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Did you know that the dog grooming industry in Canada is completely unregulated?
It surprises almost everyone — clients, new groomers, even some seasoned professionals. That’s because over the years, certain self-appointed organizations have positioned themselves as the official leaders of our industry — without ever saying clearly that they aren’t.
We’re talking about groups like the Canadian Professional Pet Stylists (CPPS) and the Professional Pet Groomers Association of Manitoba (PPGAM). And while we can acknowledge that they’ve contributed education and opportunities to some groomers, we need to have a real conversation about what’s going on beneath the surface.
Because for many of us in the grooming community, it doesn’t feel supportive — it feels exclusive, cliquey, and at times, even misleading.
The Reality: There Are No Rules
Let’s make this clear right now: the Canadian dog grooming industry is unregulated. There are no governing bodies, no official rules, and no mandatory certifications.
And yet, many groomers — ourselves included — once believed otherwise.
Both of us (Nikki and Carly) are certified through these organizations. We got our certifications when we were young and starting out, thinking it was how we became “legit” or “real” dog groomers. Only later did we learn that there’s no legal requirement for certification, and that those organizations don’t hold any actual authority in our field.
We still value what we learned through the process. Education is important, and we support knowledge and growth wherever it’s found. But that doesn’t excuse the lack of transparency we’ve seen over the years.
They Let People Believe They're In Charge
One of the biggest problems is that these groups do nothing to correct the public assumption that they are the leaders and rule-makers of the grooming industry.
The CPPS has been around since 2012. The PPGAM was founded way back in 1995. That’s over 30 years of combined existence — and still, grooming is not a recognized trade in Manitoba or anywhere else in Canada.
The CPPS website states that its purpose is to:
"demonstrate a level of competency and professionalism in an unregulated industry, thereby helping to ensure a higher degree of skill and expertise."
That’s fair — and we can appreciate that goal. But why is this the only place they say it? The same goes for the PPGAM. Why isn’t this fact clearly and consistently communicated across their platforms or during their seminars? Why don’t they actively work to correct the widespread public and professional misconception that they’re in charge of the industry?
Instead, they let people assume they are the authority — and they benefit from that assumption.
This isn’t just misleading, it’s damaging. It makes independent groomers feel like they need to play by rules that don’t exist. It silences anyone who questions things. And it builds a sense of fear — that if we speak up, we’ll be shamed or ostracized.
Twenty Years of Power, Still No Recognition
If these organizations truly intended to make dog grooming a recognized trade, what have they done in the decades they’ve been around?
PPGAM has existed since 1995. CPPS since 2012. If serious, focused effort had been made all that time toward trade recognition, shouldn’t we have seen progress by now?
We ourselves (Nikki and Carly) recently attempted to go through the proper channels to get grooming recognized as a trade — and were denied by the government. That process made it clear just how far behind we really are. And it’s incredibly disheartening when organizations that claim to represent our profession haven’t moved the needle after decades.
Pricing Standards That Don’t Reflect Reality
Another ongoing issue is how these groups publish standardized breed-specific price lists on their websites and push them as what grooming “should” cost.
But — many salon owners don’t use those price lists. We set our own pricing based on time, expertise, product cost, location, and individual grooming styles.
We understand the intent may be to give a minimum baseline. But what it ends up doing is setting public expectations for what grooming should cost — and that hurts both groomers who charge more, and those who charge less for other reasons. Our services are not all the same. Not every groom takes the same time or skill. And we all run our businesses differently.
We should be free to set our own value — and explain that value — without being boxed into a standardized chart.
Who Gets Included? Who Gets Left Out?
Another issue we’ve witnessed is how closed-off some of these groups have become. For example, the current PPGAM is run by employees of a local dog salon, and we’ve noticed that their vendor invites for events and seminars seem limited to coworkers or close peers — not the wider grooming community of Manitoba.
If you’re not already “in,” good luck trying to get involved.
Vendors who don’t align with their circle are often overlooked, and there doesn’t seem to be any attempt to reach out either, regardless of the value they could bring to the table. That’s not what a community organization should be about.
It feels like these groups promote the people they already know, rather than reaching out and uplifting everyone in the community.
Where Is the Money Going?
Let’s talk about membership fees. If these organizations are non-profits — as they claim — then by law, they should be transparent about where the money is going.
But there’s very little financial transparency available to members.
From what we can see, membership fees seem to go toward flying in their own certifiers (who were chosen by the organizations themselves) to evaluate and certify more groomers — again, for their own internal programs.
It’s a closed cycle. … And thats fine… if it’s truly valuable to groomers and clearly disclosed. But when there are no open records, no public financial reports, and no obvious reinvestment in the grooming community as a whole, it’s fair to ask: Where is our money going?
Why We Started Our Own Grooming Academy
Nikki and I opened our own dog grooming school because we wanted to teach aspiring groomers honestly and transparently. Yes, we have our own school standards — but we make sure every student knows the truth about our industry.
We explain that grooming is unregulated.We explain that certifications are optional.We encourage students to grow — including joining organizations like CPPS or PPGAM — but never let them believe those groups are the law.
We’re proud of what we teach and how we support new groomers. We want them to go out into this industry informed and empowered — not confused and misled.
The Taboo That Needs to End
There’s this unspoken taboo — that if you question these groups, you’re a troublemaker. That if you voice these concerns out loud, you’ll be excluded or gossiped about.
But we believe it's time to stop whispering and start talking.
We’re not trying to tear down the grooming community. We’re trying to open it up — to more transparency, more inclusion, and more shared ownership of where our industry is headed.
Let’s Start the Conversation
We acknowledge that these organizations have done some good — especially around education. But that doesn’t mean we can’t ask questions or point out when something doesn’t feel right.
We want to start a dialogue — not a battle.
💬 What do you think our industry needs to grow and thrive? Do you feel included? Have you had similar experiences? Do you agree? Disagree?
Drop a comment, send a message, or share your thoughts.
Written by : Carly Reimer
Let’s talk — for real — about how we build a better future for Canadian dog groomers.