We groom a number of dogs a day and though we would love to take them in one at a time, it is not efficient to operate this way.  Grooming your dog takes time.  It is very important to us that the experience is a pleasant one for them. To do this right, we never rush the grooming process.  This is why we do not guarantee a set pick up time.  The dog being groomed before yours may not be on their best behavior and therefore set us back some time. 

1. Once a dog has been checked in, they are put in a kennel with blankets until they are ready to be started.  We then ready the dog for their bath by trimming nails, cleaning the ears, combing them out and gently de-tangling the hair.  This ensures that the bath process is thorough and gives the dirt nowhere to hide!  This can take 30-45 minutes. 

2. The bath process is thorough.  We first bathe your dog in a deep-cleaning shampoo.  We then bathe again with a shampoo specific to their coat (ie. whitening, medicated, anti-itch, etc).  If needed, a final conditioning rinse is used. 

3. After the bath, your dog is thoroughly dried using a 'forced air' hand dryer.  We do not use 'cage dryers'. We comb them out at this time too.  The face is dried using a soft air 'fluff' dryer.  Each dog wears a Hoodie to protect their sensitive ears from the dryer noise.  This can take anywhere from 15 minutes to 1.5 hours depending on the coat on your dog. 

5. Now the fun starts!  After the bath, the coat is in perfect readiness for trimming.  We trim your dog on the table using clippers and finish them off with scissors.  Tail and face trimming are done last so everything is proportionate.  (see special considerations at bottom!)

6. Every dog knows that when the bandana or bow comes out it is time to go home.  Everyone gets a case of the wiggles! 

7. Your dog is then put back in the kennel to wait your imminent arrival.

Special consideration is needed during steps 5 & 6.  We ask that you do not return until you are called.  When a dog is on the table, your arrival excites them and we lose their attention.  This is very DANGEROUS as we use sharp instruments.  Especially if you return during our scissoring of the face.  Consequently, we have to stop and calm the dog and get him quiet enough to resume grooming. We will NOT continue until your dog is quieted. This is why we try to control the pick up times. 

We hope that this has given you some insight and understanding about your pet's grooming day.  You can see in handling a number of dogs per day it is much to your pets benefit if the shop operates in a quiet, orderly manner.  We enjoy working with all the various dogs, each with his own individual personality, and have found that the following allows us to relax, do our job well, and enjoy our little friends. 

We'll be more than happy to send you a text picture of your little one (or big one!) being groomed or resting at the shop!  Just let us know as check in and we'll keep you updated.