30/09/2026
https://www.facebook.com/share/1Btbh34Rxj/?mibextid=wwXIfr
Why I don't publish a grooming price list
“Given vets now have to be transparent about their prices, do you have a price list on your website?”
Nope.
I don’t have a published grooming price list and I probably never will.
Because the nano-second I put “Cockapoo from £xx” on my website, somebody will decide that £xx is now the legally binding international price of grooming every creature ever described as a Cockapoo.
Regardless of the fact that their particular Cockapoo appears to have been infused with Labradonkey and Kangapoo to improve height, coat density and stamina, weighs 30kg soaking wet and has the strength of a determined Shetland Pony who has just spotted some particularly succulent grass on the verge whilst exiting the starvation paddock for his laminitis.
Then there’s the coat.
One Cockapoo might be 7kg with a relatively easy coat, brushed properly at home and groomed every four weeks.
Another might be four times the size, have the coat density of a bath mat, arrive every twelve weeks and require considerably more time, product, equipment and physical handling.
They are not the same job.
Behaviour matters too.
A dog that stands happily while I groom it is a very different appointment from Milo, who quit training classes after the first pre-beginners session because “he didn’t like the yappy little dogs and was traumatised” and has subsequently spent four years perfecting his impression of an alligator whenever somebody touches his feet.
So instead of publishing meaningless “from” prices, new clients are invited for an assessment.
I look at the actual dog standing in front of me.
We discuss the owner’s expectations, the style they want, their lifestyle, how often they intend to visit, what maintenance they are realistically prepared to do at home and how the dog behaves about being handled.
I look at size, coat type, coat condition, grooming history and the amount of work actually involved.
Then I quote a firm price based on the evidence in front of me.
That, to me, is genuine price transparency.
You know what your dog’s groom will cost before we start.
No vague “from £65” followed by six extras at the till because apparently shampoo, nails and having ears were optional upgrades.
And equally, I’m not expected to groom a 30kg Labradonkey for the same price as an 8kg spaniel-cross because somebody gave them both the fashionable name “Cockapoo”.
Fair pricing should work both ways.
You should know what you are going to pay.
And I should be able to price the actual job I am being asked to do.
