# avg price to get grooming



## shinobi380 (Feb 4, 2007)

i have a alaskan malamute at about 70 lbs right now. (7 months)
and i was wondering wat the average price would be if i went to get her groomed.. i took her to petsmart once when she was a puppy and they had a puppy package for i think 15 dollars.. this included a trim, paws, glands, bath.
but i kno i cant bring her back in for that price.. i am thinking of going to a private groomer but i really dont kno how much that would be and i dont want to be ripped off.. i groom her myself regulary but sometimes i just want her to get a whole work up.


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## briteday (Feb 10, 2007)

Prices vary geographically. Where do you live?


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## borzoimom (May 21, 2007)

briteday said:


> Prices vary geographically. Where do you live?


 OH totally! To do hottie out here is 55 dollars- in northern Va. its over 100-110 dollars!


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## Purplex15 (May 28, 2007)

a malamute in normal condition, anywhere from 60-80 (in my area).

private salons are usually more than petcos and petsmarts. some do more work, but that is not to say there arent good groomers at petsomethings (just harder to find b/c their training is a little lacking).

i wouldnt think youd be paying too much right away, 70 lb malamute is still pretty little, so most places will take that into consideration


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## Dieselsmama (Apr 1, 2007)

Purplex15 said:


> a malamute in normal condition, anywhere from 60-80 (in my area).
> 
> private salons are usually more than petcos and petsmarts. some do more work, but that is not to say there arent good groomers at petsomethings (just harder to find b/c their training is a little lacking).
> 
> i wouldnt think youd be paying too much right away, 70 lb malamute is still pretty little, so most places will take that into consideration


Ditto $$ here, I'd guess about 60 if she's been brushed out regularly ( this means really brushed so the groomer can comb thru easily) If she's blowing undercoat maybe a bit more


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## TheChinClique (Jul 6, 2007)

My guess would be $50-$80 depending on where you live. It's $60.00 to have my mom's American Eskimo groomed.


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## Amaya-Mazie-Marley (Apr 15, 2007)

Thats shocking that a borzoi can get groomed for alot less money than my chinese crested powderpuff..The last time Amaya was groomed it was around 80 dollars. We take her to a privately owned groomer but he does an amazing job.


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## rsculady (Jun 23, 2007)

I have gone to two separate privately owned groomers here in the bay area and one did a PHENOMENAL job on my wooly siberian for $125 but then I moved a few towns over and found another that did an adequate job for $75. I think we will be driving a little further next time and going to our old groomer. Yes, she costs more and yes she is a surly woman who is wonderful with animals and terrible with people but for the job she does on my husky it is well worth it. Plus I always tip really well so she tolerates me a little better. LOL


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## squirt1968 (Feb 19, 2007)

I live in Wa. and for a small dog it is 20 to 30 dollars for grooming. I would learn to do it myself if I had to pay 100 or more. Wow what a difference in prices.


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## shinobi380 (Feb 4, 2007)

i live in texas.. is it standard to tip even at pets mart and such? if so how do u kno who groomed ur dog to tip?


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## ToysHaveMyHeart (May 9, 2007)

shinobi380 said:


> i live in texas.. is it standard to tip even at pets mart and such? if so how do u kno who groomed ur dog to tip?


I live in texas also  
While it is not the standard (it should be), they greatly appreciate it. The few times that Oni has been to the groomer, I have left tips. $20 for a bath, I leave $5.


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## Purplex15 (May 28, 2007)

person who said do it yourself if it over 100, let me just say there uis no way you would be able to do any of the things we do without being a groomer yourself, and it is that price for a reason. if you go to petco, i know a malamute will be around 50-60 for a basic bath, nail trim, 15 min. brushout, and basic trimming. if he is blowing undercoat, they will want you to get a shedless package, which is 25 more, but they blow out all the coat, plus bath in upgraded shampoos (basic bath is just with tearless) and conditioner. so i would guess you will be paying about 60-80 at petco. i used to work there so im pretty sure of the prices. i wont say its standard to tip, b/c most peoplehave no clue, but tips are greatly appreciated. if you go to petco and the dog is 80 bucks, the person who did the dog will get 32 dollars for it. but dont tip if you didnt like the service. it is always nice when an owner gives sopmething just to let them know the work was appreciated. you just ask who did the dog, if the person is still there give them the tip. if they arent, give it to the store manager (ive had bad experiances with customers giving coworkers my tips and they would just keep them for themselves). at petco, it is hard to get away with doing things for free for custromers. but when i worked there i hadf a group of people who were so nice, they never paid for upgraded baths, i just gave it to them. they didnt pay for teeth cleaning, and i would do free brushouts sometimes. if you liked who did your dog, request them every time, and be personable and im sure they will treat you the same way. if you want to tip, 5-10 bucks is fine. my customers who have big dogs like malamutes (full grown) usually tip 10-20. but again, only if you are satisfied should you tip, just like any other service.

oh and if you tip one person 10-20, they will normally lower the actual groom price for you since you are giving them that. i had a guy who tipped 20 for me to groom an aussie and great pyr. instead of one being 50 and one being 90 everytime, the aussie was 40, and the pyr was 60-70. so you could actually be saving yourself some money.


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## Spiritguardian3 (Feb 11, 2007)

Purplex15 said:


> person who said do it yourself if it over 100, let me just say there uis no way you would be able to do any of the things we do without being a groomer yourself, and it is that price for a reason. if you go to petco, i know a malamute will be around 50-60 for a basic bath, nail trim, 15 min. brushout, and basic trimming. if he is blowing undercoat, they will want you to get a shedless package, which is 25 more, but they blow out all the coat, plus bath in upgraded shampoos (basic bath is just with tearless) and conditioner. so i would guess you will be paying about 60-80 at petco. i used to work there so im pretty sure of the prices. i wont say its standard to tip, b/c most peoplehave no clue, but tips are greatly appreciated. if you go to petco and the dog is 80 bucks, the person who did the dog will get 32 dollars for it. but dont tip if you didnt like the service. it is always nice when an owner gives sopmething just to let them know the work was appreciated. you just ask who did the dog, if the person is still there give them the tip. if they arent, give it to the store manager (ive had bad experiances with customers giving coworkers my tips and they would just keep them for themselves). at petco, it is hard to get away with doing things for free for custromers. but when i worked there i hadf a group of people who were so nice, they never paid for upgraded baths, i just gave it to them. they didnt pay for teeth cleaning, and i would do free brushouts sometimes. if you liked who did your dog, request them every time, and be personable and im sure they will treat you the same way. if you want to tip, 5-10 bucks is fine. my customers who have big dogs like malamutes (full grown) usually tip 10-20. but again, only if you are satisfied should you tip, just like any other service.
> 
> oh and if you tip one person 10-20, they will normally lower the actual groom price for you since you are giving them that. i had a guy who tipped 20 for me to groom an aussie and great pyr. instead of one being 50 and one being 90 everytime, the aussie was 40, and the pyr was 60-70. so you could actually be saving yourself some money.


When I worked at petsmart it worked the same way 

Malamute probably 60-80 dollars for a good grooming, as what the grooming package includes for the price. A good thing about petco/petsmart is if the groomers cut your dog/gives your dog razor burn they HAVE to tell the manager and some little shops will just super glue a cut @[email protected] or wash your dog with dawn!! At bare minimum 80 should get you a FULL BLOW OUT of your dogs coat so you can take a comb to your dog and not hit any snags, ears cleaned (no gunk/brown wax in them), nails trimmed (no clicking noise on floor), and a general appearance of a better looking coat. You might want to start just brushing out your dog at least twice a week, many groomers will lower the price if they don't have to waste time brushing undercoat out for excess of an hour. (trust me, its not fun for us or the dog XD) It might not save money, some groomers have a standard price and thats it! lol. But look around, go talk to groomers, ask for examples, ask what they wash in, maybe even ask (on very sloow days like maybe a sunday) if you can come by and see the facilitys, places where you can see the tub, actual grooming takes place personally makes me feel safer because at least the groomer has nothing to hide


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## shell07 (May 20, 2007)

Our dog groomer is a mobile groomer which is awesome because she comes to ME! To get our border collie groomed; bath, cut, nails, etc...is around $55.00. Of course we get him close shaved in the spring because it is just way to hot in the summer and he has quite a bit of hair. Do some comparison shopping and see if the groomers can match the price, also check with the local vets to make sure the groomer is recommended. I know of some local groomers that are bad news; abusive to the owner as well as the animal, over priced, etc...Most groomers will ask you the breed,size, age, etc..to give you a better quote.


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## nrhareiner (Dec 6, 2006)

Last time I took Phoo the the groomers last winter I think it was. He likes to get really dirty at times and he too is a large dog and can not be bathed here easally inside. Summer he gets bathed outside so it is not a big deal but in the winther he has to go to the groomers. The lady I use here is a privet salon. Not the nices place but she is really good with the dogs and they come back really clean dry and brushed out. I want to say that for him and he is about 75lbs it cost $45. I have her extra as she had to bath him 2X to get him totally clean and it was worth it.

If you just call around you will get a good feel for what your area brings. If I had taken Phoo into the city it would have cost me double. That is only about a 20 min. drive so also check around in surounding areas if you do not mind a bit of a drive. For me it is not bad as I live in the country.

Heidi


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## peace36 (Jan 29, 2007)

I did not realize you had to groom an Alaskin Mal. I thought all they needed was to be brushed and once in a while a bath. Why go to the groomer?


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## JeanninePC99 (Jul 24, 2007)

Check out this study of grooming prices around the country (link will open a PDF). The survey covers different breeds, states, chains, and indie shops.


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## poodleholic (Mar 15, 2007)

shinobi380 said:


> i live in texas.. is it standard to tip even at pets mart and such? if so how do u kno who groomed ur dog to tip?


I always tipped my groomer, and tipped her well. Another Poodle owner referred me to this grooming establishment, and to the owner, herself. She was a master groomer, and very, very good at grooming Poodles. When she stopped grooming, and just ran the business, I had to select a groomer within her establishment. I did, and liked her work, so requested her for all Maddy's grooms (had a standing every 4 wks. appointment). This is how you know who groomed your dog. If you don't know beforehand, you ask when you pick your dog up. The time to address any issues you may have, or to request something different than what the groomer did, is then! So the groomer can see and then understands what it is you do, or don't want. 

I think most groomers will give a reduced fee to customers who bring their dogs in every 4 weeks. The $60 fee went down to $50 when I did this. 

A good groomer is worth his/her weight in gold!


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## Purplex15 (May 28, 2007)

peace36 said:


> I did not realize you had to groom an Alaskin Mal. I thought all they needed was to be brushed and once in a while a bath. Why go to the groomer?




malamutes have undercoat. it is similar to a husky, or newfy, or any other double coated breed. yes technically speaking, malamutes do only need daily brushing and a bath probably every few months. however, this is only in a circumstance where someone actually brushes the dog. many people get dogs like this and dont realize or care that the dog needs brushing (not to insult the original poster, i know you were just asking for prices and i have no idea if you brush or not). not to mention that brushing a dog like this is incredibly difficult, and it becomes all the worse if the dog doesnt behave. most dog parents will give up after five minutes of brushing if the dog doesnt cooperate. and just as many dont know how to brush. this usually results in a dog who is completely matted with undercoat and the only way to get it out is to use a high velocity dryer (a good one is over 300 bucks), which is what groomers use. and if you do a rhoutine (mals can probably go every 6 or 8 weeks) the owner would never have to brush. the coat would be blown out and by the time the undercoat starts shedding again, it will be time for the next grooming. and yes a lot of places do offer discounts for customers who book ahead (an petco we did 10% off).

but if you want an easier answer to your own question, why dont you find a malamute and just start brushing and see how easy it is.


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