Great Pyrenees & Newfoundland Grooming: Cost by Weight
Lillian Ruff Pet Spa
If you own a Great Pyrenees or a Newfoundland, you have probably had the awkward phone call: the salon hears the breed, pauses, and either quotes something vague or says they can't take him. Here is the plain version. A giant double-coated dog sits at the top of our published weight bands, the appointment is long, and most of that time is drying — not clipping.
We price by weight, and the ranges are published rather than quoted on the phone. Bath and brush runs $35 to $120; a full groom with haircut runs $70 to $155. A Pyr or a Newf is at the heavy end of the scale, so plan on the top of the band. Most of them do not need the haircut service at all.
Two giant coats, side by side
The Great Pyrenees carries a coarse, weather-shedding outer coat over a soft, dense undercoat. Dirt and light rain tend to sit on top rather than soak in, which is why a Pyr can look clean and still be packed solid underneath. The trouble is in the feathering — behind the ears, the breeches, the tail, the backs of the front legs.
The Newfoundland is built for water, and the coat does exactly what it was bred to do: it holds it. A Newf comes out of the tub carrying a surprising amount of water, and it does not towel off. It has to be driven out with air. That is the single biggest reason a Newf appointment runs long.
| Coat trait | Great Pyrenees | Newfoundland |
|---|---|---|
| Water behavior | Sheds water off the outer coat | Absorbs and holds water |
| Where it packs first | Behind ears, breeches, tail plume | Ruff, armpits, ear leather, hindquarters |
| Longest part of the groom | Undercoat removal | Drying |
| Haircut needed? | No — tidy only | No — tidy only |
Where a giant breed lands in the published bands
We price by weight and publish the range instead of making you call for it. That is unusual here: of eighteen Long Island salons audited from their own websites, only three published any pricing at all, and no salon-based groomer in the Huntington, East Northport or Commack area publishes prices.
Here is the part worth knowing before you book: most Pyrs and Newfs do not need the more expensive service. Neither breed should be given a haircut. What they need is a bath, a full blow-out, and tidy work on the feet and sanitary area. Which service line that falls under depends on how much trimming you want, so say what you are after in the booking notes — and ask if you are not sure which one fits your dog.
The extra cost over a 60-pound dog is not a surcharge for size. It is dryer time — a giant coat can take longer to dry than a small dog's whole appointment.
Severe, tight matting is a different job from a bath and a blow-out. It takes longer, it is harder on the dog, and sometimes the kindest option is clipping rather than brushing. If your dog's coat is in that state, say so when you book and ask what it means for the appointment before the day — not at the door.
Drying a giant double coat: what actually happens
If you have only ever had a short-coated dog, the length of the appointment can seem strange. This is where it goes.
Rough brush-out first
Loose undercoat comes out dry, before water touches it. Wetting a packed coat sets the tangles tighter.
Bath, then a second bath
Getting shampoo to the skin through that density usually takes two passes. The first mostly wets the outer coat.
The blow-out
High-velocity air, worked section by section from the skin outward. It is not just drying — the airflow pushes dead undercoat out, which is the whole point.
Line brushing while it dries
Brushing in horizontal sections so the comb reaches skin. This is the step that finds mats a surface brush glides over.
Tidy and finish
Feet, pads, sanitary, a neat outline, nails and a look at the ears.
A double coat that goes home damp underneath is not a finished groom. Drying is the work.
What gets trimmed — and what does not
Trimmed
- Hair between the pads, so the foot grips
- The foot outline, tidied to shape
- Sanitary area, kept short and clean
- Stray feathering neatened on legs and tail
- Nails, back to a sensible length
Left alone
- The body coat — no clipper work over the back
- The ruff and tail plume, beyond tidying
- Whiskers
- Anything decorative — no coloring, no show trims
We do not shave healthy double coats. That coat is insulation in both directions and it does not reliably grow back the same. The one situation where clipping is on the table is matting so tight to the skin that brushing it out would hurt more than taking it off. If that might be your dog, raise it when you book, so you understand what the regrowth will look like before any clipper touches him.
Where these coats mat first
Almost every giant-breed mat is in one of five places: behind the ears, the armpits, the ruff where a collar sits, the breeches, and the base of the tail. All five are spots a slicker skims across while the coat underneath quietly felts.
Ten minutes on those five spots twice a week does more for a giant coat than an hour of general brushing once a month. It is also the difference between a straightforward appointment and a long, uncomfortable one.
Two local things matter for these coats. Ticks first: Suffolk County's 2025 nymphal deer tick density was about 61 per 1,000 m², with 26.6% carrying the Lyme bacterium, and New York State runs surveillance in two windows — nymphs May to September, adults October to December. A giant coat hides an attached tick completely, and a blow-out and line brush is often when one turns up. Groomers spot things; anything medical is a conversation for your vet, not for us.
Then winter. The nearest official weather station, Islip, averages 10.3 inches of snow in January and 9.4 in February, with mean daily lows below freezing from December through February. Snow balls up in the feathering and between the pads — which is why pad hair gets trimmed even when the body coat is left long.
Questions people actually ask
Will you shave my Great Pyrenees for summer?
No, not a healthy coat. It insulates against heat as well as cold, and it often grows back a different texture. What helps in summer is getting the dead undercoat out so air can move through — that is what the blow-out is for.
Why does my dog cost more than a Labrador?
Weight is the published pricing factor, and the honest reason behind it is time. A giant double coat needs two baths to get shampoo to the skin and a long, worked blow-out afterward. It occupies a tub, a dryer and a groomer far longer.
How long should I plan for the appointment?
Longer than you are used to — a giant double coat is not an in-and-out visit. Ask about timing when you book so you can plan the rest of your day around it rather than guessing.
My dog is badly matted. Should I still book?
Yes — and put the honest state of the coat in the notes so nobody is surprised. A matted giant breed needs more time set aside than a well-brushed one, and it is a better conversation to have when you book than at the door.
Can I just get nails done?
Ask when you book — but please don't turn up expecting to be seen without an appointment. The salon runs on booked slots, and a giant breed needs the time set aside.
Can he stay for the day while I run errands?
Not at East Northport — 16 Laurel Rd is grooming only, no daycare and no boarding. Our Ronkonkoma salon, a short drive away, does offer both.
Booking a giant-breed appointment
Book online rather than calling and being asked to call back. The weight-based pricing is published on the grooming page, so you can see where a giant breed lands before you pick a time — no phone call to find out what it costs. Put the breed and the honest state of the coat in the notes: a groomer who knows a 120-pound Newfoundland is coming plans the day differently than one who finds out at the door. We are open Tuesday through Saturday, 9 to 5, and closed Sunday and Monday.
Book your Pyr or Newf in.
Pick a time, check the published weight bands, and tell us about the coat in the notes.
See pricing & book ›16 Laurel Rd, East Northport, NY 11731 · Tue–Sat 9–5
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