Kelley Wilwert, age 50, is a graduate of the Pooch Parlor Pet Groomer Academy. She graduated in January 2010. She has opened the Barker Shop in Athol, ID. You can reach her at 208-277-7741.

"The training I received from the Pooch Parlor Pet Groomer Academy, gave me the skills and confidence I needed to become a successful business owner and pet groomer. I now am the proud owner of a successful pet grooming salon. I fully recommend the Pooch Parlor to anyone considering becoming a certified groomer. I love my new life!" Kelly W., Athol, ID

Testimonial from Deborah Jeanneret, age 40ish, from Lolo, Montana, a graduate that trained Feb. thru April, 2010. Deborah and Cassi cat on her first day. Deborah and 2 std. poodles, day 19 of her training.

"My journey through the Pooch Parlor Pet Grooming Academy was as forewarned, a very physical, and fast-paces class. I had only previously been a pet bather many years before. My first month was filled with safety of pet's, stripdowns, large and small breeds, clips, trims, and sculpting crooked legs to look straight. I was sure going to in that I would have problems with scissoring techniques, but through DuAnn's excellent instruction, I easily learned each technique and grew confident in my abilities. Every success, I stood back and literally blew myself away. WOW I did that!

My second month, I was much stronger physically. I groomed a lot of puppies their first time. Very challenging, but the reward was I got to be their first groomer and by the end of grooming one wiggley apricot poodle puppy that was scared and jerking his paws, I had him holding his legs still in my hand. WOW, I did that! My teacher gave me an A+ for that pup. With all the different breeds and different want's of the customers, shapes, sizes of pets, I was never bored by repetition, but intrigued by how much there is to learn and WOW, I was doing it!"

In my third month, I worked on fine tuning the skills I had learned. Scissoring is no longer a problem. I've turned it into an art. I'll be forever grateful to the Pooch Parlor and all the gals. Special thanks to Sara and Barb for all I've learned here, and will always continue to learn through life. THANK YOU ALL.

In closing to this is yet another proud moment of many there and to come in my future as a Professional Pet Groomer. The second groom on the Old English Sheepdog, her mother brought her Australian Shepard to be groomed by me also. I talked to her about her dogs and groomed them. The Old English (Sassy) had been in a fight several days before and had a puncture wound on her back. So I asked her permission to spot shave it so she could easily dress the wound. Upon starting Sassy, I found five other such wounds on her ears, leg, and mouth. I immediately called her mom to let her know and ask permission to shave them. She was unaware of the other wounds and was very happy and appreciative of my work. My teacher DuAnn, gave me the biggest compliment of all, "great job, I couldn't have done this dog this well". WOW.

Deborah got a job within 2 weeks of graduating from the Pooch Parlor. She lives and works in Lolo, Montana and can be reached at 406-239-6324.

Shaya Hall, 18 years, gives a testimonial of her experiences as a Pooch Parlor Pet Groomer Academy student, in 2008. She was a student from March thru Sept., 2008, and has been an employee of Pooch Parlor Ponderay since that time.

"Patience, love, cooperation, and compromise are some of the many words one truly learns when one is training with the Pooch Parlor. This is the place to go if you are aiming for success and joy.

When I first started training I had no idea what it would truly be like. My first though was, " ooh I get to play with dogs all day!" In fact, playing with the dogs is just the icing on the cake. The actual cake is made with hours and hours of mind boggling haircuts, and bathes that end in the groomer soaked with more water than the dog. Thank goodness we have such great people surrounding us with helpful hints. I am now a state-certified groomer, and it feels incredible. There isn't a day in my life that I regret getting my certification in grooming. I will always recommend the Pooch Parlor to anyone who is interested. There are many great qualities to this program. I know everyone who trains here will get something good out of it, whether it be qualities or technique. I hope to see you soon!!" Shaya Hall, certified all-breed groomer, certified and trained through Pooch Parlor Pet Groomer Academy

This is a testimonial from Leslie G. She is currently enrolled in the Level III course and will be opening her own shop in Montana when she graduates in October, 2010.

"I started my dog grooming training course at the end of April. It has been a joyful experience for me. DuAnn has been an exceptional instructor. Training at the Pooch Parlor, I have discovered great camaraderie between DuAnn, her staff, and students. If you are looking to start a career as a groomer, I would recommend DuAnn at the Pooch Parlor. Her employees are very helpful and enjoyable to work with and learn from as well." Leslie Gordon and her dog family.

This is a testimonial from Audrey M., from Idaho Falls, who has been diagnosed with Asbergers. She is taking the Level II Course and is scheduled to graduate at the end of May 2010. Audrey is doing exceptionally well in her training and learning abilities.

"I am currently taking Course II with DuAnn at the Pooch Parlor. I was a bit nervous at first, but now feel quite confident with each new day that comes.

I am conservative in nature and can confidently tell you that I give DuAnn's school a strong B+. If I were the only student, (right now there are two others) I would give her an A. I have 3 months of experience as a bather, which is why I wanted to go to grooming school. The equipment here is superb, and easy to use. The 4 tubs are built for dogs, not for humans (like my last place). The tables go up and down, saving your back, and that of your client. The Pooch Parlor is a professionally set up grooming salon. All the tools are readily available to fix any problem I might come across. The skills I am learning have a structure and pattern that I can follow. And the repetition of those patterns is great. Knowing the succession of what comes next makes it really easy for me to have a successful grooming experience, then I don't forget anything.

I like having the variety of dogs and cats to work on. Everything from 3 pounds to 200 pounds comes through here. Where I worked before, we only had small dogs, and typically just a few breeds. That got really boring. There is plenty to work on and I do go home tired, but it's a happy tired.

DuAnn has been a much better teacher than I have had in the past. She teaches me in a structured way, that is all hands-on. She is friendly and willing. I like learning new things and she likes teaching new things. When I am having a particularly difficult moment, instead of walking away from me like others have done, she says to me, "how can I help you through this?" I don't always know how to help myself, or what to tell her, but I appreciate her willingness and her flexibility in her teaching methods.

The environment here is conducive to learning. Although it is mostly women, everyone is friendly, and helpful. Everyone wants you to be happy and successful. Even the customers are friendly and happy to help me with checking in dogs, and giving me grooming instruction. I have found that I am really good at scraping teach and cleaning ears, two things that are usually not a specialty of the average groomer. I also like grooming and clipping cats and big dogs. All of these things I have learned that I am great at, are things I was never even exposed to in the shop I worked in before. I would never have known I liked doing these things if I hadn't come here.

I am boarding with DuAnn and the accommodations here are very comfortable. There is a lot of room for me to do what I want, watch TV, draw, make bows, surf the internet, wash clothes, bake, or take a bath. It's very comfortable, and private, but not lonely. DuAnn and Mike (here husband) are always close by if I were to need anything. And their dogs are here too if I need doggie company. It makes it convenient to ride to school with DuAnn. Since she brings her big and small dogs with her, it is a nice time to get my dog recharge in. Her dogs make me feel at home. They are great personally, and as professional guinea pigs. As you can see, DuAnn takes a LOT of pictures! I really like seeing how much I have improved each week, and, when I am done, I will have my very own portfolio to show the work I can do. I forgot to mention that I have made quite a bit in tips sine I have been here! That's a wonderful bonus!

I would recommend this course to anyone thinking about learning how to groom. The environment is friendly, the teacher is willing, the equipment is great, and the variety of dogs and cats is awesome. I can see myself making a living in this industry with the skills that I am learning. I am really excited about that. And the best part is, I will be CERTIFIED when I am done. Having the diploma to prove I know that I have been professionally trained is most important! Now I will be able to cater to the customers that care about the training their groomer has had, and that means a higher class of customer, and a better paycheck for me! You can find me working in Southern Idaho after I graduate in June, 2010!!!"

This is a testimonial from Kirsten from Seattle, aged 23. She has long suffered from learning disabilities. She took the Level II course and graduated in August 2009. She is currently working towards finishing Beauty School, and will be returning to Pooch Parlor for continued training towards Level III.

Pooch Parlor experience….Wow! Where to start? DuAnn is an amazing teacher. Everyone learns in different ways and she can handle that and is great in teaching in more than just one way. She finds your way, to better your individual growth and experience as a groomer. She as well helped me become a great groomer as well as helped me in my journey to become a healthy, independent woman. If you are interested in becoming a groomer, definitely come to DuAnn's Pooch Parlor. It's a great time and you'll be sad it goes by SO FAST. And the girls you train with are a blast. In a scale of 1-10, I would rate this a 10! Great experience and great relationships!

Testimonial from Jim Goss. He has recently graduated from the Level III Course and will be running his own grooming salon. Jim was nervous when he started, but he picked up the tricks of the trade very quickly. You can reach Jim at the Pooch Parlor -Oldtown location at 208-437-0503. This is Jim on his first day. He was the only male student in a class full of females. He did fantastic! He is pictured here with Mike Chambers, Pooch Parlor owner.

I was in the construction trades for over 30 years and worked my way up the ladder (no pun) to a well-paying position. The construction trades did and after months of being on unemployment for the first time in my life, and no construction jobs to be found without making a move to another city, I started soul searching. What to do?????

Well, my wife, Sara Goss, had gone to school to be a pet groomer with the Pooch Parlor 6 years before, and her trade was holding up well. She was trained at the Pooch Parlor by DuAnn Chambers, so I decided to do the same with the thoughts of us opening a grooming shop together. If that didn't work, I saw on the internet that Petco was hiring at more than one location.

I took the Level III Course so not only would I learn the grooming aspect of the trade, I would also learn the business aspect of the it. The schooling was all hands-on training and I was working on dogs the first day. It was kind of like learning how to ride a bike, I was shown how to do it, then put it into practice. I thought at first I would never be able to do this, but with the techniques of the trade shown to me and the patience of DuAnn, it clicked. I was grooming! And I was able to finish school early and start working! I started out nervous, and scared, but finished proud. DuAnn was so impressed with my newly found skills, that she decided to sell one of her shops to me! I am now the proud new owner of Pooch Parlor -Oldtown!!! THANKS DU!

Jim and his wife Sara (in purple) are pictured below

This is Roxeanne Cheney. She is the new owner of roxysmobilegrooming.com . You can reach her at 208-290-4144 and serves Bonner County's mobile grooming needs. She has recently moved to Bonner County to become a certified mobile groomer

Heidi Heldt, age 18, gives a testimonial of Pooch Parlor Pet Groomer Academy, Advanced Level graduate, January, 2010.

Amber Holt, gives a testimonial of her experiences as a Pooch Parlor Pet Groomer Academy student.

Going through the Pooch Parlor Grooming School, was well worth every cent & then some. I had researched schools nationwide, & internet home schooling options for about a year. The Pooch Parlor not only met the standards of established larger schools, it offered a one on one experience. That meant there were to be no other students & I had 100% instructor time for about $300 less than the other top two schools I had been considering.

Photo below is of Amber, Julia and DuAnn. Julia always brightens our day when she visits with her JUMPIN JAVA BUS.