Dog Grooming Prices: Price by Size, Coat & Time
Dog grooming prices in the U.S. run roughly $45–$65 for a small-dog full groom, $60–$85 for a medium dog, and $85–$180 for a large or double-coated dog, with bath-and-brush services landing 30–50% below a full haircut. But the number that matters isn't the market average — it's yours. Price every service off chair time: work out what one grooming hour must earn to cover labor, product, rent, card fees, and profit, then multiply by how long that dog actually takes. Breed is only a shorthand for the three things that truly drive time — size, coat type, and coat condition — which is why pricing off a breed name alone is how salons quietly lose money on doodles and matted rescues. Here is the framework, with the math.
What are typical dog grooming prices by size and coat?
Use these as a market sanity check, not as your price list. Urban and coastal markets run 20–35% above the top of each range; rural markets sit near the bottom.
| Dog | Bath & brush | Full groom | Typical chair time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small, smooth coat (under 25 lb) | $30–$45 | $45–$65 | 60–75 min |
| Small, curly or drop coat | $40–$55 | $60–$95 | 90–120 min |
| Medium, smooth coat (25–60 lb) | $45–$60 | $60–$85 | 75–90 min |
| Medium, double coat (husky, shepherd) | $70–$100 with de-shed | $85–$120 | 90–120 min |
| Large, smooth coat (60–90 lb) | $60–$85 | $85–$120 | 90–120 min |
| Large doodle or standard poodle | $75–$100 | $110–$180 | 150–210 min |
| Giant breed (90 lb+) | $85–$130 | $130–$220 | 150–240 min |
Why breed alone is the wrong pricing unit
A "goldendoodle" can be a 35-pound wavy coat that finishes in 90 minutes or a 70-pound felted coat that eats three hours and two blades. Same breed, same line on the menu, wildly different cost to you. Breed-name pricing also gives clients a number they memorize and defend — which makes every matted-coat conversation a negotiation instead of a policy.
How do you build a pricing framework from your real costs?
Everything starts with one figure: what a grooming hour must earn. Build it once, then apply it to every service.
- Loaded labor. Take the groomer's hourly cost or commission equivalent — say $25/hour — and add ~12–15% for payroll taxes and benefits. Call it $28.
- Overhead per billable hour. Add rent, utilities, insurance, software, marketing, and admin pay, then divide by billable hours. A salon with $6,400/month in overhead and 320 billable hours carries $20/hour.
- Profit. Add 15–20% on top of the $48/hour cost. At 20%, your target is $58 per chair hour.
- Consumables and fees. Add $4–$8 per dog for shampoo, conditioner, bows, and laundry, and remember card processing takes 2.6–3.0% off the top.
- Multiply and round up. A 90-minute groom: $58 × 1.5 = $87, plus $6 product = $93 → price it at $95. A 2.5-hour doodle: $145 + $8 = $155.
Now audit your existing menu against it. Most salons discover two or three services priced below cost — almost always the ones with the longest chair times.
Time your services before you trust them
Track actual start-to-finish time on 20–30 grooms, including bath, dry, and the setup between dogs. If your "90-minute" doodle averages 140 minutes, you have been discounting it by roughly $48 every visit — $1,250 a year from a single every-8-weeks client.
Every minute spent de-matting a dog you priced by breed name is a minute you donated to that client.
What should you charge for coat condition and add-ons?
Condition is the variable that ruins margins, because it changes per visit. Put it on the menu as a policy, not a judgment call:
- De-matting: $15–$20 per 15-minute increment, disclosed at check-in, with a humane shave-down alternative offered first. Cap it — past 30–45 minutes, shaving is the right call for the dog.
- De-shedding treatment: $15–$35 depending on size; on a blowing-coat husky it is closer to a service than an add-on.
- Nail grind: $10–$15. Teeth brushing: $8–$12. Anal glands: $10–$15.
- Flea or medicated bath: $15–$25, and price in the tub sanitation time you lose afterward.
- Hand-stripping: bill hourly at $60–$90 — never at a flat breed rate.
- Handling surcharge: $10–$25 for dogs needing two people, muzzling, or extra breaks. This is compensation for risk, and experienced salons charge it without apology.
- Puppy first visit: $25–$35 for a short, positive intro. Cheap now, loyal for a decade.
- Overdue-coat surcharge: a 10–15% premium past 12 weeks since the last groom, which nudges clients onto a schedule better than any reminder email.
Package and membership pricing
Prepaid packages and monthly plans are the strongest lever most salons never pull. A 6-groom package at 8–10% off locks in the calendar and the cash; a monthly bath membership at $39–$59 turns idle mid-week hours into predictable revenue. Both raise visit frequency, which is worth more than any single price increase.
How often should you raise dog grooming prices?
Once a year, by 3–8%, on a fixed month — predictable beats apologetic. Give 30 days' notice by text and email, post it at the desk, and never grandfather your whole book; grandfather at most your longest-tenured 5–10%. If you are fully booked three weeks out and turning dogs away, that is a demand signal: raise prices before you add staff.
How do you enforce your prices day to day?
A price list only works if the system charges it. That means service durations attached to each service so the schedule reflects real chair time, add-ons that can be applied at checkout in seconds, card-on-file with a 24-hour cancellation policy, and pet profiles carrying coat notes and the last price charged so nobody quotes from memory. Franpos handles it in one place — cloud POS, payments, online booking, memberships and packages, marketing, and payroll — built for grooming salons. Check pricing or book a demo to see a full menu, add-ons, and packages configured the way a busy salon actually runs.
Frequently asked questions
How much should I charge to groom a doodle?
Time it, then price it: most doodle full grooms take 2–3.5 hours, which at a $55–$60 chair-hour target puts them at $110–$180. Publish the price as a starting-at figure tied to coat condition, and quote the final number at check-in after you have touched the coat.
Should I price by breed or by weight?
By time, with size and coat as the visible categories on your menu. Weight alone misprices a 40-pound matted doodle against a 40-pound beagle. A menu organized as size × coat type, with a condition surcharge, is accurate and still simple enough for a client to read.
How much do groomers charge for de-matting?
Commonly $15–$20 per 15 minutes, added to the base groom. Explain it at drop-off with the shave-down alternative and get verbal agreement then — disputes come from surprise at checkout, not from the fee itself.
Is it okay to charge more for aggressive or senior dogs?
Yes. A handling surcharge of $10–$25 reflects the extra staff time and genuine injury risk. Note it in the pet's profile so the price is consistent every visit and every groomer quotes the same number.
Will raising my prices cost me clients?
A 5–8% increase typically loses 2–5% of clients — usually the least profitable ones — while revenue rises. If a raise costs you more than 10% of your book, the problem is usually communication or a service gap, not the number.
