Terrier Grooming » Groomers

Terrier Grooming Prices

Johan — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 09:49:21 +0000

Since terriers are a bit tricky to groom, most people prefer to have their terrier groomed at least once by a professional groomer. However, getting your terrier professionally groomed can be an expensive bill. This makes most people turn to grooming their dog at home which may seem cheaper; after all, most things done at home are. But is it really cheaper? What are the average prices of a terrier groomer and how does this compare with doing it yourself?

Taking Your Terrier to a Groomer

Prices for grooming a terrier vary depending on how long the dog’s coat is, any extras you want done, such as hand stripping, and sometimes on the age and temperament of your terrier. It also depends on the groomer – They can set their own prices. Finally, getting your terrier cut for a show and cut for your own benefit has a different in costs because show cutting is more complicated than cutting for general day to day activities. Generally speaking, prices for grooming your terrier will run between $45.00 and up to $60.00 or more. This is for a basic grooming however – a washing, brushing, and sometimes a bit of clipping. Anything extra such as getting rid of mats or cutting to a specific look will always cost extra. Sometimes quite a bit extra depending on the condition of your dog’s coat. A few groomers even charge extra if your dog has an especially difficult temperament. Although expensive, having your terrier groomed professionally can give you an idea of what your dog should look like and can take out some of the stress on your part, especially if you are taking your dog to a show and it needs to look a certain way in order to qualify. Terriers can be especially persnickety as far as the judges are concerned, so having yours done by a groomer can take a load off your mind.

Grooming Your Terrier by Yourself

With these costs in mind, all of them piling up at once, you might be tempted to groom your dog by yourself. It may seem like a smaller bill, but add it all up just to make sure. Terriers at minimum need the following grooming supplies to be groomed:

A slicker brush (around $2.00)
A wide tooth comb ($7.00-$13.00)
Dog shampoo ($5.00-$15.00)
Toothpaste ($5.00-$9.00)
Toothbrush ($3.00-$9.00)
Clipper-electric (up to $90.00)
Straight Scissors ($5.00)
Thinning Shears ($40-$45.00 for a professional grade one)
Toenail clippers (around $10-$25.00 depending on manual vs electric)
Grooming Table ($100+)

And these things are simply for day to day grooming! If you’re doing show grooming, you’ll probably want an adjustable blade electric clipper and possibly stain removing cleaner, as well as any accessories. As you can see, buying everything you’ll need is far more expensive than taking your dog to a groomer. However, you can buy many of these things at discount stores, though things like shampoo and your grooming table you might not want to cheap out on because your dog’s health and comfort is at risk. However, grooming your dog yourself is a great way to bond with your pet and you can do it on your own schedule instead of having to make one with a groomer who might be too busy or impersonal for you.

Grooming at Home or for Shows

Financially speaking, if you’re going to groom your dog daily or several times a week, it’s cheaper to buy the supplies yourself and do it on your own time. However, for shows, it’s cheaper and easier to take your pet to the groomer. In the end, it depends entirely on your circumstances when you are deciding whether to go with a groomer or do it yourself when you want to groom your dog.

Terrier Grooming Courses

Johan — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 14:25:02 +0000

Terriers are a popular dog to own and many people like to keep their dogs looking their best. However, terriers have their own peculiarities that can make them difficult for a novice to groom.

If you don’t want to be taking your dog to the groomer’s all the time and you want to enjoy some time with your dog, you’ll want to learn how to groom your terrier. This is also not a skill you can easily acquire through trial and error-you’re going to want some teaching. This is where dog grooming courses and specifically terrier grooming courses come in.

Ask your dog club

The best place to start looking for terrier grooming courses is through your groomer or a dog club in your town. Some clubs even offer grooming courses as part of their membership; others can direct you to community run grooming/obedience courses that are offered through publicly run communities. If you can’t find a grooming course in your home town, you can find some on video or in books through your bookstore or online. These movies and books are very comprehensive and you may find it more convenient to learn how to groom your dog at home instead of leaving to go to a course. Books often cost between twenty and forty dollars, depending on how comprehensive it is, and sometimes you can find them for cheaper on sites like Ebay or Amazon.

Grooming Colleges

However, if you want to be a certified groomer, you’ll have to take courses through an online school or even through a college. A few colleges do offer pet grooming courses and certification which you can use to make a job out of your passion for pets. These courses won’t focus on terriers however; you’ll get a full spectrum of pet grooming skills. These courses often run between fifteen hundred and two thousand dollars for a full six to twelve week, eight hour a week course load and you sometimes need to buy your own kits and supplies to use while learning. However, these courses will let you get a job as a groomer and this can be a very lucrative business.

Patch together your own course

Learning how to groom a terrier usually requires you to sift through very helpful knowledge about grooming other animals; however, if you’re looking for specific information about grooming terrier courses and information, you’re best off going through a website specifically built for terrier lovers, (if you feel that TerrierGrooming.com doesn’t offer all you need to know that is). You can also request information through a club which caters to a love of terriers or by purchasing terrier care books and DVDs. This means that you might have to do a bit of patching together in order to learn how to groom your terrier, but if you go through a terrier club, you can learn all you’ll need to know about grooming your terrier for show or for your own needs.

There are no real courses for grooming your terrier, but you can learn how to do it by talking to your groomer and talking to those who specialize in terriers and their care and by doing some research online. This is the easiest way to learn how to groom your terrier.

Terrier Grooming Services

Johan — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 19:06:43 +0000

A lot of people prefer to have specialists groom their terriers rather than do it themselves. Things like nail clipping and cutting is more easily done by a professional than at home and besides that, many people consider it to be an indulgence for their dogs. (Whether or not the dog cares is another matter entirely!) However, not all groomers are created equal and you may be understandably nervous about leaving your furry friend in the hands of a groomer you don’t know. There are some things you should look for when getting a groomer for yourself and that way you’ll be able to set your mind at ease.

The Groomers portfolio and recommendations

When you’re looking at a groomer, check on his or her professionalism and this includes how clean they keep their shop, themselves, their tools and their other clients. You should also be able to see a portfolio of the groomer’s work and talk to their other clients about their satisfaction with this groomer. You can also get recommendations from friends and family, though always take these with a grain of salt as you and your friends will probably have a different idea of what’s good and what isn’t. You also want to see how your dog reacts to the groomer and how the groomer reacts to the dog. Although some reluctance on the dog’s part is to be expected, your dog should not be acting terrified at the prospect of being left with the groomer.

For his part, the groomer should be relaxed and steady with the dog and not be too rushed all the time to get the job done. The groomer should always be willing to take a few minutes to go over a session with you, discuss how you want your dog to look and afterwards inform you of what happened and if there is anything to watch for. If your groomer is rushed all of the time, he may be more interested in his bottom dollar than on the care of your dog, or he might even be hiding something more sinister.

You should also check out the facilities where your dog might be kept if he’s drying or waiting for you. It should be clean, dry, warm, and perhaps have a bit of food or at least water. Make sure there are no cold drafts and that it’s an overall comfortable place for your dog to stay.

Your terriers gut instinct

Finally, always listen to your gut instinct and to your dog when you’re checking over a place. If you or your dog isn’t comfortable there, and the reason is not just because it’s new, you may be picking up on something that is best left behind. There are a lot of tiny things that you or your dog may be picking up on that isn’t immediately obvious that sets you off and these things should be paid mind. Even if it’s nothing more than not liking the groomer’s attitude or being unable to talk to him well, that should be good enough reason to leave. In time, a groomer should become a friend to your dog and a good acquaintance at least to you; if your groomer feels like he’ll turn into that person, than you’re probably going with the right groomer. If not, look for another one. It will probably take time to find a groomer who suits both you and your dog, but in the end, the results will be well worth the search!