Dog Grooming Courses

Dandini's has been grooming dogs for over 50 years!  We are proud to say that we are the longest standing dog grooming salon in Portsmouth, Hampshire and across the South-East.  The knowledge handed down through the generations of groomers at Dandini's gives you access to an un-paralled wealth of information and expertise.  

We have a large and separate purpose built training facility on the same site as the salon  - this allows for quiet, uninterrupted sessions where there are no distractions and an environment that calmly lets you learn.

We have a maximum of ONLY THREE/FOUR students at any one time.   We pride ourselves on the attention and nurture given to our students.  We find that our smaller than usual class size is invaluable in making sure each student gets the individual attention they deserve.  We want each student to be personally supported throughout their training and we feel, the only way to make sure this is done, is to limit class sizes.  Due to this, a minimum of two qualified tutors are on hand the whole time the learner is grooming which ensures they leave ready to groom dogs confidently in a safe and professional manner.  In comparison to larger college situations where there is a much larger student to teacher ratio, we provide excellent value for money with consistent and thorough 1:1 training. 

Each training day is a full 8.5 hours which allows a student to groom two dogs per day.  

Alongside The Training Room, we have a fully functioning busy salon so that the reality of what it's really like to work in a salon can be experienced without it hampering your learning environment.   It also means that we can tap into a huge selection of breeds to ensure that students can be confident in all styles before they leave.  

All courses include Assistant training days in the main salon before starting the 1:1 Styling training in the classroom and there is further opportunity for Level 3 diploma students to gain competence in the workplace during and at the end of the course.  

All "Groom for a Living" courses include a Canine First Aid certified course run by the well renowned Julie Harris and an Emmi-pet workshop run by our own salon specialist Robyn Maloney. 

We can provide a nationally recognised and Ofqual regulated Level 3 qualification alongside any of our longer courses. This OCN (Open College Network) qualification is recognised in the industry, by potential employers and by future customers.  Level 3 diploma courses include a years FREE subscription to The Groomers Spotlight. 

This qualification can also be Fast tracked and taken over a shorter period of days by dog groomers who wish to gain a recognised qualification. 

We are one of the only schools in the country to be endorsed and Internally quality assured by Julie Harris -The country's top expert in grooming education