Grooming 101

Q. What vaccines should my pet have before a visit to the grooming salon?

A. You should have your pet vaccinated with Distemper, Hepatitis, Leptospirosis, Parainfluenza, Rabies, and Bordatella (kennel cough). Puppies will need to have all their vaccines before being exposed to other dogs. We will not groom a puppy that has not been vaccinated with the appropriate vaccines. All cats must be current on Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis, Calicivirus, Panleukopenia and Rabies.

Q. How should I behave when dropping off my pet for grooming?

A. You should be calm and postive. Some dogs simply fear the grooming process and really need your positive reassurance. Always lead your dog in on a leash. A leash is a positive communication port between you and the person taking over the lead of your pet.

Q. Can I stay and hold my pet while they are being groomed?

A. We ask that you do not stay with your pet during their grooming session. We are trained to hold your pet in a professional manner to prevent stress and accidents during the grooming process. Staying with your pet could possibly stress them out causing them to be too wiggly. Most dogs will try to "hug" their owners the entire time jumping towards them instead of submitting to the groomer. Accicents are more likely to occur when an owner is present.

Q. How long does it take?

A. Please see our Time Estimates chart to see how long it takes for your breed of pet to be groomed

Q. How often should my pet be bathed/groomed?

A. Dogs should only be bathed once a month. Dogs with severe skin allergies can be bathed as much as once a week with a prescription shampoo. Dogs that require haircuts, such as poodles, need to be trimmed every 4-6 weeks. Dogs that get clipped very short can be groomed 6-8 weeks. If your pet's hair growth is slow, you may be able to go 8-12 weeks.

Q. How can I help prevent my pet's hair from matting?

A. You should brush your pet every day. If you bathe your pet at home, you need to brush your pet before the bath removing any mats. You will need to brush your pet again after the bath to remove any mats you may have created during bathing and drying. If you leave a mat in your pets fur and you wash your pet, it will only make the mat worse. Mats will become bigger and tighter making them impossible to brush out. You should never take scissors and cut out any mats that are close to the skin. Please see our brochure on Learning to Brush Your Pet and When your pet needs a smoothie.

Q. What if my pet has fleas or ticks?

A. If we see fleas or ticks on your pet, we will automatically bathe your pet in one of our natural flea/tick shampoos. A flea shampoo will only eliminate the fleas on your pet at that time and does not prevent them from jumping back onto your pet once they are re-introuduced into an environment with fleas. Please see our brochure on The Life Cycle of Fleas.

Q. Do you offer flea control and heartworm prevention?

A. We offer topical flea preventatives such as Frontline Plus, Advantage,and AdvantiX. We do not offer heartworm prevention because it only prescribed by a veterinarian.

Q. What is the latest I can pick up my pet from grooming?

A. You may leave your pet until 4 PM. However, we will ask that you pick your pet up after their grooming if they are an excessive barker or will not tolerate being in a crate. Excessive barking stresses out other pets being groomed and disturbs our neighbors.

Q. Can my pet come in for just a haircut without a bath?

A. No. We cannot clip dirty fur. Blades will pull at the fur instead of clipping it smoothly. This is uncomfortable for your pet, bad for our expensive equipment, and will not result in a nice haircut.

Q. Can I bathe my pet at home and then bring my pet in for a haircut only?

A. We prefer to bathe your pet ourselves. The professional grooming process involves a pre-clip of fur, a two phase bathing process followed by conditioners, a thorough brush out with force and fluff drying, and lastly a final clip. The most important part of this process in pet grooming is the bath and blow drying. When you bathe and blow dry your pet at home, you eliminate the professional look we offer.

Q. What can I expect for my puppy's first visit?

A. Please see our brochure on Puppy's First Visit

Q. What forms of payment do you accept?

A. Cash, Check, Mastercard, Visa, and Discover.