Frequently Asked Questions

I have already been grooming for years, but I wouldn't mind some training in advanced techniques.  What would you suggest? 

Try a professional development day!  For $195 per day, you get one on one time with one of our experienced instructors for a full eight hours.  You can bring your own animals or we can book models for you to train with.  Your training is entirely tailored to your unique needs- hand stripping, scissoring techniques, maximizing the clipper vac, cat grooming, creative grooming- let your imagination run wild!

What is different about The Fur Institute from other programs? 

First and foremost, it is our lifetime commitment to you and your grooming education.  Let's be real: it is impossible to teach you everything you will need to know for your entire career in 12 weeks.  Our professional program will give you the foundation you need to get your fabulous career kick started, but we encourage all of our students to commit to a lifetime of learning.  As you grow in your skill set, come back to the institute and perfect those techniques at no cost!  Above and beyond that commitment, our business focus and full spectrum approach set us apart from anyone else out there.  Each of our graduates completes a personalized business plan, graduates with their pet first aid & CPR certification, and donates at least 8 hours of time to grooming the needy animals at the Edmonton Humane Society during their course.  We don't want just good groomers in the market- we want excellent professional pet stylists that give back to their communities!

I've heard contradicting information about grooming certification & licensing- some groomers say there is no certification or licensing process, others say it is meaningless. What's the truth?

There is a difference between certification & licensing. In Canada, there is no licensing available to groomers. However, there has been a licensed certification process available since 1983 through Alberta Learning's Private Vocational Schools Act. A certified groomer has completed a licensed vocational program, in Canada or the United States, and has been hands on trained by licensed trainers with many dogs before they worked on yours. Without this certification, a groomer could have absolutely no experience, training, or hands on apprenticeship. Pet grooming is an art that the professionals take very seriously- our Fabulous Furballs grooming staff attend no less than two grooming conferences throughout the year and are constantly working on updating their skills. We believe that this commitment translates into a better, gentler experience for you and your pet!

I don't live in the Sherwood Park area, but I want to attend the program. Do you offer any assistance to out of town students?

Due to the housing shortage in the Edmonton and outlying areas, housing can be a challenge. In order to offset this challenge, we do assist students by providing a list of affordable hotels, boarding rooms, and housing options in the area. Upon acceptance to the program, the school administrator would be happy to assist you and provide this list.

I already have some grooming tools of my own. Do I have to purchase the tool kit from the school?

In order to guarantee the quality of the grooming tools that our students are working with, we require that the tool kit be purchased from the school. Our instructors will tell you that having additional grooming tools can never hurt and most of them have multiples of the tools they use on a daily basis.

What is your attendance and refund policy?

Our attendance and refund policies are governed by Alberta Learning. During the twelve week licensed course, you are able to miss up to 3 full days of training without it affecting your certification. Once you miss more than three days, you will be unable to achieve your licensed certification, but are more than welcome to complete the course. In the case of illness or family emergency, you should contact our school administrator immediately and she will be happy to work with you if alternate arrangements can be made. Depending upon scheduling constraints, make up days may be available to hard working, committed students in special circumstances as approved by the school administrator. The tuition refund policy is on a sliding scale depending upon how many days of training have been completed and will be reviewed on day one of the session. Our grooming tool kits are non refundable items that are yours to keep and any grooming supplies that you purchase under the student discount program are non refundable.