Hiring guideRead at source, 29 September 2026

How to Recruit Dog Groomers: Publish the Commission, Supply the Shears, Build the Bench

To recruit dog groomers, publish the full pay structure (commission percentage, any hourly guarantee and what a full-time groomer at your salon really earns), say whether you supply and sharpen equipment, and state dogs per day and bather support. Experienced groomers are few and well networked, so reach them on Facebook and Instagram and through grooming schools, and recruit bathers you can train at the same time. Ask for photos of recent grooms instead of a resume, and invite promising applicants to a paid working interview.

Who you are actually hiring

BLS classifies dog groomers under animal caretakers (SOC 39-2021), alongside kennel attendants, pet sitters and dog bathers. The occupation had 365,300 jobs in 2025, is projected to grow 12.1% to 409,400 by 2035, and has about 62,800 openings a year. The May 2025 median annual wage was $35,360, with a high school diploma as typical entry-level education (BLS Employment Projections 2025-35; BLS, May 2025 median annual wage). Those figures cover the whole occupation, not groomers alone, so they may not reflect what an established commission groomer earns.

The BLS Handbook says pet groomers often learn the trade under the guidance of an experienced groomer, and can also attend grooming schools. It lists where they work: grooming salons, kennels, veterinary clinics, pet supply stores, and mobile grooming services that travel to clients' homes. That list is also your competitor list. Our dog groomer job description covers duties and a template for each setting.

You are usually hiring one of two people: an experienced groomer who can take a full book, or a bather or apprentice you will train. Recruit them with different ads.

Where to find dog groomers

• Groomers at other salons and big-box pet stores. Corporate grooming programs train a lot of groomers, and some of them want a smaller shop, better commission or fewer dogs a day. They will not answer a vague ad.
• Mobile groomers tired of maintaining a van and doing their own booking.
• Grooming school students and graduates. Offer practicum spots and hire the best.
• Kennel attendants, vet assistants and daycare staff who already handle dogs all day and want a skill. They are your bather pipeline.
• Your clients. Pet owners who love your shop are a real referral source; a sign at the counter and a post on your business page cost nothing.
• Facebook and Instagram. Groomers follow each other and grooming groups online, and a clear ad gets shared. Employment ads run in Meta's Special Ad Category: no age, gender or ZIP targeting, and at least a 15-mile radius.

What to pay dog groomers, and how to publish it

Groomers evaluate a job on pay structure before anything else. State whether you pay commission, hourly or a base plus commission; the percentage; any guarantee while a new groomer builds a book; and what a full-time groomer at your salon earned last year. "Competitive commission" reads as below market. The pay section of the dog groomer job description walks through how to present it.

Equipment is the hidden half of pay. Clippers, blades, shears and dryers are a real cost for a groomer who supplies their own. If you provide and sharpen equipment, say so near the top of the ad; it can matter as much as the commission rate.

How to write a dog groomer ad

The first three lines need the pay structure, the equipment policy, dogs per day with bather support, and the schedule. Sample headlines:

• "Dog Groomer: 50% commission plus hourly guarantee for your first 60 days. We supply and sharpen all equipment."
• "Groomer wanted, 6 dogs a day with a full-time bather. Closed Sundays, no on-call."
• "Bather, no experience needed. Paid training toward groomer, with the pay at each step listed."

Use your real numbers; these are formats, not recommendations. Say what handling support exists for difficult dogs and whether the salon backs a groomer who refuses an unsafe groom. More formats are in our help wanted ad examples.

Screening questions for a mobile application

• Are you applying as an experienced groomer or as a bather or trainee?
• How many years have you groomed professionally, and in what setting: salon, retail, mobile, veterinary?
• Can you upload or text two or three photos of recent grooms? (Optional on the form; ask on the call if not.)
• Which days can you work?

Skip the resume. Grooming skill is visible in photos and in a paid working interview, where you watch the groomer handle a real dog. Our candidate conversion rate guide explains why every extra field costs completed applications.

Speed and follow-up

An experienced groomer who applies to you probably applied somewhere else the same morning. Reply the same day and offer a specific working interview slot. Boostpoint Connect sends an instant text when someone applies and follows up with automated text sequences, so the first reply is never tomorrow.

What it costs to recruit dog groomers on social

Boostpoint's 2026 Social Job Advertising Benchmark does not publish a grooming or animal care role family, and none of its fifteen families contains groomers, so we do not quote one. The report-wide reference is a median campaign cost of $13.88 per applicant, with the middle half of the 891 campaigns between $6.48 and $29.74, counting advertising cost. Cost per applicant is not cost per hire. The benchmark also shows that the apply experience explains 70% of the variation in cost between campaigns, which is why a short form beats a long one. See the full benchmark.

Keeping the groomers you hire

Groomers leave over volume, injuries and pay that did not match the ad. Keep dogs per day at the number you advertised, give new groomers the easier books first, and pay for continuing education. A bather track with published pay steps is how the shop replaces itself. Hiring the rest of the team? See the kennel technician job description and our frontline hiring hub.

Frequently asked questions

Sources: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, Animal Care and Service Workers; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 and May 2025 median annual wage for animal caretakers (39-2021); Boostpoint 2026 Social Job Advertising Benchmark. Read at source 29 September 2026.