Cost of grooming

Topics, guidelines and tips for coat and skin care and grooming Chow Chows.

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ChowChowInTheCity
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Cost of grooming

Post by ChowChowInTheCity »

My Rudy has never been to the groomer. I adopted him in December and wanted to wait until the winter was over to get him bathed and groomed. I called a place called Biscuits and Bath, which is a classy chain in NYC, and they gave me a quote of $110. Is that normal? And by normal, I mean normal in Manhattan? Based on how often it is recommended to have a full grooming, that could really add up over the course of a year! I would love to do it myself, but that's kind of out of the question. I live in an apartment and do not have a bathtub, just a small shower, and the sink is out of the question for this guy. Is there anyone in Manhattan who knows of a good groomer or could tell me what is a "reasonable" price to pay for grooming?
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Layla
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Re: Cost of grooming

Post by Layla »

I don't live in Manhatten but I can tell you I was quoted $70 to fully groom my chow puppy in Seattle!
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Re: Cost of grooming

Post by LEO's mum »

I'm in SF where everything probably just as expensive as NYC. I skipped a month of taking LEO to the proper groomers as she had a bath at the vet after 2wks of boarding. Mind you they did not do a good job of getting all the tangles out, but I had to make do as we were off through the tick infested area to get to Tahoe for a week of skiing after that. LEO gets a groom & then Advantix once a month. Earlier this month, she was in pretty bad shape, and I was too embarassed to take her to her main groomer which told me they would up the price to $120 this year. So, I took her to the more expensive but less personal, well should I say more business professional like place. As soon as he saw her, he said "Woh, lots of dead hair!" and it cost us a WHOPPING $170! + the customary $10tip. Hoping to take her back to the usual place in April, they will try to save the whatever hair they brush out of her after the blast of dryer(I've got two bag fulls of her hair in the hope to make a matching sweater someday...). Last year the prices ranged from $75~110, I used three different places.

It is cheaper to invest in a good dog dryer and do it yourself if you can get the tangles out before wetting your chow. For me I can't bear the thought of her hair blowing everywhere in the house. My LEO takes half a day to a day to dry even after good towel drying.
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Re: Cost of grooming

Post by Jeff&Peks »

My Chow hasn't seen the groomer that much but the times that she has its been between $275 and $350 SF and LA but that price includes hazard pay and combat allowence. I had a moble groomer come to my house a few moths ago that cost $275 just to blow her coat out, no bath or trimming.
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Boogie and Linda
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Re: Cost of grooming

Post by Boogie and Linda »

I live in California in the Bay Area and I took Boogie to Petsmart to be groomed and I think it was around $60.00. I was very unhappy with the service and I didn't think the people working there had any special training. I watched what they did and decided to do it myself at a self service dogwash. You may want to look for one of those in your area. I have been to two different ones here. One charges $15.00 and the other charges $10.00. They provide the tubs, water, shampoo, towels, and blow dryer. You do the work (which I ended up doing at Petsmart anyway because I wasn't about to leave him there alone with them). When you are done they clean up all the mess. It is a good deal as long as you are willing or able to do the work.
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Re: Cost of grooming

Post by kingalls »

I think Mr. N's groomer's rate is about $40-45 per hour. Mr. N only gets brushed (no bath or nail trimming) for about 90 minutes and I pay her $95 each time - that includes some hazard pay.
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Re: Cost of grooming

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Boogie and Linda wrote:I live in California in the Bay Area and I took Boogie to Petsmart to be groomed and I think it was around $60.00. I was very unhappy with the service and I didn't think the people working there had any special training. I watched what they did and decided to do it myself at a self service dogwash. You may want to look for one of those in your area. I have been to two different ones here. One charges $15.00 and the other charges $10.00. They provide the tubs, water, shampoo, towels, and blow dryer. You do the work (which I ended up doing at Petsmart anyway because I wasn't about to leave him there alone with them). When you are done they clean up all the mess. It is a good deal as long as you are willing or able to do the work.
Dog washes ( Pekoe prefers Chow Spa's) hate seeing a Chow coming Pekoe takes triple the towels and no matter how much I try to clean up after, the place is a disater Black hair all over the place, clogged up drains 3 tubs away with 20 towels piled up in the corner,
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Zhuyos mom
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Re: Cost of grooming

Post by Zhuyos mom »

I live close the city (San Francisco) and use to take my boy to private groomers. One of them is the same one Leonora goes to from time to time. The private groomer bills use to average $100-120. Then I took him to our local PetsMart and he was groomed by a grooming Manager and he looked great. They only charged $40.00 However, I always ask for extra brushing time which is $5.00 per half hour. Since then, no more private groomers! To PetsMart they go for as Miss Pooh Bear calls it her "spa". I think the grooming department at PetsMart differs from one location to another. So it's worth investigating - either by just hanging around the little lobby at the grooming area and asking the pet's parents what they think about the groomers to going online and reading up. I'm lucky because my PetsMart does have very trained and chow savvy groomers. I am able to request specific groomers, as well. So my chows have had the same groomer from death do they part. Anyways, I've been very pleased with them.

I also have a PetCo close by and they have the self-wash and grooming service. I've used them for my fosters. They are great with impromptu and walk-in appts. I brought Miss Pooh Bear to the self-wash when I picked her up from her weekend stay at a Pet Camp. They were 5 minutes from closing, but they still let us in and we did everything to make a mess at the self-wash. When we finished, the store was closed and the registers were also closed. So the store manager gave Miss Pooh Bear a complimentary visit to his grooming department. Said she was really pretty. I felt bad and went back the next day and gave the groomer who stayed over to clean up our mess a very big tip!
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Re: Cost of grooming

Post by chow fancier »

Well, I guess I live in the right place. I pay $70 for both dogs together, add in a tip and I still stay under $100. They get bathed, brushed, nails cut, fur trimmed between the toes, around the feet....the works. And they both like the groomer, who has a salon attached to a vet's office (not my vet). Cinder pushes open the gate in the counter to go see Shane and gets her pets, then wants to leave. Likes the groomer, hates being groomed. Teddy gave him purple kisses on his second visit.
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Re: Cost of grooming

Post by Auddymay »

I pay $25.00 at my neighborhood groomer's. Of course, I don't live in a cultured city as you do! I also walk the 500 feet to get there...lol. A good deal all around! Sometimes, it pays to live in a small town!
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Re: Cost of grooming

Post by Missystone »

I live in NC, I take Jasmine in to Elizabeth City for grooming. It ranges from 35-45$ depending on her undercoat and brushing time. They love
her there. She is very sweet tempered.
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Re: Cost of grooming

Post by Coco Chow »

Grooming is so expensive!
I cannot resolve myself to take Coco to a professional groomer because spending 100 euros (US$ 150) on a chow bath when I barely go to the hair dresser myself... :roll: My BF would kill me!
I'd rather buy her new toys with some money and do the grooming myself.

Your professionaly grommed chows must be beautiful.
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Re: Cost of grooming

Post by Laura »

Good grief! I think Petsmart here will do a bath, dry, and brush for $35.00. It was $9.99 til they were 5 mos. old. I plan on letting them do it a few times when they start shedding but otherwise I do it myself at Pet Supplies Plus because they have the big tubs and dryers. Alot of places here will not even do Chows though. :roll:
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Re: Cost of grooming

Post by TJordan »

WEll I can't believe what you guys are paying for grooming. Holy Cow!!! First nobody here is brave enough to handle Butters. But even at that I have always done it myself. He just got his bath on Sunday and he is clean and happy!! I think maybe I should go into dog grooming$$$$$$
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Re: Cost of grooming

Post by Layla »

TJordan wrote:WEll I can't believe what you guys are paying for grooming. Holy Cow!!! First nobody here is brave enough to handle Butters. But even at that I have always done it myself. He just got his bath on Sunday and he is clean and happy!! I think maybe I should go into dog grooming$$$$$$

That's why I do it myself Tammy!
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Re: Cost of grooming

Post by bubba »

my friends in the low countries [holland] think twice a year is adequate for a bath & grooming , i suggest a good brush weekly at a minimum ..
bathing in a low bathtub is a pain in the back, i like to bath the boy outside, once a month at the most, more likely every 2-3 months except when he finds his latest fragrance , decomposed deer carcase to roll in , when we go by the water the gentelman chow prefers decomposed Carp or catfish , ..

any way there are spray ons that one sprays on and brushes out , then there are bath tub thingsthat stand waist high that one hooks hoses up to, then for the apartment dweller , with just a shower there is an adaptor that will fit on the the shower head

at petsmart

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.j ... Id=2752922

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i should think in the city one could rent a proper grooming room , with the waist level wash table , and a good high speed dryer ,
, wow those are worth the price, it takes days for my chow to dry ,,

110 sounds cheap if it is a FULL GROOM , wash , dry with a high speed blower then complete comb out removing all the undercoat , , including careful line combing ... it is not an easy thing to get the under coat out of a full coat chow
expect to have 2-3 bushel baskets of fur .. its that time of year again to start talking about saving the coat blow to spin and knit,, i think i have enough to have spun out for my skull cap ,to keep my head warm when the winds blow.. ,
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Re: Cost of grooming

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TJordan wrote:WEll I can't believe what you guys are paying for grooming. Holy Cow!!! First nobody here is brave enough to handle Butters
Butters is probably a $200 and $300 grooming type of Chow no one will touch Pekoe eather thats why I pay those kind of prices. I never ask how much I figure if they can get it done they can ask what they want. Plus I wait so long between groomings along with fighting pekoe they deffenantly earn their money.
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Re: Cost of grooming

Post by sit_by_the_beach »

Expensive city here too. I was quoted $150 if there are no tangles. The vet's groomer looked at Mikki and upped the price to $200 plus because of so much hair. For that money I will brush Mikki myself. In the spring (mid May) I will bathe her in the backyard.
Have you checked the yellow pages to see if there is a do it yourself grooming place around? Here they charge $60 and up using the facilities and dryer, they provide shampoo.
Petsmart here charges a lot less but when I had my first chow Luna groomed, they didn't rinse her well and she ended up with hot spots which cost me vet bills.
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Re: Cost of grooming

Post by cheriekynb »

:shock: HOLY FREAKIN CHOW!! I take Sid to his Vet's office (Colleen, a licensed beautician and licensed dog groomer) charges me no more then $48, that includes, ears, nails, trimming (if necessary) AND glands. I'm am shocked at how much you guys have paid! e freakin' gad! Sid just went to the groomers. He didn't get his ears cleaned this time because Colleen said he "Sid was touchy with his ears today)..
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Re: Cost of grooming

Post by TJordan »

Jeff, I am afraid that Butters is in fact becoming priceless!!! LOL He did get a compliment at the park today a lady wanted to know who does his grooming because they must be very good. I laughed and said I do. She asked me to do hers!! LOL
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Re: Cost of grooming

Post by Cypher »

Gunner went for the first time yesterday and wow he looks GREAT, they bathed him, conditioned him, blow dried, groomed him, cleaned his ears and cut his nails for $53 CDN with tax.

When I went in to pick him up I expected to see a pissed off Chow and an angry groomer, but she said he was awesome! I was soooo proud.
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Re: Cost of grooming

Post by Jeff&Peks »

All the groomers in my area especially the moble groomers ask $85 t0 $95 an hour usally taking two to three hours to groom so add fighting and biting to that your looking at a sizable bill when they are done.
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Re: Cost of grooming

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Holy cow!!! You guys are insane paying those high prices for grooming. I can bathe, blow dry, comb out, and do the nails on a rough looking Chow in two hours and I don't know what I'm doing, that includes some trimming too! You need to invest in some grooming stuff at those prices, a force dryer, clippers, table, and some combs and brushes. You would be ahead in 6 months. Just take the dog in the back yard and blow them out and comb them, then rake up the fur. :shock:
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Re: Cost of grooming

Post by Jeff&Peks »

Red Dragon wrote:Holy cow!!! You guys are insane paying those high prices for grooming. I can bathe, blow dry, comb out, and do the nails on a rough looking Chow in two hours and I don't know what I'm doing, that includes some trimming too! You need to invest in some grooming stuff at those prices, a force dryer, clippers, table, and some combs and brushes. You would be ahead in 6 months. Just take the dog in the back yard and blow them out and comb them, then rake up the fur. :shock:
Speaking of blow out where do you get blowers that strong and how much for a good one? The mobile groomer I had only used a blower on pekoe and it came out great. even though she groomed Pekoe in her van there was black hair all over the neighborhood it was a windy day so the neighbors are still picking up black hair on their lawns and bushes months after.
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Re: Cost of grooming

Post by Red Dragon »

Go to http://www.petedge.com and look at the force dryers. I use a Master Blaster, you really need one that strong for a Chow, especially spayed bitches. They are around $300 and will last forever if you are just doing your own dogs. Don't use one of these in the house, you will have hair plastered all over the walls and the ceiling. :lol:
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