What grooming costs
Expect $50–$110 for a bath, brush and coat care, with most jobs near $80. That range covers ordinary maintenance grooming. Breed specific clips and badly matted coats sit above it, and there is a good reason for that.
Why matting costs more
A matted coat cannot be brushed out safely once it is tight to the skin. The humane option is to clip it off, which takes longer, dulls blades, and often reveals sores underneath. A groomer quoting more for a matted dog is not upselling. A groomer promising to brush out severe matting cheaply is the one to worry about.
Rough guide by coat
- Short single coat: Lower end. Bath, nails, ears, quick tidy.
- Double coat: Mid range. Deshedding is labour, and these coats should not be shaved.
- Curly or wool coat: Upper end. Needs regular clipping and mats fast between appointments.
- Wire coat: Upper end if hand stripping rather than clipping.
Home visit or salon
A home groom suits anxious dogs, seniors who struggle with a day at a salon, and households where getting there is the hard part. A salon suits full clips, heavy deshedding and anything needing proper drying equipment. Ask which the provider is offering, because a home visit with no drying setup means a damp dog for hours.
What to agree before they start
- The clip you want, ideally with a photo. "Short" means different things to different people.
- What happens if matting is worse than expected, and what that costs.
- Whether nails, ears and teeth are included or extra.
- How long it will take, so you are not surprised.
Post a grooming job and let local groomers bid on it.