When you have approximately 18 months' grooming experience, you should enrol for the City & Guilds/NPTC Level 3 Diploma in Professional Dog Grooming (7763-03). This enables you to demonstrate your ability to trim and style a range of dogs, using verious techniques including hand-stripping. A Level 3 qualification is equivalent to an A-Level.

It proves to future employers that you have been trained correctly to a professional level and at the same time gives your customers confidence that you are competent to groom their dogs. Further details are available to download.

A list of accredited Pet Care Trade Association training centres is available. Please contact the centres individually to enquire about course fees, start dates, availability etc..

The first 7763-03 written examination will take place on Wednesday 10 November at the PCTA office in Bedford. To sit the examination, please download the registration form, complete it and return to us by 1st September 2010.