Superb Dog EditorIt may come as no surprise that grooming prices can be quite high, depending on the service package that your canine friend requires.
And, while the average dog owner traditionally leaves a tip as a “thank-you” if they are happy with their dog’s post-pamper appearance, it isn’t completely essential. That being said, is there actually a specific tipping percentage expected for dog grooming?
If you do choose to tip your dog groomer, you should aim for a minimum of 15-20% of the total bill. You can of course go higher, and this is often advised if you have a breed that requires more maintenance and expertise in grooming.
You probably think that dog grooming is just about making sure that your dog looks and smells squeaky clean.
Though you wouldn’t be totally wrong making this assumption, dog groomers also play a monumental role in the upkeep of your dog’s overall health! This is another excellent reason for tipping them for their services.
If you’re seeking answers to your burning questions about tipping etiquette or dog grooming, our guide will provide you with everything you need to know.
The Role and Responsibilities of A Dog Groomer
In terms of your dog’s health, dog groomers do far more to benefit your dog’s wellbeing than you likely imagine.
Giving your pup a brush at home is completely fine. In fact, it’s highly encouraged! But when matting occurs, some dogs may need professional intervention to help restore their coat to its former red-carpet-worthy glory. That’s where the expertise of a dog groomer will come in extremely handy.
Dog groomers go above and beyond for each client. With the right attitude and experience, they can help with a variety of tasks from simply maintaining your dog’s general hygiene to then keeping them calm, cool, and collected throughout their pampering session. Overall, they work very hard to get your dog looking in tip-top shape.
An average grooming session includes a bath, a salon-worthy blow dry, fur brushing, nail trimming and precise ear cleaning. This thorough maintenance helps to make your dog’s day-to-day life as comfortable as possible.
Additional services may include hair trimming and expression of the anal glands.
A dog’s paws and ears are quite sensitive to the touch, so this part of the cleaning session requires a level of precision that can only be achieved by a knowledgeable groomer.
How Often Should You Have Your Dog Professionally Groomed?
The amount of time between each professional grooming session depends on your dog’s breed, size, and activity level. For example, active breeds like the American Cocker Spaniel will require professional grooming every 4 to 6 weeks.
Giving them bi-weekly baths (or as needed if they’re quite active) between these sessions are also recommended as it helps to maintain the high-quality condition of their fur.
Breed-Specific Grooming Patterns
Some super high maintenance breeds like Komondors and Poodles may need even more frequent grooming. And other more easy to groom breeds like Labradors can go longer, as long as they’re kept clean and smell okay.
Other breeds like the Beagle are typically less reliant on professional grooming and can be cleaned from the comfort of your own home. As long as you give their appearance and hygiene the proper care and attention it needs, it can be done.
However, you should think about taking your Beagle to a professional groomer during heavy shedding periods. This is because a professional groomer has dryers specially made to help remove excess hair from their coat!
Additionally, if you take your dogs on frequent long walks, or they spend a lot of time outdoors, it might be a good idea to schedule more regular grooming appointments to ensure their nails are clipped when necessary.
Long nails are more prone to tearing and can increase the risk of injury or infection. If the nails are left to grow, they can begin to affect your dog’s mobility.
DIY Grooming
Grooming is a very intricate and precise practice. Therefore, we must warn you that personally taking on this responsibility can be relatively difficult if you don’t have much skill or knowledge in this area.
Though it may sound like a great way to save some extra money, we don’t recommend it if you aren’t familiar with dog grooming techniques.
Why You Should Tip Your Dog Groomer
In your lifetime, you’ve probably left tips for many different personal services including waitresses, movers, baristas, and hairdressers as an extra thanks for their hard work. With all the difficulties involved in maintaining your dog’s physical wellbeing, why wouldn’t you leave a tip for your dog groomer?
Dog groomers have the difficult job of maintaining your dog’s general health and physical wellbeing. Aside from these responsibilities, your groomer may also have to deal with extreme behavioral outbursts from their canine clientele.
Aggressive behavior in dogs such as snapping or growling can be nerve-wracking and distracting.
If your friend has demonstrated any sign of these negative emotions (or you’re just very pleased with the work done), leaving a tip will go a long way to show your groomer just how appreciative you are of their efforts.
How To Calculate A Tip for Your Dog Groomer
On another note, the rules for tipping change drastically from industry to industry. On average, an acceptable tip for a dog groomer stands at anywhere between 15 and 20 percent of the total service amount.
But you should give a bit more if you can. Especially if your groomer went above and beyond to do you a specific kind of favor!
However, if you aren’t completely happy with the treatment of your dog, or you just generally dislike the outcome of the service, you may only want to tip your groomer 10 percent.
On the opposite side, feel free to tip 20 percent and above if you feel that the provided service was above average!
You may not even want to tip at all. In this instance, you should talk to a manager. This is because simply passing on leaving a tip will not correct the problem of poor service.
What If You Can’t Afford to Tip?
As frustrating as it may be, not tipping your groomer because of financial difficulties isn’t the end of the world.
Just explain your situation, say “thank you” and hopefully your groomer will understand. You can always make up for it next time.
Tipping Etiquette
Customers adding a tip in addition to the overall bill is a traditional practice in the dog grooming industry, but there are exceptions.
Understandably, you may not always be able to afford the additional expense — even if it is only a few dollars extra — so don’t worry yourself too much if you can’t afford the extra 15 to 20 percent.
Most importantly, you should invest some effort into budgeting your pet expenses so that you can comfortably provide and care for your dog.
Organizing yourself in this way will also help you to budget between grooming sessions, giving you the necessary funds to be able to leave a tip next time.
Summary
Though there’s no official rule stating that you have to tip your dog groomer a certain percentage, it is always nice to reward their hard work and effort by doing so.
If you can afford it, you should tip your dog groomer at anywhere between 15 and 20 percent of the overall price.
We’d like to reiterate that this is simply an average statistic for tipping, so you don’t have to abide by it exactly. You have the freedom to tip above or below that amount if you wish.
