Dog grooming prices in Kent vary more than most owners expect — not because groomers are inconsistent, but because the price is genuinely built around your specific dog. The same breed at two different condition levels can produce quotes that are £20 apart before anyone has looked at the coat.

This guide uses real published prices from groomer listings across Folkestone, Hythe, Dover and Sandgate to give you an honest working range. Every figure cited here is drawn directly from listings in the doggroomersfolkestone.com directory[1] — not national averages or estimates.

Quick headline figures (Kent, March 2026)

  • Full groom (small breed): from £30 to £50
  • Full groom (medium breed): from £40 to £65
  • Full groom (large breed): from £50 to £90+
  • Full groom (giant breed): from £60 to £120+
  • Bath, wash and blow-dry (no styling): from £20 to £45
  • Puppy introduction: from £20 to £35
  • Nail clip only: from £5 to £10

All prices are "from" figures. Final quotes depend on coat condition, breed, matting and what the salon bundles into the service.

Average Dog Grooming Prices in Kent (2026)

The table below is built from published pricing across ten Kent salons with explicit price menus. Where a salon only says “contact for quote”, it has not been included in the ranges.

Service Lowest seen (Kent) Typical range Notes
Full groom — toy breed £30 £30–£50 Short styling coats sit at the lower end; curly or profuse coats at the higher
Full groom — small breed £35 £35–£60 Includes nail clip and ear clean at most salons; confirm what is bundled
Full groom — medium breed £40 £40–£65 Cockapoos, Spaniels and Schnauzers appear in every groomer's medium tier
Full groom — large breed £50 £50–£90 Long-haired or double-coated large breeds routinely land at the higher end
Full groom — giant breed £60 £60–£120+ Harry's Dog Boarding (Dover) published a range of £40–£120 for long-haired large breeds
Bath, brush and blow-dry (no cut) £20 £20–£45 Hythe's Posh Paws "The Full Monty" covers short-haired dogs with no body styling from £20
Puppy introduction groom £20 £20–£35 Some salons sell multi-session puppy packages (e.g. The Pup Hut & Strut's £100 package)
Nail clip only £5 £5–£10 Walk-in availability varies; call ahead to confirm
De-shedding groom £40 (standalone) £10–£15 add-on / £40–£60 standalone Most relevant for Labradors, German Shepherds, Huskies and similar double-coated breeds
Hand stripping £15 per session (small breeds) £15–£50/hr depending on breed and time Waggers (Hythe) charges £50 for the first hour, £25 per additional hour

What a Standard Kent Full Groom Includes

The exact contents of a “full groom” are not standardised across the industry — what is bundled and what is charged as an extra varies noticeably between salons.

Looking at the published service descriptions across Kent listings, a typical full groom usually includes:

  • Bath using dog-appropriate shampoo (some salons offer two washes)
  • Blow-dry and brush-out
  • Full body scissor or clipper styling to an agreed finish
  • Ear clean
  • Nail clip
  • Finishing spray

What tends to be charged as an extra:

Common add-on charges seen in Kent listings

  • De-shedding treatment: £10–£15 add-on (The Shed Shed, E's Prestige)
  • Conditioning or mud treatment: £5–£15 (E's Prestige, The Pup Hut & Strut)
  • Ultrasonic teeth cleaning: £25–£45 per session (E's Prestige, Furry Friends Salon)
  • Blueberry facial: £7–£8 (The Shed Shed, Furry Friends Salon)
  • De-matting: From £5 (small knots, 15 min max) upward — charged on assessment
  • Flea fee: £30–£60 if fleas are discovered during the appointment

Always ask at booking whether nail clipping and ear cleaning are included in your quoted price or charged separately.

Price by Breed: What to Expect

Breed characteristics that affect price most directly:

Curly and wool-coated breeds (Cockapoos, Poodles, Doodles)

These breeds require more scissor time than equivalently sized smooth-coated dogs. Cuts And Clips in Hythe explicitly lists a separate curly/wool-coated tier at from £46 for a medium (versus from £43 for a standard medium), reflecting the additional work involved. If left too long between appointments, matting significantly raises the cost further.

Wire-coated and hand-stripped breeds (Border Terriers, Wire Fox Terriers, Irish Terriers, Airedales)

Hand stripping preserves breed coat texture in a way clipping cannot — but it is priced by time and expertise, not by size. Waggers (Hythe) charges £50 for the first hour and £25 per additional hour.[2] The total for an Airedale Terrier requiring a full strip could reasonably reach £75–£100. Not every Kent salon offers hand stripping — check their service list before booking.

Double-coated shedding breeds (Labradors, Golden Retrievers, German Shepherds, Huskies)

These breeds don’t need a clip, but a full de-shedding session removes loose undercoat more thoroughly than a standard bath. The Shed Shed (Folkestone) prices standalone de-shedding grooms from £40 (toy) to £60 (medium), with large breeds on application.[3]

Short-coated breeds (Boxers, Whippets, Staffordshire Bull Terriers)

These are the most straightforward grooming appointments — bath, dry, nail clip, ear clean. Hythe’s Posh Paws “The Full Monty” (a bath-only service for short-haired dogs with no body styling) starts at £20 for toy breeds and £25 for small.[4] Most salons price short-haired grooms at the lower end of their standard full groom tier.

What Drives the Final Quote?

Salons price from a published “starting from” figure, and the actual quote you get is built on top of that. The main factors:

Dog size is the single biggest driver. Every salon with a tiered pricing structure shows a clear step-up from small to medium to large to giant.

Coat condition is the most variable factor. A well-maintained Cockapoo that goes every 6–8 weeks will cost less than one arriving with heavy matting that requires de-matting before any styling can begin. E’s Prestige (Sandgate) lists matting fees from £5 depending on severity; The Pup Hut & Strut (Hawkinge) charges £5 for small knots under 15 minutes and from £15 for a full clip-off if matting is more severe.[5]

Coat type affects time — curly and wire coats take longer to dry and style than smooth coats of the same body weight.

Extras bundled vs. unbundled — a £40 quote that excludes nails and ears can end up costing the same as a £50 quote that includes them. It is worth asking the groomer at booking exactly what is included.

Prices by Area — Folkestone, Hythe, Dover and Sandgate

Folkestone

The deepest comparison set in the directory. The Shed Shed (Wells Road) and Furry Friends Salon (Shearway Road Enterprise Centre) both publish full price menus. For a standard small breed full groom with styling, starting prices sit at £45–£50 at The Shed Shed and from £40 at Furry Friends.[3] Scruffy 2 Fluffy (Capel-le-Ferne) shows the lowest published Kent full groom starting points — small from £30, medium from £40 — though the address is on the Folkestone/Dover edge of the area.[6]

See all Folkestone groomer listings: Folkestone dog groomers

Hythe

Waggers (Martello Drive, Pennypot) and Cuts And Clips (High St) both publish full tiered price menus. Waggers: full groom toy/small from £45, medium from £50, large from £55, extra large from £70+. Cuts And Clips: small from £40, medium from £43, large from £60. Hythe’s Posh Paws (Cobden Rd) operates on different service naming — enquire directly for current full groom pricing using their terminology.[2]

See all Hythe groomer listings: Hythe dog groomers

Dover

Rosie’s Groom Room (Farthingloe Road) is one of the clearest priced salons in the directory: small/medium full groom £40, large £50–£60, nails only £10.[7] Harry’s Dog Boarding (Lowther Road) shows realistic cost ranges rather than starting prices: short-haired full groom £35–£75, long-haired full groom £40–£120, reflecting how much coat type affects the final number at the larger end.[8]

See all Dover groomer listings: Dover dog groomers

Sandgate

E’s Prestige Dog Grooming (21B Sandgate High Street) is the main explicitly priced option in this area. Full groom: toy from £50, small/medium from £60, large from £75, giant from £90. Their pricing is slightly higher than comparable Folkestone salons but their service list is detailed, including ultrasonic teeth cleaning and a range of spa add-ons.[5]

See all Sandgate groomer listings: Sandgate dog groomers

Mobile Dog Grooming in Kent

The directory currently lists Mutleys Mobile Dog Grooming (Dover) as the one mobile groomer in the southeast Kent coverage area, with pricing available directly on enquiry.

Mobile grooming — where the groomer comes to you with a self-contained van setup — typically carries a premium over salon prices, reflecting the travel and equipment overhead. The benefit is significant for dogs that are anxious in multi-dog salon environments, or for owners without easy transport to a salon. If your dog falls into either category, the price difference is usually worth it.

How to Find a Groomer and Check Their Current Price

Published “starting from” prices give you a useful ballpark but they are not guaranteed quotes. The actual figure depends on your dog being assessed. Most Kent groomers are happy to quote over the phone or during a meet-and-greet before you commit to a booking.

Find groomers with published pricing near you

For help deciding what to look for beyond price, see our guide to finding a good dog groomer in Kent and the 15 questions to ask before booking.

References

  1. Doggroomersfolkestone.com Kent groomer directory — published pricing data from individual salon listings, verified March 2026. doggroomersfolkestone.com/prices
  2. Waggers Dog Grooming, 28 Martello Drive, Pennypot, Hythe. Published service and pricing menu, March 2026. View listing | Hythe's Posh Paws, 18 Cobden Rd, Hythe. Published pricing menu, March 2026. View listing
  3. The Shed Shed, 38 Wells Road, Folkestone CT19 4PW. Published service and pricing menu, March 2026. View listing
  4. Hythe's Posh Paws, 18 Cobden Rd, Hythe CT21 6EY. "The Full Monty" described as: 2 warm water baths, brush, blow dry, nail clip, eye clean — no body styling (short-haired dogs). Published pricing, March 2026. View listing
  5. E's Prestige Dog Grooming, 21B Sandgate High Street, Sandgate, Kent. Published service and pricing menu, March 2026. View listing | The Pup Hut & Strut, Old Rectory Cl, Hawkinge, Folkestone. Published de-matting and service pricing, March 2026. View listing
  6. Scruffy 2 Fluffy Dog Grooming, 16 New Dover Rd, Capel-le-Ferne, Folkestone. Published base pricing by size tier, March 2026. View listing
  7. Rosie's Groom Room, 80 Farthingloe Road, Dover. Published service and pricing menu, March 2026. View listing
  8. Harry's Dog Boarding, Daycare & Dog Groomers, Harry's Home Boarding, Lowther Road, Dover CT17 0BE. Published pricing ranges, March 2026. View listing
Next step after reading

Move from research into real local options

Use the directory to compare live grooming listings, or check the Kent price guide first if you want a quick cost sense-check before contacting a business.

Browse local listings Check price guide