Terrier Grooming Prices

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.