FAQs

We supply you with everything you need to wash and dry your dog: shampoo, ear & eye wipes, nail trimmers, brushes, towels, dryers, warm water, waist-high tubs, waterproof aprons, ramps for large dogs and after-bath spritz. However, you are welcome to bring your own shampoo or supplies if you would like, especially if your furr baby requires medicated shampoo.

Dogs get matted in a variety of ways. The most common ways coats become matted is when they rub and roll on carpet, play or wrestle with a companion dog, consistently wearing collars, harnesses, or sweaters,  scratch, bite, or lick themselves, or repeatedly getting wet & drying without brushing.

Matted or tangled fur and hair can cause and hide skin that is red, irritated, swollen or infected. A painful experience can make a dog reluctant to be groomed even under normal grooming conditions.

If there is a way that a dog can be de-matted & brushed out without pain or injury to the skin we will always do that. However, if the matting is severe or in sensitive spots, it is most humane to shave the coat short and start over. A dog’s coat will always grow back – they will only have a ‘crew-cut’ for a few weeks.

The best way to keep your dog mat free is regular brushing at home with the proper tools for their coat type or having them bathed & brushed, or even just brushed by professional groomers. We charge $6 for 15 minutes of brushing if you ever need brush out services only.

For dogs that get a haircut regularly, it’s okay to go shorter in the hot weather, primarily for ease of maintenance. A dog’s cooling system is totally different from ours. Just because we think that we would be hot in a fur coat in the summer doesn’t mean a dog is. A dog’s coat insulates them from the heat as well as from the cold. For double-coated breeds (top coat & shorter, furry undercoat) a better alternative to shaving is to have the dead & shedding undercoat removed while leaving the healthy protective undercoat & top coat.

We also offer an upgrade, the Furminator de-shedding system, which is an excellent way to keep a dog’s coat & skin in prime condition not only in the summer months, but year round. The process involves bathing them in specially formulated Furminator shampoo that we let soak for 5 minutes and then we apply the Furminator Condition to further loosen the trapped undercoat and let soak for 10 minutes. We then finish by using our high velocity dryers to help blow away more dead coat and then brush out with the Furminator tool to strip away the last of the excess hair & leave a shiny, healthy coat.

Regular treatments can reduce shedding by up to 90%!

To avoid having dogs become stressed, we space out the grooming phases and make sure each dog has plenty of breaks and personal attention. After a dog is checked in and has time to adjust to their surroundings the groomer will begin to prep your dog. This includes brushing, de-matting & removing excess hair if necessary, clipping nails, cleaning ears, etc.

The next step is bathing where we express the anal glands if necessary and brush teeth if requested. After the bath, the dogs are towel dried and then blown dried with a high velocity, no heat, air dryer to remove excess water & fluff or smooth the coat. If the dog is uncomfortable with the high velocity dryer, we will place them in our kennel room and allow them to dry with the kennel fans which takes much longer.

The last step is to finish the dog by brushing the fur and then cutting/trimming/scissoring/shaving the fur which usually takes the most time. It is not a fast process but it is structured to ensure each dog has a calm, rewarding experience and leaves looking good & feeling refreshed.

As a general guideline we quote one to two hours for bathing and three to four hours for grooming (haircuts/shave downs). It doesn’t always take us this long and our goal is to always get the dog groomed as quickly and safely as possible. Sometimes we have dogs that take longer than normal putting us behind the rest of the day. Other reasons include re-bathing & re-drying dogs if they relieve themselves in their kennels, matted dogs requiring extra brushing, the size, coat, and behavior of the dog, how many dogs are booked on that day, how many groomers are working, and the pace of each groomer. All of these reasons are why we give you an estimated time frame and call you as soon as your dog is finished and ready to go home.

We have lots of treats to spoil your furr babies! We have a gourmet treatery which includes apple hearts, peanut butter drops, sweet potato, blueberry, and peanut butter treats. We have pre-made bags for you to grab or you are welcome to mix and match to create your own treat bags.

We also have single cookies which are wheat, corn and soy free. We change up our variety but some take the shape of donuts, ice cream cones, and seasonal items like Easter eggs, pumpkin spice lattes, and ugly Christmas sweaters. We always have happy birthday bone cookies available in small and large sizes as well as birthday balloon cookies.

Our Pet Deli consists of all natural treats and includes, ham bone, femur, knee caps, pig snouts, pig ears, tendons, chicken feet, duck feet, moo tubes, roast beef strap, bully sticks, turkey link, lamb crunch and mammoth bones. We keep these all natural treats frozen to keep them fresh!