Animal groomer to animal handler
An animal groomer already meets 73% of what the animal handler role asks for. The move turns on 6 required skills not yet in the profile.
35.9/ 100
1 How much of what an animal handler is expected to do is already part of an animal groomer’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the animal handler role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An animal handler role treats 18 of its required skills as things an animal groomer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- anatomy of animals
- animal behaviour
- animal welfare
- animal welfare legislation
- apply animal hygiene practices
- apply safe work practices in a veterinary setting
What stands in the way is 6 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 27 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An animal handler role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an animal groomer background worth leading with.
- already held groom animals handling and moving
- already held calculate rates per hours information skills
- already held interview animal owners on animals' conditions communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held take advantage of learning opportunities in veterinary science information skills
- already held manage animal welfare handling and moving
- already held treat animals ethically assisting and caring
All 27 carried skills, including the 18 the animal handler role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 11 missing skills fall into 2 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn handle working animals required
- still to learn assess animal behaviour required
- still to learn implement exercise activities for animals required
- still to learn provide an enriching environment for animals required
- still to learn provide animal training required
- still to learn provide nutrition to animals required
- optional, not held handle animals for semen collection optional
- optional, not held maintain animal accommodation hygienic optional
- optional, not held maintain welfare of animals during transportation optional
- optional, not held load animals for transportation optional
- optional, not held animal production science optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an animal handler role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 handle working animals practise this
- 02 assess animal behaviour practise this
- 03 implement exercise activities for animals practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 27 skills that carry over
- already held anatomy of animals knowledge
- already held animal behaviour knowledge
- already held animal welfare knowledge
- already held animal welfare legislation knowledge
- already held apply animal hygiene practices skill
- already held apply safe work practices in a veterinary setting skill
- already held biosecurity related to animals knowledge
- already held control animal movement skill
- already held environmental enrichment for animals knowledge
- already held handle veterinary emergencies skill
- already held manage animal biosecurity skill
- already held manage animal welfare skill
- already held monitor the welfare of animals skill
- already held physiology of animals knowledge
- already held provide first aid to animals skill
- already held safe work practices in a veterinary setting knowledge
- already held signs of animal illness knowledge
- already held treat animals ethically skill
- already held apply numeracy skills skill
- already held assess animal's condition skill
- already held calculate rates per hours skill
- already held cope with challenging circumstances in the veterinary sector skill
- already held groom animals skill
- already held interview animal owners on animals' conditions skill
- already held make decisions regarding the animal's welfare skill
- already held take advantage of learning opportunities in veterinary science skill
- already held understand the animal's situation skill
5 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held handle animals for semen collection optional
- optional, not held animal production science optional
- optional, not held maintain animal accommodation hygienic optional
- optional, not held maintain welfare of animals during transportation optional
- optional, not held load animals for transportation optional
15 held skills the animal handler role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise on animal welfare skill
- not needed by the target role animal species knowledge
- not needed by the target role assist customers skill
- not needed by the target role bathe dogs skill
- not needed by the target role breed reptiles skill
- not needed by the target role communicate with customers skill
- not needed by the target role deal with challenging people skill
- not needed by the target role dry dog's coat for further treatment skill
- not needed by the target role follow work schedule skill
- not needed by the target role handle customer complaints skill
- not needed by the target role manage a small-to-medium business skill
- not needed by the target role plan dog grooming work skill
- not needed by the target role provide facilities for animal grooming services skill
- not needed by the target role style a dog's coat skill
- not needed by the target role understand the needs of animals skill
1 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- optional, not held animal production science optional
Common questions about this move
Can an animal groomer become an animal handler?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. An animal groomer already covers 73% of what an animal handler is expected to do: 27 skills carry over, 18 of which the animal handler role treats as required.
What skills does an animal groomer need to become an animal handler?
6 required skills are missing, plus 5 optional ones. They fall into 2 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by handling and moving. The single most important is handle working animals.
How hard is the move from animal groomer to animal handler?
Its learning distance is 35.9 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.