Here are some of the most frequently asked questions. Click on the question to discover the answer!
Excellent question. Since the grooming profession as well as the schools are not governed or regulated by a professional order, anyone can improvise himself as a groomer and/or school by giving any quality of teaching.
This has given way to several abuses by individuals who are not necessarily ill-intentioned. Believing that they have mastered the trade they learned "on the job" or via a cheap school with simplistic methodologies, they have claimed to be able to retransmit the trade in a basic and crude manner.
You must therefore be very careful in your choice of institution. Even institutions that have grants from the Ministry of Education can offer a complete grooming training but really give an introduction to grooming to more than 6 to 20 students per teacher with an average of 15 days of practice. Do you really think you will learn to master the complex art of grooming in such a context?
Here are some pointers in your search for a good grooming school:
First take several references from former students and also people in the field, behaviorists who are up to date with their knowledge and employers who hire ethical groomers.
Be aware that it's not all about appearances. The beauty of a school does not necessarily make the weight in terms of quality.
Is it a grooming salon where you wash, dry and shave dogs with a little supervision? Does the teacher groom dogs all day long? Many salons claim to be schools but in reality use students as washer-dryers.
Do you have a designated teacher to train you?
Check to see if the teacher is on site or if he or she is busy with other things (grooming dogs, daycare, store).
Is it a real school with a trainer who has the vocation to pass on his knowledge? Does the trainer have several years of experience in the profession (more than 15) and does he/she follow continuous practical training? Has he/she been trained as a grooming teacher?
At l'Art au Poil, our trainers have received several trainings in applied animal behavior (Canada, USA, UK), applied grooming (Canada, USA, France), breed cutting (Canada, USA, France), and NLP (Canada) before deciding to pass on their knowledge.
What experience does he have in the grooming field? Does he/she keep up to date in his/her learning? Does he practice with modern techniques? What are they? How many years has he/she been in the business? Do you think that a trainer with 2-3 years of experience in grooming can really teach you all the subtleties of the profession?
Is the school modernized? Are we teaching grooming with traditional methods that are more than 40 years old?
Do they do assembly line work (multiple dogs on site at the same time) or custom grooming?
Are we talking about performance?
Is the teaching pedagogical and methodological? Or do you learn "on the job"? Do you have lecture notes on the methodologies taught? Do you have assignments?
Are there practice dogs available every day even in quiet times? Will you practice shaving and scissoring? Is zoocosmetology and dog preparation thoroughly taught?
What support is provided after your training? Is there an opportunity for an internship in a salon after your course? Do you have the opportunity to further your education at this location after graduation?
How many students per teacher? Some schools have 5 to 20 students per teacher. Is this really what you are looking for? Remember, you are often paying a per-student-per-trainer fee on the floor. Do the math yourself.
What is the philosophy behind the teaching? What are the values conveyed and actually put into practice? What is the importance of the relationship with the animals during grooming? What importance is given to the result versus the process used to achieve the result?
At L'Art au Poil, importance is given to the processes used to groom an animal. We will never abuse the trust of the animals. We build a relationship of trust over the years and this is priceless.
When you are looking for a grooming school ask:
What happens to a dog when it cooperates during the grooming process?
Ask them what happens when a dog doesn't let his nails be trimmed?
Do they have any alternative processes to suggest?
Do they offer non-invasive, non-coercive alternatives? Do they trim all the nails in the same session? How long does it take to trim them if the animal is recalcitrant?
Ask them how they concretely apply the laws of learning in grooming?
Are they certified in TCAP behavioral grooming?
If the answers are not clear, crisp and precise, or if you don't agree with the answers, keep shopping!
Do they groom with techniques based on positive reinforcement and behavior modification? Specifically, ask them what behavior modification means to them?
Is the reinforcement judiciously applied?
Does grooming in R+ mean giving treats or candy?
Do they trivialize or ridicule positive reinforcement?
Know that TCAP behavioral grooming, which has been created by l'Art au Poil for 9 years, requires exhaustive knowledge and precise mechanical skills.
Do they prioritize the outcome rather than the process by which that outcome is achieved?
Do they use disciplinary or punitive methods based on the myth of the dominant dog and submission and/or intimidation?
Do they talk about hierarchy or even leadership? These old ideas are once again positioning the human above the animals. Unfortunately, this leads to a one-way communication rather than a conversation with the animal.
Do they force the animal to be handled even if it is in a state of fear? Do they use positive reinforcement or verbal and/or physical intimidation in their interventions with the dogs? Do the dogs cooperate in grooming or are they coerced or forced to be groomed?
What are the qualifications of your teacher? In terms of grooming but also in terms of behavior and pedagogy?
Take the time to visit the school and ask for references from former students.
Even less expensive training is sometimes too expensive for what you get. At L'Art au Poil we interview many students and many of them regret having rushed into an inadequate training.
We suggest that you spend 1/2 to 1 day at the institution to really see how the school works. This is the best way to evaluate if you feel safe in this environment to learn your future profession. You will know concretely if the values transmitted correspond to yours.
Good research and good learning!
Fortunately, no. The course is more than 95% practical. Distance learning would not allow you to acquire the true skills necessary to master the art of grooming as per l’Art au Poil. You can read everything on a given subject (such as painting, hair styling, or engineering), but it won’t make you an expert in the field.
The training program consists of gaining a mastery of movements and observations, the ability to read behaviour, the handling of tools, clipping techniques, problem-solving, testing the laws of physics under various conditions, etc., under the supervision of a teaching guide who acts as a coach each and every day.
We teach you the art of managing priorities and we give you as many tools as possible to allow you to face up to the intangible aspects of the grooming profession.
Every day in class you’ll get to experience cases that are all different from one another on various levels: The condition of one’s coat, the behavioural aspect of another, your own state of mind on that particular day, the task to be met with that particular dog, on-the-spot decision making based on priorities, the intangible and unpredictable aspects of grooming, your own physical limitations, the dog’s physical limitations, the artistic thought process and the mastery of the art of grooming.
This profession cannot and should not be learned via distance learning.
The practical training of behavioral grooming TCAP (module 2) is given in blocks of 2 days in order to train you gradually. In order to obtain your certification as a TCAP Behavioral Grooming Practitioner, 6 days of training in the 2nd practical module are required.
Classes take place from 9:30am-4:30pm and may end earlier or later on certain days.
Classes are not available on a part-time bases, nor on weekends or evenings.
An excellent showcase for your business:
L’Art au Poil grooming school refers people to its ForceFree Grooming graduates alumni who value the school’s code of ethics and who meet the following criteria:
Uses techniques based on positive reinforcement and focused essentially on quality over quantity
Maintains quality service
Always maintain high industry standards and charge accordingly with respect to other Art au Poil groomer-stylists (loyalty towards fellow alumni)
Prioritizes his or her own well-being as well as that of the animal, all while meeting the client’s needs.
Art au Poil graduates who do not meet one or more of these basic criteria will not be referred to.
We are very proud of our graduates who go on to work conscientiously with heart, loyalty, and integrity. Congrats to you all for your excellent work! Long Live TCAP Grooming!
The long-awaited development trainings of L'Art au Poil are available to you!
Practical workshops or group workshops are offered to all groomers who wish to improve/develop their skills regardless of their experience.
Zoocosmetology Certification ZAP 1 with L'Art au Poil (3 days), including a certification and illustrated course notes:
Practical Zoocosmetology workshop ZAP 2 with l'Art au Poil (3 days)
with certification, ebook designed by l'Art au Poil: "Aromatherapy for dogs and cats" (french only for now), recipes for shampoos, detanglers, conditioners, healing balms, perfumes, lotions, paw pads balm, silicone and more, coffee and breakfast in a friendly atmosphere.
In addition, you will leave with approximately $100 worth of self-made and self-created products.
Animal Behavior Practical Workshop CAP 1 (6 days):
this practical workshop aims to apply concretely the notions learned in animal behavior through the training of different animal species: dogs, cats, mini horses, chickens, alpacas, goats, sheep.:
There are 2 rooms for rent in a lovely country house (single and double beds).
Costs of 50$ per night apply including:
Meals are not included.
Yes, by appointment after having already obtained all the information about the various training programs and course details. http://new.artaupoil.com/fr/#formations
Our techniques focus on conditioning based on positive reinforcement, leading to an entirely modern practice that favours quality over quantity.
Essentially, our philosophy and values are compatible with grooming enterprises that:
This is the strength behind what we teach, the root of our daily routines, the basis of our actions and the direction of all our intentions. These values are not to be diluted and are not negotiable.
Our specialized and personalized practice is worlds apart from high-volume grooming, which means there are two target markets for grooming.
The good news is that the majority of our graduates are ready to start their own business on completion of the program. They are already prepared to offer quality service that goes above and beyond clients’ expectations.
This is why an internship is not necessary. However, if anyone is interested in doing an internship we can recommend places that meet the requirements listed above.