How Long Does It Take To Groom A Small Dog?

Factors Affecting Small Dog Grooming Time

If you look at the list of services included in grooming a dog, like bathing, blow-drying, ear cleaning, nail trimming, tooth brushing, and hair cutting, it will be evident that haircutting is perhaps the most time taking process of them all.

Hence, haircutting constitutes a significant half of the cost spent on grooming. Furthermore, since some dog species like terriers, poodles, and schnauzers have a unique cut or style, grooming can take longer than other dogs.

On average, it takes about an hour for a dog grooming session with a highly expert professional dog groomer. The expertise of the groomer can even help to reduce the time.

But since the grooming time depends on the dog’s breed, temperament, and how well it cooperates with the groomer, an hour might be too much to expect. It can take an hour and a half and two hours but might extend further by another hour.

The timelines above are for regular dog grooming sessions undertaken regularly as part of the dog’s wellness and well-being.

However, to prepare your dog for a dog show or some competition, it would require special grooming that can take almost double the usual time, and on the whole, it can take about 4 hours.

1. Effect of Dog’s Fur and Hair on Grooming Time

Since most grooming processes, except for haircuts, take less time, the focus is always on the type and extent of haircut the dog needs to estimate the time it would take to complete the grooming session.

If you keep your dog untidy and unkempt, even the standard grooming will take longer than the average time to complete a similar session.

The bathing and shampooing of the dog will take more time, and if it is a furry dog with long hair, then brushing will also take longer because of too much-matted hair caused by long-time neglect. In addition, to untangle a lot of matted hair, the groomer must give extra time, which increases the cost.

Overall, the dog’s size, the length of hair, and the coating thickness determine how long it takes to complete the haircut. For any particular type of haircut, you must add some extra time. The more frequently you groom the dog at home, the lesser time it takes at the salon.

2. Ensuring safety for dogs can increase the time 

Dog groomers must not only have high skills in various grooming processes. However, they must also ensure the safety of dogs. For example, dogs seldom sit quietly during the grooming process. They could exhibit restless behavior that groomers must tackle with patience while ensuring the dog’s safety from sharp objects like clippers, nail trimmers, and scissors.

Since groomers must exercise enough caution to ensure safety, it can slow down the process. Therefore, although the groomers must complete several tasks quickly, they would never try to hasten the process by compromising dog safety.

3. Making the dog feel comfortable can take some time

When you take your dog to a professional groomer for the first time, it will take some time to familiarize itself with the new people and environment. Some dogs might take longer to adjust and calm down to prepare for the session.

The groomer will help the dog be comfortable in the new setting with friendly gestures that develop trust between the dog and the groomer.

Bonding is essential to ensure a smooth grooming process. Since pet grooming impacts the well-being and wellness of dogs, offering it a comfortable experience becomes imperative to achieve wellness goals.

 

4. Expert groomers recommend shorter sessions

Even the best-trained dog might grow restless with longer grooming sessions, and there are examples of dog owners giving it up mid-way. Therefore, dog owners must ensure that the dog completes the grooming session without quitting.

Since dogs are sensitive, professional groomers recommend shorter sessions within an hour. However, trying to pack less grooming processes in a single session might go against the principle of short sessions.

5. The services impact the session time

Dog owners with prior experience in taking their dogs to a professional groomer would know the threshold level of their pet during grooming and can select the services accordingly.

Although longer sessions allow services, a lot depends on whether the dog would be comfortable with the lengthy session. Since hair cut takes most of the time, especially if it is a furry dog, it is better to split the sessions into two parts or take the dog for different services on separate days.

Since minor services like bath, shampoo, and nail trimming take about 15-30 minutes, hair trimming/cutting can take about an hour. Hence, dog owners can plan separate sessions to ensure a comfortable experience for their dogs.

6. The dog breed matters

Although bigger dogs might take more extended grooming than smaller ones, it is only sometimes valid. The dog breed is a critical factor in the dog grooming process, and some smaller species require more grooming time seen in some pure and designer breeds.

For example, despite being petite, the Shi Tzu has a unique coat that requires special attention, and the grooming time is much longer than dogs of other breeds of similar size.

7. Added treatments take more time

Carrying out beautification treatments during the grooming process extends the time taken for completion. Hair coloring, styling with bandanas, bows, and nail painting comprise some of the beautification treatments dog owners choose occasionally.

Some dog owners might take their dogs to a spa that many groomers can arrange. However, it will only increase the session time.

Dog grooming depends on the behavior of your furry buddy and for you to understand how long it would take to complete the grooming session.

Dogs that behave erratically during the grooming session extend the time for completing the process as groomers must allow the dog to cool down before starting any grooming process.

Conclusion

The time it takes to groom a small dog can vary depending on several factors, such as the type of fur and hair the dog has, the need to ensure the dog’s safety during grooming, and the time required to make the dog feel comfortable.

Therefore, pet owners need to plan accordingly and schedule their dog’s grooming appointments in advance. By doing so, they can ensure that their furry companions receive the care they need to stay healthy and happy.