Juniper
4 years old · Arundel
Blue merle with one ice-blue eye who herds the vacuum, the kids and — on one memorable morning — our extension cord. Deshedding every eight weeks.
Breed Grooming Guide 5.0 · Southern Maine
Australian Shepherd Dog Grooming.
An Australian Shepherd carries a weather-proof double coat that was built for mountain work, not for a warm Maine July. K-Pup is a mobile Aussie grooming service: a full deshedding bath and blow-out happens in a quiet trailer in your own driveway, and every bit of that undercoat leaves with us instead of landing on your floors.
Every Coat, Every Size
Grooming for every kind of Aussie.
Standards, minis, working lines and show lines all carry coat differently. For breed background, see the AKC Australian Shepherd breed page.
Standard Australian Shepherds
A full-sized Aussie holds an enormous amount of undercoat behind the ears, around the ruff and down the pants. We work in sections with a high-velocity dryer and an undercoat rake until the coat lifts cleanly and the skin can breathe again.
Miniature American Shepherds
The mini carries the same coat on a smaller frame, which means mats hide faster in the armpits and behind the ears. Shorter session, same deshedding process, and a lot more time spent on the feathering.
Merle, Tri and Bi Coats
Blue merle and red merle coats show every bit of dust and sun-fade. A brightening rinse on the white ruff and blaze plus a good conditioner keeps the pattern crisp without stripping the coat's natural oils.
Working & Farm Aussies
Aussies that actually work fields and beaches come in with burrs, sand and salt packed into the pants and tail. We do a full de-grit rinse first, then the deshedding bath, then the trim work.
Built For Double Coats
Deshedding, not shaving.
We never shave an Aussie
That double coat insulates against heat as well as cold and protects against sunburn. Shaving it can permanently change the texture and regrowth. We remove the dead undercoat instead — the coat lies flat, the dog is cooler, and the guard hairs stay intact.
Two big blows a year
Aussies drop coat hard in spring and again in fall. Booking a deshedding treatment in May and October takes most of the hair out of your house before it lands there.
Feathering, pants and tail
The long hair on the back of the legs, the britches and behind the ears is where mats start. We comb it to the skin, then tidy the outline and neaten the feet so it stays cleaner between visits.
Salt, sand and burrs
After a run at Goose Rocks, salt sits in the undercoat and dries the skin out. A full rinse and complete dry after beach season keeps hot spots and coat funk from setting in.
The United States Australian Shepherd Association has solid breed health, coat and activity reading if you want to dig deeper between appointments.
Services
Australian Shepherd grooming services.
01
Full Deshedding Groom
Deshedding shampoo and conditioner, high-velocity blow-out, rake and line-comb, feathering and pants tidied, feet, nails and ears.
02
Bath, Blow-Out & Tidy
Deep clean, complete dry and a full undercoat removal without full trim work — the best value in shedding season.
03
Sanitary, Feet & Nails
A quick maintenance visit: paw pads shaved, feet rounded, sanitary trimmed and nails clipped and ground smooth.
Our Process
How we groom a Australian Shepherd.
Every australian shepherd appointment follows the same order, start to finish, in the trailer in your driveway. Typical appointment time: about 2 hr 30 min, one dog at a time.
Driveway arrival and coat check
We look through the ruff, pants and behind the ears for packed undercoat, burrs and mats, and check ears, nails and skin before anything starts.
Pre-rinse and deshedding bath
A thorough rinse loosens sand and salt, then a deshedding shampoo and conditioner sit on the coat to release the dead undercoat at the root.
High-velocity blow-out
The dryer does most of the work on a double coat. We blow the coat out in sections until loose undercoat stops coming and the skin is fully dry.
Rake and line-comb
Undercoat rake through the ruff, body and britches, then a line-comb over the feathering behind the legs and ears to catch anything the dryer missed.
Tidy work and finish
Feet neatened, pads shaved, sanitary trimmed, feathering and pants outlined, nails clipped and ground, ears cleaned — no shaving of the body coat.
This is the full step-by-step process K-Pup Dog Grooming uses for Aussies in southern Maine.
Client Spotlight
Our favorite Aussies.
A few of the Aussies we look forward to seeing on the schedule — regulars from around southern Maine who hop up on the table like they own the trailer.
Scout
7 months old · Scarborough
Black tri puppy learning the dryer in short bursts. He decided the high-velocity nozzle is a toy, which honestly makes our job easier.
Rusty
11 years old · Kennebunk
Retired farm Aussie from up the road. Stiff hips, so he gets a low table, a warm bath and as many breaks as he wants.
Fun Facts
The best things about Aussies.
We groom a lot of Aussies, and every one of them reminds us why the breed has such a loyal following. Here's what we love about the australian shepherd.
Not actually Australian
The breed was developed in the American West. The name comes from the Australian sheep the ranchers were working, not the dogs' origin.
Built-in weather gear
That double coat sheds rain, blocks sun and insulates against cold — which is exactly why we deshed rather than shave.
Endlessly trainable
Aussies dominate agility, disc and herding trials. Give one a job and it will do the job better than you expected.
The merle pattern is genetics, not dye
Merle randomly dilutes patches of pigment, which is why no two blue merles have the same markings — or the same eye colour.
Natural bobtails happen
About one in five Aussies is born with a naturally short tail. The rest have a gorgeous plume that we spend real time combing.
Bonded to their person
Aussies pick a human and stay close. It makes driveway grooming easy — you're twenty feet away the whole time.
Related Breeds
Similar coats we groom.
Aussies share brushing, drying, and trimming needs with these breeds — each guide covers coat care, timing, and pricing for mobile grooming in southern Maine.
German Shepherd Dog Grooming
Double-coat deshedding
Golden Retriever Dog Grooming
Double-coat deshedding
Labrador Retriever Dog Grooming
Double-coat deshedding
Aussiedoodle Dog Grooming
Doodle & designer coat care
Bernedoodle Dog Grooming
Doodle & designer coat care
Bernese Mountain Dog Dog Grooming
Breed-tailored bath & trim
Services
Services for your Australian Shepherd.
The visits Aussies book most often, and what each one includes.
from $25 add-on
See every service and price →Deshedding Treatment
Undercoat rakes, a high-velocity blowout, and up to 90% less fur on your floors. Built for Labs, Goldens, Shepherds and Huskies.
Read more →guideFull Groom vs Bath & Brush
Not sure which one to book? A straight comparison by coat type, price, and how often each is needed.
Read more →$20–$170Grooming Prices
What mobile grooming actually costs here, why prices vary by dog, and what's included at every tier.
Read more →Where We Groom Australian Shepherds
Australian Shepherd grooming across southern Maine.
Looking for an Australian Shepherd groomer near you? The K-Pup trailer runs the York County and southern Cumberland County coast every week — pick your town and book a driveway appointment. See all our locations →
Kennebunkport Australian Shepherd GroomingKennebunk Australian Shepherd GroomingCape Porpoise Australian Shepherd GroomingGoose Rocks Beach Australian Shepherd GroomingArundel Australian Shepherd GroomingBiddeford Australian Shepherd GroomingSaco Australian Shepherd GroomingWells Australian Shepherd GroomingOgunquit Australian Shepherd GroomingYork Australian Shepherd GroomingOld Orchard Beach Australian Shepherd GroomingScarborough Australian Shepherd Grooming
Australian Shepherd Grooming FAQ
Questions Aussies owners ask us.
How often should an Australian Shepherd be groomed?
Every 6–8 weeks year round, and every 4–6 weeks during spring and fall coat blows. Brushing at home once or twice a week keeps the pants and ruff from matting between visits.
Should I shave my Australian Shepherd in summer?
No. The double coat insulates against heat and protects from sunburn, and shaved Aussie coats often grow back patchy or woolly. A deshedding treatment removes the trapped undercoat and cools the dog far more effectively.
Do you groom Miniature American Shepherds?
Yes. Minis get the same deshedding process on a shorter timeline, with extra attention to the armpits and behind the ears where their coat mats first.
Can you get sand and burrs out after the beach?
We do it all summer. A pre-rinse loosens the grit, the bath and high-velocity dryer take the rest, and anything truly stuck gets combed out by hand.
How much does Australian Shepherd grooming cost in southern Maine?
Aussies fall in our large-dog tier, with deshedding priced as an add-on. See the full price list on our services page — mobile grooming includes the drive, with no extra fee for towns in our service area.