After thinking about becoming a dog groomer and finding a very kind person who let me go and work every Saturday morning in her salon here in Switzerland, I realized that it was something I really wanted to do. As there are no schools here who offer a qualification in this field I decided to look for a training centre in the U.K. Eventually, I chose two and on a visit to see family last summer, I paid for a taster day in a salon in the North East. However, at the end of the day( 4 hours) I was not very happy with the way it went. A little disappointed, I decided to call Canine Health and Hydro and talked to Kerry the receptionist. With her friendly, informative manner she convinced me to go for it. And the adventure began. The course of 24 days was adapted for me, 6 days a week for 4 weeks, as I was coming from a long way and had to take unpaid time from work. I must admit that on my first day, 9th January 2017, when Poppy told me about everything I would have to do over my 4 weeks, I panicked and thought I would never be able to manage it all. The grooming salon team, Poppy, Sarah and Jess, and patient Kerry’s help with printing written assignments from my computer first thing in the morning, soon showed me that it might be possible. With the hands on, from day one, professional approach, encouragement, patience, good humour and all the help and information about course work and exam preparation helped me to start seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. I lost my confidence a few times because of the short time pressure, wondering if I was doing the right thing at my age (57), but was always brought back from the brink by this wonderful team. I even managed to fit in an exam revision talk, business talk from Steve and a first aid talk given by a veterinary nurse. And there it was, suddenly my last day. Course work done, practical assessments over, and City and Guilds exams successfully achieved with a distinction, merit and a pass. I worked very hard and pushed my limits but without this wonderful team I would never have managed. I met some lovely people and had some great laughs despite the hard work and highly recommend this place to anyone wishing to join the dog groomers world. So, here I am one month after. Back at the grooming salon in Switzerland two half days a week. A proposal from a girl with an up and running garage grooming business to join her at the end of April for two full days a week. With the total conviction that by the end of this year, teaching English will be a thing of the past. Thanks to you all at Canine Groom school. Anne.xx

Anne Cahill

After deciding to become a professional dog groomer & researching the best schools and courses to get me there, I discovered the highly acclaimed Canine Health & Hydro. Every member of the team there is 100% ‘on it’ ; enthusiasm, respect, professionalism, knowledge and a genuine passion for dogs and their care bounces off the walls. From day one – students are finding themselves bathing, drying and before you know it grooming the abundance of varied breeds and temperaments all under the keen eye and tailored guidance of the tutor team. This energy got me and countless other overawed and under confident students to not only become confident groomers and to pass with gusto the City & Guilds Level 3 exams but for me to a point where I launched my grooming business just days after graduation! They believed in me when I didn’t believe I could do it and knew just the right amount of push to give me to get me to my goals. Their ethos continues after the courses finish with a private support group of former and current students along with Poppy and the groom school team regularly swapping tips and helping each other. That spirit of generosity and the feeling of being part of a special team starts at the groom school and stays with you. I treasure my time there and hope to return to further my development as a groomer in the future. I wholeheartedly recommend them to anyone thinking of becoming a groomer at any level and tell all my Clients that I trained there as it makes me so proud that I did! Leighann Wright

Leighann Wright