jennie_c_d:It is a whole, different world. I can do a show "line" on a dog, but doing the show groom? Pfft! I doubt I could pull it off, on most breeds. Hopefully, that'll change, soon, but... it takes a long time to learn every detail of a trim. The scissoring you do on a Poodle or Bichon..... is a serious skill. The stripping on terriers, sporting dogs, and wire coated dogs of other breeds (like Irish Wolfhounds) is another serious skill. It's hard work, and it's not something many pet groomers are even interested in.
A pet trim is much simpler, and is generally geared towards making the pet's coat comfortable and easy to manage. It's there to make them look cute, but you're going for comfortable and manageable, first. Most Maltese owners can't maintain a coat to the floor (and who can blame them? A show Maltese is kept wrapped and oiled!).
Oof, to say the least! Preparing dogs for show is an art, and even when it's perfected it's no small feat. Show Poodles have their topknots, ears, and bracelets wrapped in paper (and or banded) most of their showing career. If they rub on furniture, rough house with other dogs, or (worst of all) chew their hair, it breaks. When you bathe them, you squeeze the hair, you never scrub, again for breakage reason. Every few days, the wraps are taken out, combed, conditioned, and wrapped again. Before a show, handlers load up the coat with products to achieve "the look", with tons of hairspray. It's really tough on the dog's coat, so after every show it's all washed out, even if they're being shown the next day. Even just the weekly bathes...a ton of work and time. But it's a hobby (more like obsession) that people are willing to spend their extra time and money on.