How to Build a Dog Grooming Table

It’s no secret that between walking, feeding and cleaning up after a four-legged friend, being a dog owner is nothing short of a constant workout – especially when it comes to grooming!

I’ve tried everything from the workbench in my garage to the kitchen sink, but after seeing some adverts for dog grooming tables online, I thought about the practicalities of building one myself.

Here’s what you need to know if you’re also searching for clues on how to build a dog grooming table.

Benefits of a Dog Grooming Table

It won’t come as a surprise that a dog-grooming table isn’t for everyone. If your Great Dane is slightly smaller than your refrigerator then chances are you don’t have any problems grooming them.  

However, with smaller breeds, it can be quite a task to hunch over for a long period of time. If they’re on the floor, it’s also likely you’ll be moving them, picking them up, spinning them around and creating a great deal of mess while you do it.

Using a dedicated grooming table makes it easier for you and for your pooch, while also minimizing the mess.

Have you considered if it’s your dog that needs the grooming table?

One issue I’ve had with taking my pups to the groomers is their discomfort – they’re in an unfamiliar place, with unfamiliar people having unfamiliar things done. Once I started to groom them at home, suddenly, they didn’t mind grooming anymore!

What are my options?

• You can buy some materials and build a raised table to ease the aches of grooming
• You can purchase the two essential components and assemble your own
• You can buy a dedicated Grooming station online

I took some time to research each option above and came up with some pros & cons and some advice I found useful for each one.

Build It!

This is a personal preference, but my advice is that a grooming table makes the world of difference; it’s just a question of buying or building. After some time online, I found a few ‘how-to’ videos and step-by-step guides; one of my favorites is this DIY grooming table for small dogs.

This blog explains perfectly the stages of assembling your very own dedicated grooming table. You might be surprised to know that it doesn’t cost that much more to assemble a grooming table from components than to build one from scratch!

 Step-By-Step Guide

• Buy materials as outlined in the blog from any hardware store.

• Assemble the table – one of the perks here being that you can build according to the size of your furry customer. A perfect guide to the assembly is in the blog.

• Sand down, oil or paint depending on your style.

• Attach the leash clamp and set it to the height of your dog.

• VOILA! 

There are two pros with this option:

1.  The first being that it’s reasonably inexpensive. Depending on how locally you can source the materials and what tools you have to hand in the garage, the whole project can be completed simply enough and for less than I first thought.

2.  The second pro here is that you have absolute creative freedom. Colour, style and material are all your choice and you can build it according to what height, scale, and size you want.

There are also two cons to this option:

1.  Most grooming tables available to purchase are foldable: If you decide to build your own from scratch, unless you are a master-carpenter, you won’t have the option of easy storage.

2.  Although the costs involved are reasonable, do they justify the means? For me, the answer is no. As someone who works, looks after a household and everything within it, spending the time to build something like this isn’t worth the savings I’m afraid.

Assemble It!

I personally feel that building from scratch is quite labor-intensive and the savings don’t justify the means, so I had a look into buying the two main components of a grooming table and simply ‘putting them together’.

Basically, the grooming station consists of two parts; a sturdy platform at waist height and a dedicated leash clamp to which you can tie your dog for both safety, comfort and practicality. I found two different options for the platform; the size of your canine will dictate which of these is the best fit:

Both tables are collapsible which makes them much easier to store; let’s say you groom your pet once every two weeks – there’s no need for a static table to stay up for 14 days if you’re only using it once.

Once you have decided on the platform, you will need a leash clamp to hold your pup: There are lots of options online but for what we’re looking for, I think I found the most effective:

Personally, I think this is the best option: It’s also inexpensive, although slightly more than building from scratch but the pros outweigh here. The station becomes easy to store and easy to assemble; tucked away neatly when not in use and can be put up in seconds.

Buy It!

Option three is self-explanatory; buy one. There’s a range of options on the market for dedicated grooming stations and they’re all pretty good. You can even start by looking for an article that talks about the best dog grooming tables as a reference!

Frequently Asked Questions

Why should I build my own grooming table?

The biggest incentive here is that you can build to your own requirements – There’s no use in having a table that fits a wolf when your four-legged friend is the size of a small, fluffy potato!

Is it more cost-effective to build my own dog grooming station?

No. The cost of building vs. buying is negligible. And with so many options on the market, it makes sense to take a look at product reviews (like this one) and choose the one that best fits your lifestyle and pooch.

What are the benefits of using a dog grooming station?

I think that if you are grooming your dog at home, it’s important that both you and your pooch are comfortable. It isn’t a quick or simple process to groom and so standing in front of a table at waist height is much more efficient than kneeling on the floor or trying to wrestle with the limitations of a kitchen sink.

Last update on 2024-08-04 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API