Dog Grooming Experts at Yell Reveal The Most High-Maintenance Dog Breeds To Own in 2024
Research by Yell has found that the English Springer Spaniel is the most high-maintenance dog breed, with grooming needed every 2 weeks at an average annual cost of £1,222. By looking at UK dog registrations in 2023, compiling annual grooming needs and care costs per breed, at have identified the most high-maintenance dog breeds to own in 2024.
Dog ownership has soared over the last few years, with more people than ever opening their homes to a new dog. From getting a puppy for Christmas to wanting a fluffy companion for company, the estimated number of in the UK in 2023 was 12 million. With over 220 different breeds to choose from and certain breeds needing more care than others, be it food consumption, regular grooming or constant stimulation, it can be difficult to know which breed to pick that will suit your home and lifestyle the best.
The Most Popular Breeds in the UK
By looking at the number of dog registrations in the UK over 2022/2023, experts at Yell identified the most popular breed with over 44,000 registrations was the Labrador Retriever. Following close behind is the French Bulldog with 42,538 UK registrations, with the Cocker Spaniel coming in third with 29,491 registrations.
| Dog Breed | No. of UK Registrations |
|---|---|
| Labrador Retriever | 44,311 |
| French Bulldog | 42,538 |
| Cocker Spaniel | 29,491 |
| Dachshund - Miniature Smooth-Haired | 15,308 |
| Bulldog | 11,667 |
| Golden Retriever | 11,075 |
| English Springer Spaniel | 9,603 |
| German Shepherd | 7,211 |
| Staffordshire Bull Terrier | 6,561 |
| Miniature Schnauzer | 4,788 |
The Most High-Maintenance Dog Breeds
Depending on which breed you go for, they may require different levels of maintenance. , based at Wright Scruffs, says that a dog's grooming needs will entirely depend on the breed, the length and type of coat and the lifestyle your dog has. “This is really breed-specific, depending on the coat. Some breeds need to visit every 4-6 weeks whilst others can go without for longer, every 6-8 weeks.”
Shirelle adds, “Woollen coats and long coats should be maximum every 6 weeks. This promotes good coat care, skincare, and can prevent ear infections (clearing the ears). It also ensures the dogs don't have parasites/matting and helps avoid potential skin conditions.”
Taking into consideration the breed, frequency of grooming and the average cost per breed, Yell has revealed the most high-maintenance dog breeds. The English Springer Spaniel took the top spot for the most high-maintenance breed in 2024 with grooming needed at least every 2 weeks at an average annual cost of £1,222. Coming in second is the Labrador Retriever with grooming also needed every 2 weeks, with an annual grooming cost of £1,014. The French Bulldog was third most high maintenance, requiring at least a brush and bath every 2-4 weeks at an average annual cost of £503.
| Breed | How often the dog should be professionally groomed | Average Annual Grooming Cost |
|---|---|---|
| English Springer Spaniel | Every 2 weeks | £1,222 |
| Labrador Retriever | Every 2 weeks | £1,014 |
| French Bulldog | Every 2-4 weeks | £503 |
| Miniature Schnauzer | Every 4-6 weeks | £458 |
| Golden Retriever | Every 8-10 weeks | £358 |
| Cocker Spaniel | Every 6-8 weeks | £349 |
| German Shepard | Every 4-8 weeks | £338 |
| Dachshund - Miniature Smooth-Haired | Every 4-6 weeks | £302 |
| Staffordshire Bull Terrier | Every 4-8 weeks | £286 |
| Bulldog | Every 8-12 weeks | £172 |
Whilst the most high-maintenance dogs will require regularly scheduled grooming appointments, it’s important to know the needs of different breeds. Shirelle recommends there are things owners can do in between appointments to care for their beloved pets, “Labradors shed their coats, so regular coat brushing is essential to ensure the undercoat is maintained. French bulldogs are a brachycephaly breed, they are renowned for bad skin conditions. Their faces must be cleaned daily, coat combed, and skin checked for any issues.
Cocker spaniels are naturally water-loving dogs, with lovely long ears and their coats can matt easily. Because they have long ears this breed often has ear infections, so regular brushing and checking of ears is advised.”
When it comes to dog grooming, pet owners mustn’t leave it too long between appointments and keep up regular grooming at home, otherwise further issues may develop. Shirelle says that one of the most annoying things they see is knotted fur, “Dog owners need to ensure they are regularly combing breeds such as Cockapoos, as their coats can easily get tangled and knotted together.
If the breed has long hair but wears a harness, this can also cause friction knots under the arms of the dog. This can take up a lot of grooming time to remove, which results in not having the time to carry out a complete groom.”
The Cost of Grooming by Breed Per Grooming Session
In the UK alone, Google searches for “dog groomers near me” hit 74,000 searches per month. But at what cost? By looking at the average cost for a full groom (shampoo, blow-dry, nail clip, hand stripping/clipping) for each breed, we have identified how size and type of coat can impact grooming costs.
The most expensive dogs to have professionally groomed per session are on average, the Golden Retriever, Newfoundland, Collie, Airedale, Husky and Portuguese Water Dog which all have an average cost of £62 per grooming session as they are the largest and usually have the thickest fur, meaning they take the most time. The cheapest dogs to have professionally groomed are unsurprisingly the smallest breeds, including the Jack Russell, Dachshund, French Bulldog, Chihuahua and Pug with an average cost of £29 per grooming session.
| Size of Dog | Short Hair/Smooth Coat | Long Hair/Silk/Wool Coat | Wire Hair/Double Coat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small Dogs | Jack Russell, Dachshund, French Bulldog, Chihuahua, Pug £29 | Bichon Frise, Toy Poodle, Shih Tzu | Border Terrier, Sheltie, Norfolk, Norwich, Patterdale |
| £29 | £39 | £40 | |
| Medium Dogs | Beagle, Greyhound, Bulldog, Dalmatian, Staffordshire Bull Terrier | Cockapoo, Cocker Spaniel, Springer Spaniel, Miniature Poodle | Westie, Wire Fox, Scotty, Cairn, Miniature Schnauzer, Welsh, Lakeland Terrier |
| £33 | £47 | £44 | |
| Large Dogs | Labrador, Boxer, Pointer, Weimaraner, Vizsla, Great Dane, German Shepherd | Standard Poodle, Labradoodle, Border Collie, Setter | Golden Retriever, Newfoundland, Collie, Airedale, Husky, Portuguese Water Dog |
| £39 | £52 | £62 |
The Cost of Grooming by UK Region
Most UK Pet owners will be spending an average of £32 to have their dogs professionally groomed, but this can vary between £20-£100 depending on the breed and the area of the country you live in. To identify the average spend on professional grooming by UK region, we looked at the 3 highest-rated dog groomers in each UK city to estimate the average cost of professional grooming in that area.
The most expensive UK city to get your dog groomed in was identified to be London, with an average grooming cost of £50 per session. This was followed by Edinburgh with an average of £42 and Leeds with an average cost of £41 per groom. The cheapest city for professional dog grooming is Norwich, with an average cost of £20.
| UK City | Average Grooming Cost |
|---|---|
| London | £50 |
| Edinburgh | £42 |
| Leeds | £41 |
| Bristol | £39 |
| Cardiff | £38 |
| Sheffield | £37 |
| Leicester | £35 |
| Manchester | £34 |
| Birmingham | £31 |
| Plymouth | £29 |
| Brighton | £29 |
| Liverpool | £25 |
| Newcastle | £24 |
| Nottingham | £24 |
| Norwich | £20 |
Whilst grooming a pet may seem like a luxury or an added expense it’s incredibly important for the health of the dog - but any at-home grooming isn’t recommended. Shirelle advises caution when it comes to at-home grooming and to keep it simple. “If owners are confident to cut nails, clean ears, and maintain their dog’s coat, great. However, groomers are there for the owners who are not confident grooming their beloved pet for fear of hurting them. Always better to play safe and leave this to the expert, inevitably, you always find something that needs sorting, so better to have the right skills and tools to ensure this is sorted.
Also, it’s worth considering some training if you’re keen to do this yourself, some groomers run workshops on a 1-1 basis, teaching owners how to groom their dog.”
Choosing the right breed
It’s always important to research any dog when finding the perfect breed for a certain lifestyle and accommodation. From the size to the grooming needs, exercise and nutrition, there are many characteristics to consider when it comes to choosing your furry friend. If you already have a dog and are unsure of its maintenance needs, contact your local for more information on how best to care for your dog whatever the breed.
Methodology
We used a series of data sources and lists to identify the most high-maintenance dog breeds in 2024.
We used to find the total number of UK dog registrations by breed in 2022, as well as the as pets between 2011-2023.
To calculate the average cost of grooming per breed, we used Yell’s directory for the 3 highest-rated per city and calculated the average price for a full groom by city and by breed, as well as which breeds need the most regular grooming. We also utilised average costings from and multiplied our total averages by the number of times per year each dog breed needed to be groomed to calculate an overall annual grooming cost which gave us a list of the most high-maintenance breeds in the UK.
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