How often should my dog be groomed?

The honest answer is that it depends entirely on coat type, and some dogs need far less than the internet tells you.

Start with the coat, not the calendar

Breed matters less than coat. Two doodles from the same litter can need completely different schedules. Find your dog below.

Curly and wool coats, every 4 to 6 weeks

Poodles, doodles, Bichons, Portuguese Water Dogs, Bedlingtons. These coats do not shed, which sounds convenient and is the opposite. The dead hair stays in the coat and turns into mat. Six weeks is the outside edge for most, and if you are not brushing thoroughly at home it is four.

Long silky coats, every 4 to 8 weeks

Shih Tzus, Maltese, Yorkies, Havanese. Same problem as curly coats but slower. Behind the ears and under the collar go first.

Double coats, every 8 to 12 weeks, plus coat blows

Golden Retrievers, German Shepherds, Huskies, Great Pyrenees, Bernese, Samoyeds, Australian Shepherds. These need de-shedding far more than they need haircuts. Book around the seasonal blows, which in Colorado tend to be more dramatic than the twice-a-year average because of how dry it is here.

Short smooth coats, every 8 to 12 weeks, or just when they are filthy

Labs, Beagles, Boxers, Pit Bulls, Dachshunds, Vizslas. Genuinely low maintenance. A bath and a nail trim is usually the whole job. If someone is selling you a monthly full groom for a Beagle, they are selling you something you do not need.

Wire coats, every 6 to 10 weeks

Terriers, Schnauzers, Airedales. Clipping a wire coat softens it permanently over time. Hand stripping keeps the texture, and takes much longer.

The three things that override all of the above

• Nails. Every three to six weeks regardless of coat. If you can hear clicking on a hard floor, they are overdue.
• Matting. If you find a mat, the schedule no longer applies. Deal with it now, not at the next appointment.
• Your dog's actual life. A dog who swims, rolls in things, or hikes every weekend needs more than the same dog who does not.

What you can genuinely do at home

Brushing between appointments is the single highest-value thing, and it costs nothing. Ten minutes twice a week on a curly coat will do more for it than moving from six-week to four-week appointments. Here is how to do it properly by coat type.

More guides

• Matting: what it is, and what to do
• Preparing for a first groom
• Grooming a senior dog
• Cat grooming: what to expect
• A brushing guide by coat type
• What grooming prices actually cover