Traditionally, people who want their dogs groomed professionally have to drive their pooch to the dog salon for an appointment, and then pick them up afterwards. These days, mobile pet grooming services are commonplace, and very popular. This type of service is a great idea if you’re unable to get your dog to a grooming salon, and/or you do not want to groom your dog yourself.
In this article, we’ll be exploring the pros and cons of using a mobile dog grooming service as opposed to taking them to an appointment at an on-the-ground salon.
Pros of Mobile Dog Grooming
- They come to you. Perhaps you can’t drive for some reason, or you prefer to not drive with your dog in the car. Your car may be too small to get your dog into, or your dog might get travel sickness. Whatever the reason, having the groomer roll up to your house is as convenient as it gets.
- You don’t have to wait around for your appointment. There’s nothing worse than arriving on time for an appointment and then having to wait, and this issue is eliminated by using a mobile dog grooming service. When that mobile woofer washer arrives in your driveway, they are ready to rock n’ roll.
- Your doggo can build a relationship with one person. At a salon, your pooch might not get the same person each time, whereas mobile dog groomers are generally independent operators and will be the ones washing your hound time and time again. This means that your pooch will establish a good relationship with your mobile dog groomer.
- No other dogs around. At dog salons, dogs will often have to stay in kennels together as they await their turn. This can stress dogs out. At a mobile dog grooming service, your dog will be the only one around.
- You don’t have to be home for the appointment. If you want to stay home while your dog is getting groomed, you certainly can. But if you need to go to work, or run errands, you have the flexibility to do so. Some mobile pet groomers will even put your dog back into your house when finished, meaning you don’t even have to be around to pick them up.
Cons of Mobile Dog Grooming
- They may need to hook their hose up to your water supply. This means that you will need to ensure that the groomer has access to your water supply. Plus, you’ll be paying for the cost of water.
- Your dog needs to be comfortable with walking up into the van. This could be hard for older dogs, or scary for anxious dogs. It’s wise to be there for at least the first time that your dog is groomed in a mobile dog wash van. That way, you can facilitate the “meet and greet” with the new groomer, and help keep your dog calm and collected.
- If you’re not home and you are not happy with the groom, then you have to chase them up. If you’re not able to be there for pickup and you’ve given the groomer the green light to bring your dog back into your house for you, then you aren’t able to correct any issues if the final groom isn’t what you wanted. If that happens, you’ll have to call them back and figure out a later time to facilitate a correction.
- Cost. Mobile dog groomers will factor travel costs into their grooming fees, making them more expensive than a salon appointment.
Whether or not a mobile dog grooming service is the right choice for you and your hound is a matter of personal preference. But if you haven’t used one before and are a bit sick of carting your pet to the salon, perhaps make an appointment and see how you both like this type of service.