What is a bather and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read
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Dog lovers, take note! Here's a job where you can bathe in the glow of working with pets all day long. If you take a job as a bather, you'll work in a pet grooming salon and assist with making dogs as clean and neat as possible.

In this position, you'll be responsible for bathing dogs, combing their coats, trimming their nails, and making sure that the work area is clean and organized. To do well in this type of job, you need to be a person who enjoys interacting with animals. You'll also need to have dexterity, be safety-conscious, and have good stamina and time management skills.

Many employers will provide training for individuals looking to get into this line of work. If you pursue this type of work, you can expect to learn about different breeds and sizes of dogs and appropriate styling. Under the oversight of experienced groomers, you'll become comfortable with tools and clippers and learn how to regulate water temperature while washing dogs with special soap or shampoo.

ScoreBatherUS Average
Salary
2.4

Avg. Salary $31,051

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level
6.7

Growth Rate 28%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity
1.1
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.45%

Asian 2.63%

Black or African American 4.28%

Hispanic or Latino 18.05%

Unknown 6.33%

White 68.27%

Gender

female 85.82%

male 14.18%

Age - 29
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 29
Stress Level
6.7

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level
8.0

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance
8.1

Work Life balance is good

6.4 - fair

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Bather career paths

Key steps to become a bather

  1. Explore bather education requirements

    Most common bather degrees

    High School Diploma

    48.0 %

    Associate

    18.8 %

    Bachelor's

    18.7 %
  2. Start to develop specific bather skills

    Skills
    ascdesc
    Percentages
    ascdesc
    PET78.86%
    Check-In7.43%
    Customer Satisfaction4.53%
    Compassion4.50%
    Book Appointments1.70%
  3. Complete relevant bather training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New bathers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a bather based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real bather resumes.
  4. Research bather duties and responsibilities

    • Manage all breeding, whelping, raising of puppies, grooming and showing of dogs for owners in the AKC.
    • Advise customers on proper pet nutrition, and pick a proper shampoo program to ensure healthy coats for individual pets.
    • Sustain pet care excellence in a dynamic and fast-pace environment
    • Read written or receive oral instructions to determine clipping pattern desire.
  5. Prepare your bather resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your bather resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a bather resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose From 10+ Customizable Bather Resume templates

    Build a professional Bather resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Bather resume.
    Bather Resume
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  6. Apply for bather jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a bather job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How Did You Land Your First Bather Job

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Average bather salary

The average Bather salary in the United States is $31,051 per year or $15 per hour. Bather salaries range between $22,000 and $42,000 per year.

Average Bather Salary
$31,051 Yearly
$14.93 hourly

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How do bathers rate their job?

4/5

Based On 1 Ratings

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2 Stars

1 Star

Bather reviews

profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Mar 2020
Pros

Repeat clients with well behaved and cute pets.

Cons

Wild non trained. Once a lifetime into groomers..biters. wiggly , jumpers., Barker's non stop clients who can't understand why you take so long or understand why we do some of things we have to do.


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2020
Pros

Working with animals and caring for the animals. Feeding the animals and bathing and grooming the animals and learning new skills.

Cons

Working late night's shift. I LIKE to work day time so I can spend more time with family and friends.


profile
4.0
A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2019
Pros

Working with animals

Cons

Lifting heavy dogs, endless cleaning, being wet all the time.


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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