ALL ABOUT DOG GROOMING TABLES

When you want to get a grooming table for your dog, you just can’t afford to be cheap, endangering your dog or other people’s dogs (if you are running a dog grooming business) is not the wisest thing you can do.

A lot of equipment is required for a dog grooming shop. Combs, brushes, blades, and trimmers just to mention a few things. All these things help to make your dog look cool and have beautiful hair. But in all these things, your dog’s grooming table ranks very high in importance. This is simply because you can’t groom your dog without having an ideal spot to do so and then having a grooming table makes grooming your dog possible virtually anywhere.

Having involved myself with dog groomers, managing different dog salons in my time (over a decade) of taking care, and grooming different dogs. I have compiled a simple guide on the best approach when choosing a grooming table.

This guide will be broken down into these parts:

1. Identifying the grooming table that is best for you.
2. Negotiating the best prices for your grooming table.
3. The best grooming tables for smaller dogs.
4. The best grooming tables for bigger dogs.
5. Making your own grooming table.

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Now let’s go into more details

Identifying the grooming table that is best for you.

We have already established the importance of having a grooming table for your dog, whether it’s personal or commercial, but let’s delve into more details on things to look out for when choosing a grooming table. If you deal with hairy dogs you will definitely need a different type of table than if you are dealing with less hairy dogs.

For you to identify the best grooming table for yourself, you have to take these into consideration :

i. Size of the table needed
ii. Type of grooming needed
iii. Whether you travel a lot
iv. Whether it is for personal use or commercial use
v. Price.

i. Size of the table needed: Depending on the number of dogs you are grooming and their sizes, you might need more than one table size. Obviously bigger dogs would need bigger tables than a smaller dog and hairier dogs would need a different table size than ones that are not hairy.

ii. Type of grooming needed: Basically, the amount of grooming that needs to be done also determines the type of grooming board you will need. For smaller to medium-sized dogs, foldable grooming tables are ok. Especially in households, as this helps to save space.

Hydraulic and electric grooming tables are usually better for bigger dogs as they are more sturdy and can carry the dog’s weight.

iii. Whether you travel a lot: Are you always on the move, maybe your service is personalized to homes or you are going for a pet show or just traveling for some time from your main location. You will need a grooming table that can serve this movement. Usually, foldable tables are suitable for this kind of movement but for heavier dogs, this might be a problem and might involve more expensive options.

iv. Whether it is for personal use or commercial use: It makes a lot of difference where a grooming table is going to be used. In Saloons, you will need to have access to all the types of grooming tables, foldable, hydraulic, electric, etc. You certainly would not like to limit your clientele base.

For personal use, you might not need all these options (make choice based on the amount of space available in your household).

v. Price: This is one factor that so many pet parents overlook. Funny enough it is one of the most important factors in identifying a grooming table that is fit for you. Here are basic pointers to put you on the right track when trying to choose a grooming table.

Foldable grooming tables are in the cost range of a hundred to few hundred dollars, hydraulic tables can cost in the range of a hundred to a thousand dollars or more and electric grooming tables are the most expensive, costing from a few hundred dollars to two thousand dollars or more.

Remember this is just a range and market prizes can always change, but at least it gives a fair idea of how these grooming tables are prized.

Negotiating the best prices for your grooming table.

After identifying the grooming table that best suits your needs, the next step is to try and get the best fit for you at the best price. As much as you shouldn’t spend a ridiculous amount of money getting a grooming table, it is always important to shop smart.

To get buy a grooming table for your dog, you can get them through these three places:

i. You can purchase them online.
ii. You can buy them from pet stores.
iii. At grooming expo.

i. Buying a grooming table online: This is usually the easiest way to get a grooming table. But, it is also the one way in which most people are not comfortable buying one. Most people would like to examine a physical product like this before buying one.

The best way to start is to check reviews from reputable sites. e.g Amazon. These reviews are usually an indication of how best the products are performing.

Buy from sites that are geared towards pet products. They tend to have better customer service and are in a better situation to understand what you need.

Sure sites like Amazon are established, but they are geared more towards selling products instead of making you understand more about the product you are buying.

ii. Buying from pet stores: This is usually the option most people feel comfortable with. You go physically to the shop and choose what you want to buy.

Even though you get to inspect the physical product, without real experience, you might not be able to distinguish exactly what you need in terms of cost.

Anyway, the best way to get the best deal is to do your reviews beforehand. Doing a little research before going to buy one will help you make a better choice.

iii. Buying at a grooming expo: At grooming expos, many exhibitors may be selling demo models of their grooming tables, usually at a discount. Before buying from them, confirm things like, is there a guarantee period? Is there a return policy? etc. Ask as many questions that come to mind before committing to a purchase.

The best grooming tables for smaller dogs.

When it comes to smaller dogs, the right grooming table can of great benefit to the groomer. Let’s start with the rotating table. These tables make it easier for the groomer to attend to all parts of the small dog without having to walk round and round the tables.

There are also hydraulic and electric tables that can rotate. All you have to do is place them on top of a larger table and start grooming.

There are also folding tables that can serve smaller dogs, the beauty of working with smaller dogs here is that their weight is not much of a problem. Folding grooming tables should be considered a lot especially if you are going to be traveling a lot.

Some hydraulic grooming tables come with surfaces that are incrementally adjustable. This just means that the table size can be adjusted to meet the dog’s specific needs.

Most of the times, acquiring an electric table for small dogs is an overkill, if anything, it is advisable to stick to the options mentioned above, you will be just fine.

The best grooming tables for bigger dogs.

Grooming big dogs is not an easy endeavor.

It is not a secret that generally dogs don’t like to take a bath. Add this situation together with the fact that most dogs are usually scared when put on a grooming table and that they are larger and heavier than smaller dogs. Problems compound here.

Getting a large dog onto a grooming table can take more than one person to do so. Looking at all this, we need to determine the proper requirements and best grooming tables to groom bigger dogs.

It doesn’t take a genius to know that the requirements for grooming a bigger dog are different from the requirements needed to groom smaller dogs. Bigger dogs are known to have more health issues and lower life span.

Obviously grooming a bigger dog would involve more physical labor than small ones. You will need to lift the dog onto the table and the table should be strong enough to handle the dog’s size and weight.

The three types of grooming tables, foldable, hydraulic, and electric come in handy, but the specifications of these would be different from that of the smaller dogs.

i.Foldable grooming tables for bigger dogs.

As the name implies, the foldable grooming tables are meant to be adjusted regularly to have space. It is important to know off the bat that foldable grooming tables are not the best for bigger dogs, especially looking at the price tag and durability when buying one for a bigger dog.

But if you spend a lot of time traveling with your dog, especially for things like dog shows. Then you might not be able to escape this necessity for your dog, especially if you want to groom them well.

Most big dogs don’t like these foldable grooming tables, because when they are placed on top, it is wobbly in nature, but with constant reassurance, they will relax and allow you to get the job done.

One more important thing to note here is that each foldable grooming table has a weight specification for it. Make sure the weight stated is the same or better still higher than your dog’s weight.

Remember, your dog’s safety is paramount.

ii. Hydraulic grooming tables for bigger dogs.

This is a better option for bigger dogs than the foldable option.

They are easier to adjust, have a more secure base and so do not shake or cause unease like their counterpart (the foldable grooming table), and are more comfortable for our dogs.

The hydraulic grooming tables are often recommended for medium-sized dogs simply because it takes a bit of time to adjust them properly to the height you want it to be so that you can start grooming. Small and medium-sized dogs do not have much problem staying on the hydraulic grooming table while the adjustment is done, but most big dogs tend to feel insecure while adjustments are going on with them on top.

Apart from the above issue, the hydraulic grooming table would serve as a better option when needed than the foldable grooming table.

iii. Electric grooming tables for bigger dogs.

Electric grooming tables are the best options for bigger dogs. Ask any professional dog groomer and they would quickly recommend the electric grooming table for you.

They are more balanced than the foldable and hydraulic options. In addition to this, they are easier to adjust and make less noise when working with them. Apart from them being the most expensive you can get it the market. The electric grooming table scores high points for durability, safety, and comfort.

For now, they are the best the market has to offer.

Making your own grooming table.

Although this is not popular, you have some people who would prefer to build their own grooming tables by themselves. Whether it is for cost purposes or you are a DIY geek, or even maybe you didn’t find what you wanted during your research. One thing you would agree on is that you would still want a strong durable table in the end.

There are three major things to consider when making your own grooming table and these are:

i. The size, height, and height.
ii. Firm foot structure.
iii.A top cover that is not slippery for the dog.

i. The size, height, and weight: For most dog saloons, they need to have more than one table to service the different types of dogs that come into their place. If you have a special dog in terms of size, height, and weight. You would also need a special table to handle these three factors.

A standard table size would be 36 by 24 inches, but this is all dependent on the size, height, and weight of the dog you are building it for.

ii. Firm foot structure: The base of your table should be able to support the weight of the dog that is going to be groomed without wobbling.

iii. A top cover that is not slippery for the dog: The surface of the grooming table should be such that the dog can get a grip as if standing on the ground. If the top of the grooming table feels slippery, then your dog would not be relaxed enough for you to groom him or her.

There is also the option of refurbishing a folding table to be used as a grooming table, this is faster to do as the structure is already set but there is a big safety concern here as the tables are not usually very safe for dogs and they are hard to adjust properly for our dogs.

I would not advise anyone to go this route but I need to put it out there as it is also an option.

Things needed to make a DIY grooming table.

Directions to make your own DIY grooming table.

Measure the height and width of your dog (hypothetically).

Measure out the size to cut out to make your tabletop on the plywood.

Cut the eight 2 inches by 4 inches to the leg height you want.

Attach the two sheets of plywood so as to have them double thick.

Use the 2 by 4 to form a support for the table legs

Finally, use the rubber matting to cover the top of the table with the glue.

The last object of importance for a grooming table is the grooming table arm. A grooming table arm is a metal in an L shape form attached to the grooming table with a noose attached to it.

The grooming arm is used to keep your dog in place so that they just jump out of the table if they get agitated.

I can go into details about how you can go and build your own grooming table arm but the thing is that I don’t believe it is worthwhile enough both looking at the cost, durability and time it will take to make one.

You should be better of just buying one even if it is just on the shelf. A good grooming table arm should cost between twenty-five dollars to a hundred dollars.

Your dog’s safety should be more important to you than a few hundred dollars.