LONDON – Dog owners, prepare to spend a pretty penny for this puppy. A new study has found that the English Springer Spaniel is the most high-maintenance dog breed, with their people spending more than $1,500 just to care for them every year. The findings, based on dog registrations in the United Kingdom in 2023, annual grooming needs, and care costs, also shed light on which breeds demand the most time, money, and attention.
Dog ownership has witnessed a significant increase, driven by a variety of factors, from gifts during the holiday season to the desire for companionship. With over 220 dog breeds available, choosing the right one that fits your lifestyle and home can be daunting. Some breeds require more food, regular grooming, or constant stimulation than others, making choosing a breed a critical decision for potential dog owners.
According to Yell’s study, the most registered dog breed in the UK for 2022-23 is the Labrador Retriever, with more than 44,000 registrations. The French Bulldog and Cocker Spaniel followed closely behind, boasting 42,538 and 29,491 registrations, respectively. However, popularity does not necessarily equal low maintenance.
Shirelle Moore, a dog grooming expert at Wright Scruffs, emphasizes that grooming needs vary greatly among breeds, depending on their coat type and lifestyle.
“It’s really breed-specific, depending on the coat. Some breeds need visits every four to six weeks while others may go longer, every six to eight weeks,” Moore said in a media statement. “Woollen coats and long coats should be maximum every six weeks. This promotes good coat care, skin care, and can prevent ear infections (cleaning the ears). It also ensures dogs are free of parasites/mats and helps prevent potential skin conditions.”
The English Springer Spaniel tops the list of high-maintenance breeds for 2024, requiring bi-weekly grooming sessions. The Labrador Retriever, despite its popularity, ranks second with similar grooming needs but with a slightly lower annual cost of $1,270. The French Bulldog, which requires brush and bath sessions every two to four weeks, ranks as the third most high-maintenance breed, with annual grooming costs of $632.
The research also highlights significant variation in grooming costs across races and regions of the UK. Larger breeds with thicker fur, such as Golden Retrievers and Newfoundlands, are among the most expensive to groom, with an average cost of $78 per session. Conversely, smaller breeds like the Jack Russell and French Bulldog are the least expensive, costing around $36 per grooming session.
| Dog Size | Short Hair/Smooth coat | Long Hair/Silk/Wool Coat | Wire Hair/Double Coat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small Dog | Jack Russell, Dachshund, French Bulldog, Chihuahua, Pug £29 | Bichon Frise, Toy Poodle, Shih Tzu | Border Terrier, Sheltie, Norfolk, Norwich, Patterdale |
| $36 | $49 | $50 | |
| 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 |
| $41 | $59 | $55 | |
| Big Dog | Labrador, Boxer, Pointer, Weimaraner, Vizsla, Great Dane, German Shepherd | Standard Poodle, Labradoodle, Border Collie, Setter | Golden Retriever, Newfoundland, Collie, Airedale, Husky, Portuguese Water Dog |
| $49 | $65 | $78 |
While regular at-home grooming can help maintain a dog’s coat, professional grooming sessions are essential for addressing more complex needs.
“If owners have the confidence to trim nails, clean ears, and maintain their dog’s coat, great. However, groomers are there for owners who don’t feel confident grooming their beloved pets for fear of hurting them. It’s always better to play it safe and leave it to the expert, inevitably, you’ll always find something that needs sorting, so it’s better to have the right skills and tools to make sure it’s sorted,” explained Moore.
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Yell used a series of data sources and lists to determine the most high-maintenance dog breeds in 2024.
Yell used Statista to find the total number of dog registrations in the UK by breed in 2022, as well as the population of dogs as pets between 2011-2023.
To calculate the average cost of grooming per breed, Yell used the company directory for the 3 highest rated dog groomers per city and calculated the average price for an entire groomer by city and by breed , as well as which breeds require the most regular grooming. . Yell also used average costs from Nimblefins and multiplied Yell’s total averages by the number of times each dog breed needed to be groomed per year to calculate the total annual grooming costs that gave Yell the list of the UK’s most high maintenance breeds
