Dog Grooming Insurance
Specialist Dog Grooming cover for salon & mobile groomers from just £5.41* per month
- Protecting over 35,000 pet care professionals**
- Flexible payment plans at 0% APR
- Public Liability up to £10 million
- Vet bills & equipment covered
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From £5.41* per month
What does dog groomers insurance cover?
As a dog groomer, our insurance ensures you’re protected from common risks. Public liability is included as standard, and you can choose the cover level that suits your specific services.
We offer specialist extras like equipment cover, care, custody, and control, as well as personal accident insurance, all customisable to fit your needs. Whether you run a casual dog grooming service, a full-time business, or offer additional pet care services, our dedicated customer support team is available to assist you in selecting the ideal coverage and addressing any questions you may have.
Our cover includes 11 different pet care activities at no extra cost: dog walking, dog grooming, cat grooming, mobile dog grooming, mobile cat grooming, dog training, dog hydrotherapy, pet behaviourist, pet home boarding, pet microchipping, pet sitting, pet taxi, and pet minding.
Make sure you have the correct insurance for your business, and be sure to check if any exclusions are relevant to what you have planned in policy documentation.
Public Liability
Loss of Keys
Care, Custody & Control
Equipment
Close Family Extension
Specialist Grooming Protection
Care, Custody and Control (Vet Fees)
- Up to £100,000 cover (£25,000 per animal).
- This provides a safety net for the most common grooming accidents. If a dog is injured by clippers, sustains a nick while being scissored, or suffers a strain from a slip on the grooming table, we can cover the costs of any necessary veterinary treatment.
Non-Negligent Cover
- Even with the highest standards of professional dog grooming care, unexpected incidents can sometimes occur. This non-negligent cover is designed to protect you if a dog experiences an unforeseen issue during the grooming process through no fault of your business.
- It helps prioritise the dog’s welfare and supports associated veterinary costs in the event of accidental injury, illness, or other unexpected outcomes, without automatically holding you at fault.
Travel Expense Reimbursement
- We provide up to £1,000 to cover an owner’s emergency travel costs if a pet is lost or injured in your care, ensuring they can return from a trip immediately to be with their animal.
Liability and Property Risks
Public Liability
- Up to £10 million cover.
- This public liability cover helps protect your dog grooming business against claims from third parties for injury or property damage arising in connection with your services.
- Designed to support you if an incident occurs where your business is found to be responsible, helping you manage potential claims and continue operating with confidence.
Loss of Keys
- Up to £10,000 cover.
- If you provide a service where you collect pets from owners’ homes while they are at work, we can cover the full cost of lock replacements and alarm resets should their keys be lost or stolen.
Loss of Money
- Whether you are mobile or shop-based, we protect up to £5,000 of your business cash. This covers your daily takings against theft or loss at your premises, at home, or while you are on your way to deposit the money.
Protecting Your Salon Assets
Equipment Cover
- £250 included as standard (increase up to £30,000).
- From high-end blasters and dryers to hydraulic tables and professional shears, your tools are your biggest investment. This cover ensures you can replace essential equipment quickly if it is stolen, lost, or accidentally damaged.
Close Family Extension
- This cover allows immediate family members, such as a husband, wife, sons, daughters, or siblings, to assist with tasks like bathing, drying, or general salon duties. They are included under your Public Liability protection, so there’s no need for a separate Employers’ Liability policy for family members helping in your business.
Professional Indemnity
Professional indemnity cover helps protect your dog grooming business if a client claims they have suffered a financial loss as a result of your professional services or advice, including work carried out by employees. It provides reassurance should a concern arise about the outcome or impact of the services you provide.
Employers’ Liability – up to £10 million
Legally required if you have any employees, apprentices, or casual salon helpers.
Legal Expenses – up to £100,000
Grants access to a 24-hour helpline for assistance with HMRC tax enquiries, employment disputes, or contract issues with suppliers.
Personal Accident
This personal accident cover is designed to give you extra confidence while you’re grooming. If you’re injured while carrying out your dog grooming work, it can provide financial support through fixed benefits and may include weekly payments if you’re temporarily unable to keep working.
- Dangerous Dogs: We cannot cover dogs listed under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991.
- Health and Hygiene: Any pre-existing medical conditions or parasitic infestations the dog had prior to the appointment.
- Licensing Compliance: Claims arising if you are operating without a mandatory local authority licence where one is required.
- Dangerous Dogs: Dogs or crossbreeds classified under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991.
- Professional Standards: Operating without the necessary qualifications or certifications required for certain types of advanced behavioural work.
- Dog walkers are limited to walk a maximum of 6 dogs at one time.
- Injuries to your own animals that occur during incidents that happen while caring for other animals or during your personal time.
Why do you need dog grooming cover?
Providing grooming services for your clients’ dogs is a fantastic service, but it does come with its own set of risks and responsibilities. Even if the dog owners have insurance, you’re responsible while the dog is in your care. Any incidents could lead to expensive claims against you.
That’s why having specialist dog grooming insurance is so important—it protects you from unexpected accidents and potential costs. These are some examples highlighting the situations where insurance is crucial for professional dog grooming:
Protect against claims if a member of the public gets injured.
Dogs can be unpredictable, with risks of injury to themselves, other dogs or people which could occur under your responsibility. For example, if a dog you’re walking causes an injury to a member of the public, or a dog gets loose and causes damage to someone’s property. A claim might be made against you.
Having public liability insurance cover can help protect you from claims if these incidents occur.
Financial protection from vet expenses.
If a dog you’re grooming causes an injury to another dog in your care requiring treatment, you might be responsible for some large vet bills.
Care, Custody, and Control cover protects you if an animal is lost, injured, becomes ill, or suffers a fatality while in your care.
Protect against a clients’ lost key.
Whilst juggling tasks you lose your clients’ key and need to replace it. Loss of a key means you need to call out a locksmith to gain entry to the property.
Cover the costs of a simple mistake with loss of key cover, covering new keys and locks, the cost of re-setting intruder alarms and associated call-out costs if you were to lose them.
Cover a close family member if they help you out.
If your close family works for you, under our policy, close family members are included therefore, if you employ your husband, wife, son, daughter or other close family, you do not need to take out Employers’ Liability.
Any workers other than a family member would need to be covered under Employers’ Liability. If employees work for you, employers’ liability is a legal obligation with fines of £2500 per day for failing to comply.
Cover from costly grooming equipment losses.
If your grooming equipment gets damaged during a session, the expenses can quickly add up. These situations can disrupt your business, making it harder to offer the same quality of service your clients expect.
With dog grooming equipment cover, you can quickly replace or repair your essential tools and ensure that you can continue to provide top-notch care and training without interruption.
Our experts explain why...
“Caring for an animal carries a risk and this is heightened further so when caring for another person’s animal, even if they are domestic. Our policy ensures that if that animal were to harm you, a person in your employment, a member of the public or themselves, that you can stay protected against potential financial losses related to reimbursing those that try to claim damages from you. Whether it be reimbursing the owner of the animal for vet bills arising from an injury when walking a dog or a claim costing thousands of pounds caused by a dog in your care, biting a member of the public, you can rest assure our claim experts will handle your claim with care and priority.”
Chris Trotman, Protectivity Underwriting Manager
How much does dog grooming insurance cost?
The cost of dog grooming insurance can vary depending on the type of business you operate, the size and additional factors. For instance, if you employ staff, it is a legal requirement to include employers’ liability insurance. Adding this will increase the cost of your premium.
At Protectivity our cover starts at £5.41* per month, providing comprehensive cover for a small price.
Prices from
£5.41* a month
Explainer quote
Policy cost
£5.41* a month
Policy type
Dog Grooming Insurance
Policy duration
Annual
Public Liability
£1,000,000
Care, Custody and Control
£100,000
Loss of Keys
£10,000
Equipment cover
£250
Close family cover
Included
This example is based on a real quote from our website on 05/01/2026. If your circumstances and cover needs differ, your quote may be more or less expensive than the above example. The quote you receive will reflect the information you share about your event. The quoted price may vary from those displayed here.
Have a question?
For further information on your policy, renewals, making a claim and contacting us, you’ll find an extensive list of FAQs on our Help & Support page.
Why choose Protectivity for your dog grooming insurance policy?
Let the reviews of over 3,500 customers explain why you should choose us.¹
Trusted by over 180,000 customers.
Experienced insurance providers for over 30 years.
Over 3,500 highly rated reviews.
Proof of our excellent customer service.
Experienced Claims Handling
A smooth and efficient claims process.
UK Based Customer Support
Our UK sales team are here to help.
Frequently
Asked Questions
What insurance do I need for hand stripping services?
Hand stripping is included under standard dog grooming services, so no additional insurance is required. Equipment used during hand stripping is also covered under the equipment protection policy.
Does grooming cats require different insurance than dogs?
No, grooming cats is included in the standard coverage for dog grooming services. Your policy already includes both dog and cat grooming, so no separate insurance is needed unless you specialise in other exotic species.
What additional coverage do I need for grooming exotic pets?
Exotic pets, such as reptiles or birds, are considered non-domestic animals and are not covered under standard policies.
How often do I need to update my health and safety compliance?
It is recommended to review your health and safety compliance annually or whenever significant changes are made to your business practices, such as adding new services, equipment, or staff. Staying updated ensures that your insurance remains valid and your business complies with legal standards.
Is there coverage for cancellations due to dog illness or aggressive behaviour?
While cancellations themselves are not covered, having insurance ensures you’re protected if a pet becomes ill or behaves aggressively during grooming. For instance, the Care, Custody & Control cover provides protection for incidents such as illness or injury to a pet in your care.
Does my insurance cover temporary staff or work experience students?
Yes, your policy can cover temporary staff or work experience students under the Employers’ Liability cover.
Are pet grooming training courses insured under my policy?
No, we cannot offer cover to hold pet grooming training courses.
What’s the difference between freelance and salon-based pet grooming insurance?
Dog grooming insurance can cover freelance or salon-based groomers; however, it cannot cover a salon premises or fixed equipment. If you employ dog groomers, you will need to select employers’ liability cover.
Are there any grooming activities that are restricted?
Cover is only provided for:
- Hand scissoring
- Clipping
- Wash & blow drying
- Hand stripping
- De-shedding
- Nail cutting
- Ear plucking & cleaning
- Anal gland expression
- Pet tooth brushing
Any grooming activities outside these specified services are excluded.
Does this cover damage to or loss of a client’s personal items left with their dog during grooming?
Yes it will cover a pets personal items within normal expectations, anything out of the normal expectation that is left with a dog however would not be covered whilst in your care. For example a pets collar, lead, travel crate would be fine but your customers handbag, jewellery and keys are not things you typically leave with a pet.
Are there any specific qualifications I need to have to be eligible for dog grooming insurance?
You do not require a qualification to do dog grooming, however it may be beneficial for you and the dogs you groom if you do attend a course in grooming, styling or animal welfare.
Does the insurance cover me if I operate a mobile grooming business?
Yes, as long as you operate within the United Kingdom only.
What should I do if a dog is injured during a grooming session, and I need to make a claim?
You should notify us as soon as practicably possible after becoming aware of any incident that might lead to a claim. We usually require you to provide full information in writing about the incident and any damages claimed.
Is there coverage for legal costs if I face a lawsuit related to my dog grooming business?
Yes, we offer coverage for legal costs and expenses incurred in defending against claims, subject to the insurer’s consent and the policy limits.
Does this cover me if I accidentally damage a client’s property during a grooming session?
Yes, the public liability section of the policy generally covers damage to property for which you are legally liable, subject to certain conditions and exclusions.
Is my grooming equipment covered under this insurance?
Yes, we offer coverage for Business Equipment, which includes grooming specific equipment, mobile devices, stock, or tools of trade specifically purchased for and used in connection with your grooming business.
Do you cover against accidental injury or death of dogs while I’m grooming them?
Yes, our policy includes coverage for accidental death, bodily injury, illness, or disease of animals in the care, custody or control of the Insured. This is typically limited to £25,000 per animal and subject to the overall limit of liability stated in the policy schedule.
Are there any specific dog breeds that are excluded from coverage for grooming?
Yes, our insurance excludes dogs classified under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 or any subsequent legislation, as well as cross breeds involving such classified dogs.
What activities are typically covered under dog grooming insurance?
Our dog grooming insurance typically covers activities such as hand scissoring, clipping, wash & blow drying, hand stripping, de-shedding, nail cutting, ear plucking & cleaning, anal gland expression, and pet tooth brushing.
What does close family extension cover?
If you employ any of the following members of your family, they too will be covered for Public Liability under your policy as standard. You do not need to take out Employers’ Liability to cover those family members either. If, however, your business is a limited company and the family members are directors and/or employees/volunteers, the close family extension will not apply.
Close Family members defined as: Husband, wife, civil partner, father, mother, grandfather, grandmother, stepfather, stepmother, son, daughter, grandson, granddaughter, stepson, stepdaughter, brother, sister, half-brother or half-sister.
Will my policy cover XL Bullies?
We are no longer able to cover XL Bullies under our Pet Business insurance for our customers at all as our policy product excludes the care of dog breeds on the Dangerous Dogs Act or any cross breeds of these dogs.
Discover more from Protectivity
This page content has been created for general information and should not be taken as advice.
*Prices quoted refer to a quote raised from our website 05/01/2026. Prices will differ depending on requirements. Make sure you have the correct level of cover for what you need. For the most accurate pricing, please get a quote and for full details on what is covered refer to our policy documentation with your quote.
** Based on Protectivity sales data from 2007 to Dec 2025
ˆ10% introductory discount applies to the first-year policy premium only and is not available to current Pet Business customers. This discount does not apply to the optional Legal Expenses benefit. Protectivity reserves the right to amend or withdraw this offer without notice. Available to UK residents only.
¹Based on live Feefo data