The Nation’s Only WASC-Accredited Grooming College
Train hands-on in real working salons across four Southern California campuses and graduate a state-recognized Certified Groomer, not a certificate of completion. We are also a non-profit, so you learn your craft by grooming shelter and rescue pets and helping them find homes.
Apply Now Call UsAccredited and Recognized By
WASC-Accredited Member
BPPE-Approved
U.S. Department of Labor Journeyman Program
Featured on PBS “Shelter Me”
One Mission, Told as One Story
We believe good grooming changes two lives at once, the pet’s and the groomer’s. So we built the only accredited grooming college in the country, and we teach it by putting you to work on the animals who need it most.
Every class at WCGA is hands-on, in a real working salon, on real dogs and cats. Many of those pets come from the rescues and shelters we partner with, where a freshly groomed animal is far more likely to be adopted. That means your training is also an act of rescue. You graduate with genuine, state-recognized skills, and along the way you help pets find their forever homes.
See how our programs work
By the Numbers
600+
Graduates since 2015, and counting
1,000
Hours of hands-on and online training
4
Campuses, the largest grooming school in the nation
#1
The nation’s only WASC-accredited grooming college
Behind every number is a rescue pet that got a second chance, and a graduate who found a calling.
Is This For You
Whatever brought you here, there is a hands-on way in.
Become a Certified Dog or Cat Groomer through our accredited, hands-on programs. This is the path most students come for, and the whole school is built around it.
We accept the South Bay Workforce Investment Board (SBWIB), the Department of Rehabilitation, CalJOBS, vouchers, I-Train, and all veteran programs, plus scholarships.
For working groomers: advanced techniques, instructor training, and our Training Salon Partner program.
Hands-on Pet Parent Workshops teach you to bathe, brush, de-mat, and trim at home.
Start Your Grooming Career
Becoming a Certified Dog Groomer takes two courses: the Introduction to Dog Grooming Hybrid Course (online plus hands-on), then the Dog Groomer Certification Course, for up to 1,000 hours of training total. Every hour is hands-on with live animals in a real salon, taught by dedicated, certified instructors whose only job is teaching you, not grooming between their own clients. When you finish, we help you find work.
Certified Dog Grooming • Cat and Small-Animal Grooming • Advanced Techniques • Pet First Aid and CPR • Instructor Training
During 2026, more than 62,000 new groomers will be needed in the industry.
Apply Now See classes and pricingFrom Our Graduates
Our graduates leave with an official, state-recognized Certified Groomer certification, the credential that opens doors a weekend course cannot. Many go on to salon careers, and some open their own businesses.
Read more reviews
“
I never imagined being able to make over $100 an hour while fulfilling my passion.
Alixcia D.
Austin, TX. Earned three grooming certifications plus Pet CPR, completed a continued-education internship with founder Chris Jackson, and opened her own mobile grooming company.
“
A WCGA certification is where a real grooming business begins.
Kevin Tan
Proud graduate and owner of Compassionate K9 Mobile Dog Grooming, who credits WCGA for getting his business going.
Why This Matters
When a rescue pet is clean, healthy, and cared for, it puts its best paw forward and gets adopted. That is where our mission begins, and it runs through everything we teach.
In Our Community
We groom adoptable pets for our 501c3 rescue partners so they find their forever homes, including Tommy’s Lil Angels, Gurrs and Purrs, Homeless to Forever, Pacific Pups Rescue, and Delaney’s Dog Rescue.
Free hygiene, food, supply donations, vaccines, and spay and neuter for low-income and unhoused families across Los Angeles, from our Fur Town mobile van. We always need volunteers.
Our groomers are in those shelters every day, and we partner with about 10 rescue groups across Los Angeles.
We created the first-ever Journeyman program for groomers with the U.S. Department of Labor, working toward the first union for professional groomers, exclusive to WCGA Certified graduates.
Open to everyone. We accept the Department of Rehabilitation and all veteran programs, and we have provided free grooming for pets displaced by the Los Angeles wildfires. Our work has been featured on PBS “Shelter Me”.
We always need volunteers. Rescues, shelters, and helping hands are welcome, reach out any time at (800) 823-1305 ext. 6.
Tuition Help
We know tuition is a real investment, so we work hard to make it reachable. 95% of applicants are granted a scholarship of up to $6,250 off, usually approved within 48 hours.
We also offer flexible payment plans, and our Price Match Guarantee matches any Los Angeles-based, BPPE-approved, hands-on certification course.
Ask About Scholarships95%
of applicants are approved for a scholarship, usually within 48 hours.
What helps you pay for it
✓Up to $6,250 off, usually within 48 hours
✓South Bay Workforce Investment Board (SBWIB) funding
✓Department of Rehabilitation, vouchers, I-Train, CalJOBS
✓All veteran-run programs welcome
✓Flexible payment plans
✓Price Match Guarantee on LA hands-on cert courses
Four Southern California Campuses
Playa VistaArcadiaLa VerneRosemead
Each campus is a real working Fur Town salon, and Playa Vista is inside Wallis Annenberg PetSpace. Rosemead specializes in Asian Fusion grooming. Main campus: Fur Town, 155 E Foothill Blvd, Arcadia, CA 91006.
Get DirectionsStart Your Grooming Career
Tour a campus, meet our instructors, and see the working salon where you’ll train. New students are always welcome.
Request a Tour Call UsReady to enroll? Apply now ›
