Pet Supplies Plus hires groomers, bathers and student groomers at its stores, and its job postings describe a network of more than 700 locations, some of them franchised.
The company's careers pages say it provides grooming training through Paragon School of Dog Grooming, and an entry-level posting asks for no prior experience.
The catch: at franchised stores the franchisee is the sole employer, so pay, benefits and hiring rules are set store by store.
Grooming roles at Pet Supplies Plus
Two kinds of grooming job show up in the Pet Supplies Plus postings we reviewed: Pet Groomer roles for people who already groom, and an entry posting titled "Grooming Technician (Bather / Student Groomer)" — a bather seat that doubles as a trainee spot.
Who does what is set store by store, because of how the company is built.
Pet Supplies Plus postings state that each franchised PSP business is solely responsible for hiring, compensation and benefits, and PSP describes itself as having more than 700 stores.
Which locations run salons, and how many are franchised, is not in what we read — so the ad you answer is the deal you get.
For the work itself, the dog groomer career guide covers what the role does day to day and how groomers train into the job.
How to get hired at Pet Supplies Plus
You apply to a specific store, and at franchised locations the franchisee does the hiring — the postings state that PSP Franchise Operations is not the employer.
Requirements are set location by location.
The experienced end is a Pet Groomer posting at a franchised store in Beltsville, Maryland, from October 2026.
It asks for at least 1 year of professional grooming experience, a high school diploma or GED, age 18 or up, the ability to lift up to 65 pounds, and your own grooming tools — clippers, blades and shears.
The entry end is a Grooming Technician posting in Waxahachie, Texas, which asks for no prior grooming experience plus the same diploma, age and lifting requirements.
It frames the job as learning through hands-on training and online grooming coursework.
The tools line matters for your wallet.
The Beltsville ad expects the groomer to bring their own kit; Petco, by comparison, states it provides its groomers with supplies and equipment, clippers and blades included.
Practices differ by employer, and the posting tells you which one applies to you.
The store, not the brand, is the employer
Training Pet Supplies Plus offers
Pet Supplies Plus careers pages say the company provides professional grooming training through Paragon School of Dog Grooming, alongside positions for experienced groomers.
Paragon is an online grooming school: its programs combine online learning with hands-on practice assignments on real dogs and one-on-one feedback from a mentor.
The Waxahachie entry posting reads like that mix — hands-on training plus online grooming coursework.
Paragon markets employee enrollment to grooming salons, boarding businesses and national retail chains as a way to "grow your own" groomers — from bather to stylist.
That is the pattern Pet Supplies Plus's careers pages describe.
Weighing course formats in general?
Our guide to dog grooming courses covers private schools, employer academies and online classes, and what each one prepares you for.
Schedule and workload
The postings we read don't lay out a weekly schedule.
Store hours, weekend coverage and how the appointment book is managed are each store's calls, which makes them interview questions: ask how Saturdays are staffed and who assigns the dogs before you accept.
What both ads do spell out is lifting: each sets the ability to lift up to 65 pounds.
In a grooming salon that means dogs on and off tables and in and out of tubs.
For scale: posted lift requirements vary across grooming employers — PetSmart's grooming postings list frequently lifting up to 50 pounds, and Petco's list up to 30 pounds.
The number belongs to the employer that posted it.
How many dogs you would groom in a day is not in the ads, and we won't invent a figure — it depends on the store's book and the services each visit includes.
Ask the salon manager what a full day looks like there.
How Pet Supplies Plus groomers are paid
There is no brand-wide groomer pay to quote.
Pet Supplies Plus postings state that each franchised business is solely responsible for compensation — the store owner sets your paycheck, not the brand.
The clearest posted example we found is an Arizona franchisee's Pet Groomer ad from October 2026: it guarantees a base hourly rate plus commission and lists compensation of $55,000 to $90,000 a year.
That is one store's advertised range — not a Pet Supplies Plus standard, and it doesn't transfer to the store down the road.
In any Pet Supplies Plus ad, check whether a base hourly rate sits under the commission and what counts toward it.
And treat the tools question as a pay question: if you are supplying your own clippers and shears, that is money off the top.
For the trade-wide picture — hourly, commission, per-dog and what actually drives a groomer's ceiling — see how much a dog groomer can make.
Pros and cons of grooming at Pet Supplies Plus
Our research reads Pet Supplies Plus's own postings and careers pages rather than groomer surveys, so this list is what those documents support.
Any particular store can beat or miss them, because the owner sets the deal.
What argues for it:
- A real entry door: the entry posting we found requires no prior grooming experience and is built around learning on the job.
- Training the company says it provides: Pet Supplies Plus's careers pages name Paragon School of Dog Grooming as its training route, so you are not shopping for a course on your own.
- A floor under commission: the one ad that details pay guarantees a base hourly rate beneath its commission plan.
What argues against it:
- The franchisee is the employer: pay, benefits and hiring are each owner's, along with the rest of the employment terms, so two Pet Supplies Plus salons can be two different jobs.
- Tools can be on you: one posting requires groomers to supply their own clippers, blades and shears.
- The physical bar is real: both postings we read set a 65-pound lift requirement.
- Advertised pay doesn't travel: the only posted range we found is one Arizona store's $55,000 to $90,000 a year, and it says nothing about any other location.
Weigh them against what you want from a first or next grooming job.
A training-rich entry seat favors this model; a groomer with their own kit and a fixed pay target should read each store's ad closely.
Is Pet Supplies Plus a good place to start a grooming career?
For a bather or a career changer, the structure has genuine appeal: an entry role that asks for no experience, training the company says it provides through Paragon, and experienced-groomer positions to grow into under the same sign.
Whether it works for you comes down to the store you join.
Two questions decide most of it: what your pay plan looks like week to week, and whether training time is scheduled and supervised rather than squeezed around the appointment book.
Ask both at the interview.
If you are still comparing routes into the trade, how to become a dog groomer lays out the three paths — school, apprenticeship and employer training — side by side.
Career information based on Pet Supplies Plus job postings and careers pages read in October 2026 — not legal, tax or insurance advice. Confirm pay, tools, training and schedule with the store you're applying to.