A training academy built on eight core principles centred on a one-on-one approach to grooming
Elevate Your Orbit.
Academy Eight One One believes in better; our world revolves around behaving responsibly, exceeding expectations, and unlocking opportunities. We've redefined dog grooming and rocket-launched the standards by which it's taught. By embodying, teaching and upholding these standards, we will raise animal welfare, education, and future prospects to new heights.
The Eight Principles.
Welfare
How to care for the complete animal, ensuring their physical and mental health is at the centre of your service.
How to tap into and make the most of the life-long business and social support offered by Academy Eight One One and its members.
Connection
Behaviour
How to interpret a dog's behaviour to help shape your approach. Utilising this to ensure we're always treating our customers in a manner that will yield a positive experience.
Nutrition
Grooming
How a dog's nutrition affects its coat, skin, nails, teeth, behaviour, and general overall health, and how to optimise this.
How to cut, wash, and style hair, trim nails, and clean teeth to the highest standard whilst ensuring the dog's emotional wellbeing comes first.
Business
An insight into marketing, structure of your day, client management and retention. Everything you need to excel within a boutique grooming environment.
Accreditation
We selected iPET as we believe this is the most comprehensive and up to date qualification available. They focus on practical ability over written assessments, and provide access to very user friendly online portal for all theory work.
Association
Our world revolves around behaving responsibly, exceeding expectations, and unlocking opportunities. People are at the heart of this, and we are focused on building a network of like-minded individuals, to have a positive impact on the industry for our furry friends.
Our Courses.
Academy Eight One One’s Owner’s Guide to Doggy Welfare
A brief course designed for pet owners who want to brush up on their knowledge about how to care for their dogs.
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Designed for owners that want a crash course in caring for their dog.
You will spend a morning or afternoon gaining health and safety training tailored to your dog’s breed, as well as learning how to maintain their coat, cut their nails and provide them with an interim tidy.
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Three hours, hosted either in the morning, or in the afternoon
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£99
It is an additional £60+ if you would like to bring your own dog to be groomed
Academy Eight One One’s Dog Grooming Taster Day
Experience a day in the life of a Dog Stylist! A unique opportunity to shadow our Head of Training and get taken through the typical steps of grooming a selection of dogs, from start to finish.
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Intended for those who are considering a vocation in dog grooming, or simply wish to learn more about how to care for their own dog.
Perfect for experiencing day-to-day activities in a dog grooming salon. You’ll receive shadow training on a broad range of services, with the opportunity to participate in bathing, drying, brushing a variety of dog coats, plus some light clipperwork and scissorwork.
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Hosted on a single day, typically from 10am - 3pm with a 30 minute break
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£199
Complete payment is required in order to secure your space
If you decide to continue on Academy Eight One One’s Introduction to Professional Grooming course, this will be deducted from the final cost
Academy Eight One One’s Introduction to Professional Dog Grooming
A course for those who want a taste of what a career as a dog groomer can offer, or simply want to take their understanding of welfare-centred grooming to the next level.
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Intended for those who are considering dog grooming as a professional career or simply wish to learn more about how to care for their own dog.
Perfect for learning how to maintain a specific breed of dog or experiencing day-to-day activities in a dog grooming salon.
You’ll receive training on a broad range of services, typically including professional bathing, drying & brushing of a variety of dog breeds, tangle management and/or de-shedding, plus the opportunity to partcipate in some light to medium clipperwork and scissorwork.
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Three days, consecutive or non-consecutive depending upon your preference and subject to availability
Typically taking place between 10am - 3pm, with a 30 minute break
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£599
Complete payment is required in order to secure your space
If you decide to continue on to a more advanced qualification through Academy Eight One One, this course fee will be deducted from the final cost
iPET Network’s Level 3 Award in Canine First Aid
Perfect for dog parents and professionals alike who want to be prepared to provide emergency treatment, this blended practical and theory course delivers the graduates with a Level 3 certification which is valid for a whole three years.
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The qualification covers the most commonly faced canine emergencies such as how to treat injury, dress wounds, allergic reactions, stings, poisoning, choking, seizures, CPR, hypothermia and much more.
The qualification is an excellent balance of theoretical and practical learning to ensure Candidates have the knowledge required should they ever be faced with an emergency first aid situation.
Leading industry experts have reviewed this qualification to ensure the outcome is appropriate for the animal care industry and the continued growth and development of the sector.
This qualification has been designed to enable enrollees to:
• Know the objectives of first aid
• Understand how to manage canine behaviour in emergency situations.
• Understand DR ABC (primary survey) of the canine including how to take temperature, pulse and respiration rate.
• Understand the examination of an injured animal and the actions to take to manage shock.
• Be able to record the pulse rate, respiration rate, apply a bandage to a dog and conduct CPR on a mannequin.
• Know the different types of wounds and fractures and appropriate first aid treatment
• Understand the management, signs necessary first aid treatment of choking, stings, poisoning, hyperthermia, hypothermia, water inhalation, convulsion, gastric torsion, burns and electrocution.
• Understand what is required in a canine emergency first aid kit and how to communicate in emergency situations
Those who complete this course will graduate with an Academy Eight One One qualification as well as a Level 3 Ofqual regulated iPET Network Level 3 Award in Canine First Aid.
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Six hours of practical training, typically delivered between 9am - 3pm
Three hours of online theory work, to be completed outside of the salon, is also required
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£149
Complete payment is required in order to secure your space
iPET Network’s Dog Grooming and Introduction to Styling
A Level 3 certified course blending practical and theory elements for budding dog groomers who place canine welfare at their forefront.
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The qualification is perfect for those who wish to gain the skills and knowledge to prepare, style and finish a selections of dog breeds, understand health and safety in a dog grooming salon and gain an understanding of heath checking, handling and canine behaviour.
During training, you will groom at least 10 dogs, including a minimum of five different breeds, covering four different coat types.
Those who complete this course will graduate with an Academy Eight One One qualification as well as a Level 3 Ofqual regulated iPET Network Level 3 Certificate in Dog Grooming and Introduction to Styling.
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15 Days of practical training, delivered in one block or over a period of weeks/months, according to your circumstances and availability.
Online theory work, to be completed outside of the salon, is also required.
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£3,000
Please note that finance options are available upon enquiry.
iPET Network’s Dog Grooming and Salon Management
Our all-inclusive Zero to Hero course that takes you from a complete novice to a fully-qualifed professional dog groomer. You will graduate the course with a Level 3 Diploma.
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This is an all-inclusive course to educate and prepare you to provide industry leading services as a pet stylist. This is aimed at those who wish to pursue a career in dog grooming and will include the following modules:
Dog behaviouralism and how to work with your clients safely
Professional pet first aid qualification
How to build and run a successful business
Styling to breed standard or owner’s requirements
Clipping, scissoring and hand stripping
Ear, nail and teeth maintenance
Health and safety in the salon
Those who complete this course will graduate with an Academy Eight One One qualification as well as a Level 3 Ofqual regulated iPet qualification in Dog Grooming and Salon Mangement.
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28 Days of practical training, delivered in one block or over a period of weeks/months, according to your circumstances and availability.
Online theory work, to be completed outside of the salon, is also required.
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£4,999
Please note that finance options are available upon enquiry.
“We’re reinventing the concept of a ‘grooming academy’. We don’t think the current standard puts animal welfare at the heart. Instead, it focuses on profit and throughput rather than delivering a quality service that is calm and enjoyable for pets.
And, we want to take it one step further. Our courses go beyond high-quality grooming, teaching you how to set up and successfully run your own grooming salon. Our courses set you up for life.”
— Georgia Amos, Head of Training & Assessment
FAQs
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Yes! We give all students the option of paying in three equal instalments free of charge.
We also offer a six month payment plan, but this will incur an additional fee of £500.
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Everyone has their own individual circumstances. Our courses are based on hours and not days, therefore they can be delivered in one block or over a period of weeks/months according to your availability.
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All of our courses are completed at our flagship salon, The Paw Shed. This way you will be surrounded by professional groomers, but also have access to a private studio where a lot of the one on one teaching will take place. We like this set up as it offers a real-life grooming experience, whilst retaining a quiet space for better focus and learning.
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One of the key differences at AEOO is the quality of and quantity of practical experience. We prefer to teach in small groups and never exceed 3 students at any one time. This means that you have much great access to your tutor, more opportunities to practice on different breeds, and gives us the ability to bespoke each course to your way of learning.
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We have partnered with iPet to deliver their Level 3 Diploma in Dog Grooming and Salon Management. This is an Ofqual regulated qualification and the equivalent to City & Guilds or OCN.
We selected iPet as we believe this is the most comprehensive and up to date qualification available. They focus on practical ability over written assessments, and provide access to very user friendly online portal for all theory work.
The qualification is designed for students who wish to gain the skills and knowledge to prepare, style and finish a range of dog breeds, understand health and safety in a dog grooming salon, practice business management and gain skills in canine emergency first aid. The qualification consists of both practical and theory work.