My family is rather cheap, so we always did the washing and grooming ourselves. My parents were always too lazy to clip nails, but they did sometimes. It's really not that hard to get the dog outside to get hosed down, lathered with soap, and then rinsed off. The only downside was that our dogs would always try to run off to roll in the mud. My grandmother, on the other hand, always took her dog to the groomer's and I kinda wish my family would have too. It would have saved us a lot of muddy dogs haha.

I like the bonding experience when I groom my pets. Maybe on special occasions I would let a groomer do it, for example, if it's their birthday or something, but in general, I wouldn't pay someone else to do it, because it's a bonding moment for me and my pets. I guess I like giving them attention, and they also like getting it, so it's a win-win for everyone, am I right?

We bathe our dog ourselves, but he is a short-haired Beagle. However, my dad does take him to get his nails clipped because he is scared that he may cut him. I definitely think that grooming is a preference, but I think that some breeds are certainly harder than others to care for by an amateur, particularly ones with longer or curly hair! Grooming can be expensive though, but there are tons of groomers in my area, so there's a lot a competition. If you look around, you can definitely find deals, coupons, and specials, particularly with groomers that are just starting their businesses and trying to build up regular clientele.

I only pay for my smallest dog when it comes to grooming, and I have two other dogs, but definitely my smallest dog is the one who is really a challenge to bath a manicure. He starts screaming all around and my mom can't stand it, so we take him to the vet and I think that it's actually a pretty good decision for us, because they are more capable to do some grooming that we are not that familiar with and maybe we can hurt them, just as brushing their teeth.

Our dog goes to the groomers about every 6 weeks - so yes, we do pay for a professional to do it. There's a few reasons for that - the biggest being that they do a WAY better job than what I can do with a pair of clippers! To me it would be like cutting my own hair - sure, I could do it - but would it look very good when all is said and done? Probably not!!

Secondly I just think that like some others mentioned, they're more aware of being able to spot any issues/problems than what I would be. They're professionals who deal with dogs on a day to day basis - so I just feel comfortable getting his grooming done by them, even if it is costlier than doing it myself.

I send my two dogs to a pet groomer/vet every two months. Yeah, they are short-haired little pugs but I have trouble clipping their nails. Besides, I see that they're enjoying it so it always turns into a pampering day for them. It doesn't cost much to have them groomed and I get ample discounts from my vet neighbor.

I don't pay anybody to bathe our dog. I do it by myself or my mother does it, we make sure to wash those areas that can't be seen or cause dirt. The only thing we can pay is for the trimming of her nails.