Yes, Tip Your Dog Groomer
By Shelley Williams
Friends and family members often ask me if they should tip their groomer. After doing some additional research, I discovered that most people ask the same question. Most folks have no idea what the tipping etiquette is when they get their dogs groomed.
You may ask, “Why should I tip my groomer?” Well, your stylist most likely makes 40 to 50 percent commission on the groom, not the full price you pay. Adding a tip shows your groomer that you value the work she does. After all, this is skilled work that most pet owners won’t or can’t do themselves.
RELATED: How to Choose the Right Groomer
Dog Grooming is not easy
Pet grooming is a physically demanding job, and it is usually done out of love for pets. Not to mention the patience needed on a daily basis because animals are unpredictable and do not always cooperate in the way we’d like.
A few may argue that since they don’t tip their hairstylist, they don’t have to tip their groomer. To that, I would point out that the chances of you releasing your bladder on your hairdresser if you get nervous are slim to none. Most of you will probably not bite your hairdresser either. In addition, when your hairstylist tells you to stop moving, you stop moving. Groomers, however, typically work on moving targets, so to speak.
With all of that being said, what is the appropriate amount to tip your groomer? It depends on the services rendered and the quality of the work. If the groomer listened and executed the haircut you requested, a tip is in order. As with anything else, tip according to your level of satisfaction and appreciation. If you get horrible service, do not tip.
In general, you should tip your groomer 15 to 20 percent of the service total. Appreciation tips are a token of gratitude and are whatever you can afford. Your groomer will sometimes throw in extra services at no charge, such as adding conditioner, brushing teeth or grinding nails. Perhaps your groomer does consistently fantastic grooms and always squeezes your pet in for an appointment. Take all of this into consideration, as well as special circumstances, when considering how much to tip.
What constitutes a special circumstance?
Here are instances in which you should consider adding an extra tip.
- When your dog bites your groomer—especially if she doesn’t charge extra for being bitten.
- When your dog ends up only half groomed because the groomer had to stop when your dog drew blood or caused serious injury. Chances are you won’t be charged for an incomplete groom.
- Pets with fecal matter stuck to their hinds (or elsewhere).
- Extreme cases of shedding: Your dog resembles a walking fur storm.
- Extreme cases of matting: If your dog is so badly matted that your groomer saves the sheet of fur and shows you a matted fur sweater when you pick up.
- Elderly or overweight dogs who will not stand for grooming: especially the larger breeds. This can be the most difficult task of all for groomers and requires skill and patience. This not only takes more time than most grooms, but also requires the help of another groomer. You should tip your groomer and their assistant for this.
You should tip your groomer. If not every time, then occasionally or when you can afford it. At the very least, you should tip your groomer once a year during the holidays. Think about all the hard work they put in to keep your pooch smelling and looking fabulous.
You may also like: Puppy’s First Grooming Experience
This is a really helpful article. I’ve always had the question of when I should tip my dog groomer. You’re right, a tip will show that you value what they’re doing. Thanks for sharing some advice on that.
I haven’t needed to go to a pet groomer yet, but I absolutely would pay them a tip. Though, I had no idea that they only make a certain percentage on commission for each grooming job they do. That just gives me all the more reason to tip them when they do a good job.
What about a small salon where your groomer(s) are likely the owners? Or you aren’t sure who’s the owner and who might be the employee? You don’t tip owners.
And if it’s an employee getting 50 percent, the place I go charges $70 and does a good job, but $35 for an hour’s work seems like pretty fair compensation to me.
In all fairness, $35 isn’t much for that hour of work. As a groomer, you have to pay your bather (if you have one), and being an independent contractor – as most are – we have to take taxes out of that $35…so, in the end, that $35 quickly dwindles down to around $20-23. Not to mention, dogs are extremely unpredictable…wanting to bite you or the blow dryer, jump off the grooming table, pee, poop, throw up on you or the table, etc. Grooming isn’t an easy job as it may appear to be!!
I agree with CrazyAnimalLover here. What you pay is not what they end up with after expenses like, shampoo, conditioner, electric, gas, water, RENT, insurance, taxes. You should ESPECIALLY be tipping your small business groomers. They are working 5xs harder than those big corporate pet businesses. And owners of a small business does the job of 4 people. They do the ordering, accounting, grooming and customer service and more all on the same day. Plus you should know that the money spent at a small business groomer has a better chance at going back into the local community that they’re in. Plus it is very hard on their bodies picking up and holding pets in place to get a haircut and in many groomers I’ve meet, they suffer severe arthritis which many hairstylists do too. I love this article it really explains a lot that many people do not know. And a groomer most likely is not going to tell you that you should be tipping when satisfied. Coming from 7 years experience working with a family owned grooming salon.
I tip accordingly.If I go out to eat,anywhwere but in a casino,where the waiters are union,these people get less than minimum wage,They get minimum wage for service personel,which is usually less than half of the regular minimum wage and if I get great service,I always tip 25% and in gourmet houses,where I usually get several bottles of wine,I tip on the total check,not just the food as I have seen people who invite me out ha ve tipped.I always then leave a sizable side tip.Groomers generally get 40 to 50% of the total fee AND should be tipped according to your satisfaction with the groomer.I have ti[pped anywhere from 10% for a bad cut,to 25% for a very good one.It’s a diffefrent thing than din ing out and don ‘t let a groomer ask you what you’d like to tip.Take the pen and fill in the amount yourself.
I’m the owner and only groomer at my salon. I do all the work, have all the expenses, and all the liability. I have 1 part time bather which allows me to do more dogs a day, so my clients don’t have to wait weeks for an appointment. When she’s working, it costs me over $25 an hour for her pay as a W2 employee and the expenses to run the shop. On a $42 groom that takes about 1.5 hours to do, it costs me almost $35 just for her pay and my shop expenses, minus my pay. Leaving me $7 before business and income taxes. While tips are never expected, they’re always appreciated. If you’re going to tip someone the one who did the work should get the tip, regardless if they’re the owner or not, if they did the work. And I share my tips with my bather. I also tip my hairdresser who’s the owner of her shop.
Btw, most groomers getting 50% aren’t W2 employees. They’re misclassified employees, called ICs by shop owners who either aren’t aware groomers can’t be ICs, or who don’t care that they’re committing for tax fraud. But many shops do this and require the groomer to have their own business license and insurance. So in essence, if you’re tipping an IC, you’re essentially tipping someone who owns their own business.
it is a helpful article, I find my answer. thank you.
Great article!! Thank you on behalf of groomers all around!! Hopefully more readers will share this for more people to see!! Don’t forget to…
**Please tip your groomers & their bathers, helpers, assistants (or whatever they choose to call them)!!
AND please make sure to have your pets spayed or neutered!! We have too many animals without homes already!! Thanks!!
This was great help. Thank you.. I love to tip but if the groomers ugly about my dog being bad then just forget it.. We all choose our profession…
Who in the world does not tip their hairdresser?! I always tip mine. I just wanted to find out how much of a tip I should give my dog’s groomer, it will be her first time! 🙂 I was shocked to read that people don’t tip their hairdresser. Where I am from the hairdressers don’t make that much and always do a great job. We usually give a larger tip around the holidays.
Right???? I was like, that’s absurd. I always tip my stylist at least 15% if not 20. good lord.
Repeat customers of hair salons that don’t tip probably get terrible hair cuts. Why would you go out of your way to give an awesome haircut and color and style to someone who doesn’t tip?
Because IT’S THEIR JOB?
Exactly! You people who are not tipping your hairdressers need to reevaluate. Of course it should depend on the level of service you receive, but you tip your hairdresser. They are renting their booth and sometimes still pay the salon a percentage. They have to handle their own taxes, retirement, insurance, licenses, etc. They are not making an hourly wage.
The first time I had my dog groomed I believe I saw some else give their groomer a tip, and it hadn’t even occurred to me (even tho I always tip my hairdresser.) The groomer had come out and spoken to me when I picked her up, and it seemed to have been a good experience for both him and my dog.
The second time I took her to the same place, my dog was shaking when I picked her up and her belly was full of scrapes from being shaved (and one section had not been done) which I had not asked them to do. So I did not give a tip.
I just took her today for a third time. I asked when I had made the apppointment for the person that had groomed her the first time. I went prepared to tip the groomer when I picked her up. The person who brought her out was not the person I had asked to groom her, so I was not sure if the person I requested had done it. Also, the price had gone up ten dollars from the previous visit, so I did not give a tip.
I feel bad about not tipping today – I guess I should have asked if the person I requested had done the job, so I could have left a tip with the receptionist for him. I was upset at the thought that someone else might have groomed her, since nothing was said about her visit. She is very fearful of strangers, and I know she can be difficult (which was why I requested the original person who had groomed her).
I do appreciate your advice on how much of a tip is appropriate. I’ll keep it in mind for the next time.
Well, i think that, grooming a dog is like a dance; it is a team effort where the groomer is going to lead the dog, so chemistry between the two is important.
I found this very helpful. I’m amazed at how many friends I speak with that don’t tip! For me, I took a long time to find the right groomer for my pets and once that was established I could leave feeling 100% assured that they would be treated the way I wanted.
A tip is nothing compared to that sense of comfort – so yes, tip, tip, tip!
However, never feel you can’t tell them if you are not comfortable with something they have done or the way your pet acts after – open communication is as essential.
And yes, though they say if the business person owns their own business you shouldn’t tip, with this service that does not wash with me. Again Tip, tip, tip for the peace of mind you have leaving you pets in someones hands.
Great article. Put things into perspective for me. Thanks!
Do u tip your veterinarian office if they do the grooming ?
I just got my 15 year old dog groomed for the first time – trimming his nails has always been a challenge and I let them get waaay too long – I realized two nails were growing out sideways! And he had mats behind his ears and on his hind end I could not brush out. I decided professional help was needed made an appointment with the local groomer at a vets office. With working night shift full time and going to school, I completely blanked out on my appointment and had to reschedule.
He looks fabulous! I can not believe what a fantastic job they did. When it came time to pay, I realized I forgot to look up how much to tip, and I’m terrible with math, so I just gave $10 to the groomer and $5 to the bather. Luckily, I guesstimated about right and gave a hair more than 15% to the groomer, but I should have given more for doing a fantastic job on a difficult old dog (and a forgetful owner who stood them up once…yikes!) I’ll throw in a few more bucks on his next visit.
Question though…I cant find any articles that mention tipping the bather and the groomer separately. Do most groomers do the baths themselves? I know most chain places like Petsmart uses bathers (I used to work for them in a different dept. and know the groomers don’t typically split their tips with the bathers). How do you handle tips for bathers? Thanks for putting my mind at ease that at least I didn’t catastrophically underestimate the tip.
I want to make sure that I find a good dog groomer. It makes sense that I would want to give them a nice tip! They do a lot of work, after all.
I think tipping is fine so long as the results are worth tipping. Each to their own I guess, but I think it’s good to show appreciation for a job well done and this in turn encourages the groomer to keep your dog in tip-top condition – everybody wins – including the dog!
I cannot afford to take my dog to the groomer often. When I do I tip the groomer. Last time I went, the cash register employee asked if I wanted to tip the 2 helpers also. I did not like being asked if I wanted to tip 2 more people. I have been grooming him myself now to save money. I don’t do as good a job. So if you are on a pension, dog grooming can be unaffordable.
Who doesn’t tip their hairstylist!?
Oh my god, THANK YOU. I actually was logging on to say that exact thing!
Many times when I take my dog to the groomer I am displeased usually I have to bring my dog back because something has been done or not done so I have gotten to the point where I’m not comfortable tipping because I feel that tipping means you are pleased with the job that was done
I love this thread… help me understand…
I used to go to Pet Smart for grooming, and always tipped well, so the cost became prohibitive, and so I started shaving them myself, which is not pretty. I switched over to a small business groomer for the consistency of having the same person each time. He and his wife do everything. He gave me a reasonable price based on his estimate of how much work it would take for each of my 2 dogs. Why do need to tip extra if the owner told me how much he wants for the job? I hate to be cheapskate, but we have to be very frugal. If I have to add a tip, then the price he quoted is not the real price. Is it just that a tip is a commentary of I approve or don’t approve your work? If I didn’t approve I wouldn’t come back.
Struggling.
As a dog groomer for 15 years we totally love tips. I mean who wouldn’t lol. HOWEVER they are not required. We do our very best for your beloved pet’s. We adore all of our clients. Something some of you have mentioned was the dog was scared to death. Some dogs do get very scared. If that happens ask to stay the next time! Don’t just assume the groomer has done something to your beloved baby. Sometimes they just are so super scared that they pee on themselves etc. This causes rebathing and redrying. Which is more time and money from your groomer’s pocket. Even if they own their own salon they have bills to pay as well. Some dogs just do not do well without the one person they totally trust there. I know there are some bad grooming salons out there but NOT all are bad. If I am given a tip it makes me feel really good about the job I have done. If money is an issue then by all means don’t tip but make sure to tell the groomer how very good their dog looks. Sometimes words are just as priceless as a tip. 😉
I think taking your dog to a reputable grooming salon or utilizing the benefits of mobile dog grooming service is absolutely an indispensable part of the pet care. Here, in this regard, I would like to tell that tipping is not obligatory. It’s totally up to you whether you want to tip your groomer or not. But as per my vista, if you feel that the dog groomer has done an excellent job and met your satisfaction level, then you should leave a tip in order to show your regard and appreciation. Listen- no authorized groomers demand a tip and not all the groomer can do the task effectively. Thus, you need to do a lot of research before appointing a groomer for your dog.
15-20% or + if you are wealthy and can afford this…or if it’s a 1x/month groom.
10-12% is fair, for average folks; like me, especially, if it’s a regularly scheduled booking, and 2x/month. The issue with this is that at some point, regular groomers come to EXPECT the tips. This can be pricey for return customers. And you take away the tip, there’s no way of knowing what type of “treatment”(the horror of the thought), your pet will get alone with this person. Ppl can be unpredictable and vindictive too. Just look at crazy babysitter cases.
I like that you mentioned tipping your groomer as a token of appreciation. I have been looking for someone to cut my dog’s hair this week. I can see how it would be smart to tip the groomer because it would help them also do a good job the next time.
I have 2 dogs that I have groomed every six weeks. I use a mobile grooming business. Sometimes the owner comes out and sometimes it is one of her employees. The minute one of my dogs hears the truck she starts shaking. But once I hand her to the groomer she puts her head on their shoulder and starts to calm down. She simply is not fond of getting a bath no matter who is doing the bathing. Both of my dogs are cut to their breed specifations. I pay $100.00 per dog for a full service groom (nails, ears, glands etc.)and I tip $15 per dog.
My wife and I recently adopted a dog and we wanted to find a pet grooming service near us. One of the questions we had after we tried a grooming service for the first time is how much should you tip the groomer. It is good to know that 10 to 20 percent is the standard for standard service.
I don’t mean to sound cheap, but really? I go to Petco and one my recent visit, the cashier asked if I would like to leave a tip for groomer? I was in shock and kinda upset, like what why? I honestly don’t care what they get paid, if we say you tip according to pay scale, then why don’t we tip at MCD’s and other fast shop joints? I always tip my hairstylist, waiters, bartender, etc. At what point is it “this is their job?” or why don’t we tip regular sales associates at Walmart?
Thanks for this advice for tipping dog groomers. It’s nice to know that you should add an extra tip if there are extreme cases of matting on the dog. Maybe it could be good to talk to the groomer about what it was like working with the dog to learn how much you should tip them.
I am taking my dog in for grooming. One thing that I have always wondered is if you should tip dog grooming services. I like the advice to tip the groomer about 20%.
I tip a groomer just like a restaurant (10-15%) because I’m not made out of money.
If people were paid a fair living wage, the average Joe wouldn’t have to supplement the income of service workers. Doesn’t anyone realize that the people in Washington have created an economy that is based on típs and wages because their top concern is the rich and corporate America and not the working class.
I can’t afford to tip 15-20% everytime i have my hair done or get my dog groomed and I shouldn’t be expected to supplement other people’s incomes!
We have recently started our new dog grooming and service company and came across this article.
Really appreciate you taking the time to educate us on this. I would have never thought of any crucial tips,
but it makes perfect sense.
Dog grooming by no means is an exciting topic to write about, but you did an awesome job keeping it entertaining and not boring.
Thanks a ton.