Experienced Dog Bather - Groomer Training Available

Experienced Dog Bather – Groomer Training Available

Location: Pet Care Plus – West Loop, Chicago, IL
Job Type: Full-Time or Part-Time, Hourly
Pay: Starting at $18.50 per hour, based on experience and demonstrated skills, plus tips
Department: Grooming
Schedule: Flexible availability, including weekdays, weekends, and some holidays

About the Position

Pet Care Plus is seeking an experienced, dependable, and compassionate Dog Bather who is ready to expand their technical skills and work toward becoming a professional Groomer.

This position is designed for someone who already has professional dog-bathing experience and can independently perform bathing, drying, brushing, de-shedding, nail care, and other essential grooming-support services.

In addition to core bathing responsibilities, this team member will have opportunities to develop foundational grooming skills such as safe clipper use, paw-pad trimming, sanitary trims, face and feet tidying, basic shave-downs, and uniform guard-comb trims.

This is not an entry-level bathing position. Candidates should have professional bathing experience and an interest in continued training and career advancement.

What You’ll Do

Bathing and Coat Care

• Select appropriate shampoos and conditioners based on each dog’s coat and skin needs.
• Professionally bathe, condition, and thoroughly rinse dogs.
• Safely operate high-velocity dryers and complete fluff drying when appropriate.
• Brush and comb dogs according to their coat type.
• Perform de-shedding treatments and remove loose undercoat.
• Safely remove minor tangles and light matting when appropriate.
• Perform nail trims and nail grinding.
• Clean ears and provide basic teeth brushing using approved products.
• Perform approved external anal gland expression when trained and authorized.
• Complete basic paw and coat maintenance.
• Follow service instructions and accurately document completed services.
• Communicate any health, skin, coat, nail, ear, dental, or behavioral concerns to a Groomer or manager.

Foundational Grooming Services

After demonstrating competency and receiving approval, you may perform:

• Paw-pad trimming
• Sanitary trims
• Face, eye-area, visor, beard, and head tidying
• Feet and paw trimming
• Tail trimming and shaping
• Basic shave-downs on appropriate dogs
• Simple, uniform-length guard-comb trims
• Basic puppy-style trims within your approved skill level
• Other approved add-on grooming services

Advanced breed-specific cuts, pattern grooming, corrective grooming, advanced hand scissoring, and advanced styling are not required for this position. These services may only be performed after completing the appropriate training and receiving approval.

What We’re Looking For

Qualified candidates should have:

• Previous professional dog-bathing experience
• Proficiency in bathing, drying, brushing, de-shedding, nail trimming, and nail grinding
• Experience safely handling professional grooming clippers
• Basic knowledge of blade lengths and guard combs
• Experience trimming paw pads and sanitary areas
• Ability to complete basic face, feet, and tail tidying
• Knowledge of canine body language and safe restraint practices
• Safe, patient, and compassionate animal-handling skills
• Strong time-management and organizational skills
• The ability to work independently and remain on schedule
• Consistent attendance, punctuality, and reliability
• Professional communication skills
• A willingness to assist and support other members of the Grooming team
• An interest in continued training and advancement toward becoming a Groomer
• The judgment to recognize when a service is beyond your current training or skill level

Candidates may be asked to complete practical skill demonstrations before being approved to independently perform certain grooming services.

Groomer Training and Career Development

Pet Care Plus provides a structured career path for experienced Bathers who want to become professional Groomers:

Experienced Dog Bather → Groomer-in-Training → Groomer

Training may include:

• Professional clipper handling and control
• Blade-length and guard-comb selection
• Clipper direction and coat-length control
• Basic straight-shear, curved-shear, and thinning-shear techniques
• Creating clean lines and even finishes
• Basic blending and transition work
• Understanding coat types and appropriate grooming techniques
• Recognizing when a coat should or should not be shaved
• Evaluating matting and selecting the safest grooming approach
• Basic body pattern, balance, and symmetry
• Safe handling around the face, feet, ears, sanitary areas, and tail
• Proper grooming-table positioning and restraint

Advancement is based on demonstrated safety, quality, efficiency, reliability, and technical competency—not solely on time in the position.

Pet Safety

All team members are expected to:

• Use safe, humane, and patient handling techniques.
• Recognize signs of fear, stress, discomfort, or aggression.
• Adjust handling techniques based on each dog’s individual needs.
• Follow all Pet Care Plus grooming, restraint, sanitation, and safety procedures.
• Immediately report injuries, unusual findings, or behavioral concerns.
• Stop and request assistance when a service cannot be completed safely.
• Never perform a service without the required training and approval.

Cleaning and Department Responsibilities

Maintaining a clean, sanitary, and organized Grooming Department is a regular responsibility of this position. Duties include:

• Washing, drying, folding, and putting away grooming towels and laundry
• Cleaning and disinfecting tubs between dogs
• Cleaning grooming tables, equipment, kennels, and holding areas
• Sweeping and removing hair throughout the day
• Cleaning and properly storing grooming tools
• Restocking shampoos, conditioners, towels, and supplies
• Emptying trash and maintaining clean work areas
• Completing assigned opening and closing duties
• Assisting with other Grooming Department cleaning responsibilities as needed

Cleaning and laundry must be completed throughout the shift and are not reserved only for the end of the day.

Physical Requirements

Candidates must be able to:

• Stand for extended periods
• Bend, kneel, reach, and perform repetitive hand and arm movements
• Safely restrain and reposition dogs during bathing and grooming services
• Safely lift or assist dogs weighing up to 50 pounds, with team assistance when appropriate
• Work around water, pet hair, barking, cleaning products, and varying noise levels
• Safely maintain control of grooming tools while working with moving animals

Why Join Pet Care Plus?

At Pet Care Plus, you will have the opportunity to strengthen your existing bathing skills, learn foundational grooming techniques, earn tips, and work toward advancement into a professional Groomer position.

If you are an experienced Dog Bather who takes pride in safe pet handling, quality work, cleanliness, and continued professional growth, we would love to hear from you.

Reasonable Accommodations Statement

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Completeness

The Company has reviewed this job description to ensure that essential functions and basic duties have been included. It is intended to provide guidelines for job expectations and the employee's ability to perform the position described. It is not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all functions, responsibilities, skills and abilities. Additional functions and requirements may be assigned by Supervisors as deemed appropriate. This document does not represent a contract of employment, and the Company reserves the right to change this job description and/or assign tasks for the employee to perform, as the Company may deem appropriate.