Price a grooming session and a full year of grooming
| Dog size | Full groom | Bath & brush | Mobile full groom |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (under 25 lb) | $50–80 | $30–45 | $75–140 |
| Medium (25–50 lb) | $65–100 | $40–60 | $100–175 |
| Large (50–75 lb) | $80–125 | $50–75 | $125–220 |
| X-Large / Giant (75+ lb) | $100–160 | $60–90 | $150–260 |
| Add-on service | Typical price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Nail trim (or grind) | $15–25 | Often free inside a full groom; à-la-carte vet trims run $20–40 |
| Ear cleaning | $10–20 | Floppy-eared breeds benefit every visit |
| Teeth brushing | $10–20 | Cosmetic only — not a dental cleaning |
| De-shedding treatment | $20–50 | Double coats, spring and fall blow-outs |
| De-matting | $25–75 | Per session or per 15 min; severe mats go home shaved |
| Flea bath | $20–40 | Some shops refuse fleas; treat at home first |
| Skunk treatment | $40–75 | Same-day only; deskunking kits at home run $10 |
| Paw or sanitary trim | $10–15 | Usually bundled in full grooms |
Ranges are typical US shop prices for 2025–26; metro markets (NYC, SF, LA, Seattle) run 20–40% above these bands and low-cost markets 10–15% below.
| Coat type | Cycle | Typical annual bill (large dog, independent shop) |
|---|---|---|
| Short & smooth (beagle, pit bull, Doberman) | Bath & brush every 8–12 wks | ~$535 ($420–650) |
| Double coat (golden, husky, German shepherd) | Bath q8–12 wks + de-shed q4–6 wks in shed season | ~$745 ($580–910) |
| Long & silky (Shih Tzu, Maltese, Yorkie) | Full groom every 4–6 wks | ~$1,430 ($1,090–1,770) |
| Curly (poodle, doodle, bichon) | Full groom every 4–6 wks | ~$1,430 ($1,090–1,770) |
| Wiry (terriers) | Clip every 8–10 wks (hand-strip 6–8 wks) | ~$710 ($550–870) |
Annual bills assume the service mix typical for the coat at independent-shop prices before tip. Brushing at home between visits is the cheapest grooming there is — 10 minutes twice a week on a curly coat is the difference between a haircut and a shave-down.
Grooming prices stack three variables: what your dog weighs (groomers quote by size band), what services the coat needs, and how often the cycle repeats. This calculator prices a session from national ranges, applies the groomer-type factor, then annualizes it at your chosen frequency.
Session cost = sum of chosen services at your dog's size × groomer factor (big-box ×0.9, independent ×1.0, mobile ×1.75). Sessions per year = 52 ÷ weeks between visits — every 5 weeks is 10.4 sessions a year, every 8 weeks is 6.5. Annual bill = session × sessions per year. The tip line adds 15–20% per visit, paid in cash or through most booking apps.
Set size, coat, and groomer type. The service checklist starts empty — tick what your dog actually gets, or match a typical pattern: double coats take bath + de-shed, curly and silky coats take the full groom, short coats just need a bath and nails. Set the weeks between visits to match your groomer's recommendation (or what you actually manage), and read the yearly number before you commit to a puppy with a high-maintenance coat.
A 60-lb goldendoodle: large dog, curly coat, independent shop, full groom every 5 weeks. The full groom at large size averages $102.50 ($80–125 band); add teeth brushing ($15) and nail trim ($20) and the session is $137.50 typical ($105–170 band). At 52 ÷ 5 = 10.4 sessions a year, that's $1,430 a year ($1,092–1,768 range), about $119 a month, plus a $21–28 tip each visit.
The same math on a 20-lb beagle at a big-box salon flips the story: bath and brush ($37.50 typical small) + nail trim ($20) = $57.50, ×0.9 big-box factor ≈ $52 a session, every 8 weeks = 6.5 sessions, about $336 a year. Dog choice sets the grooming budget before the first appointment is ever booked.
Blow-dry time is the biggest cost driver groomers won't quote around: a thick double coat can hold a dog under a dryer for an hour. Matting is the second — most shops charge de-matting by the 15 minutes and will call you for approval past $50, and a fully pelted dog leaves short. The third is frequency drift: stretching a 6-week curly coat to 10 weeks doesn't save 40%, it converts a $120 maintain into a $180 rescue and usually a shorter cut for the next two cycles.
A full groom (bath, blow-dry, haircut, nail trim, ear cleaning) runs $50 to $80 for small dogs, $65 to $100 for medium, $80 to $125 for large, and $100 to $160 for giants. A bath-and-brush without the haircut runs $30 to $90 by size. Mobile groomers charge 1.5 to 2 times shop prices, and most owners tip 15 to 20 percent.
By coat: short smooth coats need a bath and brush every 8 to 12 weeks; double coats a bath every 8 to 12 weeks plus de-shedding every 4 to 6 weeks in spring and fall; long silky coats and curly coats need a full groom every 4 to 6 weeks; wiry terrier coats need clipping every 8 to 10 weeks. Skipping the cycle doesn't save money — a matted dog costs more to fix than to maintain.
Doodles land at the top of every price list: expect $100 to $180 per full groom for a medium-to-large doodle at an independent shop, every 5 to 6 weeks. That's roughly $1,000 to $1,500 a year before tips, and $1,800-plus in expensive metros. Matting is the trap — a pelted doodle gets a de-matting fee of $25 to $75 or a shave-down, and some shops decline heavily matted dogs entirely.
Usually about 10 percent cheaper on the base groom, and they quote by weight on a published menu. Local shops charge more but book out longer, spend more time on difficult dogs, and are less likely to rush a stressed one. Mobile groomers cost 1.5 to 2 times shop prices but take one dog at a time and come to your driveway.
15 to 20 percent of the session, the same convention as hairdressing. On a $75 groom that's $11 to $15; on a $140 doodle groom, $20 to $28. Tip toward the higher end for matted coats, anxious dogs, or a groomer who fit you in last-minute. Many mobile groomers are owner-operators where a tip is appreciated but optional.
Three surcharges do it: matting (de-matting fees run $25 to $75 or force a shorter cut), coat condition and behavior (a dog that needs two handlers or muzzle breaks adds time), and size above the weight band you booked. Groomers quote on a sound, brushed, cooperative dog at the stated weight — anything else is genuinely more work.