Career Hounds approved to deliver VetSkill VTEC Level 3 Award in Preventative Canine Dental Care and Oral Hygiene

We are delighted to announce that Career Hounds has now been approved to deliver a third VetSkill qualification, the VetSkill VTEC Level 3 Award in Preventative Canine Dental Care and Oral Hygiene.

This approval follows a rigorous quality assurance process, confirming that Career Hounds’ qualification delivery meets the highest educational and industry standards.

Providing preventative canine dental care and oral hygiene involves the application of safe methods and techniques to keep the mouth healthy and prevent deterioration that can result in significant health and welfare issues. 

The Level 3 award has been designed for learners working with canines professionally, in roles like dog groomer, dog walker, and kennel assistant, and is aimed at those who wish to expand their underpinning knowledge and practical skills to allow them to incorporate preventative canine dental care and oral hygiene within their role. 

Founder of Career Hounds and tutor, Terri Hardwick, is a respected educator and dog groomer with over 15 years of professional experience in the dog grooming industry. She comments:

“One of the most important things a dog groomer can do is learn how to effectively health check a dog’s mouth. Without that vital knowledge, they’re likely to breach both the Animal Welfare Act and Veterinary Surgeons Act by unknowingly causing unnecessary pain and suffering and denying vet treatment. Dog groomers are so passionate about animal welfare, and our primary goal is to improve the dog’s quality of life; this qualification bridges that gap and ensures practitioners are delivering their teeth cleaning service safely with the same focus on animal welfare as their grooming service”.

Preventative canine dental care and oral hygiene is not intended to substitute for essential regular assessment and treatment by a veterinary professional. Learners are assessed on the legal, ethical and professional roles and responsibilities, along with the scope of practice, for those who provide preventative dental care, and the importance of dental assessment and treatment by veterinary professionals.

“This qualification goes far beyond cosmetic cleaning”, says Terri. “It equips groomers with the knowledge they need to support animal welfare, recognise referral boundaries, and raise the standard of preventative care — all while staying within their scope of practice”.

Dog groomers already offering teeth cleaning will find that this Level 3 award reveals just how much more there is to know — from terminology and pathology to compliance and communication. With ethical practice at the heart of every unit, it’s designed to empower professionals to care responsibly and confidently.

We are thrilled to witness the evolution of this groundbreaking qualification as it reaches new delivery sites, and are sure that Career Hounds’ dynamic teaching style, combined with its deep understanding of canine anatomy and non-clinical boundaries, will exceed expectations in delivery.

Learn more about VetSkill’s qualifications here. For further information on becoming an approved VetSkill centre, please visit: Become a Centre — VetSkill. Kiera from the VetSkill Quality Assurance Team will be in contact to arrange an initial meeting to discuss the process and provide support and guidance throughout.