Most Grooming-Intensive Dog Breeds

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All breeds ranked by coat complexity and grooming needs — which dogs require the most maintenance.

What This Ranking Tells Us

Coat complexity is a composite measure of how much grooming effort a breed requires, factoring in coat type (single, double, wire, curly), length, shedding patterns, and tendency to mat. Breeds scoring highest need the most frequent professional grooming, daily brushing, and specialized coat care. Prospective dog owners should carefully consider grooming demands before choosing a breed, as neglecting a high-maintenance coat leads to painful matting, skin issues, and expensive emergency grooming sessions.

# Name Complexity
1 Barbet medium 1.40x
2 Bedlington Terrier medium 1.40x
3 Bichon Frise small 1.40x
4 Cockapoo small 1.40x
5 Goldendoodle medium 1.40x
6 Irish Water Spaniel large 1.40x
7 Kerry Blue Terrier medium 1.40x
8 Labradoodle medium 1.40x
9 Lagotto Romagnolo medium 1.40x
10 Miniature Poodle small 1.40x
11 Mudi medium 1.40x
12 Poodle medium 1.40x
13 Portuguese Water Dog medium 1.40x
14 Puli medium 1.40x
15 Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier medium 1.40x
16 Toy Poodle small 1.40x
17 Afghan Hound large 1.30x
18 Australian Shepherd medium 1.30x
19 Bearded Collie medium 1.30x
20 Belgian Sheepdog large 1.30x
21 Belgian Tervuren large 1.30x
22 Bergamasco Sheepdog large 1.30x
23 Bernese Mountain Dog giant 1.30x
24 Biewer Terrier small 1.30x
25 Bolognese small 1.30x
26 Borzoi large 1.30x
27 Briard large 1.30x
28 Cavalier King Charles Spaniel small 1.30x
29 Cocker Spaniel medium 1.30x
30 Collie large 1.30x
31 Coton de Tulear small 1.30x
32 English Setter large 1.30x
33 Golden Retriever large 1.30x
34 Gordon Setter large 1.30x
35 Great Pyrenees giant 1.30x
36 Havanese small 1.30x
37 Hovawart large 1.30x
38 Irish Setter large 1.30x
39 Japanese Chin small 1.30x
40 Leonberger giant 1.30x
41 Lhasa Apso small 1.30x
42 Maltese small 1.30x
43 Newfoundland giant 1.30x
44 Old English Sheepdog large 1.30x
45 Papillon small 1.30x
46 Saluki large 1.30x
47 Shih Tzu small 1.30x
48 Silky Terrier small 1.30x
49 St. Bernard giant 1.30x
50 Yorkshire Terrier small 1.30x
51 Akita giant 1.25x
52 Alaskan Malamute large 1.25x
53 American Eskimo Dog small 1.25x
54 Anatolian Shepherd giant 1.25x
55 Australian Cattle Dog medium 1.25x
56 Belgian Malinois large 1.25x
57 Border Collie medium 1.25x
58 Cardigan Welsh Corgi medium 1.25x
59 Chesapeake Bay Retriever large 1.25x
60 Chow Chow medium 1.25x
61 Finnish Spitz medium 1.25x
62 German Shepherd large 1.25x
63 Keeshond medium 1.25x
64 Kuvasz giant 1.25x
65 Labrador Retriever large 1.25x
66 Miniature American Shepherd medium 1.25x
67 Norwegian Elkhound medium 1.25x
68 Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever medium 1.25x
69 Pembroke Welsh Corgi medium 1.25x
70 Pomeranian small 1.25x
71 Samoyed medium 1.25x
72 Schipperke small 1.25x
73 Shetland Sheepdog small 1.25x
74 Shiba Inu small 1.25x
75 Siberian Husky medium 1.25x
76 Swedish Vallhund small 1.25x
77 Tibetan Mastiff giant 1.25x
78 West Highland White Terrier small 1.25x
79 Affenpinscher small 1.20x
80 Airedale Terrier medium 1.20x
81 Berger Picard medium 1.20x
82 Bouvier des Flandres large 1.20x
83 Brussels Griffon small 1.20x
84 Cairn Terrier small 1.20x
85 Giant Schnauzer giant 1.20x
86 Irish Wolfhound giant 1.20x
87 Miniature Schnauzer small 1.20x
88 Pudelpointer large 1.20x
89 Scottish Terrier small 1.20x
90 Standard Schnauzer medium 1.20x
91 Welsh Terrier small 1.20x
92 Wire Fox Terrier small 1.20x
93 Wirehaired Pointing Griffon medium 1.20x
94 Brittany medium 1.10x
95 Clumber Spaniel large 1.10x
96 English Springer Spaniel medium 1.10x
97 American Staffordshire Terrier medium 1.00x
98 Basenji small 1.00x
99 Basset Hound medium 1.00x
100 Beagle medium 1.00x
101 Black and Tan Coonhound large 1.00x
102 Bloodhound giant 1.00x
103 Boerboel giant 1.00x
104 Boston Terrier small 1.00x
105 Boxer large 1.00x
106 Bracco Italiano large 1.00x
107 Bulldog medium 1.00x
108 Bullmastiff giant 1.00x
109 Cane Corso giant 1.00x
110 Catahoula Leopard Dog large 1.00x
111 Chihuahua small 1.00x
112 Chinese Shar-Pei medium 1.00x
113 Dachshund small 1.00x
114 Dalmatian large 1.00x
115 Doberman Pinscher large 1.00x
116 Dogo Argentino giant 1.00x
117 Dogue de Bordeaux giant 1.00x
118 French Bulldog small 1.00x
119 German Shorthaired Pointer large 1.00x
120 Great Dane giant 1.00x
121 Greyhound large 1.00x
122 Italian Greyhound small 1.00x
123 Jack Russell Terrier small 1.00x
124 Lancashire Heeler small 1.00x
125 Manchester Terrier small 1.00x
126 Mastiff giant 1.00x
127 Neapolitan Mastiff giant 1.00x
128 Pharaoh Hound medium 1.00x
129 Pug small 1.00x
130 Rat Terrier small 1.00x
131 Rhodesian Ridgeback large 1.00x
132 Rottweiler large 1.00x
133 Russian Toy small 1.00x
134 Smooth Fox Terrier small 1.00x
135 Staffordshire Bull Terrier medium 1.00x
136 Treeing Walker Coonhound large 1.00x
137 Vizsla medium 1.00x
138 Whippet medium 1.00x
139 Chinese Crested small 0.80x
140 Xoloitzcuintli medium 0.80x

Source: AKC breed standards and professional groomer assessments.

How to Read This Ranking

This table ranks 140 entries in the PlainPetCare dataset by complexity. The top entry, Barbet, posts a complexity of 1.40x, while the bottom entry in this list, Xoloitzcuintli, sits at 0.80x. Rankings like this are most useful when you read them alongside the underlying price ranges on each breed or metro page — the aggregate score hides detail that matters for individual budgeting.

Coat complexity is a composite measure of how much grooming effort a breed requires, factoring in coat type (single, double, wire, curly), length, shedding patterns, and tendency to mat. Breeds scoring highest need the most frequent professional grooming, daily brushing, and specialized coat care. Prospective dog owners should carefully consider grooming demands before choosing a breed, as neglecting a high-maintenance coat leads to painful matting, skin issues, and expensive emergency grooming sessions.

To get the most out of this ranking, click through to any row to see the full service-by-service breakdown. Each breed page shows a complete pricing table by size and service type, which is where real budgeting decisions actually get made. Aggregated ranks are useful for scanning the market; itemised tables are where you plan spend. Source: AKC breed standards and professional groomer assessments.

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes a coat "high complexity"?

High-complexity coats have one or more demanding features: long length requiring regular trimming, dense undercoats prone to matting, curly or wire textures that tangle easily, or continuous growth (like Poodle coats) that never stops. Breeds with multiple factors score highest. Double-coated breeds also have seasonal "blowing" periods where shedding intensifies dramatically.

What happens if I skip grooming for a high-maintenance breed?

Skipping grooming for high-maintenance breeds quickly leads to matting, which pulls painfully on the skin, traps moisture and bacteria, can cause skin infections, and hides parasites. Severely matted dogs often require full shave-downs, which can be traumatic and expensive ($150-300+). Regular maintenance is far cheaper and healthier than emergency de-matting.

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Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

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Data sourced from official state veterinary boards and AVMA accreditation registries. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by Kiznis Studio Editorial

Source: ASPCA / U.S. State Veterinary Boards Veterinary service pricing transparency by region · 2025