De-shed, don't shave. What these coats need and what it costs locally.
Huskies, German Shepherds, Malamutes, Border Collies, Golden Retrievers, double-coated breeds are built differently, and they need grooming differently. If you've ever hoovered up what looks like an entire second dog during moulting season, this page is for you.
Double-coated breeds have a soft, dense undercoat for insulation and a longer, weather-resistant outer coat of guard hairs. Twice a year, spring and autumn, the undercoat blows and comes out in handfuls for a few weeks. The grooming job isn't cutting this coat; it's getting the dead undercoat out so the skin can breathe and the coat can do its job.
The single most important thing to know: don't shave a Husky or German Shepherd for summer. The coat insulates against heat as well as cold, protects against sunburn, and shaved double coats often grow back patchy or wrong. Reputable groomers will steer you toward a de-shedding groom instead, a thorough undercoat rake-out, bath, and high-velocity blow-dry that removes the dead undercoat without touching the guard hairs. A good de-shed removes more loose hair in two hours than a month of home brushing.
| Service | Typical Birmingham price |
|---|---|
| De-shedding groom (small/medium) | £40–£70 |
| De-shedding groom (large) | £52–£70+ |
| Bath & brush with undercoat work | £20–£55 |
| Full groom, large double-coated breed | £50–£80 |
From salons' own price lists: Scooby's Grooming Salon in Sutton Coldfield runs a dedicated Deshedding Pamper at £52 to £70, and its staff bios specifically mention Husky and Border Collie de-shedding. Plush Puppy Spa prices de-shedding from £40. Stacey's Pampered Pooches offers a bath and de-shed from £44, timed for the spring and autumn coat blows. The Groom Room Selly Oak covers double coats in its Signature tier. Full price context for every size is in our Birmingham price guide.
Less often than poodles and doodles, the coat mostly manages itself outside moulting season. A sensible rhythm: a professional de-shedding groom at each coat blow (spring and autumn), baths and brush-outs as needed in between, and weekly home brushing with an undercoat rake year-round, daily during the blow. Book the de-shed early in the season; groomers' diaries fill up when every Husky in Birmingham starts moulting the same fortnight.
From their own websites: Scooby's Grooming Salon (Sutton Coldfield, dedicated de-shedding service), All About Grooming (Rubery, bath and de-shed listed for GSDs, Huskies, Malamutes, Rough Collies), Stacey's Pampered Pooches (Sutton Coldfield, seasonal de-shedding), Plush Puppy Spa (Sutton Coldfield), Doggie Stylez (Northfield, de-shed included in full grooms plus a de-shedding mud mask), Cb Grooming (Castle Bromwich) and Groomers Delights (Quinton, de-shed included in full grooms from £35). Browse all Birmingham groomers or search by area.
Not the same as de-shedding, but often confused: wire-coated breeds (many terriers, wirehaired pointers) have dead outer coat pulled out by hand rather than clipped, to keep the coat's texture. It's slow, skilled work and priced accordingly, Scooby's charges £40 an hour, and Summers & Vine lists a German Pointer hand strip at £50. If you own a wire-coated breed, ask specifically for hand stripping experience; Doggie Stylez and Cb Grooming both offer it.
Prices from each salon's own published price list, checked July 2026. Confirm current pricing with the salon.