Practicum Requirements - Groomer Technician Course

Below are the hands-on requirements for the JKL Groomer Technician Course. There are no specific 'required hours' for the practicum as students generally progress at their own, individual rate. Some are able to complete portions of the practicum on their first try, while others might feel more comfortable submitting work from a subsequent try.

How is the Practicum Done:
Students provide photos / videos of specific grooms outlined in Practicum Requirements and feedback/support is given by email from a JKL Professional Grooming Instructor.

Tools Required to Complete Practicum:
Pin Brush
Soft Slicker Brush
Rubber Curry also known as Shampoo Brush
Carding Tool
De-matting Tool
Dog Rake
Combination Comb
Nail Clippers
Nail Scissors
Hemostats - Locking
Straight Shear
Curved Shear
Thinning Shears
Professional Animal Clipper
#10 Blade
8 Clipper Comb Attachments

A Tool Kit can be purchased at course sign-up

You can find similar tools on Amazon should you decide to purchase only a few tools at a time. Be sure to read the reviews on each tool, then carefully select.

How to Find Dogs to Groom:
If you are concerned about being able to find the dogs to groom for your practicum, a list of where many of our students have found dogs for their practicum are below:

You can use your own dogs, dogs of relatives, dogs of friends, your local animal shelters, rescue groups, community bulletin boards, facebook groups, local social media groups, dog parks.

   The practicum subjects required for grading are as follows:

1. Smooth Coat
2. Short Coat
3. Double Coat
4. Dropcoat
5. You and Your Groom

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Spot Grooming Photo Before & After requirements:

• a trimmed hock and a catlike foot
• a scissor rounded foot
• trimmed or clipped footpads
• a trimmed tail showing efforts with thinners or shears
• a clipped undercarriage
• a plucked and cleansed ear
• double coat removal utilizing a dog rake
• dematting showing correct use of a dematting toola photo of you and any finished subject
• photos or videos of you actually performing a start to finish groom. (this will require an assistant to take the photos or videos in sequence)
• pre bath procedures: dematting, brushing, combing, coat removal
• bath procedures: wetting, lathering, rinsing, towel drying
• finish procedures: blow drying, finishing brushing or combing with pin brush, wire slicker, combo comb.

 

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Extra Credits:
Photo or video submissions of additional grooms, procedures, additional tools or equipment used (clipper vacuums, slings or positioning systems, muzzles or other restraints, etc.), will help you achieve a higher grade average, so do not hesitate to submit them all!

Videos Count!

Enhance your overall scores. Set up your Smart Phone to record your work! Just be sure to use the High Def feature.

A grading consideration is the degree of difficulty of a particular groom, i.e. a short-coated dog will score lower than a long-coated dog. A short-coated cat will score lower than a long-coated cat; Do not hesitate to submit these photos, just be sure to balance them with photos of more complex grooms, as well.

Remember to keep a photo record of your earliest grooms. This will allow you to see your progress with each completed groom, and allow you to correct any faults you spot. The more you practice, the better you will get!

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