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Great pyrenees grooming
Great pyrenees grooming: de-shed it, dry it, never shave it.
Grooming a pyr is not a haircut. It is brushing a few times a week, clearing the undercoat when it blows, keeping the nails and double dewclaws short, and a bath only every few months. Here is each part, and why shaving is the one thing not to do.
Quick facts
The pyr coat at a glance.
Coat structure
Very heavy white double coat
A dense woolly undercoat under a longer, coarse outer coat that sheds dirt and weather. Bred to guard livestock outdoors in every season.
How it sheds
Heavy and constant, with real seasonal blowouts
The coat rarely needs washing and constantly needs brushing. Those are two different jobs on this breed.
What grooming means here
Brushing, blowout de-sheds, nails, ears
No haircut is part of correct pyr grooming. The breed is meant to be kept in full coat.
De-shed visit
$170
Our $155 XL / giant tier wash plus the $15 de-shedding treatment. Pyrs run 85 to 115+ lbs, always our largest tier.
What grooming actually is
Four jobs, and a haircut is not one of them.
Pyrs were bred to live outdoors with a flock, and the coat evolved to look after itself: the coarse outer coat lets dirt dry and fall out, and the dense undercoat keeps the dog comfortable in cold nights and hot days. That is why the bath is the smallest part of pyr grooming (the great pyrenees bathing guide has the 3 to 4 month schedule). The shed is the big part.
- 1Brushing, 2 to 3 times a week
The real maintenance job. An undercoat rake through the body, a slicker and comb for the mane, the pants, the tail, and behind the ears, which are where a pyr mats first.
- 2A de-shed during each blowout
When the undercoat releases, it comes out by the armful. A soak and a long forced-air blow-out clear it in one visit, where brushing alone takes weeks.
- 3Nails, including the double dewclaws
Most pyrs have double dewclaws on the back legs. They never touch the ground, so they never wear down, and an overgrown dewclaw can curl back toward the leg. Whoever trims nails, you or a groomer, has to check them. Nail trimming is included in every wash we do.
- 4Ears, and an occasional bath
The folded ears get a check and a clean (ear cleaning is included in every wash too). The bath itself is the smallest part: every 3 to 4 months off-season is enough for most pyrs.
The blowouts follow daylight, so in the Bay Area expect the heavy fall release around September and October and another in spring, warm weather or not. Tools are covered in the deshedding tools guide, timing in the fall shedding guide, and the year-round levers in how to reduce dog shedding.
The one thing not to do
Why you should not shave a great pyrenees, even in a heat wave.
It feels like common sense: a huge white dog, a hot Bay Area afternoon, take the coat off. It works the other way. A healthy double coat traps a layer of air against the body that buffers heat as well as cold, and the outer coat shades the skin. Under all that white fur, pyr skin is often pale and burns easily once it is exposed.
Shaving also gambles with the coat itself. A shaved double coat can grow back patchy, with the undercoat outpacing the guard hair and a texture that never quite returns, and sometimes it does not fully come back at all. And the shedding does not stop. It just arrives in shorter pieces that weave into carpet.
What actually cools a pyr is a coat with the dead undercoat removed, so air can move through to the skin, plus shade and water. That is exactly what a de-shed does. A matted pyr is a separate problem: mats block that airflow, and severe ones may need a groomer to clip them out, which is a call to make with them and, if the skin looks sore, your vet.
The professional de-shed
A pyr de-shed in the van, step by step.
- 01Walk up the ramp, then the pre-bath brush-out
No lifting a 100 lb dog: the ramp folds down and the pyr walks in on its own. We loosen surface shed and open the mane and pants before water goes on.
- 02De-shedding shampoo and deep soak
Worked through the coarse outer coat to the skin, then left to dwell so it releases the anchored undercoat.
- 03High-velocity blow-out in the van
Forced air pushes the released undercoat out and dries a coat this dense to the skin in about an hour. Left to air-dry, it can stay damp most of a day.
- 04Final brush and inspect
A finishing pass through the mane, pants, and tail, a look at the skin under the white coat, and the nail trim that comes with every wash.
The general process is on the de-shedding treatment page, and the ramp on the big dog wash page.
What it costs
One flat price for the largest coat we see.
Most of the year, a pyr owner who brushes a few times a week does not need us, and we would rather say so. The blowout is different. Clearing that much undercoat and drying the dog to the skin takes a forced-air dryer and a tub a 100 lb dog can walk into, which is what the van is.
A great pyrenees de-shed visit is $170: our $155 XL / giant tier wash plus the $15 de-shedding treatment. The brush-out, full blow-dry, nail trim, and ear cleaning are included in every wash. Across the 31 Bay Area groomers in our September 2026 price survey that list a de-shedding add-on, the median add-on price alone is $25.
Frequently asked
Great pyrenees grooming questions.
Brushing two or three times a week, all year, is the core of it. On top of that, a de-shed during each seasonal blowout, a nail check every few weeks (including the rear dewclaws), and a full bath only every 3 to 4 months outside a blowout, because the coat is largely self-cleaning. A pyr needs far less washing than most people expect and far more brushing.
No. The double coat insulates against heat as well as cold and shields the skin from sun, and under a white coat that skin burns easily. Shaving risks a coat that grows back patchy or textured wrong, sometimes permanently, and it does not reliably reduce shedding once it grows in. In Bay Area heat, what actually helps is removing the dead undercoat so air can reach the skin, plus shade and water. If your pyr is struggling in the heat, ask your vet.
No. We are a wash-only service and do not cut, clip, or shave any dog. For this breed that happens to line up with what the coat needs. If you want paw fur tidied or a sanitary trim, that is a job for a scissor groomer; everything else on this page is ours.
Longer than most dogs. Our general range is 60 to 90 minutes, with large double-coated breeds taking up to two hours, and a pyr in a full blowout sits at the long end. Most of that time is the forced-air blow-out, which is also what gets a coat this dense dry to the skin in about an hour instead of the better part of a day.
Because bathing and brushing are separate jobs on this breed. The coat sheds dirt on its own, so it can look clean while dead undercoat packs down in the mane, the pants, and behind the ears. Mats on a pyr come from missed brushing, not missed baths. If a mat is already tight to the skin, do not pull it with a rake; our dematting guide covers which ones a brush can still save.
Found a mat already? Here is which mats a brush can still save.
Blowout season for a pyr? We bring the ramp and the dryer.
Great pyrenees de-shed and full forced-air dry in the van at your driveway, $170. Nails and ears included.
or text us at (408) 599-8317
Owner-operated · Local service
Hi, I’m Ace.
I run Bay Area Mobile Dog Wash myself — I’m the one who shows up at your door. Every visit is one dog at a time in the van at your curb: warm water, a full brush-out and a proper dry, with no salon drive and no cage waiting. Big dogs, heavy shedders and nervous seniors are the reason this service exists.
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SUCH a great - and easy! - experience! Asa was immediately responsive (I love when businesses actually answer their phone!), worked Moose in within 24 hours, was communicative throughout, bought unscented products specifically for us, did a great job with my 12 year old doodle … all in all: amazing service!
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Ace at Bay Area Mobile Dog Wash was absolutely wonderful with my senior dog. He was so gentle and patient with him, which meant everything to me given his age — I could tell he genuinely cared about his comfort throughout the whole process. Beyond the excellent care, Ace was warm, loving, and clearly an animal lover at heart, while also being completely professional from start to finish. It's rare to find someone who balances that kind of tenderness with real expertise, and my dog came out looking and smelling great without a hint of stress. Highly recommend Ace and Bay Area Mobile Dog Wash.
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Ace was great with my 3 small dogs. They got washed and towel dried, their ears checked, their nails trimmed. One star off because he trimmed one nail too far and it bled for a long time, plus distressed my already anxious dog. Important to know that this service isn't van-based (yet). Ace brings a portable wash station to set up outside. He brings his own water and supplies. He doesn't do any hair cuts, just basic wash and towel dry. I'll call him again in the future!
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Ace did a great job with our little old chihuahua mix. Our appointment was for the evening and he came prepared with warm water, and made our sure our dog was comfortable the entire time. Don't let the lack of reviews on yelp scare you away, his prices are good, and he takes time to ensure that good work is done.
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He did such an amazing job with my dog! He came out looking so nice, clean, and well-groomed, but what stood out to me most was how happy and comfortable he seemed afterward. You can really tell he was treated with care throughout the entire process. I'm extremely pleased with how everything turned out and would definitely recommend him!
★★★★★
Ace at Bay Area Mobile Dog Wash was absolutely wonderful with my senior dog. He was so gentle and patient with him, which meant everything to me given his age -- I could tell he genuinely cared about his comfort throughout the whole process. Beyond the excellent care, Ace was warm, loving, and clearly an animal lover at heart, while also being completely professional from start to finish. It's rare to find someone who balances that kind of tenderness with real expertise, and my dog came out looking and smelling great without a hint of stress. Highly recommend Ace and Bay Area Mobile Dog Wash. Price is great!
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We booked Bay Area Mobile Dog Wash for our 90-lb German Shepherd, Koda, who hates the groomer. Ace parked the van right in our driveway in Willow Glen, walked her up the ramp himself — no lifting, no cage, no other dogs — and I watched the whole wash from my doorstep. Bath, nails, ears, and she came back inside dry and calm. Flat $95 exactly as the website said, no surprise charges. We've already booked next month. 😊❤️
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