5 Must-Have Apps for Dog Groomers in 2021

October 8, 2021

Running a dog grooming business on your own isn’t always a walk in the park. That’s why we teamed up with readers to put together this list of 5 absolute must-have apps for anyone running a dog grooming business.

Life as a professional dog groomer can be quite the juggling act. You have to build relationships with both your clients and their pets. In addition to that, you must stay on top of your schedule, your marketing efforts, ordering supplies and keeping track of expenses and income.

Here’s some good news: running your business doesn’t have to be a stressful experience. With the right arsenal of apps, you’ll find that everything from onboarding new clients to restocking your dog grooming supplies is simple and intuitive. And when you spend less time on mundane tasks like scheduling and accounting, you can give more of your love and energy to your favorite furry clients.

We polled our readers to find out which dog grooming apps they absolutely can’t live without. Here are the essentials you need to unload some of that stress and take your grooming business to the next level.

And if you lean strongly toward one of these apps, be sure to vote for your favorite at the end!

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DaySmart Pet Software

DaySmart Pet is an intuitive appointment scheduling app designed specifically for dog grooming businesses. Whether you run a small grooming business or work as an independent contractor, you’ll find that DaySmart Pet has plenty of features to get your schedule organized and efficient. You can keep tabs on all your clients’ pets, view their grooming and medical notes, and see their product purchase history. The app also supports online appointment booking and credit card processing, allowing you to take payments with your smartphone.

Pros:

Easy to use with useful notifications and reminders
Includes over 25 business reports
Thorough calendar and appointment functions
Inventory management

Cons:

Lacks support for multi-day appointments
Users can’t rotate uploaded photos
Pricing can be prohibitive to independent contractors just starting out
App navigation could be more streamlined

Price: $29/month (Basic), $59/month (Deluxe), $109/month (Premier)

App Store rating: 4.8

QuickBooks Self-Employed

Being self-employed means not only finding all of your own clients, it also involves keeping track of all your income and paying quarterly taxes. Luckily, you don’t have to be a CPA to properly manage your income and expenses. QuickBooks Self-Employed is an app designed to take the headaches out of managing the financial side of your dog grooming business. You can create and send invoices via the app and track all your business expenses. The app calculates all your income and expense entries to make tax filing a quick and easy process.

Pros:

Easy to create, send and track client invoices
Provides in-depth tax details
Can automatically organize your expenses into separate categories
User friendly interface helps take the stress out of income and expense tracking

Cons:

Invoice creation could use more customization options
Connecting app to your bank accounts can be troublesome
Users report some minor mobile app bugs

Chewy

Over the past few years, the Chewy name has become synonymous with ordering pet supplies online. The online retailer is a favorite among pet owners, but it’s also well-suited for dog groomers looking to stock up on supplies. Whether you need grooming tools like clippers or nail grinders or you’re just looking to stock up on shampoos, you can find it all on Chewy. For self-employed dog groomers who don’t have the business volume to make bulk wholesale orders, Chewy is probably the best supplies option today.

Pros:

Over 1,000 pet brands to shop from
Can track shipments in-app
Autoship option for frequently used products
User-friendly and informative

Cons:

Chewy still doesn’t stock certain brands
Some users experience difficulty managing auto-ship
Onerous returns process

Price: Free

App Store rating: 4.9

Thumbtack

As a self-employed dog groomer, you might feel like finding clients is more difficult than the actual grooming part. Constantly looking for new customers can get exhausting, but there are some apps that can help make the process a little more hands-off. Thumbtack is an app designed to connect local professionals with jobs that need to get done. There are hundreds of categories on Thumbtack, including pet grooming. To get started, simply create your profile detailing what you do, how much you charge and what kind of customers you’re looking for.

Pros:

Creating a profile is a breeze
Customers reach out to you
Huge variety of types of jobs available
Great for more seasoned professionals

Cons:

You’ll be charged per lead, even if they don’t result in a job
Pros can’t send personalized messages to prospects
Some users can inundated with irrelevant leads

Price: Free to download, pros are charged per lead

App store rating: 4.4

Square Appointments

Square Appointments is a booking, scheduling and payments app that helps you organize your workflow and seamlessly run your business on the go. Square allows you to utilize their pre-built booking site so your clients can book their own appointments with you online. The base service is free for independent dog groomers who only need one staff calendar.

Pros:

Integrates with Google Calendar, Zapier and other software
Book appointments and process payments all in the same app
Easy to set up and use

Cons:

Some users complain about lack of customization options
Client payment history tracking could use some more attention
Lacks an appointment reminder feature

Price: Free for individuals, $50/month + for teams

App Store rating: 4.9

The apps in this guide are terrific for helping you run and grow your business. But there’s another part of the equation you don’t want to overlook: protecting your business.

Dealing with your furry friends (and their humans) on a daily basis means exposing your business to potential risks. If a dog gets nervous while in your care and nips at another customer, you could end up with a bodily injury claim. Likewise, if you’re making a housecall and you’re dealing with a jumpy canine who knocks over an end table, scattering potting soil all over an expensive carpet, you might be looking at a third party property damage claim. Both of these examples lead to the same result—taking a bite out of your bottom line.

With Dog Groomer’s insurance, you can get up to $1 million in coverage against bodily injury and property damage claims. You’ll also get coverage for errors and omissions in your work.

We also know that every dog grooming business is unique, which is why are policies are designed to be super-flexible. Only need coverage for the weekend? We can handle monthly, daily, or hourly coverage.

All you need is some basic information and your zip code and you can get a quote in just a few minutes.

Our readers have picked DaySmart Pet Software as their number one app for dog groomers, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t open to second opinions. Which app is your personal favorite?

Which app is your personal favorite?
- DaySmart Pet Software
- QuickBooks Self-Employed
- Chewy
- Thumbtack
- Square Appointments
- Other
- Vote
Show me the results

October 8, 2021

Our editorial content is intended for informational purposes only and is not written by a licensed insurance agent. Terms and conditions for rate and coverage may vary by class of business and state.

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5 Must-Have Apps for Dog Groomers in 2021

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Best overall: DaySmart Pet Software