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 14 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 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
Public Liability
- Up to £10 million of cover.
- Protection from claims by a third-party who sustains injuries or has their property damaged, whereby you or your business is responsible.
Loss of Keys
- Key Cover up to £10,000.
- Cover includes new keys and locks, the cost of re-setting intruder alarms and associated call-out costs if you were to lose them.
Care, Custody & Control of Animals
- Cover up to £100,000 – £25,000 limit for any one Animal.
- If an animal in your care (or your staff) is: Accidentally lost; Suffers an injury; Becomes ill; Suffers a fatality.
Equipment
- £250 of equipment included.
- Add up to £30,000 of equipment cover.
- Grooming, training and other business tools covered.
- Protection against theft, loss and accidental damage, allowing you to replace items to the value you select.
Non-Negligent Cover
- Similar to the Care, Custody and Control protection If an animal suffers during the course of service delivery through no fault of your business:
- Accidental loss, Injury & Illness, Death of an animal in your care.
Close Family Extension
- Close family members are covered within the Public Liability, to assist you with your business. This includes your husband, wife, son, daughter or other close family.
- You don’t need to take out Employers’ Liability with this extension.
Loss of Money
- Cover for losses up to £1,000 or £5,000 of physical money (coins or notes) obtained through your insured activities. This money is covered while at your business premises, your home, or the home of any partner, director, or authorised employee, as well as when in transit for business trips.
- Up to £1,000 of cover for losses due to dishonest acts by any employee. Claims must be made within 14 days of discovering the loss, and you should take all reasonable steps to prevent such losses.
Travel Expense Reimbursement
- If a pet in your care is accidentally killed, stolen, or goes missing for more than 48 hours, we’ll cover the owner’s extra travel expenses. So, if the owner has to cut their holiday short because of their pet’s death, for example, we’ll reimburse up to £1,000 of their extra costs.
Employers’ Liability
- Up to £10 million of cover.
- Protection from claims against employee incidents if someone suffers a work-related injury and brings a claim against you.
Legal Expenses
- Up to £100,000 indemnity for legal defence and tax protection.
- Access to 24-hour helpline, for legal, tax, or counselling, to support you in running your business.
Professional Indemnity
- Up to £1 million of cover available.
- This protects you from damages caused by your mistakes, errors, or negligence in your professional work, including those made by your employees.
Personal Accident
- Up to £25,000, subject to those insured being under eighty (80) years of age.
- This policy covers specified individuals for any accidents that may occur while conducting the insured business activities. It is a benefit policy that provides fixed amounts based on the type of injury sustained, including coverage for accidental death, loss of sight or limbs, and temporary total disablement.
- Dog walkers are limited to walk a maximum of 6 dogs at one time.
- Dogs or crossbreeds of dogs classified under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991. Refer to government websites for updates in the law.
- Pre-existing medical conditions in animals.
- Injuries to animals you own can occur during incidents that happen while caring for other animals or during your personal time.
- Caring for non-domestic animals.
- Your business operating without a licence when a licence is a mandatory requirement e.g. animal boarding.
For further information on exclusions in your cover please refer to policy documentation.
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.
Why choose Protectivity for your dog grooming insurance?
Let the reviews of over 3,000 customers explain why you should choose us.¹
Trusted by over 10,000 policyholders.²
Experienced insurance providers for over 30 years.
5* reviews from 3,000+ customers.
Proof of our excellent customer service.
Experienced Claims Handling
A smooth and efficient claims process.
UK Based Customer Support
On average we answer your phone calls in under 2 minutes
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