Q: It says you charge by the hour. Why do you do this?
A: While many groomers charge by the breed, I chose to charge by the hour as I feel this is the fairest way all around. I will use Yorkshire Terriers (pet quality)for my example. I see many Yorkies of different sizes and coat textures. Some are as small as 3lbs while others have been as much as 20lbs. Some have fine silky hair while others have fluffy soft hair. Some are brushed out routinely and others not touched between groomings. It would not be fair to charge these very different dogs the same amount even if they are all the same breed.
Q: It said the average stay is 2 hours, does that mean my bill will be $130?
A: While I wish that were the case, in most instances it is not. I charge for hands on time only. The average hands-on time to do a full haircut for toy(tiny/x-small) breeds is 50 minutes, small and some miniature breeds is 1 hour, other miniature and standard(medium/large) breeds are 1.5 hours. Giants could be 2-2.5 hours. Baths would generally be 1/2 the time.
Style, coat condition, and temperament all play a role in the price as well. This is just a guide.
Poodle/poodle mixes usually add 10-15 minutes.
EXAMPLES ARE FOR PETS IN GOOD CONDITION, WITHIN BREED STANDARD SIZE/WEIGHT
Toy-Yorkshire Terrier, Chihuahua...
Small-Toy and Miniature Poodle(smaller), many mixes, Lhasa Apso, Pomeranian, Shih Tzu, Pug,American Eskimo bath/brush in great shape....
Medium- Miniature Poodle(larger), Miniature Schnauzer, Cocker Spaniels, Lhasa Apso, American Eskimo-haircut
Standard-Most Doodles, Retrievers, SMiniature Poodles-hand scissor/European/show styles, Standard Poodle short clippered...
Giant-Some Doodles/St. Poodles, Wolf Hounds, Borzoi, Mastiff...
Dematting is $85/hr with a 1 our maximum per day/per pet. I will dematt a pet ONCE. This is NOT negotiable. Once is forgiven, twice is not. Your pet will be shaved down if it comes matted again.
Q: My dog does not like kennels. Will he have to go in one?
A: I am PRO kennels. I think they are a basic safety measure. I feel it is dangerous to have dogs running around loose while the groomer is busy grooming and can't attend to them properly. It is dangerous to the dogs loose, the dog being groomed and the groomer. What if dogs do not have meshing personalities? You may have a quarrel and that would put everybody at risk. A kenneled dog is a safe dog! Sorry, it is not worth it to me. I only groom a small number of dogs per day, so the stay is relatively short. Generally 2 hours.
With that said there are always exceptions. If your pet has serious issues with kenneling and/or you are strongly opposed to them, arrangements can be made so your pet is the only one being groomed and can be groomed straight through. This is a special service and you would be required to pick up your pet as soon as they are finished.
Q: It says you charge $25 on top of the groom for same day appointments. Why?
A: This only applies if all appointments have been filled for the day. It is best to check the website to see if regular same day appointments are available. Appointments are available up to 1 hour in advance. This rate is much like over-time in a wage based job. I charge this to compensate for the additional time required to groom outside of normal hours.
