Bath or haircut
Bath vs full groom: what $55 and $75 each cover
The $20 gap between a small-dog bath and a small-dog full groom is the least interesting thing about this choice. What matters is whether your dog's coat grows out or sheds out, and what the salt, sand and ticks of a Cape Ann year do to it.
Line by line
A bath is $55 to $95; a full groom is $75 to $120, and the difference is the haircut
The bath-only service is a warm bath, a blow-dry and a full brush-out, priced by weight: $55 up to 25 pounds, $65 from 26 to 50, $75 from 51 to 90, $85 over 90, and $95 for an extra-large dog with long hair, because drying and brushing a wet Newfoundland takes twice as long as drying a wet lab. Nails, teeth, a face trim and a sanitary trim are not part of a bath; each is an add-on.
The full service groom is the bath plus a haircut, breed-specific or to your own photo, at $75 up to 25 pounds, $85 from 26 to 50, $110 from 51 to 90 and $120 over 90. The final price is confirmed at check-in after our groomer looks at the coat, because a matted coat or a dog who needs slower handling adds time. No evaluation is needed for grooming, and booking the next appointment at pickup saves $5.
| Size | Bath only | Full service groom | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up to 25 lb | $55 | $75 | $20 |
| 26 to 50 lb | $65 | $85 | $20 |
| 51 to 90 lb | $75 | $110 | $35 |
| Over 90 lb | $85 | $120 | $35 |
| Extra large, long hair | $95 | Ask at check-in |
What changes the price
Weight sets the base; coat condition, add-ons and handling set the rest
Weight is the first factor and it is fixed. The second is coat condition. Dematting is $15 per 20 minutes, and a doodle that has gone ten weeks without a brush can need two or three of those blocks, at which point the kinder and cheaper answer is often a shorter clip. Shed Release, a de-shedding treatment and brush-out, is $10 and turns a lab or husky bath into something that actually reduces the fur on your couch.
Add-ons cost the same on either service: nail clipping $16, teeth brushing $10, face trim $10, sanitary trim $10, whitening $8, antiseptic or fungal shampoo $8, anal glands express $40. A dog who needs slower, more careful handling carries a $20 behavior surcharge, and an appointment cancelled without notice is $10. Nails, teeth and a face trim on a small-dog bath together cost more than the $75 full groom that already includes the haircut, so check both totals before you book.
- Base price: by weight, five bath tiers and four full-groom tiers
- Coat condition: dematting $15 per 20 minutes, Shed Release $10
- Add-ons and handling: nails $16, teeth $10, face trim $10, surcharge $20
Which to choose
Choose the bath for coats that shed; choose the full groom for coats that grow
Labs, goldens, huskies, shepherds, pit mixes, beagles and hounds shed rather than grow. Their coat has a natural length and a haircut does nothing useful; a bath with Shed Release every four to eight weeks does everything. Shaving a double coat does not stop shedding and can damage it, so for those dogs the right answer is the bath with Shed Release, not the full groom, and our groomers will steer you there at check-in.
Doodles, poodles, shih tzus, Yorkies, cockers, bichons, schnauzers and Portuguese water dogs grow. Left alone, the coat keeps growing, tangles, mats against the skin, and holds moisture after every walk in the wet. These dogs need the full service groom on a cycle of six to eight weeks, and a bath in between only if they roll in something. A bath alone on a matted doodle is worse than nothing, because water tightens the mats; the terrier or spaniel whose owner keeps booking baths while the ears and feathers quietly mat is the same trap.
- Bath: labs, goldens, huskies, shepherds, hounds, and any short coat
- Full groom: doodles, poodles, shih tzus, cockers, schnauzers and terriers that grow
- Matted coat: full groom or clip, never a bath
Scheduling
How to put your dog on the right grooming cycle
Start with the coat, not the calendar. Run your fingers against the grain along the neck, behind the ears, in the armpits and through the trouser fur on the back legs. If they slide through, a bath keeps the dog ahead. If they catch, the coat is starting to mat and the full groom is due. A puppy's first appointment should be a bath with a face and sanitary trim, so the table and the dryer are learned before the scissors.
Then pin the cycle to a Dogtown day. Grooming can be booked during a daycare day or before pick-up from an overnight stay, so one drop-off at Eastern Ave covers both, and the Pup Van can make that drop-off for $10 each way in Rockport, Gloucester, Essex and Manchester-by-the-Sea. Rebook at pickup, take the $5 off, and the cycle largely runs itself.
- 01
Check the coat weekly with your fingers in the four places mats start
- 02
Book a bath if your fingers slide, a full groom if they catch
- 03
Pick a daycare day or the last day of a stay for the appointment
- 04
Add nails, teeth or a face trim when you book, not at the counter
- 05
Rebook at pickup for $5 off, and tighten to six weeks in tick season
Cape Ann
How Cape Ann affects it: salt water, sand, ticks and the beach calendar
Gloucester's beaches take dogs from October 1 to April 30, Good Harbor on even-numbered days and Wingaersheek on odd, and Crane Beach in Ipswich takes leashed dogs from October 1 to March 31. Every one of those winter beach mornings leaves salt in the coat and sand in the ears, and salt left to dry itches and dulls the coat. A bath after a run of beach weekends is cheap maintenance, and a rinse at home covers the days in between.
Tick season on the North Shore runs roughly April to November, and a full groom is the best tick check a dog gets: the groomer is in the armpits, the groin and behind the ears with a dryer that parts the coat to the skin. Between grooms, the Shed Release brush-out does some of the same work. If you find a tick, remove it promptly and check the CDC's guidance; our groomers will tell you where they found any, but they do not treat bites.
- Beach season, October to April: rinse often, bathe after beach runs
- Tick season, April to November: keep the full groom cycle tight for coats that grow
- Summer, when beaches are closed to dogs: a good time for the deep de-shed
At Dogtown
Grooming, on its own or inside a daycare day
Baths and full service grooms in the on-site studio, bookable straight away or onto any daycare day or overnight stay.
Asked and answered
Questions people ask about this
Short, complete answers you can act on today. More in the full FAQ.
Does the bath include a nail trim?
Can I book a bath during my dog's daycare day?
Why is a full groom for a big dog so much more than a bath?
How often should a doodle get a full groom?
More questions? Read the full FAQ
Sources
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 right one.
Tell us the breed and the last groom date when you book online, and our groomers will confirm bath or full service at check-in. Rebook at pickup and save $5.
- 01Free evaluationWeekdays 6:30 – 9:30 AM
- 02Book a dayOnline, in the app or by phone
- 03Play, rest, repeatReport card at pick-up
