Border Collie grooming
Border Collie grooming in Gloucester, MA
The AKC lists two Border Collie coats, rough and smooth, and both are dense, weather-resistant double coats. What separates them on the grooming table is the feathering, which is exactly where Cape Ann trails leave their burrs. Here is which service each coat needs, what a busy collie costs in table time, and the brushing that keeps the next visit short.
The coat
Rough or smooth, a Border Collie wears a dense double coat, and only the rough one carries real feathering
The AKC breed profile describes two coat types. The rough coat is medium-length and feathered; the smooth coat is shorter and coarser. Underneath, both are dense, weather-resistant double coats, a soft undercoat below a tougher outer layer. The AKC grooms both the same way: a pin brush once or twice a week, and daily in shedding season. Adults run 30 to 55 pounds on the AKC's figures.
The difference is where loose hair collects. A smooth coat lies close, sheds onto your floor and rarely knots. A rough collie grows longer hair behind the legs, under the belly, across the chest and along the tail, and that feathering holds on to whatever the undercoat releases and whatever the dog ran through. The AKC's article on burrs notes that they tangle most readily in longer coats and dense undercoats, which describes a rough collie after a September trail.
- Smooth coat: short and coarse, sheds freely, seldom knots
- Rough coat: medium length, with feathering on the legs, belly, chest and tail
- Both coats: a soft undercoat that lets go heavily in shedding season
- Both coats: brushed out in the studio, not clipped off
Bath or full service
A smooth collie needs a bath with Shed Release; a rough collie does better with the full service, which is a neaten, not a haircut
Every Dogtown bath is a warm wash, a blow-dry and a brush-out, and for a smooth Border Collie that, plus Shed Release at $10 during a shed, is the whole job. There is no pattern to cut on a coat this short. A rough collie usually suits the full service, where the haircut part is a neaten: hair between the pads trimmed level so the feet grip, the hocks tidied, and the ear fringes and feathering evened so they stop gathering debris.
The body coat is left at its natural length. The AKC's grooming advice for the breed is brushing, not clipping, and a short clip does nothing to stop a double coat from shedding. Which brushes and which drying method lift the undercoat is the groomer's call, confirmed with you at check-in; mention any trouble your collie has had with loud dryers or with having its feet handled.
A busy dog
A collie that cannot stand still gets more time and a second pair of hands, for a $20 surcharge
The AKC rates Border Collie energy at five out of five and notes that the breed may be reserved with strangers. Both traits follow a collie into a grooming studio. A young one may spin to watch the dryer, try to round up the brush or stare at the door waiting for you. That is not bad behavior; it is a working dog with no job, asked to stand still beside a stranger.
When a dog needs a slower table, the behavior or handling surcharge, $20, pays for extra time and another groomer's hands so nothing is rushed. A daycare regular can be groomed after a morning in its playgroup; that route starts with the free evaluation, held weekdays from 6:30 to 9:30 AM. At home, a few seconds of standing still for a treat while you hold each foot makes the table feel familiar.
How often
Brush weekly and book around the sheds; burrs left to felt are billed at $15 per 20 minutes
On the AKC's routine of a weekly pin brush and daily brushing in a shed, a collie needs the studio mainly for baths, for Shed Release when the undercoat starts to blow, and for nails, which the AKC says should be trimmed regularly; clipping is $16. A rough collie benefits from a full service whenever its feet and feathering have grown untidy. The coat and the season set the timing, not a fixed number of weeks.
Burrs change the bill. One burr caught behind the elbow collects loose undercoat, and within days it can sit at the center of a mat. The AKC burr article warns against reaching for scissors, because skin under a knot is easy to cut, and says matted coats make burr trouble worse. In the studio, working burrs and mats out by hand is dematting, $15 per 20 minutes on top of the bath or full service, and you hear the estimate before the work begins.
- Every week: a pin brush over the whole coat, down to the skin
- In a shed: brush daily and add Shed Release at $10
- After a trail: fingers through the feathering before the dog settles
- Regularly: nails, $16 in the studio or at home
Price
$65 or $75 for a bath, $85 for most full services and $110 for a collie over 50 pounds
Dogtown prices grooming by weight, not by breed, so a Border Collie pays what any dog its size pays. With adults at 30 to 55 pounds, most collies fall in the 26 to 50 pound band: the bath is $65 and the full service $85. A big male over 50 pounds moves up to $75 for the bath and $110 for the full service. Weigh your dog before booking, and the final price is settled at check-in once the groomer has looked through the coat.
Add-ons cost the same at any size. Shed Release is $10, nail clipping $16, a sanitary trim $10 and teeth brushing $10; the AKC also recommends brushing a collie's teeth regularly. Book the next visit at pick-up and $5 comes off it, and the unlimited daycare membership takes 15 percent off every groom, a saving worth knowing if your collie is already a daycare regular.
| Border Collie | Bath | Full service | Usual add-ons |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26 to 50 lb, most collies | $65 | $85 | Shed Release $10, nails $16 |
| 51 to 90 lb, larger males | $75 | $110 | Shed Release $10, nails $16 |
| Burrs or mats in the feathering | Plus $15 per 20 minutes | Plus $15 per 20 minutes | Estimated at check-in |
| A dog that needs a slower table | Plus $20 | Plus $20 | Behavior or handling surcharge |
At home
After every trail walk, check the feathering by hand before the brush goes in
Cape Ann is burr and tick country for a collie. Dogtown Common's 3,600 acres of woods and boulders and Ravenswood Park in West Gloucester both welcome dogs, and from April to November, tick season, the same feathering that catches seed heads also hides ticks. Our tick-check how-to covers that half. For burrs, the veterinarian quoted in the AKC article advises keeping a hand between skin and burr and combing out small bits at a time.
Beach season adds sand. At the time of writing, Wingaersheek Beach in Gloucester takes dogs off leash on odd-numbered days from October 1 to April 30, and a rough collie comes home with wet sand packed into its feet and the long hair behind its thighs. Rinse it out with fresh water and let the feathering dry before brushing. A burr lodged between the toes is different: the AKC article says burrs on the feet are often painful and usually come out at the vet's office.
- 01
Before your collie goes indoors, run your fingers through the ears, armpits, belly and the backs of the legs
- 02
Pull out the loose burrs by hand first, starting with the least tangled
- 03
Crush a large burr with pliers and lift the pieces out, keeping one hand against the skin
- 04
Tease any knot apart with a wide-toothed comb, a small section at a time
- 05
Leave the scissors in the drawer, and book dematting at $15 per 20 minutes for anything tight
- 06
Finish with the pin brush once the coat is completely dry
At Dogtown
A collie's groom, alone or after playgroup
Book the bath on its own, or add it to a daycare day once your collie has passed the free evaluation.
Asked and answered
Questions people ask about this
Short, complete answers you can act on today. More in the full FAQ.
Does a smooth-coated Border Collie need the full service?
Can you get burrs out of my collie's coat?
My collie will not stand still for brushing. Can you still groom it?
Is my Border Collie's bath $65 or $75?
More questions? Read the full FAQ
Sources
- AKC: Border Collie
- AKC: how to safely remove burrs from your dog's fur
- City of Gloucester: beach information
- The Trustees: Ravenswood Park
Rules and dates change. We re-check every beach, licensing and ordinance page each spring and fall; the source above is the current word.
Keep reading
Next step
Book the trail-day bath.
Choose a bath or full service for your collie's weight online or in the Dogtown app, add Shed Release in a shed, and mention any burrs when you check in.
- 01Free evaluationWeekdays 6:30 – 9:30 AM
- 02Book a dayOnline, in the app or by phone
- 03Play, rest, repeatReport card at pick-up
