Where Can I Find Good Professional Dog Groomers?

Scouting for the right professional dog groomer for your dog is not as difficult as what many may think. Sure, it does require a little investing on your time but it is all worthwhile considering the long term benefits both you and your dog will get. The key in finding good professional dog groomers is knowing where to look for your source and the right questions to ask.

Who Could You Ask?

I’m a strong believer in referrals, at least it beats looking up at Yellow Pages.

Dog Breeders. Breeders are by far your best source of recommendation. Needless to say, they deal with groomers regularly. Some breeders even have a list of top 3 groomers. Those breeders who have show dogs in competition don’t take many chances. I ought to know because I didn’t dare risk having a bad groomer ruin my dogs’ coat or traumatize them before the show.

Animal Shelters or Rescue Centers. If asking breeders isn’t your option since you adopted your dog from a shelter, then you will have to make do with the admin staff’s references. Due to the fact that many of these places are run by non-profit organizations, naturally their recommendations may somewhat in a “sub-standard” category but you can be certain that your dog will receive undivided attention. Their source is usually decent and reliable with low to mid-range grooming fees.

Someone You Know. Friends and neighbors who have dogs are your next best bet. Since most of them don’t have commercial motives, they would be more forward about the services that their groomers render.

Public Places. Dog owners and dog walkers in parks and dog cafés are some useful source. If you chance upon a dog with good looking cut, don’t be shy to approach the owner and ask. Most are generous in their sharing especially you complimented their dogs. Hint! Hint!

Pet Boutique Stores. Pet Stores is another option (hopefully you didn’t get your pup there). Some of their regular customers are groomers who stock up treats for their doggy clients. Larger ones have adjacent grooming facilities. Price varies from mid to higher range.

Grooming Suppliers. Now this you may have to look up in Yellow Pages. Because no pet stores will tell you for they fear you are their rivals! Majority of the professional groomers get their supplies from them instead from the pet stores. It’s an indirect approach and you do need some public relation skills (or maybe your charm) to fish out information from the suppliers. One tip, ask them who are their top 3 clients (groomers not pet store retailers) for shampoos, blades and clippers. Some of these suppliers offer blades sharpening service, if not ask them for referrals (not that you need it but pretend you do). Again, ask them who are their regular clients and the number of blades each groomer brings at one service.

Quantity doesn’t always equal Quality, but in the case of frequent and regular replenishments tell you about the groomer’s striving business. You certainly don’t want your dog be in the hands of fly-by-night groomers.

Dog Shows. This has to be the ultimate best place to look for topnotch dog groomers. Why? No exhibitors would risk engaging amateur groomers knowing their dogs are competing with hundreds of dogs in various categories? Not only these show dog groomers are professionally trained, they have in-depth knowledge of the breeds’ standard, cut, and look. An example would be Bichon Frise’s head. If you take a look at the early 90’s Bichon Frise cut and the current trend, they are very different. Also good groomers know how to trim the coat to hide some physical flaws of the breeds. Don’t waste your time in those small community dog shows (not that they are bad, it’s because they don’t have enough resources), aim big and head down to Crufts (Birmingham, UK) or Westminster (New York, USA) or Sunbury (Melbourne, Australia) or local kennel dog shows—that’s if you live around those cities. Don’t just patronize those in the booths, go behind the scene where exhibitors and their dogs are congregating before the event. Some exhibitors have their own personal groomers tagged along; giving the dogs their final touches. Although you may not see their complete grooming skills, but you have an idea how well they work with dogs.

Tip: If you notice any particular groomer hops between tables (seen grooming more than one breed), pay close attention to him or her. Chances are the groomer might be really good. Be prepared to have a deep pocket to pay for his/her services, that’s if s/he is not fully booked!

Veterinary Clinics. When you bring your pup for his third vaccination shot, don’t forget to ask your veterinarian. I do have some reservations in asking veterinarians (other than my vet friends), likewise for pet store staff. I stress, not all veterinarians have commercial motives when they recommend professional groomers to you. Some veterinary clinics and animal hospitals have groomers on staff. Be able to discern on how unbiased their recommendation is.

Boarding Kennels. Another area to look at is boarding kennels. Unlike most big boarding kennels, the smaller ones don’t offer professional grooming services. Those groomers they have on staff usually do very basic grooming like bathing and trimming nails. Nonetheless they should have a list of recommended professional groomer references. It would be strange if they claim that they don’t.

Doggie Day Care Centers. Similar to boarding kennels, some doggie daycare centers have grooming services otherwise they should be able to provide some reliable references.

Go Online. Do I need to say more since you are reading this? I’m afraid I don’t have any references for you for now because I’m a specialized personal groomer. I groom my dogs from head to tail; clip them every 5 weeks—in short, I’m their personal servant cum chief cum trainer cum financier cum stylist. Seriously, it is not economical for me to engage a professional groomer for my seven dogs with such short interval and regular visits. Anyway when you search online, be sure to look for consumer reviews of various groomers to find out just what the unbiased truth of the matter is.

Special Note: Due to the length of this post, I have to spit this up into two parts. The second part will on questions you need to ask from your referrals.

As usual, the Professional Dog Groomers series are

1. Should I Hire a Professional Groomer?
2. Where Can I Find Good Professional Dog Groomers?
3. What Should I Ask from My Referrals?
4. How Do I Evaluate the Groomer and the Facility?
5. How Do I Prepare my Puppy for his First Grooming Visit?