For a time about a decade ago, I did some volunteer work for a German Shepherd rescue organisation. Over the years I’ve had several dog breeds in my life, but I’d never had much contact with German Shepherds.
The work involved transporting the dogs from foster care to their new ‘forever’ homes. Some of the drives were quite long, giving me time to get to know my big furry passenger. Before long, I fell in love with German Shepherds as a dog breed. I’ve even thought about adopting one as my next dog.
However, new research published by online finance platform Money has made me think twice about that idea. Why? Because it turns out that German Shepherds cost more to groom than any other of Australia’s 10 most popular breeds.
Our 10 favourite dog breeds, ranked by grooming cost
Based on registration numbers sourced from Dogs Australia, analysts at Money identified the most popular breeds as follows:
- Labrador Retriever 32,855 registrations 2018-23
- Golden Retriever 22,298
- German Shepherd 17,819
- Border Collie 16,475
- French Bulldog 14,934
- Cavalier King Charles Spaniel 13,842
- Rottweiller 10,601
- Miniature Schnauzer 9755
- American Staffordshire Terrier 9021
- Australian Shepherd 7745.
Retrievers are by far the most popular breed at the moment, Labradors accounting for nearly 33,000 registrations over the past six years. There were just over 22,000 Golden Retriever registrations over the same period.
The third most popular dog breed is my old friend the German Shepherd. But when it comes to grooming costs, my German Shepherd mates overtake both retriever breeds. A full service for a German Shepherd – bath, blow dry, nail clipping, ear cleaning, face trimming, brushing – costs on average $147.
Unsurprisingly, the cost for retrievers is not much less, given their size. Golden Retrievers average out at $142, while the shorter-haired Labrador Retriever costs an average of $121.
By average grooming cost, the 10 most popular breeds reorder as follows:
- German Shepherd $147
- Golden Retriever $142
- Labrador Retriever $121
- Border Collie $117
- Australian Shepherd $114
- Rottweiler $112
- Cavalier King Charles Spaniel $100
- Miniature Schnauzer $98
- American Staffordshire Terrier $90
- French Bulldog $81.
Where the money goes
While German Shepherds have shorter hair than Golden Retrievers, their thick double coat and large frames take them to the top of the cost table. The French Bulldog is short-haired and small. As such, its average grooming cost is just $81, only 55 per cent of a German Shepherd grooming session.
With the cost-of-living biting hard, there may be a temptation to bypass your pet’s grooming session. But grooming is an important part of a dog’s upkeep, and neglecting grooming duties could lead to problems later on. Owners can, of course, explore the idea of grooming dogs themselves, but ease and convenience will vary by dog breed.
For some, the cost-of-living crisis is seemingly no barrier. So says Josh Belmonte who co-owns Canberra-based The Dog Barber. “High-end styling for dogs has skyrocketed in demand, and Instagram is a huge part of that. People want their pets to look picture-perfect for ‘the gram’, so stylish cuts and trendy styles are more popular,” he said.
And some Australians, it appears, are quite willing to pay to remain in style.
Do you have a dog? Have you noticed a spike in grooming costs recently? Let us know via the comments section below.
Also read: Lifetime costs on the rise, says Zurich
