Pet Groomer

A Pet Groomer bathes, clips, trims, and styles the coats of dogs, cats, and other companion animals in a grooming salon or mobile grooming facility. They assess each animal's coat condition and behaviour, apply appropriate grooming techniques, and ensure the animal's welfare and safety throughout the process. The role combines practical animal handling skills with customer service in a fast-paced, physically demanding environment.

Assess coat type, skin condition, and matting severity to determine appropriate grooming treatments and products. Bathe animals using warm water, specialised shampoos, and conditioning treatments suited to their coat type. Dry and de-mat coats using hand dryers, high-velocity dryers, and grooming combs to remove tangles and mats. Clip and trim fur using electric clippers, scissors, and thinning shears to achieve customer-requested styles and breed standards. Perform nail trimming, pad cleaning, and sanitary trims using nail clippers and grooming shears. Clean ears and express anal glands using appropriate techniques while monitoring for signs of infection or illness. Groom facial features including eye trimming, muzzle shaping, and ear styling according to breed standards. Handle anxious, aggressive, or distressed animals safely using restraint techniques and calming behaviour management strategies.

The standard entry pathway requires a Certificate II or III (ABS skill level 4). Specific qualification requirements vary by employer and state. Some employers may accept equivalent experience. Check yourcareer.gov.au for available courses and dewr.gov.au/skills-reform/free-tafe for subsidised training options.

Your body takes a real hit. You're on your feet all day doing repetitive motions, lifting wet dogs, and dealing with scratches and bites. Earnings cap out unless you own the salon, and you'll struggle to find permanent full-time work unless you're willing to do mobile grooming with irregular hours and travel costs.

Jobs concentrate in metro areas where pet ownership and disposable income are highest. Regional towns have fewer salons and less steady work. Most roles are part-time or casual at established salons, or self-employed mobile grooming.

Published for ANZSCO unit group 3611, the wider group this job sits in, not for this job on its own.

This is the median for full-time employees who are not managers and are paid at the adult rate, before tax and salary sacrifice. It is a guide to what the work pays, not a wage rate.

Source: ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.

• Active Listeningcore
• Appointment Schedulingcore
• Attention to Detailcore
• Complaint Handlingcore
• Customer Needs Assessmentcore
• Empathy and Emotional Intelligencecore
• Invoicing and Billing Administrationcore
• Multitaskingcore
• Policy and Procedure Adherencecore
• Problem Solvingcore
• Risk Identificationcore
• Time Management and Prioritisationcore
• Verbal Communicationcore
• Adaptability and Flexibility
• Advise on animal purchase
• Basic Arithmetic and Numerical Accuracy
• Calculate rates per hours
• Continuous Learning and Upskilling
• Incident Reporting
• Professional Boundaries Maintenance
• Record Management
• Workload Self-Management

• ABS OSCA 2024, occupation definition and task statements
• ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.
• ABS, 2021 Census of Population and Housing based on usual place of residence (Custom Report). OSCA Experimental Estimates.

Role data is drawn from official Australian Government sources, and each figure names where it comes from. Where a role is not in the ABS classification, the page shows no government figures for it. Data may not reflect every local variation.

Where our numbers come from.

Last updated: 30 October 2026