At Backyard Mobile Grooming Academy, students learn through a combination of classroom instruction, guided observation, and daily hands-on experience in a real mobile grooming environment.
Our program is designed to prepare students for the realities of professional grooming and mobile grooming operations. This is not a watch-from-the-sidelines program. It is structured, immersive, and built to help students develop both technical grooming ability and real confidence working with dogs, clients, and equipment.
Students progress through three tiers of training:
- Entry-Level
- Professional Groomer
- Mobile Grooming Operator
Each tier builds on the one before it, allowing students to develop foundational grooming skills first, then more advanced breed work, and finally the operational and business skills required to succeed in a mobile grooming setting.
HOW THE PROGRAM WORKS
Training takes place in a mobile grooming environment supported by daily classroom-style learning.
Each day begins with one hour of classroom instruction, where students will review grooming concepts, techniques, safety practices, and the day’s learning goals.
After that, students will receive a preview of the day’s actual grooming appointments, including the breeds scheduled, coat types, services being performed, and any special handling or grooming considerations.
From there, students will accompany their instructor into the field for hands-on grooming experience. Students will actively participate in real appointments and are expected to gain practical experience with a minimum of 3 to 4 dogs per day.
At the end of each training day, students will participate in a full van reset, learning how to clean, restock, organize, and prepare the mobile salon for the next day of service.
This daily rhythm helps students build discipline, consistency, and an understanding of what it takes to work successfully in a real grooming operation.
CURRICULUM SOURCE
Our curriculum is built around two widely available and highly respected learning resources:
Notes From the Grooming Table
This industry-standard reference helps students understand breed profiles, coat types, pattern lines, and grooming fundamentals across a wide range of dog breeds.
Jodi Murphy Video Instruction
Students will also learn through Jodi Murphy’s video-based instruction, which helps demonstrate grooming techniques visually and reinforces proper methods, handling, and pattern execution.
These resources are paired with direct instructor guidance and real-world daily practice, giving students both a strong foundation and practical repetition.
EXPERIENCE TRACKING AND SKILL DEVELOPMENT
Throughout the program, each student will maintain an experience record that tracks:
- Dogs groomed
- Breeds encountered
- Coat types worked on
- Bathing and prep work completed
- Basic pattern cuts practiced
- Skills introduced
- Skills demonstrated
- Areas of mastery
- Areas needing additional repetition
This record helps students see their progress over time and gives both the student and instructor a clear view of experience level, repetition, and readiness for advancement.
TIER 1: ENTRY-LEVEL
Build a strong foundation in grooming basic
The Entry-Level tier is designed for students who are new to grooming or who need a structured introduction to the profession.
In this phase, students focus on the fundamentals that every groomer must learn before moving into more advanced work. This includes bathing, drying, brushing, de-shedding, coat preparation, handling, safety, tool familiarity, sanitation, and introductory pattern work.
Students will begin learning how to:
- Safely handle dogs of different sizes and temperaments
- Bathe and dry dogs properly
- Brush and de-mat coats appropriately
- Prepare coats for finish work
- Use grooming tools safely and correctly
- Understand basic breed patterns and coat types
- Assist with and perform foundational grooming tasks
Because students are working in a live mobile grooming setting, they will also begin learning the pace, flow, and discipline of professional grooming days.
Entry-Level Final Exam
To complete the Entry-Level tier, students must successfully perform a solo groom of a long-haired breed, such as a Golden Retriever.
This exam is designed to demonstrate competency in coat preparation, bathing, drying, brushing, finishing, and overall handling of a long-coated dog.
TIER 2: PROFESSIONAL GROOMER
Advance into breed work, finish quality, and greater independenc
The Professional Groomer tier builds on the foundation developed in Tier 1 and is designed to help students move into more skilled and technically demanding grooming work.
At this level, students will continue refining prep work and handling while progressing into more advanced grooming techniques, better finish quality, improved efficiency, and increased independence on more complex coats and breed types.
Students will work on:
- Improved scissoring and finish work
- More advanced body patterns
- Coat transitions and blending
- Doodle and other higher-maintenance coat types
- Time management during full grooms
- Better execution of pet trims and pattern consistency
- Stronger decision-making while grooming independently
This tier is focused on helping students move from beginner-level execution into professional-level grooming ability.
Professional Groomer Final Exam
To complete the Professional Groomer tier, students must successfully perform a solo groom of a more difficult breed, such as a 50-pound Goldendoodle.
This exam is designed to demonstrate greater technical ability, stronger prep and finish work, better coat management, and the confidence required to complete a more challenging groom independently.
TIER 3: MOBILE GROOMING OPERATOR
Learn how to run the van, not just groom the dog
The third tier of the program focuses on the operational side of mobile grooming.
A successful mobile groomer needs more than grooming skill alone. This phase teaches students how a mobile grooming business actually works day to day, including the systems, customer communication, routing, equipment awareness, and back-office responsibilities that keep the operation running.
Students in this tier will learn the business and mechanical aspects of a mobile grooming operation, including:
- Scheduling
- Invoicing
- Routing and route planning
- Customer service
- Marketing
- Back-office operations
- Maintenance tracking
- Basic van and generator maintenance
- Basic repairs within the mobile salon environment
This tier is meant to give students a more complete understanding of what it takes to work in or operate a mobile grooming business successfully.
Mobile Grooming Operator Final Exam
To complete Tier 3, students will be required to demonstrate practical competency by completing the following final exam tasks:
- Finalize and Publish a Facebook ad
- Track leads in a CRM such as hubspot
- Service a salon air conditioner
- Change out a rocker switch
- Perform a generator oil change
This final exam is designed to confirm that the student can support both the service side and the operational side of a mobile grooming business.
WHAT MAKES THIS PROGRAM DIFFERENT
Many grooming programs focus heavily on theory or isolated practice. Our program is designed around the actual daily experience of working in mobile grooming.
Students are not only learning how to groom. They are learning how to work through a real schedule, handle real dogs, support real clients, maintain a real van, and build the habits required to succeed in the field.
By the time students complete the program, they will have developed experience in:
- Daily hands-on dog work
- Grooming repetition in a real-world setting
- Breed and coat familiarity
- Pattern development
- Mobile salon workflow
- End-of-day reset and readiness
- Business and operational awareness
Program Pricing
Each tier is priced separately so you can enter the program at the right level for your goals – or complete all three for a full path from beginner to mobile grooming operator.
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Tier 1 – 6 weeks $3,000/tier |
Tier 2 – 8 weeks $5,000/tier |
Tier 3 – 4 weeks $4,000/tier |
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Complete all three tiers – the full groom (tiers 1, 2, & 3) takes you from beginner to mobile grooming operator in 18 weeks. $12,000 total.
Payment options are available – ask us when you schedule a call!
WHO THIS PROGRAM IS FOR
This program may be a strong fit for students who are:
- New to grooming and looking for structured hands-on training
- Interested in becoming a professional groomer
- Interested in mobile grooming specifically
- Looking for a practical, real-world learning environment
- Ready to learn through repetition, accountability, and experience
Now Enrolling for Cohort A & B
Cohort A (June – Oct)
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Tier 1 |
Class Dates June 16 – Jul 29, 2026 |
Enrollment Deadline May 29, 2026 |
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Tier 2 |
Class Dates Jul 30 – Sep 24, 2026 |
Enrollment Deadline July 16, 2026 |
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Tier 3 |
Class Dates Sep 25 – Oct 22, 2026 |
Enrollment Deadline Sep 10, 2026 |
Cohort B (Aug – Dec)
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Tier 1 |
Class Dates Aug 18 – Sep 29, 2026 |
Enrollment Deadline Aug 4, 2026 |
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Tier 2 |
Class Dates Sep 30 – Nov 20, 2026 |
Enrollment Deadline Sep 16, 2026 |
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Tier 3 |
Class Dates Nov 24 – Dec 29, 2026 |
Enrollment Deadline Nov 10, 2026 |
*Closed for: Memorial Day May 26th, Independence Day July 4th, Labor Day September 1st, Thanksgiving November 27th, & Christmas December 25th
MEET YOUR INSTRUCTORS
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Lauren Fletcher
8+ years professional grooming
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Jamie Bowers
4.5+ years professional grooming
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READY TO LEARN MORE?
If you are looking for a grooming program that combines daily instruction, real hands-on experience, and a true introduction to the world of mobile grooming, Backyard Mobile Grooming Academy is the right place to begin.