Summer Dog Grooming in Australia: A Calendar by Climate Zone

A note on the numbers. The temperatures and rainfall below are long-term monthly averages for each city, 2001 to 2025, from NASA POWER (a satellite and model dataset, so it can differ a little from a local weather station). The grooming advice is general, not veterinary advice. Written November 2026.

Most grooming advice about summer is written for one hemisphere and one climate. Australia has several. A groomer in Darwin is in the wet season, a groomer in Perth is in the driest months of the year, and a groomer in Hobart is still drying dogs on mild days. All three are in "summer".

This post sets out what summer means for bookings in each part of the country, and what to plan in each.

When summer starts where you groom

We sorted each month by its average daily temperature: cool is 10 to 15 °C, mild 15 to 20 °C, warm 20 to 25 °C, hot 25 °C and over. Wet is 5 mm of rain a day or more on average, about 150 mm a month.

Two things stand out. In the north, summer and the wet season are the same months, so heat and humidity arrive together. In the south, the averages hide a lot: Melbourne's and Adelaide's averages are mild to warm, but both get runs of very hot days.

The tropical north: wet, hot and humid

In Darwin and Townsville, the problem isn't only heat. It's humidity. A coat takes longer to dry when the air is already wet, so a groom you'd book for two hours in the dry season may need longer.

• Book longer for heavy coats from December to March, or book them early in the day before the heat builds.
• Plan for storm days. A van groomer in the wet season will lose some days to storms and flooded roads. Leave room in the week to move clients.
• Keep regulars on short cycles. Coats that stay damp are harder to keep in good condition, and many owners in the tropics book short clips year round.

The arid centre: hot from November

Alice Springs runs hot from November to March. The days are dry, so dogs dry quickly, but working conditions are hard.

• Groom early. Make the first slot of the day the longest groom.
• Look after the van. Park in the shade, keep water cool, and check the van's temperature before a dog goes in.

The east coast: Brisbane and Sydney

Brisbane gets hot in January and February, and wet in February. Sydney stays warm through summer.

• Expect the clip-down requests early. Owners start asking for shorter clips as soon as the first hot week arrives, which is often before summer officially starts.
• Allow drying time on humid days, the same as in the north, on a smaller scale.

The south and west: Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Canberra

Perth and Adelaide have dry summers, and both get very hot days. Melbourne and Canberra average mild to warm, with hot spells in between.

• Book around the hot days. When a run of 35-degree days is forecast, move long grooms to mornings and keep the afternoon for short services.
• Watch the double coats. This is where the "can you shave him?" conversation happens most (below).

Hobart: summer arrives late

Hobart's summer is mild. The rush for summer clips is smaller and later, and drying dogs is still a real part of the day.

The "shave him for summer" conversation

Every summer, owners of double-coated dogs (huskies, Samoyeds, Border Collies, Golden Retrievers) ask for a shave to keep the dog cool. Most groomers advise against it: the undercoat can grow back unevenly, and many groomers find a thorough de-shed does more for a hot dog than a shave.

Have the conversation before the groom, not at pickup:

1. Explain what you'd do instead. A de-shed and a tidy, priced as its own service.
2. If they still want the shave, say plainly what can happen to the coat, write the request on the pet's notes, and ask them to confirm it.
3. Suggest a shorter cycle. A de-shed every four to six weeks through summer does more than one big clip.

Plan the summer diary now

• Shorten summer cycles for coated dogs. A dog on eight weeks in winter may need five or six in summer. Suggest it at the door.
• Put a de-shed add-on on the menu. It's the summer service owners will say yes to, and it adds to a booking rather than needing a new slot. Our mobile vs salon prices post explains why add-ons pay best in a van.
• Watch for the Christmas overlap. In most of the country, summer and the Christmas rush arrive together. We cover that in how to handle the Christmas rush.
• Fill the gaps fast. Hot-day cancellations happen. A waitlist turns them into bookings: filling last-minute cancellations.

Where My Pet Groomer fits

Today, My Pet Groomer keeps each pet's coat notes and grooming history on its profile, sends reminders before every appointment, and runs a waitlist for full days.

Business Manager, coming to every plan, will suggest rebook timing that adjusts for your own location's seasons. You can join its waitlist on that page. In the meantime, the calendar above and a shorter summer cycle at the door do most of the job.

See what's in My Pet Groomer. Your first 30 days are free: get started.