More than half of U.S. dog owners, 51%, groom their dogs at home, according to the American Pet Products Association’s (APPA) 2026 dog report. The same report found dog wipe ownership more than doubled year over year and 46% of owners own dental care products. Home care is now the majority habit, not a niche.
The price backdrop helps explain it. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) splits pet services from veterinarian services in its consumer price index, and the non-vet pet services index has risen far faster than overall prices since 2020. Here is the data, what it means for tools, and when a professional groomer is still the better buy.
Trend Signal
55/100 Steady momentum
- Emerging
- Rising
- Mainstream
- Peaking
- Cooling
Half of owners groom at home as service prices outpace inflation
APPA’s 2026 dog report found 51% of owners groom their dogs at home, while the BLS pet services index was 4.6% higher in August 2026 than a year earlier and, by our calculation, 41% above August 2020.
Our editorial reading of the cited data, not a forecast. How it is scored
By the numbers
- 51%U.S. dog owners who groom their dogs at home, APPA 2026 dog reportAPPA
- +41%BLS pet services index (not grooming-only), Aug 2020 to Aug 2026, our calculationBLS
- +108%Year-over-year growth in dog wipe ownership among U.S. dog ownersAPPA
- +3.6%Petco services and other revenue, quarter ended Aug. 1, 2026, vs year earlier (our calc)Petco
Why grooming moved into the home
APPA’s survey is the clearest measure of scale: 51% of dog owners groom at home. It sits alongside other at-home care habits the survey tracked, including 46% of owners with dental care products and a 108% year-over-year jump in dog wipe ownership, which APPA called one of the fastest-growing product categories.
Money is part of the context. APPA found 22% of pet owners spent less on their pets in 2025, and its dog report described owners protecting essentials: veterinary care took 29% of dog-owner spending and food 27%. APPA also found that spending on boarding, salon grooming and mobile grooming all declined in 2025 as owners sought ways to save.
Home grooming is a majority habit, and it is growing alongside cheaper at-home care products like wipes.
What pet service prices have done
BLS publishes an index called pet services including veterinary and splits it into two parts: veterinarian services and everything else, labeled pet services. BLS defines that second index as grooming, boarding at kennels, daycare, pet sitting, walking, obedience training and license services, so it is not a grooming-only price. It stood at 282.024 in August 2026, 4.6% above August 2025 and, by our calculation, 41.1% above August 2020. Over the same six years, the all-items index rose 28.9%.
The annual rate is cooling, from 7.2% in the 12 months to August 2023 to 4.6% in the 12 months to August 2026, but it has stayed above overall inflation in each of those years. Slower increases still compound: a $100 bill at the August 2020 index level would be about $141 at the August 2026 level.
| 12 months to August | Pet services (excluding vet) | All items |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | +7.2% | +3.7% |
| 2024 | +6.3% | +2.5% |
| 2025 | +5.8% | +2.9% |
| 2026 | +4.6% | +3.4% |
Professional grooming is not going away
Retail results are a useful check on the home-grooming story. Petco, which sells pet care services alongside products, reported services and other revenue of $272.4 million for the quarter ended August 1, 2026, up 3.6% from a year earlier by our calculation, while product revenue fell 0.7%. For the first half of its fiscal year, services and other revenue rose 5.2%. Petco’s release does not break out grooming within that line, and APPA found that owners spent less on salon and mobile grooming in 2025.
So the shift is not owners abandoning paid care. It is a split: routine maintenance at home, with paid services for the jobs that need skill, equipment or time. We read the 51% figure as owners doing more between appointments, not replacing every appointment.
Picking tools: clippers, grinders and vacuums
Clippers are the core of a home kit for coats that need trimming. Cordless pet clippers with snap-on guide combs set the cut length and make an even result easier for a beginner. Check the blade type, whether the blades detach for cleaning, the runtime per charge and the noise level if your dog is sound-sensitive.
Nail grinders file nails down with a rotating head instead of cutting them, which removes nail in small amounts rather than one clip. Look for more than one speed, a guard that keeps fur out of the head and enough battery for all four paws in one session.
Grooming vacuums attach a clipper head and brushes to a vacuum, collecting hair as you work, which limits cleanup indoors. They are bulkier and louder than a clipper alone, so they suit owners with storage space and dogs that tolerate vacuum noise.
- Short coats and bath-only routines: brush, shampoo and wipes cover most of the work
- Coats that need regular trims: cordless clippers with guide combs
- Nail care: a grinder for gradual filing, or clippers for quick cuts
Who should groom at home, and who should keep the groomer
Home grooming fits owners of short-coated dogs, owners who want to stretch the time between appointments and anyone already handling baths, nail care and brushing. Those are the tasks where home tools do most of the work and mistakes are easy to recover from.
Keep the professional for coats that need scissoring or hand-stripping, for matted coats and for dogs that are anxious or hard to handle. A bad home clip grows out, but a struggling dog and a sharp blade are a poor mix. If your dog has skin or coat problems, that is a question for a veterinarian before it is a grooming job.
What to watch next
- The monthly BLS pet services index: a 12-month rate at or below overall inflation would remove much of the price pressure behind home grooming.
- APPA’s next dog report, for whether the 51% home-grooming share rises.
- Petco’s services revenue, a check on whether paid pet care demand holds as owners do more at home.
Where to start
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Home grooming tools compared by job
| Product type | Good fit for | Where to look |
|---|---|---|
| Cordless dog clipper kit with guide combs | Fits full-body trims | See listings on AmazonOpens Amazon search results, not one listing: check the model on the product page. |
| Dog nail grinder | Fits nail care | See listings on AmazonOpens Amazon search results, not one listing: check the model on the product page. |
| Pet grooming vacuum kit | Fits indoor, low-mess grooming | See listings on AmazonOpens Amazon search results, not one listing: check the model on the product page. |
Product types that fit the trend described above, not tested models. Check the exact listing before you buy. How we pick them.
Cordless dog clipper kit with guide combs
Where to look: Amazon
The tool that can replace trim appointments, if your dog’s coat needs regular trims. Start with the longest guide comb and work down.
- Guide combs set the length
- Cordless use around the dog
- Learning curve on thick coats
- Blades need cleaning and oil
Dog nail grinder
Where to look: Amazon
Nail care is a frequent grooming job and one of the simpler ones to bring home. A grinder trades speed for control.
- Removes nail gradually
- Smooths edges after a cut
- Noise can bother some dogs
- Slower than a clipper
Pet grooming vacuum kit
Where to look: Amazon
For apartment groomers, the mess is the hard part. A vacuum kit catches hair at the source, if your dog accepts the sound.
- Collects hair as you cut
- Less cleanup indoors
- Bulky to store
- Vacuum noise near the dog
More: Pets trends and how the Trend Signal is scored.
Sources
- America’s Dog Owners Are Becoming Smarter Spenders — American Pet Products Association
- U.S. Pet Industry Reaches $158 Billion in 2025 — American Pet Products Association
- Pet services in U.S. city average, CPI-U — Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Pet services including veterinary in U.S. city average, CPI-U — Bureau of Labor Statistics
- CPI entry-level item descriptions — Bureau of Labor Statistics
- All items in U.S. city average, CPI-U — Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Petco second quarter 2026 results, Exhibit 99.1 — Petco via SEC
Questions readers ask
How many dog owners groom their dogs at home?
According to APPA’s 2026 dog report, 51% of U.S. dog owners groom their dogs at home.
Have dog grooming prices gone up?
BLS has no grooming-only index. Its pet services index, which covers grooming along with boarding, daycare, pet sitting, walking, training and license services but not vet care, rose 4.6% in the year to August 2026 and, by our calculation, 41.1% from August 2020 to August 2026, compared with 28.9% for all consumer prices.
Are people still paying for professional grooming?
Yes, though APPA found spending on salon and mobile grooming declined in 2025. Petco’s services and other revenue, which it does not break out by grooming, rose 3.6% by our calculation to $272.4 million in the quarter ended August 1, 2026, while its product revenue fell 0.7%.
What tools do I need to groom a dog at home?
Most home kits start with a brush suited to the coat, a nail grinder or clipper and dog shampoo; owners who trim coats add cordless clippers with guide combs. APPA’s 2026 data show dog wipes, used between baths, more than doubled in ownership year over year.
