Vibe Learning related to dogs. The first one is the Dog Grooming Diploma (our number one option above), which is a great dog grooming course to begin with, but you also get to attend the Dog Behaviour and Training Certificate course and the Dog Grooming First Aid Course.

Compared to the previous option, Dog Grooming Diploma Course, this course from Vibe Learning covers all that dog groomers need, including first aid and dog behaviour training, so getting this course is absolutely worth every penny.

Between those three courses, there is a lot of material to cover so it’s really helpful that you can study at your own pace - enrol anytime and finish as fast or as slow as you’d like. Additionally, you also get to keep all of the course materials forever for easy reference later. During this course, you’ll cover 30 illustrated online modules, get to watch hours of helpful videos and participate in various activities, assessments & quizzes to keep you motivated.

We recommend you get this bundle if you want to learn everything you need in order to become a successful dog groomer. The course covers all of the specifics of grooming and styling. However, in order to achieve success as a professional groomer, you need to be comfortable with dogs, know how to keep them calm and provide first aid if needed - these are all topics that will be covered during the other courses included in this bundle.

What we like about this option is its completeness. It will equip you with the necessary knowledge and skills to become an effective dog groomer, and the modules are not mainly made up of videos, but include activities for you to keep track of your learning.

This course from Learning Online is another valuable and thorough introduction to dog grooming that you can do completely online. What we liked the most about this course is the clear structure of the lessons, and the ease with which you can find exactly the information you need (and information you didn’t know you will need!).

The advantage of this course compared to the options we have mentioned from Vibe Learning is its accreditation from a well-known international organisation, which ensures that this course meets the standards of online learning and dog grooming.

Different types of coats? It’s there? What about different skull types in dogs? Beginners usually don’t know how important this is for styling a dog, but you can learn it here! Encountered a term the meaning of which you don’t know? Just consult the glossary. You get the gist - everything is easy to find.

The Advanced Dog Grooming course on the Learning Online platform consists of four modules. These are Beginner Dog Grooming, Professional Dog Grooming, Advanced Dog Grooming, and Digital Business Marketing (really helpful for getting your business up and running, by the way). However, if this seems like too much and you just want an introductory course to start with, it is also possible to take only the Beginner Dog Grooming Module.

The Advanced Dog Grooming Certificate Course at Learning Online is accredited by IARC. IARC stands for International Approval & Registration Centre, and it’s a global organisation that sets standards for online courses. This accreditation will not really grant you a job or anything like that, but it does certify that this is a quality program with responsible and reliable tutors.

The reason why we like this course is its options and quality. You can choose which modules to learn depending on your level of experience or skills.

Also, the quality of the program is accepted by a reputable organisation, and you can use the certification to prove your expertise in dog grooming without worrying if it is acceptable and recognised by dog owners who are going to avail of your services.

The Dog Grooming course from the New Skills Academy is a short course that will get you up to speed on everything you need to know about dog grooming and running a grooming business in a record amount of time. If you want, that is, since you are absolutely encouraged to study at your own pace.

In contrast with the third option, the Dog Grooming course needs a shorter time to complete. This direct and simple course will help you have the basic skills in dog grooming through its self-paced and easy-to-navigate content.

This course includes 15 lessons, and it will guide you effortlessly through everything you need to know. Getting to know a groomer’s kit, preparing the working area, performing basic health checks on a dog, and what to do in an emergency. These are all things you will learn in addition to a detailed guide on basic dog grooming practices. Helpful and easy to follow instructional videos are also included. What you will not learn in this course are advanced and breed-specific styling techniques.

However, this is not what this course is about. This course will teach you the basics and you will be able to try out grooming to see if it is your true calling. However, if you want to become a real professional and a styling artist, you will need more training on top of this course. Nevertheless, this course from New Skill Academy is a good place to start.

Once you complete the course you will be offered a chance to do a multiple-choice test. If you finish the test successfully, you will get a printable certificate. Again, this is not a nationally recognised certificate, but it does certify that you have learned the basics of dog grooming and can help convince your future clients that you are competent.

We love how this course is beginner friendly and shortens the learning process by prioritising the most important things that dog groomers should learn.

Also, the reason why we included this course is its accessibility, where you can continue learning and completing the course across various devices, depending on what is convenient for you.

The main downside of online dog grooming courses is the fact that they just don’t give you hands-on practice. And without practice, it is very hard to get confident in your grooming skills. Plus, practice makes it easier to learn. This is why, if you live in Australia, you might also want to consider this course from Dentos Pet Stylist Academy.

This is a “blended learning course” so you might be wondering what exactly does that mean. Here is how it works: all of their courses are comprised of an online part and a practical part. You get to learn all of the theory online at the comfort of your own home, on your own schedule, and at your own pace. Then, you get to come to the academy at the Gold Coast and get some hands-on experience.

Compared to the first four options mentioned already, this course is not solely done online. After the online session, you will have an opportunity to apply what you have learned and have an actual experience in dog grooming.

When you enrol in any of their courses, you also get free accommodation at the academy for the practical part, which makes organising everything a lot easier. If you want to do the Bather/Brusher course, you’ll need to do one week of practical learning, so even if you have a full-time job or are otherwise busy, it might be feasible.

There are more advanced courses too, so you could also get a full grooming course. This one requires four weeks of practical training, though, but in the end you get a nationally recognised certification - Certificate III in Pet Grooming. If you don’t have that much time though, the Bather/Brusher course will get you up to speed on the basics and let you start working on your own and advance your skills over time.

During the Bather/Brusher course, you will learn about all the essentials that any good grooming course requires you to learn: the basics of dog skin health, understanding dog anatomy and behaviour as well as the principles of caring for different coat types in dogs. In the end, you will be ready to provide hydro-bathing services on your own or get a job as a bather/brusher at an established grooming business.

We love the actual experience offered by this course. This is very effective, especially if you learn more through hands-on experience, and you can also test yourself to see if you are ready to offer your dog grooming skills to employers or use them to establish a business.

Also, we recommend this one because the certificate you get from this course is nationally recognised, which makes your experience and skills more authentic.

The Dog Grooming Pathway Bundle from Online Courses Australia is another great place to start your journey towards becoming a professional dog groomer.

This course is fully online, so you will not get to practice with real dogs unless you do it yourself. However, the course will get you as close as possible to the real thing. When choosing online courses, your best bet is to choose a trusted provider. Online Courses Australia has been around since 2010, providing online learning for various professions. They have consistently received good feedback, and that alone says something about the quality of education they offer.

Unlike the course from Dentos Pet Stylist Academy, this course does not have hands-on experience, but you can definitely apply what you have learned from this course on your own. Also, even if it does not offer actual training, there is a personal trainer who can guide you throughout the course.

During this course, you will learn all you need to know about setting up your workspace and your working tools. You will learn how to properly handle dogs to create a pleasant experience both for you and your canine customer. Finally, you will learn all the theory you need to start styling dogs in real life: how to care for different types of coats and the specific requirements of different breeds. Besides lessons and quizzes, you also get plenty of video material to work with. In addition, you get assigned a personal tutor when you enrol. They will answer all the questions that you might have and provide feedback on your work.

The reason why we included this course is its reliability, even if the instruction is purely done online. There is a personal tutor who will assist you and help you in understanding the lessons and in improving your work. We recommend this one if you want to learn at your own pace while having someone to guide you in the learning process.

Online Dog Grooming Courses: Final Thoughts

When choosing an online dog grooming course, there is a lot of risk involved. All of them offer similar information, but the structure of the course can make a world of difference. The courses offered by Vibe Learning are the best we have found and recommend for those who want to acquire skills in dog grooming.

They guide you through every part of the process, keep you motivated with quizzes and assessments, and they encourage you to practice on your own - with support and feedback from mentors. The Vibe Learning Dog Grooming Diploma Course is sufficient for any budding dog groomer, but if you want to be as thorough as possible, choose the Dog Grooming Diploma Bundle, which includes canine first aid and the basics of dog training too.

We hope this guide will help you determine which course to get and allow you to become an effective dog groomer.

Want more dog grooming product information? Check out our below guides:

• Best Dog Nail Grinder
• Best Dog Nail Clippers
• Best Dog Grooming Kit
• Best Dog Grooming Scissors
• Best Dog Clippers