Best Business Insurance For Dog Grooming

The Hartford takes the top spot for dog grooming business insurance with perfect scores in coverage and affordability. The company excels most in these two areas, making it an ideal choice for pet grooming professionals who need comprehensive protection without breaking the budget.

*We based all scores on a dog-grooming business with two employees across professional liability, general liability, workers' comp and BOP policies.

Thimble leads dog grooming insurance at $52 monthly, especially for general liability coverage. But if you need workers comp, professional liability or BOP insurance, The Hartford and NEXT offer more affordable rates for those specific coverage types.

Thimble's average monthly rate of $36 makes it the most affordable general liability insurance for dog grooming companies. Compared to the industry average, Thimble saves businesses around $28 per month.

For dog grooming businesses shopping for workers' comp insurance, NEXT stands out as the most affordable option at $61 per month. The next cheapest providers are The Hartford, Thimble, Progressive Commercial and Simply Business.

The Hartford and NEXT offer affordable professional liability insurance options for cleaning companies at $49 and $51 monthly, respectively. The Hartford costs $6 less per month than the $55 industry average.

Thimble provides the most competitive annual rate at $678, saving companies $126 yearly compared to The Hartford's $804 rate.

In general, dog grooming business insurance costs are the following for the four most popular coverage types:

• General Liability: $64 on average per month ranging from $55 to $74 depending on state
• Workers Comp: $65 on average per month ranging from $56 to $75 depending on state
• Professional Liability (E&O): $55 on average per month ranging from $47 to $63 depending on state
• BOP Insurance: $93 on average per month ranging from $79 to $109 depending on state

For most dog grooming operations, general liability and animal bailee insurance represent the most critical non-required coverages. State laws and client contracts frequently mandate workers' compensation, professional liability, commercial property, and commercial auto insurance (for mobile operations).

Here's why these coverages matter and what coverage amounts work best for the average dog grooming business:

• General liability insurance: Protection against third-party bodily injury and property damage claims forms the foundation of your risk management strategy. From client slip-and-falls to damaged personal belongings, this coverage handles the most common grooming business risks. Most businesses need $1 to $2 million per occurrence or $2 to $3 million aggregate coverage.
• Workers' compensation: State law requires this coverage once you hire employees. Medical costs and lost wages from work-related injuries—chemical burns, slip-and-fall accidents, or back injuries from handling large dogs—are covered under this essential policy.
• Professional liability insurance: Claims of negligence, inadequate grooming services, or professional errors can financially devastate your business without this protection. Coverage of $500,000 to $1 million per claim or $1 million aggregate satisfies most client requirements and protects against costly lawsuits.
• Animal bailee insurance (care, custody, and control): Any business caring for pets needs this specialized coverage. When animals in your care suffer injury, get lost, are stolen, or die, this policy provides crucial financial protection. Start with $2,500 to $5,000 per occurrence and a $10,000 aggregate limit. Businesses handling multiple pets simultaneously should consider higher limits of $15,000 to $25,000 per occurrence.
• Commercial property insurance: Your grooming tables, tubs, clippers, dryers, and specialized equipment need protection from damage or loss. Typical coverage ranges from $10,000 to $50,000, depending on your equipment's total value and business size.
• Commercial auto (for mobile grooming operations): Mobile groomers and those who transport pets can't operate without this coverage. Most businesses benefit from $1 million combined single limit (CSL) liability coverage paired with comprehensive and collision protection—this combination meets state requirements while fully protecting your mobile operations.

Below we summarize the best way to buy the right business insurance coverage for your dog and pet grooming company:

The Hartford is the best insurer for dog grooming business insurance, while Thimble offers the cheapest option overall. We also recommend getting quotes from NEXT, Coverdash and Simply Business. For the best deal, consult agents and similar businesses, research costs and companies, and compare multiple quotes.

We answer frequently asked questions about Dog Grooming business insurance:

We selected the best business insurer for dog-grooming companies based on the following criteria:

• Affordability (50% of score): The lower a company's costs compared to the competition based on our base profile for four core coverage types, the better the company performs.
• Customer service (30% of score): We scored providers on overall customer satisfaction using industry studies, customer review forum ratings and public forum sentiment analysis from sites like Reddit.
• Coverage (15% of score): We scored business insurance providers for this category based on the flexibility, payment and actual coverage options.
• Financial stability (5% of score): Using financial stability industry ratings from companies like AM Best and Moody's, we created an overall rating to judge how likely companies are to pay out claims compared to the competition.

All pricing in this article is based on the following base profile to represent the vast majority of small businesses in all states:

• Three-person business with two employees
• Coverage: $1 million per occurrence and $2 million total per year for all but BOP, which includes the same coverage plus $5,000 of business property coverage
• $150,000 in payroll
• $300,000 annual revenue