Is House Call or Mobile Grooming The Right Fit For You?

A great question to ask yourself when getting a new dog or cat. Even if you are looking for a new groomer. The short answer is as a house call groomer/mobile groomer yes it's always the right fit no matter the behavior of your fur baby. Reasons being that we work one on one with your pet cage free and stress free. the difference between house call and mobile is one has the van the other grooms in your home both great choices over dropping off at the salon and waiting for max 4 hours till your baby is finished. In rare occasions a groomer may be so over booked you poor baby is sitting and waiting in that cage for over an hour before getting started then finishing within 5-6 hours instead.

Silver waiting in his kennel for his parents to pick him up after being dropped off at a grooming salon

Here is the long answer and the details between house call and mobile grooming:

House Call Grooming: Similar to mobile grooming but in the comfort in your home. Not as expensive as mobile grooming but raised prices from standard grooming salons (like your corporate pet store salons) When talking to a house call groomer don't be surprised when they tell you that they need a place to set up their table and equipment, access to electricity, and a place to bath your fur baby. These are essential needs for us to groom your fur baby in the comfort of their home. The benefits of this service is stress free on your fur baby having the room to give them the up most comfort and care during a stressful process that is required for coat and skin health along with nail and ear care. You are able to continue your day plans with out taking to long of a break for dropping off and picking up your pet.

We groomers will provide the rest needed to safely groom your fur baby. Some or most of us have a traveling grooming table (something easy to move in and out of homes), Shampoos we love using that cleans better than standard pet store shampoos, Hight velocity dryer and/or hair dryers (yes like the ones we use on human hair), The scissors (ours are more expensive for cleaner cuts on the coats), Clippers and blades along with guard combs (depending on desired coat length requested depending on skin and coat conditions), Towels, ear cleaner and cotton balls, nail clippers and Dremel for grinding nails, quick stop (just incase a nail accidently gets quick.) and anything else I may have not remembered to think of mentioning.

Each session time length is determined by the dog and the willingness it is to be groomed. Some dogs absolutely love getting groomed and others dread it like it's the end of the world. The ones that are more scared or dread grooming take a little longer than a dog who loves being groomed. So usually plan for a min 30 min extra than our quoted time frame since we want to make the grooming less scarry than they already see it. Expect to hear cheering when they are doing good and comforting when scared of something happening. That being said I work with all personality styled dogs from fear aggressive/anxiety driven to the ones that love grooming and everything in between.

When we are done yes there is going to be a mess in your home around where we had just finished grooming your pet. But don't worry because some or most (I always bring) a mini shop vac to help clean up. We all should be cleaning up our messes after we are done grooming leaving the house mostly in the same condition we entered it in. I say mostly because sometimes hair is missed or was blowen under something that we didn't see that stray tuft of hair. If you are still to worried about the temporarily mess in your home then maybe a mobile groomer would be a better fit for you.

Coco enjoying his one on one cage free grooming

Mobile Grooming: Similar to house call grooming but a huge difference, mobile grooming is a great option when its available. They are a little more expensive than a house call groomer and that's ok. Mobile grooming is still a one on one, cage and stress free environment where the groomer has the luxury to give your fur baby all the care and attention they require for grooming.

The biggest difference is they have everything needed to do their jobs. the only thing needed is a place for the van to park outside of your home that is safe from traffic. Every thing listed in what a house call needs from you is already there inside the grooming van. You don't have to worry about a mess in your home or finding a quiet spot for important phone calls when the dryer is running to dry you fur baby after the bath.

Time frame is still the same as a house call groomer and the pets they take in are very similar to a house call groomer, and your pet may be able to listen to calming or up beat (building confidence) music while they are being groomed. It's easier to play music when in a grooming van than as a house call groomer. House call groomers are working hard to be respectful of the space in your home you have provided and trying not to disrupt your day to day routines.

I hope you found this helpful for the next time you are looking for a groomer for you fur baby and you are more encouraged to spend a little more on their comfort having the convenes of the groomer coming to your home. Yes it's a bit more expensive than a traditional grooming salon but isn't it worth knowing your baby is not sitting in a cage waiting for attention from the over booked busy groomer? I say yes it's worth paying higher prices I would hate to see my fur baby waiting in the kennel to be worked on, waiting in the kennel with huge bulky dryer hoses on the door blowing air and then waiting in the kennel to be picked up.