You can do your own grooming. Get a book and a video. Its not as hard as it looks. Your first few dogs may take four hours but it does get faster.

You will need:

clippers- spend a little more and get the smallest hand holds

blades for your clippers - make sure you got ones that take blades

oil for blades

blade wash or clipper cool

Towels

Dont buy tables unless you have the tiny dog- most dogs freek unless they are trained to love the feeling of being hung from the arm

Use an eye bolt in the wall, a chain collar with two rings and double sided clips that open fast if a dog freeks or falls.

Get someone to build you a wooden ramp attached to the wall or a table attached to the wall. it should be narrow from the wall to you. You are NOT allowing space for the dog to turn at will. This is on purpose. You will turn the dog otherwise they will flip on their own and its much harder to stay in control.  Think 14 inches wide no more- even your big dogs will respect it and be more attentive to standing. DO NOT LEAVE THE DOG THERE you need to be next to this dog the whole time or put him down to walk away. Just plan ahead. have everything there ready to use including the phone. Your body will block the dog from falling or stepping off. The alternative is the hanging nooses and tables that move when the dog gets nervous- I have seen the top of the line ones shake as the big dogs get nervous and they all hug the floor! Its much harder to get the dog to trust you as they are scared and they are always trying to jump. The ramp and set shelf are 10000 times better. Sorry to those that think spending all that money is better but the only nice thing about the tables that go up and down is that you can see better but they dont save your back and you spend a lot more time than you think playing with them and fighting to keep the dog calm. Saw one groomer loose it with a dog that was just scared to death of the table he was on.

Start with long streight sheers.-over 10in long. They are the best for around eyes because you are cutting only a little and the tips are way above the eye. If they jump at the last minute its easy to pull back. Also keep them shut till just before clipping. Get in the practice. It saved a few biters, wigglers amd jumpers. Long curves are also the best for angles. Use the thumb stops or training wheels that go inside the thumb rests. it helps to train you hands. Take the time to learn this so you will not get strains later.

I have been told to use #30 on pads in the v on the bottom of the foot. Read it everywhere and I have found that its a mistake. Use the 10 as its a 12 backward and leaves less or no clipper burn- thats nicks that pups dig at or chew on as they heel. Also noticed that the pads matt less with a 10.  Going back a little- blades come in all sizes and have extensions for longer hair called duks. You can clip down to a surgical 50 if you wish. Common blades to use are 10, 7 in the summer, 4 in the winter 5 for tops of small dogs heads and faces.

Skip tooth blades should be avoided unless your hands are steady and you know the areas where the folds are and avoid them at all costs. If a dog is badly matted you will not get under them without pulling skin into the blades. The owners can stomp all they want its the truth- you have to go to a 10 to not harm the dog. Tried and spent hours saving coats- The owners never kept up with combing and they came back just as matted so clipping down to a ten helps to restart all the hair at the same length. Learn to try to use a 7 if you can get under a mat. It will ease the owners upset but if you cant without having to tug skin then dont waste any time go to the 10. If you have to save a coat and cant cut due to a show coming up a suggestion is cholesteral for human hair. Put it on dry mats and leave for ten min. Work the mat with a comb. Wash with reg soaps. 

There is a fold under the arm and leg that you have to be careful of catching. I heard it would happen and it did. Once when I was holding a dog and once when I was clipping my nemnesis POGEE(i love pogs today as he is much older and calmer!) He jumped and pulled his leg right into the clippers. I almost cried when I called the owner. You are told its going to happen and around dog number 1200 it did. The other one is the tongue! I got dog number 25 with the quick lick just as I closed my ultra sharp scissors. THANK GOD I froze in time not to do more damage. I did get him but left only two little slits. He stopped bleeding and the woman I worked for had the product to stop bleeding.  It could have been mmmuuucccchhh worse. I was forewarned and heard some horror stories. That will spook you so if you are not prepared for vet bills and you do not have a steady hand DONT DO IT. Leave it to someone that has put their hands on over one to two thousand pups. If you have a biter or a jumpy dog you want to ask and watch how they groom your dog. Its not a pretty sight when owners leave and groomers loose it! I have had to walk away from Poggs twice. Otherwise I would have used him as a football since that is what he is shaped like LOL I do love him but suggested a to get him fix as he will be much calmer. I saw what others did to dogs they say they love and understand the stress but I would not hurt a dog just because I lost my patience. Grooming is more about taking it in stride and learning techniques of changing what you are doing so the pup has time to relax or to get used to the idea. Its not a good thing to jump around but sometimes you will have to. It didnt hurt pogee for me to take a break those two times.(its a measure of who you are when no one is looking and I am proud of the fact that I walked away!) I have seen much worse but I keep it in my mind that one pup got hurt because I was not prepared for him to jump as he did. Even if you do your best some times accidents happen. Dont let it scare you from becoming a groomer just recognize that it happens fast! 

Pet soaps. Let me say this I have seen clorox used in a high priced place. It worked on killing fleas but so does vinegar. They drop just as fast and its illegal to use clorox or any chemical on someones pet without their knowledge. They did wash the dog with regular soap after and the smell was gone by the time they used human hair conditioner on it but why do it at all if vinegar helps the strength and feel of the hair? Clorox will make the hair matt and is cruel if you dont get it all off. Try washing it off your own hands much less the dog. If you are going into business- PLEASE spend a little time learning about silk protein conditioners and hypo soaps such as Ikaria. They cost a little more but the dogs dont end up with zits that become hardened into cycsts over time. Human soaps are a different PH and cause dryout or allergic reactions. Some conditioners will cause irritation and skin problems.

Drying a dog is basicly the same as washing it only in reverse. After you wrap the pup in towels- including the head, you start at the tail and work up and always forward- unless they are a long hair flat looking dog. Brush up and backward with caution of picking skin or scratching from too much pressure or bad angles. Put the air on one area and stay there till it is dry- this will cut the work time and stop tangles from damp hair. Dont be impatient and take your time in a steady motion. Combing will cause hair to dry faster but you need to brush first. High velocity blowers scare the pups and the further away the more comfortable they are. Use two its gets done faster. One stationary and one hand held. You brush and comb and are always moving. BOX BLOWERS KILL. If you dont know what you are doing you can kill a dog in one of these. Saw a very hot dog come out of a box once because the washer was busy on the next dog- there is not excuse for this. Dont use them if you dont know what you are doing. Any distraction can cause overheating. There was a lawsuit where four dogs died and they still use them in your box stores. The use of a towel placed over a plastic crate is the poor groomers method and it works JUST AS LONG AS YOU ARE KEEPING A DIRECT EYE ON THE DOG. You have to watch the tongue does not turn purple and that the temp of the dog as not gone up too far. If the dog is panting stop. Better not to do this at all but if a dog cannot take being blown at all its the calmest way to dry them. They sweat through the paws and cant get out of the crate so it is up to you to be there. Sometimes you can take the towel off or move the blower further away and never have to worry about temp. Some people will use cold blowers- basicly same temp as the room. It takes a little longer and you still have to line dry or brush and blow hair a little at the same time but it works if you have 14 dogs a day like I did.

Cleaning glands is one stinky job that if left undone can become a health issue. Have someone show you how to do it. Then do it just before the bath in the tub. Aim for the drain and wash it out fast. The glands are two pea to pnum m&m size spots on both sides of the bum. You queeze in and up to release them out. WASH your hands and the hair with soap. If you dont you are asking for them to release it at anytime including just before they walk out the door. It will leave a dog smelling like battery acid! If they are left too full they will drag their butts on the floor. They can become impacted and cause health issues. I have seen blocked up ones that come out looking like chalk. The infected ones come out green. You are wanting clear to brown liquid not solids. It helps to watch someone do it so that you know what to expect.

Ears are easy to clean with cotton and liquid soap but there are breeds that you have to use powder and pull the inner hair first. No easy way to do this. Just be careful to pull the inner hair as it has less nerves attached and pets are good about it for the most part! Do not used cleaner on infected ears- read the container. Infected ears are a nightmare that can leave a dog deaf. One thing I have heard is using the degreaser to strip the ear clean, use the powder to pull hair then use monistat for humans. You cannot do it to other persons dog. All you can do is clean the ear, pull the hair and make the suggestion for them to do it. If you clip the hair on and around the ear for air flow they will have a better chance to keep the ears healthy to start with.

Nails are a fun part of pet ownership. You can knick the vain from time to time to get it to grow back up inside to a healthy length. If the dogs nails tap and twist due to length the toe will twist and the alignment will go off. The long term effect is early arthritis that is painful for a dog. Not to mention costly for joint supplements. They cant tell you that they hurt till they are limping. The choice is a little discomfort if they get nicked once in a while or  years of pain in their old age. Pain in a dog causes dementia faster in some breeds. You clip where the bottom and the top front meet. You will see a brown area the more you clip the bigger that area gets. Think onion and start slow. As the brown rings or dot covers the area you are getting closer to the vein. STOP when you are getting coverage over most of the area you just clipped. Look at the side and have the dog stand. Does it look right? Does it tap still when it stands. That is the tell. Most breeds will not tap if you have done your job. Use a grinder if you can afford one and it is much easier to find the rings or dot. Clear nails are a blessing as you can see the red vein. If you knick one you are that much closer to knowing how much is too much. Have clotting powder in reach. The amount can scare you but it will stop. If the dog jumps as you clip and you go too far a vet can put silver nitrate on it- you can also order these swabs but they are costly. Just think slow and be sure you  know where the nippers are before you cut. Steady jumpers. DONT USE any nippers that block your vision from seeing exactly where you are cutting. If it slips and you are not sure start over. Make sure you can see what you are cutting. Move the hair out of the way and have a good light!

Bont be ashamed of using a dog grooming book. I have seen top grooms checking and double checking lines of where they should stop and use a different blade. Good books spell it all out for you. I recommend watching others work. Its not the same as when you do it but it helps to see the angles and way to hold legs as to not have the dog jumping. Some theories are helpful. The one I like was that there are 4 directions to go on a dogs side and you start going from head to tail and end one sweeping motion facing the floor under the belly and off. Always following the hair.

Owners are human and range in personality. Please understand that they are the hardest part of being a groomer. If you cant put up with having those people standing over you as you groom then dont be a groomer. You want to have them watch if they need to and it will keep you honest and at your best when you are handeling someone loved member of the family. If you are going to hit a dog go find another trade! If its your dog he or she will act up more for you than someone else. Thats life. I had every employee work on my two great pyrnese on purpose. First I saw their dedication and their weakness when it comes to being in for the long haul. It was a test and I let them know it if they wanted to be an apprentice. The parts of the dog where much bigger and they could see what they needed to do. Every one that tested left the dogs just over thee quarters of the way done. I knew they would not get them done in the time they had and I watched for the way they handled the pressure of it. If you cant take that then walk away. Dont do it. Know that now. Your first time will be four hours. Your 1000th will take two hours. To do a good job it will take you 1000 attempts. That is why the schools are set up the way they are.  The first sheep I ever clipped looked horrid. The first dog I clipped looked horrid and I wanted to quit. My boss took over and I came back the next day. Its not how many times you fail its how many times you come back and try again. The ones that did better on my dogs were the ones that kept trying and are still trying today. Its ok to walk away and come back when you are ready to try again. Its worth it in the long run. Its not easy but it gets easy with time.  

Hope this helped. Ask questions and I will try to help. Being newer at grooming as a profession, I still remember a lot of my first instructions and how best to get the job done. This was just a glimpse.