Pet Grooming, Behavior, and Training

To see all current Animal and Pet Care courses, click here.

Professional Pet Groomer Training

Professional Pet Groomer Training is a series of three courses totaling 115 hours of training.  Students must complete all three courses in order to receive a certificate of completion. 
Certificates are not awarded for individual courses.  Limited enrollment.

Professional Pet Grooming Practices Part I

Prerequisite - Principles of Professional Pet Grooming - no exceptions.  Students begin hands-on training.  Bathing and brushing techniques and easy breeds for grooming are covered.  The course is held at Central Dawgma - 1337 Pennsylvania Ave, Hagerstown, MD 21742.  The fee includes the use of dog grooming stations.  Students will be assisted by lead instructor Lori Sweeney and an instructional assistant.  Students must purchase $300-$400 worth of equipment on their own prior to the second class.  The course includes 11 classes of hands-on practice. 
Fee: $950

Professional Pet Grooming Practices Part II

Students must have completed and passed the Professional Pet Grooming Practices Part I - no exceptions.  Students continue hands-on training with complex breeds and techniques.  The course is held at Central Dawgma - 1337 Pennsylvania Ave, Hagerstown, MD 21742.  The fee includes the use of dog grooming stations.  Students will be assisted by lead instructor Lori Sweeney and an instructional assistant.  Students must purchase approximately $200 worth of equipment on their own prior to the second class.  The course includes 12 classes of hands-on practice and graduation from training the last night.  
Fee: $1200

Principles of Professional Pet Grooming

This course is the first of three courses needed to complete Professional Pet Groomer Training. Students must also complete Professional Pet Groomer Practices Part I and Part II.  This course covers the fundamental principles and terminology of pet grooming including grooming equipment, animal behavior and handling, dog anatomy, breed classes, CPR, cat review, hair and skin disorders, and familiarization with grooming room set-up.  This course is a prerequisite before clipping in Professional Pet Groomer Practices, Part I.   Students must purchase approximately $100-$200 worth of equipment on their own.  (Textbook included in fee)
Fee: $569 

Total cost to take all three courses: $2683

Completion Ceremonies will be held June 26, 2012 at the HCC Merle S. Elliott Continuing Education and Conference Center.

Start A Pet Sitting Business - ONLINE
This course provides instruction on starting a pet-sitting business. A wide variety of topics will be discussed, and include: pet care, nutrition, exercise, first aid, identification of common diseases of cats and dogs.  How to address feline and canine behavioral issues will also be addressed.   Finances and start-up costs, licensing, contracts and dealing with employees, as well as how to develop effective marketing materials are additional topics that will be covered.     
Fee: $99  Senior Adult Fee: $68
New sessions start each month.  Click on link above to see upcoming course dates.

Pet Care Basics - Includes CPR and First Aid
Pet owners learn how to respond to emergency situations and when it is time to call the veterinarian. The basics of good nutrition, dog and cat care, common illnesses and warning signs, vaccinations, illness prevention as well as CPR using the CPR rover dogs and first aid are covered. Each student will receive a pet first aid kit.

Introduction to Pet Massage for the Pet Owner
This course is designed for personal application for pet owners. Introduction to a step-by-step approach for the pet owner to massage your dog or cat. This class will introduce the holistic philosophy of animal well-being, elementary pet anatomy, basic animal psychology, and how to create the best massage routine. DO NOT BRING PETS TO CLASS. (Textbook included in materials fee) Class limit: 12

Dog Behavior and Communication
Students learn about verbal chatter, tone inflection, body language, pack ranking, how conditioning works and their pet's spatial references. This course is recommended for those interested in better understanding their pet and why training works. Lecture program only; do not bring dogs to class.
Fee: $25

New Baby "Socialization" for Dogs
Preparing your dog for a new baby: Mike Ocker will cover all aspects of preparing your dog for the pending arrival.  What to do before baby comes, when baby comes home, and after your child's arrival going right through those toddler years!

For more information, call registration at 240-500-2236.