Dog grooming costs?

[Carolyn R]

Okay, so,out of our two mini Aussies, mini as in just over the toy size, one has a shorter coat, the other has a fuller coat. The finer, shorter coated one gets a quick butt clip and I may trim the longer belly hairs on occasion, as well as clip her nails. The other I was considering taking to get shaved down to a puppy type cut, so I called a local lady that has a Mobil pet van, she only lives five to ten minutes away, I was floored at her price of $65! She said she did a husky that was way more than she anticipated........75 pound husky.........17 pound mini Aussie? I just thought the price was excessive, not having seen my dog or the fact that she has a nice, non matted coat, not wanting anything breed specific, just cut down, beard and all. What do you all spend, in your rural or suburb area? I was just a little floored. Was expecting closer to $45 tops......

 

[chandab]

I really don't know prices, but I'm guessing she might be a little higher, since she is mobile and drives to her clients instead of the other way around. I agree, $75 does seem steep for a small dog puppy cut. If you've clipped horses before, you can probably clip the Aussie yourself, especially a puppy cut and one that is just for comfort (if you plan to show, then no, I probably wouldn't do it myself).

I had a full-size Aussie with a medium coat, I left her full coat for the most part, but did trim her "bloomers", especially out here on the ranch. Here's a pic of Bridgette:

 

[bevann]

My 2 Pembroke Welsh Corgi bitches just went last week. $75 for both of them included bath,blow dry, teeth scaling,nails, trimmed as if going to a show(britches etc)they come back looking beautiful-all dead hair combed out and smell great.$75 sounds very high.I'm in a rural area My groomer is near a resort area and does lots of small dogs-Bichons, poodles,terriers.She is also a Cardigan breeder and previously bred Pembrokes and Bishons.She still shows Cardigans.I get my puppy fix from her.

 

[Boss Mare]

I am a professional dog groomer of 8 years. I set my own prices, but am very competitive with other local places.

-Mini Aussie trim: $45.00 - $50.00 / includes light feather trim & sanitary. (extra for ample amount of undercoat)

-Mini Aussie shave: $55.00

Includes : bath, blow dry, brush out, anal glands, nails and ears. I don't deduct money if they don't want something (such as nails).

However you mentioned "puppy cut" -- this is usually a peeve for groomers as it can mean ANYTHING to anyone. Most groomers assume puppy cut is a longer "shave" so to speak -- for an Aussie leaving approx. 1-1.5" of hair -- lots more brushing, clip comb work and hand scissoring. More time - more money. Really wish that term would go away..

$65.00 doesn't seem too overpriced for a mobile service. A good friend of mine has her own mobile service and a bath dog (such as a lab) starts at $75.00. Other mobile services around here have a $90-$100.00 minimum charge.

 

[Carolyn R]

Maybe it is wrong of me to think it, but when I hear Mobil, I think okay, they have a salon in their van, but then again, they don't have the overhead of a shop either. I don't want her shaved bare bones, I could do that myself with my horse clippers. Guess I will just buy another furminator and trim off all her feathering myself. I know my bichon, when he was alive, was a PIA to groom, a lot more difficult to keep a coat than these guys, just didn't expect a quote to be that high.

 

[Boss Mare]

I did a few demo days with my friend that has the mobile salon when I was considering becoming an employee. Definitely, preferred the luxury of my idle salon.

Aside from products and equipment there are a lot of other expenses. Pet liability, vehicle and health insurance. Fuel charges, advertising.. Generators & fuel, vehicle repairs. Business license, taxes.. Doesn't seem like much but I am sure I am forgetting a bunch and it does cost quite a bit.

When I was a groomer at Petco, everything was provided and paid for by the company. My commission cut was 60% as manager, but as I said I didn't pay a single dime out of pocket except for my own equipment.

Now, at Pet Valu (Canadian based pet supply store now opening branches in the US) I am a contracted groomer -- I provide all my own products, pay my own taxes, carry my own insurance, etc. Commission cut is still 60%, but I pay so much more out of pocket to maintain my salon.

Call around and ask for some other price quotes. Also, if you decide to drop off your dog for grooming remember to ask how long it will take. Too many groomers keep dogs for a ridiculous amount of time 4-6 hours!

 

[Jill]

I wish Michelle lived close enough to us to do a house call, because I would love to see our Shih-Tzu's looking better than our scissor and clipper grooming produces! Our big dogs are pretty easy for us, and our Shih-Tzu's stay comfy, but don't look as nice as someone who knows how to do it would make them look!

 

[Riverrose28]

I retired from pet grooming in 2001 because of my arthritis in my hands, and now they had to remove my right thumb joint. All the strain from 20 plus years of scissoring. Prices yes have gone up as has everything else. As Michelle says there is overhead even in mobile grooming, plus it is a service and a convience to have the groomer come to you. You might get a better price taking your dogs to a grooming shop. Puppy clips usually require scissoring all over which costs more then clipping. Matted dogs are a nightmare and also cost more. Simple clip downs can be short, like your horses or a little longer when clipped with a #4 blade, but dog must be free of knots, mats and bathed and blown out before hand but it is usually a lower cost then the hand scissored so call puppy clip. also takes less time.

 

[CZP1]

I think is sounds reasonable. I have a miniature schnauzer and it was $45 for him. Since I clip my horse, I now clip him myself. He looks great and I have people said great clip on your guy! Makes me feel good as I am not a professional!

 

[Carolyn R]

I have no problem taking her out, just thought I would go with someone local. I was given her number by someone that has their larger Yorkshire done by her. They pay $35, I just wasn't expecting that much more. Oh well....I'll stil look around, but still have all my supplies from when I had a bigger herd of minis, worse case, I do it myself. Her coat is easy enough to run the clippers through, mat free, just pampered indoor pups that are spoiled rotten. As said before,When clipping, compared to my bichon's coat, their coat is a dream to work with.

 

[Boss Mare]

I wish Michelle lived close enough to us to do a house call, because I would love to see our Shih-Tzu's looking better than our scissor and clipper grooming produces! Our big dogs are pretty easy for us, and our Shih-Tzu's stay comfy, but don't look as nice as someone who knows how to do it would make them look!

If you ever want to travel to & explore Southern Maryland one weekend I can hook you up with some grooming. or I just may be able to convince my mobile grooming friend & I to do a road trip.. She's a horsey person too.

 

[disneyhorse]

We pay $65 each to have our 50 pound Aussies shaved. I've shaved them a few times myself, I don't think the size of the dog matters much.

 

[Boss Mare]

This is a retriever mix I groomed -- heavy trim & brush out. Very well behaved dog. I charged $65.00.

"Kiwi" is 14 years old and has lymphoma, under her jaw is solid tumors. After her groom I felt that I made her look and feel like a puppy again (complete with bows).

http://i1294.photobucket.com/albums/b610/TwistedPassion7587/image_zpsd786bfc1.jpg

 

[shorthorsemom]

Boss mare, you are an artist, thanks for sharing your photos, when I hear of folks grooming and shaving a spaniel type I think of those shave downs where the dog looks like its head does not belong with its body. I had no idea until your photos that a spaniel type could look that refined and tidy and not be shaved down to the skin. Learn something new every day. you give me idea for grooming my tibetan spaniel. Grooming is truly an art. I do my own, due to the quanity of dogs I own that require extensive grooming. I am not an artist, but over the years I have gotten better due to practice and I have great respect of real groomers because I know first hand that it really takes work to get the dog neat to the skin. So many folks brush the surface and don't realize there is so much second coat at skin level. My collie takes hours but when I am finished, you can run through her whole coat to the skin with a comb.

Most are under appreciated as to the work that goes into a grooming like you posted. Having done my own grooming for financial reasons, I totally understand the charges and quite frankly, $65 for that job is a bargain in my opinion.

I have three powderpuff chinese cresteds, and one full sized collie and one tibetan spaniel and a basset and a boston terrier. I do all my own grooming and it would be rare to find my dogs dirty or tangled or with long nails because if I ever get behind, I would be sunk. My tibbie looks like the before photo you posted... I think I will work to tame some of her wildness and try to give her a slicker look. She is not tangled, just has that weird fluffy stuff sticking out all over. Do you use scissors or clippers.. just curious.

So many folks think you just shave down and done and don't understand about all the combing and getting that undercoat clean and the skin clean and working out tangles and belly and butt clean up. I used to assist a friend in grooming her havanese, but it was such a dirty job and she never put a comb or brush on her dogs between groomings. She paid me $40 but it took me 3-4 hours and I was dodging teeth too. Wasn't worth it.

Take care,... boss mare,... thanks for posting the photo, very cool.

 

[AFewSpotsMostlyBlack]

hmmm, I was under the impression that you shouldn't shave double coated breeds...I keep my Aussies tidy with a undercoat rake, slicker (the furminator will break the top coat) and a nice set of thinning shears mostly for their fuzzy feet. If I'm running agility I will clean the bottoms to get rid of the slipper effect so they don't hurt themselves, but that is the only time i use clippers on them. If they're blowing coat I use a clean shop vac I bought specifically to dry them after a bath with forced air to help get rid of the large bunnies roaming around my house. The shop vac isn't as nice as a forced air blower but it's a heck of alot cheaper. Other than that I find Aussies very easy to groom, much easier than when I had to do my cocker spaniel and even though they have the undercoat and long hair I still have less bunnies than when I had a heeler (so much for short hair working breed :/ I've never seen a dog shed like that, eek!).

These are working dogs, they're in brambles and briars almost every day, I brush as needed, bathe maybe once every 2 months or so. Showsheen and Miracle Groom are also my friend

 

[Boss Mare]

Thank you!

I take a lot of pride in my grooming.. I am quick yet thorough. The above dog took me 1 hr. 15 mins. start to finish, that's including bathing and force drying. Talk about a ton of undercoat that needed blown and brushed out not to mention the hand scissoring involved..

I LOVE hand scissoring.. Rather do that all day long than boring shave downs. I LOVE doing exotic clips and uncommon breeds.

I like to also document my work by doing before and after pics, makes me feel accomplished.

I DO feel like a fair amount of customers do NOT understand / appreciate the hard work involved in grooming -- after many years of doing it as a career I am used to it and try my best to educate. It is, what it is.

As for shaving double coated breeds -- you do run the risk of damaging the intregrity of the coat or conditions like alopecia., sunburn for outdoor dogs, etc. etc..

 

[shorthorsemom]

I thought that dog looked hand scissored because the coat still has its lovely rich color. What I want to do with my tibbie is scissor the weird fluff that sticks out over top of what looks like her regular coat and I would like to trim her britches to lay closer like the dog in your photo, very educational photos, thanks. My tibbie was a rescue girl but has grown in confidence greatly and I can do more and more with her as far as grooming the longer I have her. She is my first spaniel type breed as far as coat type and I am still learning. She has very sensitive feet and getting her slippers trimmed can be a challenge, but I discovered that when she is in the bath with the water running, she will then let me trim her toenails and trim her feet hair.. outside of the bathtub she is a little bear with her feet, guess the water running is enough of a distraction. every dog is so different on how you approach things.

Take care.

 

[Boss Mare]

For a Tibetian Spaniel, start with a good bath, blow dry and brush out (with a comb) to ensure coat is mat free.

Scissor or clip your paw pads, *I* use a #40 / most groomers use a #10. Sanitary #10. Brush the hair between the toes up and scissor / or use thinning shears for a more natural look.

Trim your leg feathers and underbelly, perhaps around the ears depending on the look you want. Tail too -- collect the mat free tail and twist the long hair together; clip the amount you want off.. This will give you a natural flag appearance instead of a blunt cut. Hold the end of the tail and trim up any extra hair if needed.

For trimming the hindquarters - scissor down and create an upside down V so to speak -- Or -- to remove more bulk and sculpt the hindquarters *I* use a #7 blade; make sure you have a steady hand and a secure dog and SKIM and sculpt the hair and contour the hindquarters to the body. I will some times skim most of the body -- a steady hand and some thinning shears will give a very natural, yet well groomed appearance for a pet dog.

Have fun!

 

[Debby - LB]

For what you described with a little dog $65. does sound a little high but for the convenience the extra may be worth it IF she has excellent references.

Loved to see your before and afters Michelle!

I've generally always groomed my own and I myself have always had big dogs. My dog and my husbands Boston I would brush regularly and they would jump right in the tub when I said bath time so they always were clean and shiny, they were totally house dogs so they always smelled good and didn't leave hair all over the place.

My Dolly that I have now on the other hand, as I've gotten older bending over for so long is really hard for me and Dolly does NOT like her back dew claws cut so she goes out to the Vet. every 2.5 to 3 months to have them all trimmed.

When she was 3 I asked the groomer there about bathing and brushing her out for me and trimming the hair on the backs of her legs and her feet. She said it would be $75. Well by that time grooming Dolly had gotten to be a BIG chore so I took her. I had to take her early in the morning and was to pick her up at 5. When I got there she said she wasn't finished drying her so I paid and told her not to worry about it I'd dry her. Well she hadn't been brushed out either, when I got home within 5 minutes I'd filled 3 plastic grocery bags with hair. I was so peeved.

In Spring 2012 some new people moved here and opened a shop and I took her because for almost 2 years she had not been properly brushed or bathed, it had kind of gotten away from me. It cost me $145. but she did a wonderful job! She had really nice facilities but was Not set up for a Big dog so since then I've tried to keep her brushed and trimmed up and bathed every 4 or 5 months.

This is my Dolly, she didn't stay like this long..


..she grew up fast! and stays around 125 - 130 pounds.


She's a big girl like me!

 

[chandab]

When I was in CO, there was a self-service doggy wash place. You paid a nominal fee to use the facilities yourself; they had raised bathtubs with steps so you didn't have to bend over, walk-in dryers or handheld dryers, shampoo, conditioner, a grooming table you could use, and I think they also had full-grooming service in back if you wanted to use it (can't remember for sure on that one). I used it a couple times, as it was easier to use their raised tubs than to put my dog in the bath tub at home and bend over so far.