Certification is the standardized method to obtain professional recognition for those pet groomers whose knowledge, techniques, abilities and skills have been tested and thereby Certified as having met the high standards set forth by the National Dog Groomers Association of America. Certification can only help our profession. Individuals wishing to certify must display exceptional knowledge and skill in both the written and practical skills testing procedure. Only then will you earn the prestigious title of "National Certified Master Groomer"®

• Practical Skills - You are required to demonstrate your grooming skills on one breed for each group, two for Terrier exam. You will be graded by our certiers and upon successfully passing both practical and written portions will attain certification in that group. It is strongly advised and highly recommended that you attend at least one accredited NDGAA workshop, this and obtaining official NDGAA breed profile guidelines will help prepare you for the testing procedure.

• Written Portion - A written exam will be administered with each phase of the practical skills testing procedure; Non-Sporting, Sporting & Terrier, of 100 questions each.

• National Certified Master Groomer® Exam - This written exam consists of 400 questions covering all of the groups not previously taken including working, toy and hound groups, anatomy, breed standards, breed identification, glossary of canine terms, general health, pesticides, clipper I.D., and cat questions. Applicants will be allotted two hours to complete the written master examination. In order to attain NCMG status you must obtain an 85% overall average of all phases.
 

We would like to invite you to participate in an accredited NDGAA Workshop. You will be involved in an extensive forum of continuing education & knowledge, networking, enhancement of your grooming and scissoring skills, increased career success and of course camaraderie with fellow pet professionals.

NDGAA workshops were developed to offer all groomers the opportunity to enhance their grooming skills, to stay current with industry trends and to exchange ideas, methods and opinions with colleagues. All groomers are strongly encouraged to participate in our continuing educational workshops, especially if testing the following day. Keep in mind certification testing is on a voluntary basis. You are not required to be a member to take advantage of this exciting opportunity. All attendees will receive a certificate of participation suitable for framing.

To help you prepare for the workshop it is recommended that you obtain the breed profile guidelines available from NDGAA. These guidelines will aid during the workshop as well as prepare you for the certification test. It is also recommended you bring writing material to the workshop site (tablet, pen, pencil). The workshop will include the following:

• Orientation - An extensive explanation of the certification testing procedure and discussion of NDGAA membership programs and benefits offered, followed by a question & answer session.

• Breed Demo's - Demonstrations will consist of showing the proper breed profiles on certifiable breeds available to us at the site. Points that will be discussed include; breed conformation with emphasis on balance, symmetry and smoothness of finish. We will also go over grooming techniques of the toy breeds.

• Stripping, Thinning & Carding - Whether you are new to these techniques or want to perfect your skills, our certifiers will show you the correct method of grooming a hard coat and what to do with a blown coat. We will go over the correct usage of stripping knives, thinning shears, stripping blocks and stripping with blades.

• Patterns - Certifiers will share with you the correct line placements on terrier and sporting breeds, as well as correct feet, ears and heads. We will also touch on how to evaluate the poodle for proper pattern placement and how to achieve the proper poodle topknot.

• Reference - All attendees will receive an official NDGAA educational literature booklet to use as a reference in their shops.

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