A BUSINESS GOING TO THE DOGS

       Do you feel a special connection to animals and have always wished one day you could have a career working with them? Are you tired of a mundane job and are thinking about what you would truly enjoy doing? Or are you looking for a secondary business to work on at weekends in order to help increase your income. If so,then dog grooming could be the ideal choice for you.
       "Being a professional dog groomer is such a rewarding career," Anupun Boonchoen,the owner of Dog2Home, a dog grooming school, said."I've always loved dog grooming because it can be a joyful experience for both the groomer and the pet," the dog lover added.
       Anupun always dreamed of being a successful dog groomer. To achieve his goal he attended a pet grooming course taught by an American professional dog groomer. With the special grooming techniques learned from the class, combined with some self education,he decided to establish his own dog grooming school. His objective is to provide the training necessary to prepare students with the skills required to successfully enter to the pet grooming industry.
       "About 10 years ago, it was hard to find a dog grooming school in Thailand. However,if one wants to be a professional dog groomer,I think it's very important to attend a school because they will be taught the correct way to groom dogs," Anupun said.
       Being trained to be a professional dog groomer
       Located in the Don Muang area, Anupun's dog grooming school offers several courses such as Colouring Dog Hair, Spas for Dogs,the Management of a Pet Shop and Specialised Dog Grooming, with Professional Dog Grooming being the most popular course among students. This is because the course provides fully integrated dog grooming.
       "I studied a master's degree in education at Srinakharinwirot University so I was able to design and developed all the courses myself," Anupun said.
       On the Professional Dog Grooming course,students are provided with hands-on education and training using the school's modern facilities. They also get comprehensive grounding in grooming dogs, pet hygiene and pet cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
       To help students establish a business, special studies on appointment setting, customer record keeping, marketing, tools of the trade and sanitation, are also offered.
       "Beginners are always welcome at our classes. We start with basic lessons such as how to handle scissors and clippers properly.When students are adept, we will move to more advanced procedures like proper scissor techniques," the groomer said.
       The course runs for 30 days and totals 150 hours. The cost is 28,000 baht and there is a maximum of 10 students. A set of grooming tools is also provided for each student. All class fees include the use of tools and dog training. Applicants must be 15 years of age or have a parent's or guardian's permission.
       "During the school break, many young students come to attend our class. They want to be skilled dog groomers and keep their dog well-groomed themselves as well as optimise their free time," Anupun said.
       In classes, students learn to groom many breeds such as Poodles, Yorkshire Terriers,Pomeranians and Shih-Tzus. Each dog breed has its own grooming needs. The students will also be trained in many styles of grooming from standard to pom-poms or teddy bear.
       "One of the most important qualifications is that students must truly love dogs. Dogs bark very often, play around and mess on the floor. Importantly, students have to deal with aggressive dogs and learn to control them," the teacher emphasised.The road ahead to success
       In addition to building up their own business, getting trained in dog grooming and becoming a skilled dog groomer can open many occupational opportunities for students to work in pet supply shops, pet boarding kennels and grooming salons.
       "The Thai pet-grooming industry is now thriving. There is a great demand for qualified professional dog groomers to work with veterinarians and animal hospitals and shelters.However, most of our student graduates prefer starting their own dog-grooming business and enjoy being their own boss. Some of them have gone to work as professional dog groomers abroad which generates better income than working in Thailand," Anupun said.m
       BUILDING A CAREER
       Nipaporn Noja, 28, is the owner of "The Dog Grooming and Spa", a shop located in HomePro, Rama II.Nipaporn worked as a customer relations manager at Toyota Nonthaburi for five years. Even though she liked her job,she found that something was missing. It was not fulfilling.
       She is a pet lover and owns three dogs and five cats. So she wanted to have an occupation working with pets.
       After a serious discussion with her boyfriend, Nipaporn decided to attend a professional dog grooming course. She graduated in September and then she and her boyfriend opened their own pet grooming and pet shop with an investment of one million baht.
       "We chose to open the shop where we did because it's packed with people, particularly at weekends, and it's also near my house," Nipaporn said. Meeting customer satisfaction
       Nipaporn has always realised that customers are the key to business success.So to attract them, she has tried different methods of getting customers' attention.
       She distributes brochures in many places nearby in order to promote her new business. She also implements effective marketing strategies and offers special promotions to customers.
       "For every 300 baht spent, customers will get a stamp. If they collect five stamps,they will get a free grooming for their dog," the owner said.
       To impress her customers, she also sends them an SMS to thank them,."By doing this, I think customers will return because they like our services," Nipaporn said. A bright future
       On weekdays, Nipapon offers grooming for three to four dogs and the number increases to nine to 10 at weekends. She charges customers 450 baht for each grooming.
       Nipaporn and her boyfriend said that they don't know when will they get a return on their investment.
       "But after just 15 days in business, we have 50 customers. With such a healthy start, we have good reason to expect a promising future," Nipaporn said.
       Chareeya Junchuwanitkul, 22, is the owner of Pooterky, a shop located in Wat Dan Samrong Soi 2, Samut Prakan.
       Chareeya has always had a love for animals, particularly dogs. She has three of them. In the past, she took her dogs to a grooming shop every week which meant she spent a lot of money on them. And she also learned that finding a good dog groomer is not easy.
       After completing a bachelor's degree at Kasetsart University, Chareeya, applied for a dog grooming course because she thought it would not only save her money,she could also earn some money, too.
       In May 2009, Chareeya went into partnership with a friend and took over a dog grooming business. Their shop is situated in a prime location close to several communities. They invested 200,000 baht each for tools of the trade and shop renovation.They also have to pay 20,000 baht in rent.They think that they can get a return on their investment within six months.
       Chareeya charges customers 300-350 baht per grooming service and serves about 180 dogs per month."The standard price for grooming is 400 baht. But we offer a lower price because we want repeat customers," Chareeya said.
       In order to provide convenience for her customers, Chareeya also offers a delivery service to the dog owners' homes for an extra 50 baht.Careful attention to every detail
       Chareeya has learned from a former entrepreneur that offering high quality grooming will enable them to survive in this booming business. To this end, they pay close attention to every aspect of grooming, from bathing to brushing and from shaving to claw trimming in order to give dogs a healthy, glossy and well-groomed appearance.
       "You know, keeping dogs groomed is not only important for their appearance but for their health as well. Moreover, regular grooming of your dog can help control parasites in addition to improving general appearance," she said.
       What the future holds
       In her opinion, Thailand's pet-related industries will enjoy strong growth. As a result, Chareeya will broaden her horizons by adding more services.
       "We will introduce spa services for dogs in the future in order to meet the increasing demands of our customers," she said.