Animal handler vs groomer assistant

The differences between animal handlers and groomer assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-3 months to become both an animal handler and a groomer assistant. Additionally, a groomer assistant has an average salary of $30,725, which is higher than the $27,820 average annual salary of an animal handler.

The top three skills for an animal handler include animal handling, goats and animal species. The most important skills for a groomer assistant are PET, customer service, and appointment scheduling.

Animal handler vs groomer assistant overview

	Animal Handler	Groomer Assistant
Yearly salary	$27,820	$30,725
Hourly rate	$13.38	$14.77
Growth rate	28%	28%
Number of jobs	28,040	9,294
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 45%	High School Diploma, 39%
Average age	32	32
Years of experience	3	3

Animal handler vs groomer assistant salary

Animal handlers and groomer assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Animal Handler	Groomer Assistant
Average salary	$27,820	$30,725
Salary range	Between $19,000 And $40,000	Between $21,000 And $43,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between animal handler and groomer assistant education

There are a few differences between an animal handler and a groomer assistant in terms of educational background:

	Animal Handler	Groomer Assistant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 45%	High School Diploma, 39%
Most common major	Biology	Business
Most common college	Northwestern University	Vermont Technical College

Animal handler vs groomer assistant demographics

Here are the differences between animal handlers' and groomer assistants' demographics:

	Animal Handler	Groomer Assistant
Average age	32	32
Gender ratio	Male, 38.8% Female, 61.2%	Male, 16.6% Female, 83.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 4.2% Unknown, 6.6% Hispanic or Latino, 17.7% Asian, 2.6% White, 68.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 6.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.3% Asian, 2.6% White, 68.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between animal handler and groomer assistant duties and responsibilities

Animal handler example responsibilities.

Handle, dogs pigs, donkey, and horses.
Assist veterinarians, veterinary technicians and veterinary assistants in providing the best care possible for patients.
Provide environmental enrichment for various mammal and raptor species.

Groomer assistant example responsibilities.

Manage all breeding, whelping, raising of puppies, grooming and showing of dogs for owners in the AKC.
Perform animal grooming duties such as washing, brushing, clipping and trimming coats.
Bath animals: clean ears, express anal glands, trim nails, dry & brush coats.
Wash, dry, and brush dogs of various breed and temperament, as well as clipping nails and cleaning ears.
Bath dogs and perform related activities, including nail clipping and grinding, ear cleaning and plucking, and gland expression.
Maintain electronic record of pet information and file paper documents.

Animal handler vs groomer assistant skills

Common animal handler skills

Animal Handling, 55%
Goats, 13%
Animal Species, 8%
Exotic Animals, 4%
Zoo Animals, 3%
Animal Welfare, 3%

Common groomer assistant skills

PET, 39%
Customer Service, 19%
Appointment Scheduling, 12%
Coats, 5%
Teeth, 4%
Front Desk, 3%