. q. How often should I have my dog groomed?

 It depends on the breed of your dog, his lifestyle and on how you want him/her to look and smell. While it’s true that a clean animal is a healthier one, excessive bathing can dry out the skin and strip it of its natural oils. Generally speaking, short-coated dogs with no skin conditions can go several months between baths unless they have gotten into something dirty or smelly. Longer-coated dogs should be groomed every six to ten weeks to ensure their hair doesn’t get matted and isn’t harbouring insects or hiding skin conditions. Of course, certain dogs should be groomed more often than others to maintain their appearance.

 

q. How long does it take?

 Obviously, this depends on many things, (size, coat condition, temperament and requested treatments) but as a general rule, it will take between 1.5 and 3 hours. We will give you an estimated pick-up time when you drop your dog off but do please wait for our call to say your dog is ready. If you come early, the dog will know you are there and it will be difficult to make them settle to finish their groom. Conversely, please come for your dog as soon as we call. We are not a boarding facility and don't have the time to look after your dog while grooming the next appointment.  

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q. How much does it cost?

All dogs are different and without seeing your dog we are unable to give you an exact price. We can give you an estimate on the phone based on breed of dog, but will need to assess the dog's coat condition & temperament, and discuss with you the style you require. Some scissored styles can take much longer than shorter styles and matted coats will also require extra work. We will not de-matt a severely matted dog. The most humane solution is to clip the coat back and start again, with regular home brushing between grooms. If this is the case then we will work together to get your dog's coat back into great condition, and the cost of future grooms will almost certainly be reduced.

 

q. Why does my dog have to be shaved, can't you brush the matts out?

To de-matt a dog, a de-matting tool is slid between the skin and the matts and they “saw” the matts up into smaller pieces before a comb or brush is used to pull the matt out of the surrounding fur.. This can be quite painful and distressing and is frankly an inhumane way to treat a dog .  If a dog is constantly being de-matted when it comes to the groomers, it will not be a positive experience and they will learn to fear the groomer. We will never recommend that our clients leave the matts on the dogs as moisture and dirt gets trapped easily inside, becoming an ideal bacteria breeding ground. Over time the bacteria breaks through the skin, leading to skin infections. Matting occurs due to lack of proper, regular brushing. We cannot undo 6 weeks of matting in two hours. We will be happy to show you the correct tools and brushing methods to keep your dog matt free between grooming appointments.

 

 q. Why does my dog shake his head after grooming?

 As part of the grooming process we may clean the ears and pluck hair from the ear opening  to allow air to flow more freely into the ear to keep it dry. After cleaning and removal of the ear hair, it can take the dog a little while to get used to the feeling and they may periodically shake their head for a few hours after grooming.

 

q. When should I first have my puppy groomed?

 Your puppy can be groomed two weeks after its 2nd vaccinations. From this age to the age of 6 months we offer a puppy groom. This consists of: a bath, brushout, nail clip, ear clean and light trimming of the face, feet and bum. We give the puppy lots of reassurance and gently introduce each stage of the grooming process. The objective is to have the experience be a positive one at the outset so your pet looks forward to each future grooming experience for a lifetime. Be unemotional when you drop him off and give him a lot of praise when you pick him so you don’t transmit anxiety at the outset and show pleasure at the end of the experience.

 

q. Can I stay with my dog?

While you are more than welcome to wait in the reception area for your dog, we actually find that the dogs respond better to us when they can't see or hear their owner. We will not hesitate to call you if we think your dog needs return home.

 

q. I just want my dog's face trimmed or nails cut - can you help?

 Yes, nail clipping and face trims are available at £6 each per dog. Generally these services do not need an advance appointment, just pop in,  most of the time we will be able to accommodate you but it never hurts to phone ahead and check! We do not offer drop in appointments in December. 

 

q. What if my dog has fleas?

If your dog is found to have a flea infestation on arrival we will reschedule your appointment for you to have the fleas treated before your return. If we uncover fleas during a groom which were not visible on first inspection, we will wash the dog with a shampoo which will kill all fleas on the dog. There will be an additional charge for this. 

 

q. What if my dog is very nervous or aggressive?

 We are happy to work with nervous dogs. We like to build up a relationship with nervous or timid dogs and may suggest that we break the first couple of grooms down into 2 or more sessions at no extra cost, to allow the dog to gain trust in us. We take aggressive dogs on a case by case basis, we may be able to groom them with the help of a muzzle. However if the dog reacts badly to being muzzled, then they are at risk of injuring themselves by trying to take the muzzle off. We have no wish to force a dog to accept grooming, it will only cause further problems with the dogs behaviour.  If we feel we cannot safely groom your dog or we feel grooming will cause your dog undue stress or anxiety, we will tell you. We reserve the right to refuse to groom a dog if we feel it will pose a risk to us or itself.

 

q. Do you groom cats?

Sorry, no. We only groom dogs