I think it's fairly easy to learn the ears, trimming the pads, and sanitary grooming, I still can't do nail clipping, but if you can learn to do a little on your own, it will save the cost of having to go so often. I just check Joey weekly before his bath, and trim a little here and there. I have a small eyebrow trimmer that I use for the ears and just follow the groomer's pattern.
Conair - Ladies 2-in-1 Trimmer, LT3RCS - 1 ea. I use baby scissors around his bum; no shaving there, I just keep the hair clipped short.