Dog Grooming Price List Template: Breed, Coat and Size Tables With AI

Price each groom as the minutes it takes multiplied by your hourly rate, then group dogs by size band and coat type so the list stays short. Work out the rate from your costs, time ten real grooms per coat type, add a de-matting surcharge and fixed add-ons, and let AI build the tables while you check every sum.

A template from a design site gives you blank boxes and somebody else's prices. The useful part is the method behind the numbers: your hourly cost, how long each coat really takes you, and a rule for dogs that arrive matted. The figures here are illustrations that show the working, so replace every one with your own.

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The hourly rate your costs demand

Every price on the list is a share of an hour, so the hour comes first. Add up what the business must cover in a month, add the pay you need to take home, add a buffer for no-shows and slow weeks, and divide by the hours you actually have a dog on the table. Those billable hours are fewer than your opening hours. The bath starts the clock; handling, cleaning, phone calls and late arrivals do not.

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Here are three illustrative businesses worked through the same method.

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The same method gives three different answers. The chair renter needs about $48 an hour. The van needs about $63, because fuel and driving time put the same pay target on fewer billable hours. The two-person shop lands near $58 once wages and rent are covered. Copying a price list from a business with a different cost shape is how a groomer ends up working full days for less than planned.

Take the figures from your bank statements and supplier invoices for the last three months. The 10% buffer is a guess: set yours from your own record of no-shows and slow weeks. The rest of this tutorial uses $48 and $63 so you can see how the rate changes the list.

Time ten grooms per coat before you price anything

Minutes are the second input, and the one most price lists skip. Breed names suggest a time, but your hands decide it. For four weeks, log every groom: breed, weight on your scale, coat group, and minutes from the start of the bath to the finishing spray. Leave out waiting and handover. Ten grooms per coat group is enough to start; fewer than five of a breed and you should treat any number as a guess.

The log needs no owner names, so it is safe to paste into an AI assistant. Six lines look like this (illustrative):

breed, weight_kg, coat_group, minutes
Cockapoo, 11, curly, 125
Cockapoo, 9, curly, 115
Labrador, 31, double-short, 95
Border Collie, 17, double-long, 80
Pug, 8, smooth, 50
Shih Tzu, 7, long-silky, 95

Averages per coat group and size band become the minutes column of the price table. Price is then minutes divided by 60, times your hourly rate, rounded up to the next $5. In a spreadsheet that is one formula, =CEILING(minutes/60*rate,5), which works in Excel and in Google Sheets. If you want help setting up the sheet itself, the Google Sheets AI prompts tutorial covers the formulas and prompts that save the most time.

Four size bands, four coat groups, one printed grid

Customers look prices up by size and coat, so the printed list needs a grid. Set the size band from the weight on your scale, never from the breed name, because a small Labrador and a large one can sit in different bands. Illustrative bands: Small under 10 kg (22 lb), Medium 10 to under 20 kg (22 to 44 lb), Large 20 to under 30 kg (44 to 66 lb), Giant 30 kg and over (66 lb and up).

Group coats by the work they need, not by breed:

• Smooth. Short single coat. Bath, brush-out, nails; no haircut.
• Double. Dense undercoat beneath a topcoat. Bath, de-shed and blow-out, tidy.
• Curly. Wool or curly coat that keeps growing and needs clipping or scissoring. Full groom.
• Long or silky. Long straight or feathered coat. Brush-out, trim and tidy. Full groom.

If you hand-strip wire coats, give them a fifth row. For mixed breeds and puppies, price by the coat that needs the most work and by the weight on the scale. This grid applies the $48 hourly rate to average minutes for each cell (illustrative), rounded up to the next $5.

Averages hide differences inside a cell. A Labrador, a Golden Retriever and a Husky are all Large and Double, yet they take about 90, 110 and 120 minutes. The grid's $85 rests on a cell average of about 105 minutes, pulled down by the Labradors that make up most of the bookings, so every Husky charged the cell price gives away 15 minutes, $12 at $48 an hour. Either split the cell (a 'heavy shedder' row) or print the cell average and sell the extra time as an add-on, which is where de-shedding treatments earn their place.

The sheet behind the grid is small. A rate tab holds the cost sum from earlier, and a prices tab holds one row per breed or cell:

Sheet "Rate"
B1 monthly overheads    B2 take-home pay    B3 buffer (0.10)
B4 billable hours       B5 hourly rate  =(B1+B2)*(1+B3)/B4

Sheet "Prices" (one row per breed or cell)
A breed | B coat group | C weight kg | D size band | E minutes | F price
D2 =IF(C2<10,"Small",IF(C2<20,"Medium",IF(C2<30,"Large","Giant")))
F2 =CEILING(E2/60*Rate!$B$5,5)

Change the buffer or the billable hours and every price follows, which is the point of building it this way. A pricing change then takes one edit, not a re-typed list.

Ten breeds priced from their timings

This is the same method applied to ten common breeds. The minutes are illustrative stopwatch averages, and the size band shows a typical adult, which your own scale may overrule. Prices use the two hourly rates from the cost table, rounded up to the next $5.

The workings for one row: a Cockapoo at 120 minutes is 120 ÷ 60 = 2 hours. At $48 that is $96, rounded up to $100. At $63 it is $126, rounded up to $130.

The table shows three things a generic template hides. Price follows minutes, not size: the large Labrador costs the same as the small Shih Tzu because they take about the same time. Curly coats are the expensive mistake, since a Standard Poodle at 180 minutes uses three hours of a day, and underpricing it costs more than underpricing three Pugs. And the hourly rate changes everything: the van's prices run about 30 per cent higher for the same dog, which is simply what its costs require.

A de-matting surcharge that stays fair to the dog

Matting is where price lists most often meet an unhappy owner. Welfare guidance is blunt: mats are extremely uncomfortable, even mild ones can irritate the skin and progress to infected sores, and a severely matted dog may need clipping short and sometimes sedation, which means a vet. It also says never to cut mats out with scissors. So a de-matting fee has two jobs: it pays for the extra time, and it stops you brushing out something that hurts the dog.

A ladder keeps both jobs visible. These tiers assume the $48 rate, so a 15-minute block costs $12 (a quarter of the hourly rate):

• Tier 0. Coat in good condition, or a few small mats that brush out in under 10 minutes. Included in the base price.
• Tier 1. 10 to 25 minutes of extra brushing. $12 for each 15-minute block, rounded up.
• Tier 2. More than 25 minutes, or mats tight to the skin, behind the ears, in the armpits or in the groin. A short clip, with the owner's agreement, priced as the normal full groom plus one $12 block.
• Tier 3. The coat is felted all over, or the skin is sore, broken or infected. Stop, and recommend a vet visit.

Two worked cases (illustrative). A Golden Retriever (Large, Double, $90) arrives with 20 minutes of mat work, which rounds up to two blocks: $90 + 2 × $12 = $114. A Cockapoo (Medium, Curly, $100) arrives with tight mats behind both ears and under the front legs. That is Tier 2, so it becomes a short clip at $100 + $12 = $112, with the owner's agreement recorded before the clippers start.

The agreement is part of the price, not an extra. The dog grooming consent form tutorial covers what a release should say, and the pet-details-before-booking tutorial shows how to ask for coat condition and last groom date when the appointment is made, so you can flag likely matting before the dog arrives. Add a stop rule as well: if the dog becomes distressed, stop and offer to finish on another day, and say in your policy that time already spent is billed.

Add-ons priced from minutes and product cost

Add-ons follow the same logic as the base price: minutes divided by 60, times the hourly rate, plus the cost of the product, rounded up to the next dollar. Decide first what the base price already includes, for example ear cleaning and a nail trim, and print it, so an add-on is clearly an extra and not a surprise.

The product costs are assumptions, so weigh out a real treatment and divide. Keep the list to five or six items. Every add-on you print is a question a client may ask and a line staff must remember, and the ones people rarely buy are better handled as a quote on the day.

Costs the template hides: no-shows, blades and slow slots

Some costs never appear on a price list, but they sit inside the hourly rate, and watching them is how the rate stays honest.

• No-shows. A two-hour slot at $48 is $96 of capacity. Two no-shows a month cost $192, or $2,304 a year, before the knock-on of a gap nobody can fill. A deposit for new clients and a text reminder two days ahead are the usual levers, and the AI receptionist for a dog groomer tutorial prices the reminder side.
• Blades and sharpening. Dull blades slow every groom and tug at the coat. Put a monthly figure in the equipment line and keep it there.
• Overruns. If your Standard Poodle slot is 180 minutes and the real average is 205, the price is wrong by 25 minutes every time. That is $20 at $48 an hour. Compare booked minutes with real minutes each month.
• Slow slots. A Tuesday afternoon that regularly sits empty is a pricing decision, not bad luck. An off-peak discount can be cheaper than the empty hour, but only if your sums say so.

Letting AI fill the breed table, then overruling its prices

An assistant can build the tables from your own timings quickly, and it will also invent things if you let it. It cannot see your costs or your competitors, so keep the rate and the rules in your hands and give it a narrow job. The limits of AI pricing research tutorial explains why asking it for 'the going rate' goes wrong.

I run a dog grooming business. My hourly rate is $[rate]. Price = minutes
divided by 60, times the rate, rounded up to the next $5.
Below is my timing log (breed, weight in kg, coat group, minutes from the
start of the bath to the finish), then a list of breeds I want on the price
list. Do these steps:
1. For each breed with 5 or more grooms in the log, give the average
   minutes and the price.
2. For each breed with fewer than 5 grooms, give a starting estimate of
   minutes, mark the row EST, and say what I should time.
3. Give each row a size band from the weight: Small under 10 kg, Medium
   10 to under 20, Large 20 to under 30, Giant 30 or more. If a weight is
   missing, write NEEDS WEIGHT.
4. Give the spreadsheet formulas (AVERAGEIFS, CEILING) so I can check every
   number myself.
Do not quote market prices or averages. Do not change my rate or add any
surcharge I have not listed.
[paste the log]
[paste the breed list]

A first draft (illustrative, first four rows):

Four things need correcting before it goes anywhere near a client.

• An invented surcharge. The 15% doodle supplement is nowhere in the rules. At 120 minutes and $48 an hour the Cockapoo is $96, rounded to $100.
• Inconsistent rounding. 105 minutes at $48 is $84, so the Bichon is $85, not $90. The Cavapoo estimate has the same fault: 100 minutes at $48 is exactly $80, already a multiple of $5, so it stays at $80, not $85.
• Size set by breed, not weight. The two Cavapoo grooms in the log weigh about 7 kg, which is Small. The label does not change the price in this method, but it puts the dog in the wrong column of the printed grid.
• A market claim with no source. 'Typical market price' is a phrase the prompt forbade. Delete the note, and delete the habit by repeating the rule.

The simplest defence is to ignore the assistant's price column. Paste only its minutes and size bands into your sheet and let the CEILING formula produce every price. Every EST row is a to-do: time the next five grooms of that breed and replace the estimate within a month.

The wording on the printed list

The grid is only half of the page. The sentences around it set the client's expectations, which is where most price disputes start. A draft you can adapt:

Our prices. Prices start from the amounts below and are confirmed at drop-off after a coat check. Your dog's size band is set by their weight on our scale.

Included. Bath, blow-dry, brush-out, ear cleaning and a nail trim, plus a haircut for curly and long coats.

Matting. If your dog arrives matted, we will talk to you before we start. A little extra brushing is charged in 15-minute blocks at $12. Where brushing out would hurt your dog, we will recommend a short clip and only go ahead with your agreement. If the skin looks sore, we will suggest a vet visit.

Add-ons. Nail grind $5, teeth brushing $5, de-shedding treatment $20, medicated shampoo $14, conditioning $11.

Not sure where your dog fits? Tell us the breed and weight and we will quote before you book.

Keep the same words in your booking software, so the price a client sees when booking matches the printed list. The dog walking rates tutorial uses the same cost-then-time logic for a neighbouring pet service, if you also offer walks.

Checking the list against real bookings, then telling clients

Before you publish, test the list on grooms you have already done. Pick three grooms from last month, work out what the new list would have charged, and compare it with what you billed and the minutes it took (illustrative, at the $48 rate):

The old list undercharged the curly and the matted dog and slightly overcharged the Pug, so the new one moves money from simple grooms to complex ones, which is where the time goes. On these three the total changes by +$15 + $24 - $5 = +$34. If your own test shows every line going up, check the rate. If it shows every line going down, check the minutes.

After a month on the new list, measure the number that matters: takings divided by the hours you had a dog on the table. If last month brought in $4,950 over 110 billable hours, that is $45 an hour against a $48 target, a shortfall of $3 × 110 = $330 a month. Then compare booked minutes with real minutes by coat group to find where the shortfall sits. It is usually curly coats running over time or matting nobody charged for.

When you raise prices, tell regular clients in writing with about a month's notice, give the reason in a sentence, and honour the old price for anything already booked. A message you can adapt:

Hi [first name], a quick note before your next appointment. From [date] our prices are changing: a full groom for [breed] moves from $[old] to $[new]. Our costs for supplies, rent and insurance have risen, and the new prices reflect the time each groom takes. Appointments booked before [date] stay at the current price. The full list is at [link], and I'm happy to talk it through. Thank you for bringing [dog name] to us.

Keep the rate cell as the only place the hourly rate lives, and re-time a sample of grooms every six months or after a new clipper, blade supplier or table. The sheet then does the rest: change one number and the whole list reprices, ready for your sign-off.

Pricing questions groomers ask

Should I price by breed or by weight?

Use both, for different jobs. Breed tells you the coat and the likely time, while weight on your scale sets the size band, because a small Labrador and a large one can differ by a band. Ask for breed and weight at booking, show 'from' prices, and confirm the final price at drop-off after a coat check.

How much should a de-matting surcharge be?

One workable method bills extra brushing in 15-minute blocks at a quarter of your hourly rate, with a cap. Past the cap, offer a short clip with the owner's consent. Welfare guidance says severe mats can need clipping and that mats should never be cut out with scissors, so the fee should buy time and limits, not punishment.

How often should I change my prices?

Review once a year, and again when a cost jumps, using revenue per groom hour from your own bookings. Give regular clients about a month's notice in writing with a one-sentence reason, and update the price list and booking software on the same day so staff and clients see the same numbers.

Do puppies and senior dogs need their own prices?

Time them before deciding. Puppy introduction grooms can run shorter, and some senior dogs need extra breaks. If your timings show a pattern, publish a rule such as a short-session price or a handling supplement, and apply it the same way every time.

Further reads

• Pet Grooming Software With AI: Features and Prices Compared — Grooming software compared, for storing price tables by breed.
• How Mobile Dog Groomers Use AI for Routes, Reminders and Rebooking — Routes, reminders and rebooking for a mobile groomer.
• How to Write a Salon Service Menu and Price List With AI — Writing a service menu and price list for a salon.
• Car Detailing Price List Template: AI-Built Packages and Add-Ons — Packages and add-ons in another size-based price list.
• Bakery Pricing Calculator: Build One With ChatGPT and a Spreadsheet — A cost-based pricing calculator built with ChatGPT and a sheet.
• Can AI Help a Small Shop Set Prices and Promotions? — Setting prices and promotions for a small shop.
• Gingr or MoeGo for a Pet Business? Plans, Costs and AI Compared — MoeGo lists $49 to $159 a month and Gingr $100 to $179. How to choose by business type, and what to ask about AI.
• Dry Cleaning Price List Template: Build It With AI and Check Margins — A filled-in dry cleaning price list: garment costs worked out by the minute, a margin flag on every line, and bundle offers tested at their worst mix.
• AI Tools and AI Development: The Complete 2026 Guide — the AI hub, including every tutorial in the AI-for-business series.

Sources: an animal-welfare charity's guidance on preventing coat matting (mats are extremely uncomfortable, even mild ones can lead to infected lesions, severe cases may need sedation and full-body clipping, and mats should never be cut out with scissors); Google Sheets help for the CEILING function. Hourly rates, grooming times, prices and add-on costs are illustrations built from assumed costs, not market data: replace them with your own.