The Academy Ethics

  • Compassion

    We celebrate individuality through acceptance and understanding irrespective of species, gender, race or ethnicity.

  • Choice

    We respect all animals’ right to choose their own path at a pace that suits them and support the indigenous need to feel safe.

  • Care

    We safeguard and protect the animals right to a care plan that considers their physical, emotional, physiological, mental and spiritual needs.

  • Creativity

    We encourage and invest in our personal development so that we can continue to develop and expand on our approach in a creative way to enhance our services.

Not just a school.

The Holistic Grooming Academy is an internationally recognised distance-learning college that supports guardians and professionals looking to embrace an updated, ethical approach to the way they care for other Animal Species. 

The courses available are accredited through the Complementary Medical Association and Certified through CPDUK showing the high standard of education it provides to its students. 

Founded by Stephanie Zikmann in 2020, the HGA has already won an award for 'Best Pet Grooming Distance-Learning College' at the Luxlife Awards 2021. 

We are passionate about education and providing our students with a supportive, non-judgmental community where they can feel safe and truly enjoy their learning experience.

The Academy Tutors

The Holistic Dog Groomer

Stephanie Zikmann

Multi-Award Winning Holistic Dog Groomer, Certified Canine Behaviourist, Qualified and Insured Microchip Implanter, KAD Instructor, and Pet Ambassador Dog Trainer. Professional Writer for Edition Dog Magazine. Featured in BBC Scotland, Entrepreneur Europe, Whippet Media, The Paw Post, K9 Nation, Barket Place, Bark Aid, Thrive Global, and Medium. Number One Amazon Bestselling Author of 'The Magic of Holistic Grooming' and children's picture book, 'I Can Be A Dog Detective!'. Mother of two human-children and four of the furry variety too!

Holistic Cat Groomer

Emma Chapman

Hi, I'm Emma, I've been grooming since 1993. I began my grooming journey straight from school and was brought up in what you'd call a 'traditional' grooming environment. 11 years later I moved on to a friend's salon and began questioning the way I was doing things. Over the next 11 years I developed my kindness and compassion and learnt about the behaviour of the animals I was working on. In 2017 after a short break from grooming I turned cat exclusive offering a house call service. I'm a huge believer in behaviour knowledge and grooming skills going hand in hand and working in an appropriate way for each individual animal. I am a certified Fear Free groomer, I hold a level 3 certificate in Feline Psychology & Behaviour an advanced certificate in Feline Stress and anxiety and I am a qualified Animal Bach Flower Remedy Counseller. My passion is to teach other groomers that we need to realise how our grooming impacts the lives of the animals we are working on. I choose comfort over vanity every time. If I can change my ways, anyone can.