SEPTEMBER 1, 2026
4 min read
How much should I charge for dog grooming in 2026?
The 2026 ranges
Grooming prices moved a lot in the last few years, and plenty of shops didn't move with them. If you set your menu in 2023 and haven't touched it, you're probably below market. This guide covers the current ranges, what actually drives the price, and how to raise yours without losing clients.
Where published 2026 guides put a full groom:
- Small dogs: $30 to $60
- Medium dogs: $50 to $80
- Large dogs: $70 to $120
- Extra-large dogs: $90 to $150 and up
Marketplace data puts the national average near $100 once large and coated dogs are in the mix. If your book is full and your prices sit at the bottom of those ranges, raise them.
Charge for time, not the chart
A price list organized by breed hides what you're actually selling, which is hours. A Pug bath takes 45 minutes. A full groom on a matted Goldendoodle takes three hours and two blade changes. If both are priced off a "small dog, big dog" chart, the doodle is being subsidized by every easy dog on your books.
Work out your floor once: what an hour has to earn to cover rent, supplies, insurance, and your pay. If that's $60, a 90-minute groom can't be priced at $65, whatever the chart says.
Coat beats size
Size sets the baseline and coat sets the ceiling:
- Doodles and poodles: $80 to $150 and up. Curly coats grow continuously, mat near the skin, and need scissor work over the whole body.
- Double coats: $70 to $120 for breeds like the Siberian Husky. Less scissoring, a lot of deshedding and drying.
- Short smooth coats: $30 to $50. Same size dog, half the labor.
- Matting surcharge: $20 to $60 on top, printed on the menu rather than negotiated at the table.
The client with a felted Goldendoodle didn't mat the dog at your counter. The surcharge just makes the extra hour visible, and it gives the owner a real reason to book more often.
Your zip code moves the number
Big-city prices run 30 to 50 percent above rural ones, so a national average tells you less than the three shops a client would call instead of you. Get their current menus and pick your spot in that local spread deliberately.
Mobile groomers add a premium on top. Guides put mobile work 10 to 30 percent above shop rates for the same dog. The details are in our mobile pricing guide.
How to raise prices without drama
- Small steps, every year. A $5 yearly bump goes mostly unnoticed. A $20 correction after three flat years is the raise clients complain about.
- Announce it, don't apologize for it. "Starting October 1, Bella's full groom will be $80. Thanks for trusting me with her all these years." No apology paragraph. Apologizing invites negotiation over something that isn't one.
- Give three or four weeks notice, in writing. Enough time to feel respectful, not enough to relitigate.
Where new groomers underprice
Three common leaks:
- Free dematting. The hardest hour of the week priced at zero. Charge the surcharge.
- Free add-ons. Deshedding alone runs $15 to $40 in published guides. Teeth, glands, and nail grinding have prices too.
- Copying a competitor's menu. You don't know if that shop is profitable. The one charging $45 for full grooms may just be going out of business slowly.
Groom times by coat, which is the other half of pricing, are covered in how long a groom takes.
References
FAQ
Should I price by the hour or by a menu?
Show clients a menu, but build it from an hourly floor. Clients want a predictable number and you want every service to clear what your hour has to earn. When a groom keeps running over its slot, its menu price is wrong.
How often should I raise prices?
Once a year, by a small amount, announced in writing a few weeks ahead. Annual $5 steps go almost unnoticed. A big catch-up raise after years of flat prices is the one that loses clients.
Why do doodles cost so much more to groom?
Curly, continuously growing coats that mat close to the skin. They need line brushing, longer drying, and scissor work over the whole body. Guides put doodle and poodle grooms at $80 to $150 and up, roughly double a short-coated dog the same size.
Should matted dogs pay more?
Yes. Put the surcharge on the printed menu, typically $20 to $60 by severity. Dematting is extra labor and extra risk, and a visible surcharge gives owners a reason to book more often.