The dog groomer with the most new Google reviews in Auckland this year doesn’t have a salon. Jim’s Dog Wash Western Heights is a grooming trailer that parks outside your house. Its first Google review is dated 9 February 2026; eight months later it has 116, and the groomer has answered every one. That was the first surprise. We searched “dog grooming auckland” on 19 October 2026, took the eight groomers Google puts in front of you, downloaded all 1,606 of their Google reviews and went through every price list, booking page and set of terms we could find. Below: what a groom costs by dog size, how booking and cancellations work, what owners actually write about, and a close look at each of the eight.
Quick answers
- A full groom for a small dog starts at $80 to $125 at the four groomers that publish a price list. For a large dog it starts at $120 to $179, and for an extra-large dog at $140 to $330.
- Five of the eight let you book a time online. Nose to Tail, Angels and Jim’s Dog Wash take bookings by phone or enquiry form.
- Scissorhounds has the most Google reviews: 366 across four Auckland salons, one of them trading as Studio Hound in Epsom.
- Most groomers ask for a visit every 6 to 8 weeks. For a medium dog that comes to $630 to $1,170 a year at the four with published prices.
- The words owners use most are about people, not haircuts: “friendly”, “lovely” or “kind” appear in 27% of written reviews.
In this guide
Dog grooming Auckland: the top 8 groomers
How we chose them: the three groomers in Google’s map results for “dog grooming auckland”, plus the five with the most Google reviews among the 40 pet groomers on the first two pages of Google’s places list. Doggy day-care centres and pet shops that also groom are left out. Where a brand has several Auckland salons we count all of them together.
The result is spread across the city. Three are on the North Shore (Rosedale, Albany and Birkenhead). KristAl and Angels are in the west, and Angels has a second salon in Howick. Paw Hub is in Grey Lynn, Scissorhounds runs four salons from Grey Lynn to St Heliers, and one of the eight has no salon at all.
No ads showed for the search. Google’s map put Paw Hub in Grey Lynn first, then Scissorhounds Grey Lynn and Paws on Point in Birkenhead. Under the map came Animates, the national pet store chain, and then Studio Hound in Epsom, which is owned by Scissorhounds; the Scissorhounds site itself was fourth. One company, three places on the first page. Further down sat Urban List’s “10 of the best” from January 2024 and MoneyHub’s list from December 2025.
Google’s “People also ask” box opened with “How much does dog grooming cost in NZ?”, then “What does FFF mean in dog grooming?” (groomer shorthand for a tidy of the face, feet and fanny, meaning the hygiene area) and “What are the new dog rules in Auckland?”. Since 1 January 2026, Auckland Council lets one person walk up to four dogs at a time, two of them off the leash, and registered dog walkers up to 12.
| Groomer | Where | Google rating (reviews) | Full groom, small dog | Booking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scissorhounds | Mission Bay, St Heliers, Grey Lynn, and Epsom as Studio Hound | 5.0 (198), 5.0 (42), 5.0 (51), 4.7 (75) | Not on the website | Online (Ezybook, Kennelbooker) |
| Nose to Tail | Bush Road, Albany | 4.7 (270) | From $99, any size | Phone or contact form |
| Angels Professional Grooming | Don Buck Road, Massey and Cook Street, Howick | 4.7 (137) and 4.6 (129) | Not published | Phone or contact form |
| Paw Hub Pet Grooming | Richmond Road, Grey Lynn | 4.7 (214) | From $109 (short clip) | Online (Setmore) |
| OFP Grooming | Paul Matthews Road, Rosedale | 4.9 (169) | From $90 (5 to 10 kg) | Online form |
| KristAl Pet Grooming | Rawiri Place, Hobsonville | 4.8 (138) | $80 (20 to 35 cm, every 7 to 8 weeks) | Online (DaySmart) |
| Jim’s Dog Wash Western Heights | Mobile, West Auckland | 5.0 (116) | On request | Phone or quote form |
| Paws on Point | Glenfield Road, Birkenhead | 4.9 (67) | $125 | Online (Timely) |
Tip: click or tap any chart or screenshot in this guide to open it full screen.
Also high on the list, each with 85 to 105 reviews: Paws and Relax Pet Spa (5.0 from 105), Boutique Dog Grooming (4.8 from 100), Fur-B-Luscious Dog Salon (5.0 from 100), The Gentle Dog Groomer in West Auckland (4.9 from 88) and West End Groom (5.0 from 85).
What dog grooming costs in Auckland
The most common dog in Auckland is a Labrador, according to the council’s 2026 registration figures, and on every price list below a Labrador is a large dog. That is the first thing to know about grooming prices: size decides almost everything. The second is that no two groomers measure size the same way. OFP weighs your dog, KristAl measures its height at the shoulder, Paw Hub goes by breed, and Paws on Point uses plain small, medium and large.
| Groomer | How they size dogs | Small | Medium | Large | Extra large | Bath only |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OFP Grooming | Weight: 5–10, 10–20, 20–30, 30+ kg | $90 | $110 | $140 | $170 | $50–70 small to $90–125 extra large |
| KristAl | Height: 20–35, 35–45, 46–60, 60+ cm | $80 | $90 | $120 | $140 | Wash $40 small to $95 large |
| Paw Hub | Breed: shih tzu, spoodle, labradoodle, Bernese | $109–119 | $129–159 | $179–229 | $239–329 | $65–79 small to $149–229 extra large |
| Paws on Point | Small to extra large | $125 | $130 (large-medium $145) | $175 | $330 | $55–60 small to $130–180 extra large |
| Nose to Tail | One starting price | From $99 | From $99 | From $99 | From $99 | Valet wash from $69 |
| Scissorhounds, Angels, Jim’s | Not published on their websites | – | – | – | – | – |
Small dogs are the cheap end everywhere, but the climb to extra large is very different. At KristAl the biggest dog costs 1.75 times the smallest. At Paws on Point it is 2.6 times, and a Paw Hub breed cut for an extra-large dog ($329) costs three times its small short clip. Our Dunedin dog grooming guide found small dogs at $75 to $80 and large dogs at $110 to $120. KristAl charges almost exactly that. OFP is $10 to $20 more, Paw Hub and Paws on Point $30 to $70 more.
A joke from the grooming table
A woman with a Samoyed asks why she pays three times what her neighbour pays for a Maltese. “Same price per dog,” says the groomer. “You just have a lot more dog.”
How often you come back changes the bill too. KristAl is the only groomer here that prices by interval: a small dog costs $76 if it comes back within about six weeks, $80 at seven to eight weeks and $90 after nine weeks or more. The others get there another way. Matted coats are charged extra (OFP lists $15 for every 15 minutes of de-matting), and both Scissorhounds and Paws on Point recommend a full groom every 6 to 8 weeks.
Puppy deals are common. Nose to Tail takes 20% off full grooms, mini grooms and valet washes until a puppy is six months old. KristAl does a free tidy-up for puppies up to five months, as long as all three vaccinations are done. OFP’s puppy groom starts at $55, and Scissorhounds offers new customers up to $30 off the first visit, varying by branch.
Grooming cost calculator
A groom every eight weeks sounds like six visits a year. It is closer to seven. Pick a groomer, your dog’s size and how often you go:
What will grooming cost you a year?
Prices come from the four groomers that publish a full price list. Pick your own price if your groomer isn’t one of them.
Default: a medium dog at Paw Hub ($129 for a short clip), every 8 weeks. Starting prices from each groomer’s price list on 19 October 2026; matting, extra time and add-ons cost more. Sizes are matched to each groomer’s own size bands. Grooms a year are 52 weeks divided by your interval, rounded. A guide only.
How the calculator works
Grooms a year are 52 divided by the number of weeks between grooms, rounded to a whole number. The price is each groomer’s published starting price for a full groom for your dog’s size; for KristAl it also depends on the interval (up to 6 weeks, 7 to 8 weeks, or 9 weeks and more). The yearly cost is grooms times price, the monthly figure that divided by 12. Real bills can be higher: matting, extra time and add-ons like teeth or nails are charged on top.
Booking, vaccinations and the small print
Five of the eight run an online diary with live times: Paw Hub (Setmore), Scissorhounds (Ezybook and Kennelbooker), OFP, KristAl (DaySmart) and Paws on Point (Timely). The other three want a phone call or a message. Angels has a “Book Online” page, but it is a contact form.
| Groomer | How to book | Cancelling or not turning up | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nose to Tail | Phone 09 448 2227 or contact form | 24 hours’ notice. First late cancellation or no-show: 50% of the groom, added to your next bill. Second: 100%, and prepayment from then on | $15 if you are more than 15 minutes late; $25 per 2 hours for a late pick-up; free touch-up within 7 days |
| OFP Grooming | Online form or text | Free cancellation and rescheduling | Late pick-up free for 30 minutes, then $10 per 15 minutes; no fee for difficult dogs |
| Paw Hub | Setmore, phone or email | $45 no-show fee (on the booking page) | Nail clips and face trims without a booking, for dogs; book the right size or the booking can’t be accepted |
| Scissorhounds | Ezybook or Kennelbooker | Not stated on the website | Vaccinations required: distemper, hepatitis, parvovirus, leptospirosis and kennel cough |
| KristAl | DaySmart online | Not stated on the website | Puppies need all three vaccinations and a puppy passport |
| Paws on Point | Timely online | Not stated on the website | One dog at a time; a text about 15 minutes before pick-up; owners don’t stay for the groom |
| Angels | Phone or contact form | Not stated on the website | Face, eye, bum and feet trims without an appointment, but ring first |
| Jim’s Dog Wash | Phone or quote form | Not stated on the website | The trailer comes to your home, so no other dogs and no drop-off |
Nobody licenses dog groomers
Dog grooming is unregulated in New Zealand. Anyone can open a salon, and groomers are not routinely inspected for animal welfare (they still have to follow the Animal Welfare Act and its codes). The SPCA suggests visiting a salon before you book and asking about the groomer’s training, including pet first aid. Most of the eight say something about experience on their websites, and Paws on Point’s groomer lists a pet first aid certificate on Facebook.
What 1,606 Google reviews tell you
The average across all eight is high, and only 60 of the 1,606 reviews (3.7%) give one or two stars. The more useful numbers are underneath: when reviews were written, who answers them and what owners say.
Who is collecting reviews right now
Jim’s Dog Wash Western Heights got 116 Google reviews in the last 12 months, more than Scissorhounds’ four salons, OFP and KristAl put together (105). It only appeared on Google in February. April alone brought 46.
At the other end, Nose to Tail and Paw Hub, the two most-reviewed single salons in the city, each got 16. Paws on Point got 9. None of that says anything about how busy the salons are. It says who asks clients for a review and who doesn’t.
Over ten years the pattern is waves rather than lines. Angels had 10 Google reviews in 2024 and 117 in 2025, and 100 of those arrived at its two salons between September and December. Paw Hub had its biggest year in 2025 too: 68 reviews came in from December 2024 to April 2025. OFP got its first Google review in June 2024 and 46 in its first three months. Scissorhounds has had single big days: 23 reviews for Grey Lynn on 1 May 2024, the date of its first Google review, and 15 at Mission Bay on 16 October 2020.
Waves are normal. A groomer sends a request to its client list, or puts a QR code on the counter, and people respond. Google’s rules allow asking. They don’t allow paying for reviews or asking only the clients you expect to be happy.
Look at the year, not just the total
A 4.7 built over ten years can hide a weak few months. In 2026 so far, Paw Hub’s reviews average 4.22 stars (from 9), Nose to Tail’s 4.27 (from 11) and Angels’ 3.95 (from 18). Scissorhounds’ 20 reviews this year are all five stars, and KristAl is back up to 4.62 after 4.47 in 2025. These are small numbers, so read the reviews themselves before you decide.
Most of the low ratings describe one of three things: a cut that didn’t match what the owner asked for, a nick, clipper rash or a nail cut too short that was found after pick-up, or a long wait to collect the dog. Very few are about price.
Who replies
Jim’s Dog Wash has answered all 116 of its reviews and Paw Hub 201 of 214, back to 2016. OFP has answered none of its 169, and Angels 23 of 266. Scissorhounds replied to 37 reviews in Grey Lynn in 2024, and to none of the 44 its salons received in the last 12 months.
Paws on Point is the one that has changed most. It answered every review in 2023 and 2024, then 3 of the 9 in the last year, a year that also brought its only two low ratings.
What owners write about
We searched the 1,280 reviews with text for recurring themes. The people come first: “friendly”, “lovely” and “kind” turn up in 27% of them. Loyalty is next (“for years”, “always”, “every time”), then how the dog looked when it came home, then patience with nervous or anxious dogs. Price is in 6%.
Each groomer has its own signature. At Jim’s Dog Wash 31 of 103 written reviews mention smell, which makes sense for a service built around the wash. OFP’s reviews talk about patience (41 of 161) and puppies (23). Scissorhounds Mission Bay gets 28 mentions of cats, KristAl 21, more than any of the others, and both groom cats as well as dogs.
Overheard at the front desk
If dogs wrote the reviews, every salon in Auckland would sit at 1.2 stars, and every review would say the same thing: “They gave me a bath. Again.” The one five-star review would read: “Biscuit at the end.”
SEO4 Local Score
For salon owners, and for anyone curious how these businesses present themselves online, we scored each groomer on eight checks, 0 to 2 points each, out of 16. None of them are our clients. This is a public snapshot from 19 October 2026, written in good faith, and a website score says nothing about the quality of anyone’s grooming.
| Groomer | Website | Title and heading | Prices | Online booking | Policies | New reviews | Replies | Housekeeping | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paw Hub | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 11 |
| OFP Grooming | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 11 |
| Nose to Tail | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| KristAl | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 |
| Jim’s Dog Wash Western Heights | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 9 |
| Scissorhounds | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| Paws on Point | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 |
| Angels | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
How we score
- Website: 2 for the groomer’s own website with its services, 1 for a page on a franchise or parent website, 0 for none.
- Title and heading: 2 if the service (dog grooming, groomer or dog wash) and the place appear in both the home page title and its main heading, 1 if in the title only, 0 if in neither.
- Prices: 2 for a price list by dog size on the groomer’s own website, 1 for a single “from” price or prices only inside the booking system, 0 for none.
- Online booking: 2 for booking with live times, 1 for an enquiry form or quote request, 0 for phone only.
- Policies: 2 for written cancellation or no-show rules plus other rules on the groomer’s own website, 1 for some rules (vaccinations, matting, pick-up) without cancellation rules, 0 for none found.
- New reviews: 2 for 30 or more Google reviews in the last 12 months, 1 for 10 to 29, 0 for fewer.
- Replies: 2 if the groomer answered 80% or more of its Google reviews in the last 12 months, 1 for 20% to 79%, 0 below 20%.
- Housekeeping: 2 if contact details, hours and claims agree across the website, Google and booking pages, 1 for small slips such as typos or an old footer year, 0 for conflicting phone numbers, hours, addresses or business names.
The eight groomers in detail
In order of Google reviews, most first. For each: the numbers, what the website and Google profile do well, and what we would change if it were ours to fix.
1. Scissorhounds (8/16): four salons, three spots on page one
- 366 Google reviews across four Auckland salons, 44 in the last 12 months
- 5.0 stars at Mission Bay, St Heliers and Grey Lynn; 4.7 at Studio Hound
- No Google replies in the last 12 months
- Loyalty card, up to $30 off a first visit, up to $30 off for referrals
Scissorhounds is the biggest name in this guide, and it shows on Google. Grey Lynn is in the map, Studio Hound is the second ordinary result and the Scissorhounds site is the fourth. Not many groomers get that much of page one. The home page leads with the five salons and their phone numbers, and the loyalty offer is generous: free add-ons such as teeth cleaning and ear plucking, money off for new clients and referrals, and stamps towards savings of up to $100, all valid until June 2027.
The weak spot is the price list. The home page has a section called “our pricing scheme” with headings for small to extra-large dogs and no prices under them, and a note to check the booking system because prices vary by branch. The page title is “Home - Scissorhounds Dog and Cat Grooming”, with no Auckland in it, and the meta description still describes only the Mission Bay salon. Ezybook gives Mission Bay’s Sunday hours as 8.30 to 6.30; the website says 9 to 4.30.
The reviews are excellent and mostly unanswered. Grey Lynn replied to 37 in 2024 and Studio Hound to 22 over the years, while Mission Bay has answered 7 of its 198 and St Heliers none.
What we would change:
- Fill in the price table, branch by branch if prices differ.
- Put Auckland and the suburb into the page titles, and give each salon its own page.
- One set of opening hours on the website, Google and Ezybook.
- Reply to new reviews again, starting with the 20 that arrived at St Heliers in the last year.
2. Nose to Tail (10/16): the most-reviewed salon, with the clearest rules
- 270 Google reviews, the most of any single salon in this guide
- Full groom from $99, valet wash from $69, puppies 20% off until six months
- Also: self-service dog wash, canine hydrotherapy and a pet shop
- 16 new Google reviews in the last 12 months, 8 answered
Nose to Tail does more under one roof than anyone else here. You can leave your dog for a full groom, pay for a valet wash, wash it yourself in a purpose-built bath, book hydrotherapy for an older or injured dog, and buy shampoo and harnesses on the way out. It is open seven days, and the website already tells you it will be closed on Labour Day, 26 October.
Its policies page is the most complete in Auckland: leads and collars at the door, a free touch-up within seven days if you are not happy, 24 hours’ notice to cancel, 50% and then 100% for late cancellations, $15 for arriving more than 15 minutes late and $25 per two hours for a late pick-up. Clients know where they stand before they book.
What it lacks is a way to book. Every page ends with a phone number or a contact form, and prices stop at “from $99”, with nothing by size. The footer shows a stray “dashboard” link, the meta description says “We’re also offer”, and the home page heading is just “Welcome to Nose to Tail”. On Google, 2025 and 2026 have been quieter years: 14 and 11 reviews, against 25 to 38 a year from 2018 to 2024.
Where we would start:
- A price list by size for full grooms and valet washes, on the grooming page.
- Online booking, even for the valet wash only.
- A main heading that says “Dog grooming in Albany, North Shore”.
- A review request after every groom. 270 reviews built over 12 years deserve fresh ones on top.
3. Angels Professional Grooming (5/16): a grooming school with a quiet website
- 266 Google reviews across two salons, 85 in the last 12 months
- Runs Angels Grooming Academy, with courses for new and working groomers
- Owner Angela Anderson trains groomers; the website calls her award-winning
- 1 reply to 85 reviews in the last year
Angels has something no other groomer here has: a training academy. It teaches people to groom, a related business sharpens clippers, and the salon staff are trained by the owner. That is a strong reason to trust a salon. Its site also explains the process well, from the pre-groom check for matting and skin problems to recording each groom “for next time”, and it says you can drop in for a face or feet trim without an appointment.
Almost nothing else is there for a new client. There are no prices on any page we found. “Book Online” leads to a contact form. The footer says © 2017, the page title has no Auckland in it, and one page lists the salons as Massey, Howick, Parakai and Hei Hei while the rest of the site says Manukau.
Reviews came in a rush: 100 of the 117 reviews from 2025 arrived between September and December. Since then there have been 18, averaging 3.95 stars, and almost none have been answered.
Three quick fixes:
- Publish starting prices by size for each salon.
- Real online booking, or at least a booking form that asks for the dog’s breed and size.
- Answer the newest reviews first, especially the low ones; people read the replies.
The academy is the best story Angels has, and the website hardly tells it. A page on why academy-trained groomers matter for your dog would do more than any ad.
4. Paw Hub Pet Grooming (11/16): the longest price list in the city
- First in Google’s map results for “dog grooming auckland”
- 201 replies to 214 Google reviews since 2016
- Full groom from $109 (small, short clip) to $329 (extra large, breed cut)
- Grooms cats and rabbits too
Paw Hub publishes everything. Full grooms, bath and tidy, salon baths, hand stripping, cat and rabbit grooming and ten add-ons, most of them priced by size, with breed examples so you know whether your spoodle is medium (it is). Two $25 add-ons together cost $35. Its FAQ answers the questions people actually ask: nail clips and face trims need no booking, and if nothing shows online for tomorrow, text, because they might squeeze you in. It links to a profile on Xiaohongshu, the Chinese social app, which few local businesses bother with.
And it answers its reviews: 201 of 214, back to 2016. Only Jim’s Dog Wash does better, and it has been on Google for eight months.
Housekeeping lets it down. The meta description reads “Auckland dog, cat and rebbit groomers”, the size guide has “Labraddodle” and “Bernise”, the footer says © 2023, and the home page heading is “Hello Friends!”. The FAQ says walk-ins are fine “for dogs and cats” and then “except for cats!”. And 2026 has been a weak year on Google so far: 9 reviews averaging 4.22.
If we were fixing it:
- A spelling pass over the services page and the meta description.
- A home page heading such as “Dog and cat grooming in Grey Lynn, Auckland”.
- Make the walk-in rule one sentence: nail and face trims for dogs, no walk-ins for cats.
- Ask every client for a review again; the last big wave was in early 2025.
5. OFP Grooming (11/16): the newcomer that promises to remember your dog
- 169 Google reviews in 28 months, 4.9 stars
- Full groom from $80 (under 5 kg) to $170 (over 30 kg)
- Free cancellation and rescheduling, no fee for difficult dogs
- No replies to any Google review
OFP’s offer is the most carefully written in this guide. Every dog gets its own file of preferences, “from eyelashes to tail style”. Before the groom you get a time and cost estimate, and after it a free mini Polaroid of your dog, which OFP says no other Auckland salon offers. The salon has a full glass wall so you can watch. If a dog gets too stressed to finish, there is no charge, or a partial discount and a free return visit. Prices are listed by weight for five services, down to $15 for ear cleaning.
The Google profile is where it gets confusing. The photo on OFP’s profile shows a sign for Dogever Grooming, a separately listed groomer at the same address. OFP’s Instagram gives Dogever’s phone number, and the Google description calls OFP “Takapuna-based” while the address is in Rosedale. A new client could easily wonder which business they are booking with. The site also shows a visible “Optimized by Seraphinite Accelerator” line from a free plugin.
Then the reviews. OFP has collected 169 in two years, 4.9 stars, and has not replied to one of them.
What would help most:
- Explain OFP and Dogever on the website and on Google, or keep their photos and numbers separate.
- Make the Google description match the address.
- Start replying, beginning with the two low reviews. Ten minutes a week covers it.
- Remove the plugin banner.
6. KristAl Pet Grooming (9/16): the only groomer that charges less if you come back sooner
- Full groom $80 (small) to $140 (extra large) every 7 to 8 weeks
- 5% less if you come back within about six weeks, $5 to $10 more after nine weeks or longer
- Free tidy-up for puppies up to five months
- Beginner groomer option from $50 for easy, unmatted dogs
KristAl’s price list is the cleverest we found. Dogs are sized by height at the shoulder, with breed examples, and the price rewards owners who keep to a routine. That suits the salon (an unmatted coat is faster to groom) and the dog. There is a cheaper “beginner groomer” option for dogs that are easy to handle, show grooming from $200, cat grooming workshops and home boarding. Founder Alena’s team describe themselves as certified master groomers with more than 15 years of experience.
You have to find the prices first. The home page title is “DOG AND CAT GROOMING SALON - Home”, with no Hobsonville or Auckland, and there is no main heading. The prices sit on a separate DaySmart booking site, which has its own spelling slips (“BEGGINER”, “APPOIMENTS”, “VACINATION”). Every image on the home page has the alt text “Picture”. Our research browser was also blocked by the site’s Cloudflare security check, so it is worth making sure real visitors don’t see that screen.
On Google, KristAl answers about two reviews in three. 2026 is its best year for review numbers since 2022, with 21.
Next steps we’d suggest:
- Copy the price list onto the website itself, with the interval discount explained in one line.
- A page title and heading with Hobsonville and West Auckland.
- Fix the spelling on the booking site; it is the page people see just before they pay.
7. Jim’s Dog Wash Western Heights (9/16): 116 reviews in eight months, from a trailer
- 116 Google reviews, all in 2026, and 116 replies
- The most new reviews of any groomer in this guide
- Washes, full grooms, tidy trims, nails, flea treatment and puppy washes at your home
- No prices published
Maria, who runs this franchise, has done in eight months what most salons haven’t done in ten years. The Google profile is complete, it posts updates (the latest on 30 September), and every review has a reply. Owners love the format: the trailer has warm water and dryers, and your dog is the only one there. Almost a third of the written reviews mention how good the dog smelled afterwards.
Online, Maria depends on the franchise. She has one page on jimsdogwash.co.nz with a good description and no prices, and the main site asks you to request a quote or call the national 0800 number. Jim’s says it has 230 franchisees in Australia and New Zealand, so the Western Heights page competes with every other Jim’s page for the same searches.
What would help most:
- Starting prices by size on the franchise page, even “from” prices.
- A list of the suburbs Maria covers: Rānui, Massey, Henderson and so on, as searchers type them.
- Online booking linked from the Google profile.
On reviews and replies, nobody else in this guide comes close.
8. Paws on Point (7/16): one groomer, one dog, two phone numbers
- Third in Google’s map results with only 67 reviews
- Full groom $125 (small) to $330 (extra large) on Timely
- One-on-one salon, no cages
- Groomer Nicci: “8+ years”, pet first aid certified
Paws on Point is the smallest business here and it reached the map ahead of salons with three times the reviews. Its site has personality (“Got a nervous nelly? No stress!”) and an FAQ that says how long a groom takes, from 1.5 hours for small dogs to 3 for extra large, that you get a text 15 minutes before pick-up, and that matted dogs are clipped rather than put through a long de-matting session: “comfort over vanity”. Booking is online with live times.
The details need a tidy. Google lists the phone as 020 4001 9392, while the website’s call buttons dial 020 4179 2491. The website’s page titles are just “Home” and “Services”, there are no prices on the site itself (they are on Timely), and Google calls it “3+ years in business” while the site says “since 2017”. Replies have slowed too: every review got one in 2023 and 2024, but only 3 of the last 9.
Our list for Paws on Point:
- One phone number everywhere.
- Page titles with Birkenhead and North Shore dog grooming.
- The Timely price list copied onto the services page.
- A calm, short answer under each of the two low reviews from March 2026.
For grooming salon owners: what the top eight teach
Your Google review count is what a new client compares when three groomers sit side by side on the map. Jim’s Dog Wash and OFP show how fast it can grow when you ask. Nose to Tail and Paw Hub, with the most reviews of any single salon, show how fast it stalls when you stop.
- Ask every client for a Google review. A link in the pick-up text or a QR code at the counter. Google forbids rewards for reviews and asking only the happy clients.
- Publish prices by size. Four of the eight do, two of them only inside their booking system. The rest leave people to phone before they know what a groom costs.
- Write down your rules. Nose to Tail and OFP have opposite cancellation policies, and both are clear. Clients forgive a fee they were told about.
- Keep one set of details. Two of the eight show different phone numbers or businesses on Google and their own website.
Then there is the rebooking gap. A dog groomed every 7 weeks instead of every 10 brings in about two extra grooms a year. Across a whole client list that adds up quickly:
What is a shorter rebooking gap worth to your salon?
Enter your active clients and how often they come back now. The calculator compares that with the gap you would like them to keep.
Defaults are an example, not measured figures: 300 clients, a $110 average groom (OFP’s medium full groom) and a gap of 10 weeks shortened to 7, inside the 6 to 8 weeks Scissorhounds and Paws on Point recommend. Assumes you have the chair time. Use your booking software’s client report for real numbers.
A client app built for a grooming salon
Booking systems hold the diary. What they rarely keep is that Milo is a 14 kg spoodle, wears a 5F blade on the body and a teddy-bear face, hates the dryer and is due back every seven weeks. SEO4 designs and builds custom apps for grooming salons around exactly that:
- A card for every dog, with weight, coat, blade numbers, behaviour notes, vaccination dates and before-and-after photos any groomer can see.
- Rebooking on the dog’s own interval, with a reminder when it is due, not a monthly blast.
- Size and coat pricing built in, so the quote at drop-off matches the price list.
- A Google review request after every groom, to every client.
- Your cancellation rules shown before booking, with deposits or no-show fees if you want them.
Common questions
At the four of Auckland’s top eight groomers that publish a price list, a full groom started at $80 to $125 for a small dog, $90 to $130 for a medium dog, $120 to $179 for a large dog and $140 to $330 for an extra-large dog in October 2026. Breed cuts, matted coats and add-ons cost more. A bath without a haircut starts at about $40 to $65 for a small dog.
Most Auckland groomers recommend a full groom every 6 to 8 weeks for dogs with coats that keep growing, such as poodle crosses, with a bath or tidy in between if needed. KristAl in Hobsonville charges 5% less if you come back within about six weeks and more if the gap is nine weeks or longer.
Many do. Scissorhounds requires current vaccinations against distemper, hepatitis, parvovirus, leptospirosis and kennel cough, and KristAl only books puppies that have had all three puppy vaccinations. Check your groomer’s terms before the first visit.
It depends on the groomer. Nose to Tail asks for 24 hours’ notice and charges 50% of the groom for a first late cancellation or no-show and 100% for a second. Paw Hub’s booking page mentions a $45 no-show fee. OFP Grooming offers free cancellation and rescheduling.
On 19 October 2026, Scissorhounds had 366 across its four Auckland salons (including Studio Hound in Epsom), Nose to Tail in Albany 270, Angels 266 across Massey and Howick, and Paw Hub in Grey Lynn 214. In the last 12 months, Jim’s Dog Wash Western Heights, a mobile groomer, collected the most new reviews: 116.
Sources and how we checked
- Google search and Google Places results for “dog grooming auckland” (first three pages), and Google searches for each groomer by name, viewed 19 October 2026 from New Zealand. Results depend on where you search from.
- Google reviews: SEO4 collected every public Google review for the twelve Google profiles of the eight groomers (1,606 reviews) on 19 October 2026, with date, stars and owner reply. Themes are keyword matches in the 1,280 reviews with text; one review can match several themes.
- Groomer websites and booking pages: Paw Hub services, OFP Grooming prices and policies, Nose to Tail policies, Scissorhounds and its terms, Angels Professional Grooming Centre, KristAl’s DaySmart price list, Jim’s Dog Wash Western Heights and Paws on Point (prices from its Timely booking page), all viewed 19 October 2026.
- Auckland dogs and rules: Auckland Council, 2026/27 dog registration (May 2026) and new dog walking rules.
- Regulation: SPCA position statement on groomers; Fair Go on 1News, June 2022, on grooming being unregulated.
- Dunedin prices: SEO4’s Dunedin dog grooming guide, October 2026. How Google ranks local results: Google Business Profile Help.
More local guides from SEO4
- Dog grooming in Dunedin: the top 7 compared
- Barbers in Auckland: the top 7 compared
- Tattoo studios in Auckland: the top 11 compared
- SEO in Auckland
- SEO4 pricing and contact
- Dog grooming in Auckland (you are here)
Run a grooming salon in Auckland?
We will score your Google profile and website on the same eight checks, show you which fixes move you up the map, and talk through a client app with dog cards, rebooking reminders and Google reviews built in. Have a look at how we do SEO in Auckland.