[Texas-Girl]

In my continued research in preparation to (hopefully!) be a pet parent soon, I am re-working my budget.

Is grooming (bath, clipping, nails, etc) very expensive for a small-breed dog like a papillon or a maltese?

Money isn't an issue but I do like to know ahead of time what kind of expenses are involved. (I'm a planning/organizational freak!)

[Laurelin]

I would say a maltese would be more expensive because they actually have to be clipped Paps really don't require much professional grooming- I have never taken any of mine in, but most of my friends will take theirs in for sanitary clips every now and then. If you get them used to you handling their feet, they're very easy to trim and tidy up on your own.

[briteday]

If you want your papillon to look like a show dog then it costs about $50 for grooming where I live. That would include bath, blow dry, nails, light clipping.

However, as Laurelin pointed out, there is nothing that you can't do yourself at home. We only had our first papillon groomed a couple of times early on when my daughter was showing her and we didn't know how to gromm the breed ourselves. All you really need is a good grooming book (available at the library), nail clippers, scissors, and shampoo (and we use Pantene, a human shampoo). The hardest part is probably the nails but your vet can show you how to do that. We wash our paps in the kitchen sink and usually just towel dry them. We only blow dry if we want them to look special for a particular reason, or they are shedding heavy in the spring (blow drying helps to get rid of excess loose fur).

However, we have friends that take their dogs for grooming monthly and it is around $50, if they go every month. If they let the dog go too long the charge is more.

[Texas-Girl]

Thank you for the info, Laurelin and Briteday.

Hehe...I am betting that my dog would look like those Barbie dolls from childhood after I cut their hair.

[Purplex15]

it will depend on many things:

1) what you want done. if you want your little maltese to be shaved once every 3 months, then you are probably looking at 35-50 bucks (depending on location/groomer) if you want a dog like a maltese (shih tzu, pomeranian, lhasa, etc) and you want length then you are looking at more money, b/c they usually need to be done more.

2) on you. if you are willing to learn how to do a lot of things, like toenails, ear cleaning, dematting, and how to properly brush a dog, then you are going to save yourself a lot of grooming expense. this means that when you take your maltese who has more than an inch of hair on her/him, the dog is already prepped for the gromer. not only do they not have to sharge you demating or special handling fees, but most will probably think of you as their favorite customer. this will also get your dog more used to the grooming process, thus making them like it.

3) what kind of dog you have. the 2 dogs you named are at opposite sides of the grooming spectrum. a dog like a papillon requires very little "professional" grooming, meaning that they do have some undercoat and long hair that can mat, but they require no clipping (which if you think about it, is really the only thing you "need" a groomer for). if you learn how to properly brush, bath, and blow dry a dog, then you shouldnt need a groomer with a papillon. im not saying its easy to do, but it is something that i think most people could learn. like others said, pick up a book (just look for ones that are published in the last 8 years or so, older ones have pretty archaic methods in them), or watch a dvd.

[strawbrykiwicake]

I have my one Papillon, and we don't show but she is the easiest I have ever had when I comes to the cleaning department! She even lets me brush her teeth!! People are always impressed with how shiny her coat is and how clean she looks, but regular brushing and occasional baths are about she needs! I agree with what the others have said- start early!

[Texas-Girl]

Thanks, everyone!

[Lonewolfblue]

I'm not sure what it costs here for those dogs, but I do know it's about $40-$50 for a Sheltie. But I decided on doing it myself with Chloe, and it really wasn't that tough. Now if I had to clip, it would be another thing, as I don't have a grooming table, or any table to use. Would be tough doing it on the floor, lol. But my girl is pretty easy to take care of. Give it a try yourself if the dog doesn't need clipping. I didn't even blow dry her, I towel dried her pretty well and let it dry completely on it's own.

[Love's_Sophie]

At the grooming shop I work and manage at, small dogs start at 45$...unless they are only a bath and nail trim, then they start at 25$; prices vary with coat, matting, and how much the owner wants done, as well as how 'easy' the dog is to groom...aggressive and older dogs take longer to groom, so we charge accordingly, usually up to but not beyond 15$ extra.