PIAA Updates Grooming Code as 76% of Salons Back Mandatory Animal Care Training

PIAA grooming code welfare work is in motion with state and federal governments after the 2025 member survey found 76% support for mandatory animal care qualifications for new entrants. Updated 28 June 2026.

The PIAA Pet Grooming Survey 2025 also found most respondents struggle to hire skilled groomers and want better industry statistics. CEO Anthony Ramsey told Pet Industry News in early 2026 that PIAA is collaborating with governments across retail, boarding, and grooming to review codes. WA headlines are pushing politicians toward regulation. PIAA is trying to shape that response before licensing lands state by state.

Standards versus guidelines inside the National Code

PIAA’s National Code of Practice sets minimums for member businesses in grooming, boarding, training, and other pet services. Standards use mandatory language: meet them or risk membership. Guidelines sit above that floor for businesses that want to exceed it through accreditation.

The code does not bind the whole industry. Non-members still face state welfare law. They just don’t owe PIAA a contract. That’s the gap politicians keep pointing at.

What PIAA wants in the next draft

Proposed updates would require new entrants to complete core foundation animal welfare and care across grooming, daycare, boarding, walking, and pet sitting. That matches survey mood: burnout, price pressure, training gaps, and demand that hasn’t dropped. Ramsey framed 2026 as a year for advocacy, standards, and events such as AusGroom in Melbourne and AusPet Expo in Sydney.

news.com.au reported that PIAA grooming director Joanne Marden is consulting multiple state governments on qualifications while codes are refreshed. Isolated RSPCA investigations are the public fuel. Disagreement is about whether voluntary membership can scale fast enough.

What to ask while the PDF is still a draft

Ask whether staff record coat and skin at intake. Confirm they will pause if a dog shows panic or collapse risk. Verify double-coat experience before you accept a shave-down. PIAA membership is one filter. It is not the only one. Our post-headline checklist is the owner-side list. Compare more than one business before you lock a four-to-six-week standing slot.

Expect draft language through government consultation channels, not an overnight Act. We will update this summary when PIAA publishes final revised grooming standards or a state ties licensing to those standards.

Industry and inspectors are not opposites on every point

Both want anxious dogs stopped rather than forced. Both want repeat offenders identifiable. The fight is speed and who holds the stick. Owners should not wait for that fight to end. If a salon will not show the drying area or name who is on your dog, the code rewrite will not fix that visit.

So use the code as a question, not a halo. Don’t skip the groom because the PDF isn’t gazetted yet.

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