Frequently Asked Questions

Grooming always includes checking and, where needed, trimming nails. The only exception to this would be dogs that become overly aggressive or stressed to the point where it would be unsafe for us to provide this service. Frequently Asked Questions

This really depends on your dog. If your dog is walked more on grass and fields than on roads, he/she will need them cut more often as there is no surface to wear the nails down. If you are unsure, you can just pop into the salon at any point and we can let you know if they need cutting.

Yes! If you are local to me in WD3 (Croxley Green), drop by and the cost is from £7.00.

All dogs nails contain a blood vessel known as the “quick”. Cutting through this blood vessel causes extensive bleeding and considerable pain. Especially in black nails, the quick is not always visible and we will only cut the nail to a length we feel safe to do so. Each time a nail is cut, the quick recedes slightly enabling the nail to be trimmed again within a couple of weeks. Regular nail trimming is recommended in order to keep them to a short length however many dogs will naturally wear their own nails through regular walking (especially on concrete) and in these cases, the nails will not need to be trimmed.

Booking an appointment for a grooming service ahead of time ensures that you and your pet are not kept waiting any longer than necessary. Saturdays tend to be especially busy. We’re happy to take late bookings when we have availability.

It is advisable that you book your dog in again when you pick them up. We suggest that you phone up at least two weeks in advance of when you dog is due to be groomed to make an appointment. If your dog only requires a bath and groom with no trimming, then we may be able to fit you in sooner. We also operate a cancellation list if you require a more urgent appointment. Our Christmas bookings are in high demand and will need to be booked around October time to avoid disappointment.

You may find your appointment takes longer than anticipated. This is because I take my time to ensure your pampered pooch is relaxed and you get the best possible service. Frequently Asked Questions

This will depend on which treatment your dog is having. If you are bringing your puppy to us for their first visit, they usually stay with us for a maximum of 1 hour (this gives us plenty of time for cuddles) and for them to have a bath, nail trim and ear clean. Usual treatments last for approximately 2 hours maximum as we do NOT run a conveyor belt type grooming salon. Each dog is bathed and dried by hand. We want to make their experience as positive as we can.

A complete groom can take from 1.5 to 3 hours depending of the size, breed, and condition of the dog. Every pet is different. Times are adjusted to meet the needs of the pet.

Before jetting off with your dog be sure to ask for any care instructions between visits. If you and your pet are happy with the grooming experience, also consider scheduling their next appointment. You want your pet to be on a regular grooming schedule that accounts for busy times of the year. Based on the type of service, your dog may need more frequent visits. In either case, I will help you determine and put together a schedule to accommodate both you and your pet.

Yes, you do. However, on occasions I do have available spaces at short notice so always phone to enquire. I do recommend you book 4-6 weeks in advance and most of my customers book two treatments in advance to ensure an appointment.

When you arrive at Village Dog Grooming, I will perform a visual and physical screening of your pet. This includes evaluating the eyes, ears, teeth, nose, underside, skin and coat, and nail and pads. Once complete, we will discuss grooming packages and suggest specific treatments unique to your pet. During this time, you can provide any special grooming instructions or a haircut you have in mind.

This is also a great opportunity to bring up known issues your pet has, from limping to allergies, and for older pets, the location of benign lumps. Letting your pet’s stylist know these conditions will help them recommend a custom grooming plan for your dog. When deciding on the service, ask what tools or products you’ll need for regular maintenance. This will help you determine whether the service suits both you and your pet’s lifestyle.

Please call us to cancel and re-schedule as soon as you know that you won’t be able to keep the appointment. We require 3 days’ notice to allow us to fill the appointment time.

Due to the loss of (self-employed) income from the lost appointment, it is necessary to charge a 100% fee for any appointments which are not cancelled / rescheduled within 3 days of the appointment time.

My full attention is given to the dog that is being groomed, so unfortunately, I sometimes must rely on voicemail. I try to return all calls and voicemails the same day and can’t do this while driving since I need to write down information about you and your pet. Please be patient, and I will return your calls as soon as possible. I do appreciate your calls and your business.

Please make sure you walk your dog before your appointment. This releases energy and allows your dog time to toilet, before the grooming process starts. A good walk will make the grooming time easier and more enjoyable for your dog.

Some customers feel their dog will be better behaved if they stay with them, but in most cases, this can have the opposite effect. Dogs can be nervous at first because they may not be used to staying with me or being without you for long, but they soon get used to the routine of being groomed and will enjoy the calm environment we have at Village Dog Grooming. If you stay, your dog will be poised ready to go with you and they won’t be able to relax so it will be best for you to quietly leave after your consultation and I will return to you your happy clean dog after the groom.

We don’t encourage owners to be present as having the owner around often leads to the dog being unsettled, this then lengthens the time taken to complete the grooming. If any difficulty with a dog arises the owner will be consulted immediately.

It’s always my goal to have your dog ready as quickly as I can… but I won’t put your dog in a stressful or dangerous situation to do that. Sometimes, dogs need a break during their grooming session. I use sharp scissors to trim your dog’s hair, and rushing can be dangerous. My priority is to treat your dog with respect and love. My goal is for your pet to look forward to grooming visits! If you have any questions that weren’t answered here, feel free to give us a call.

I would have to meet your dog first to give you an exact price before performing the first groom. The size, condition, and breed of your pet would determine the exact cost for a comprehensive groom and the time needed to perform it.

We accept payment by cash, debit / credit card or BACs payment.

Pricing at Village Dog Grooming is based on breed, hair length, the condition of your dog’s, skin, its temperament, age, and grooming history, however, please use the prices listed on our Services page as guide pricing. We will give an exact cost at your pre-treatment consultation.

At Village Dog Grooming, we understand a lot of people choose to have more than one furry friend. Our pricing is already competitive and so we do not give discounts for multiple dogs because we still have the same amount of work to do.

At Village Dog Grooming, the cost of dog grooming is dependent on breed, size, and type of fur or hair. Upon meeting with your dog, we will recommend an appropriate grooming service and confirm all costs before the start of the appointment. Frequently Asked Questions

Prices are set realistically depending on the breed and work to be carried out. We cannot give you a set price without seeing your dog and the work to be carried out. Please see the price list guide on our website. You may incur additional charges for removal of stubborn knots, overdue and unkempt coats, aggressive behaviour or flea baths.

We accept cash, debit card, credit card or payment via BACs.

For your convenience, our online booking system has all our available slots and allows you to book and pay immediately. Please go to 10to8.com and choose a date and time that best suits your requirements.

We accept cash, debit card, credit card or bank transfer payments only.

Yes, we do charge a cancellation fee. For cancellations with less than 3 days notice, we charge a 100% cancellation fee. Time is reserved to groom your dog and therefore if you cancel last minute, we miss an appointment and we lose money. As a small business, we must charge you for your booking if cancelled within the 3 days because we may not be able to fill the newly available slot.

We are very experienced in grooming elderly dogs and give them extra special care and attention and will give them extra rest during the treatment. If they have trouble standing, we have belly supports and will also break the treatment up so that they can have a lie down in between. We have several blind, deaf and arthritic customers and we adapt each treatment to each individual dog’s needs.

Yes of course. We have a hydraulic grooming table and bath so pets will not need to be lifted at all. They will be groomed in a calm and familiar environment which reduces stress and separation anxiety. Our equipment is designed with your pet’s comfort and safety in mind and is especially ideal for senior and anxious pets. For extremely nervous dogs, it would be best not to feed him/her for 3 hours before the groom.

A lot of customers ask how we keep the dogs still for grooming and the answer is that we are experienced at what we do, and our doggy customers get to know us very well and are very happy while they are with us. We try to make the experience as enjoyable as we can even though being groomed isn’t a natural experience for them. We use supports around the neck and belly for safety purposes for your dog as if for any reason your dog did try to jump off, we are able to stop them from causing themselves any harm. All certified training establishments for dog grooming would recommend using supports for the safety of the dog.

You may feed your dog a small amount at least two hours before their appointment, as this can keep them comfortable during the groom. Please do not overfeed and allow your dog the opportunity to toilet well before our arrival.

Generally, we can accommodate a bitch that is in season. It is advisable that you contact us to discuss the stage of your bitch’s season prior to her appointment. Frequently Asked Questions

Please ensure you give them a walk first; it will give them a chance to relieve themselves and will de-energise and relax them.

Grooming or bathing your pet once about every four-to-six weeks, either at home or with a professional groomer, will keep your pet happy and healthy and allow them to be regularly checked for any abnormalities, such as ticks, fleas and dry patches or problems with nails, teeth, ears and eyes. Pets who have recently been vaccinated, have active infections or have underlying health issues are at higher risk of injury from stress. Older pets, those with special challenges, pets who have recently experienced stressful life changes or injuries are at higher risk of experiencing stress or aggravating a condition during grooming. Keep in mind, stress in pets can be cumulative, meaning a series of stressful situations can affect a pet’s health and well-being. Be sure to flag any special conditions with us and note all pertinent information on the grooming record card.

Yes, we encourage anything that will help your dog relax and enjoy the experience.

At Village Dog Grooming we do not crate or cage dogs. Being a one-to-one dog grooming service, we provide a personal groom one dog at a time. Frequently Asked QuestionsFrequently Asked Questions

No, they won’t as we do not use crates in our salon as we provide a one to one service. Frequently Asked Questions

We can see your puppy any time after their first vaccinations are completed (normally around 3 months). The evolution from a puppy to an adult coat is wholly dependent on breed and a grooming regime will be suggested to suit.

It’s recommended to wait until all the vaccinations have been given which is about 3 months old. Until then you as the dog owner can get your dog used to being groomed by brushing or combing your pet at home. Daily play with your dog’s ears and feet getting them used to these areas touched. We will be more than happy to show you how to properly brush and bathe your dog, also how to cut their nails. This is good to know since you will need to do this between grooming.

It’s never too early to let your dog get accustomed to dog grooming, and we like to see puppies come in for dog grooming as early as eight weeks of age. These first visits will be short and simple; they’ll probably entail a bath, blow-dry, nail clipping, and minimal trimming around the face. We will ensure that your dog is not stressed during the process as we help him or her get used to being groomed.

As soon as a puppy has had his last injection is a great time to start – the sooner you familiarise them with being groomed the happier your puppy will be. Think of the first grooming experience with that of a child’s first dentist appointment – if it’s carried out by a well-meaning but unskilled person your dog may fear and dread it for the rest of their lives. However, if introduced to grooming correctly at a young age by a well-trained professional, using the correct equipment, it can be a very positive and rewarding experience for them. Expertise together with love and patience are the keys to years of successful grooming.

During their first visit your puppy will be introduced in a relaxed and fun way to the sights, sounds and smells of the grooming salon ensuring that future visits are stress free. We advise you to start your puppy grooming with a bath and trim at least ten days after the final vaccinations. Your puppy can come in for an enjoyable puppy session to get used to the sights and smells of the salon and settle in from an early age.

When it is bath time, don’t simply focus on your dogs body, make sure you cover all the ground from nose to tail including the face and eyes.

There are many times when a dog needs a quick touch-up on his face and around his eyes. Listed below are some tips to help:

Use a soft, clean washcloth or sponge

Moisten the cloth or sponge with room-temperature water (avoid extremes of temperature). Use just enough water to get the job done. If you oversaturate the cloth or sponge, your dog will feel soggy and may balk at having his face cleaned. You want your dog to feel as comfortable as possible.

Avoid using paper towels or napkins

When wet, these products can easily shred and disintegrate, which will leave small bits of paper in your dog’s coat when wiping. The idea is to make your dog cleaner than he was before you started.

Pre-moistened wipes

Some people use pre-moistened wipes because of their convenience. However, you need to make sure the ingredients in the solution does not irritate your dog. This is especially true if the wipe is made for human, not canine use. If you want to use a pre-moistened wipe, make sure you stick to products that are specifically made for dogs.

Be gentle but firm

Use only as much force as necessary to soften and dislodge bits of food or dirt in your dog’s facial fur. It’s better to make several soft strokes than one or two more forceful—and intimidating—swipes. If a clump is proving especially stubborn, use a little more water to moisten it. And if your pet is especially sensitive, try a soft cotton ball soaked in warm water.

You’ve probably noticed the globs that can form around your dog’s eyes. Using a water-moistened wash cloth or sponge, very gently wipe the area around the eye to loosen and remove this dirt. Never wipe the eye itself. And be sure to approach this area slowly so you don’t startle your dog. Moistened cotton balls can also be used to help you target the specific area around the eye where the glob has formed. Never use soap or shampoo near your dog’s eyes because this may cause irritation—or even damage your dog’s eye.

Also called “Poodle Eye,” tear stains are dark blotchy areas that form on the hair under the eyes of some dogs—and they don’t have to be poodles. In fact, cats can get tear stains, too! This discoloration is particularly obvious in lighter-coloured dogs. The “stains” are caused when the eye expresses an excessive number of tears, which react with the bacteria in the hair. If tear stains are a chronic problem with your pet, it may indicate that is an underlying medical cause, such as infected tear ducts. You should bring this to the attention of your veterinarian. If routine cleaning with a moist washcloth doesn’t remove the stains, you can try solutions that are specially made for this condition. You can find them in pet-supply stores. Be sure to follow the directions.

We choose to follow the advice given by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons and all other professional organisations involved with dog grooming and therefore we do not routinely pluck ears.

Plucking the hair inside the ear canal can cause discomfort to your dog and exasperate existing ear problems. We will clean the area surrounding the ear canal with a specially formulated cleanser and advise you to seek veterinary attention should we notice any ear problems.

We do not pluck ears on a regular basis. This is because it can be painful and recent research by veterinary dermatologists has determined that ear plucking can cause trauma to the inner ear skin, which is very sensitive and lead to infection. Head shaking can also result after ear plucking and this can lead to hematoma’s forming.

We will be glad to trim the hair in and under the ear very short or pull out dead hairs. We hope you understand and appreciate that our main concern is for your pet’s comfort and safety.

Most dogs are not muzzled. If the dog shows any signs of aggression, it’s for the dog’s protection and my safety to muzzle the dog. The muzzle is immediately removed if the dog shows any signs of distress.

Keeping an animal calm is part and parcel of a groomer’s experience, knowing how to handle and talk to your pet will solve 99% of problems. Muzzles will be used only as a last resort and normally if required, will only be applied for a very short part of the process. It is very rare to find an ‘un-groomable dog’ but if we come across any serious problems during a visit, we will of course discuss them with you so we can agree on a solution together.

It is important that you inform me if your dog has ANY aggressive tendencies even if they’re rare. Dogs cannot tell us when they’re uncomfortable or unhappy, so I pay close attention to their body language and behaviour while they’re with me. However, if I am already aware of any behavioural issues, I will be more alert and prepared. Dogs are generally snappy or aggressive if we’re doing something they don’t like so in this case we can work together to find ways to get around and/or solve the issues, possibly encouraging more frequent but shorter visits to the salon to give your dog the chance to get to know us and the grooming process better. It is a learning curve and some dogs take longer than others to become accustomed. There are rare occasions when I am unable to complete the groom on your dog due to its behaviour. If he is too aggressive or anxious, it’s not in his (or our) best interest to continue as it won’t make things easier and someone could get hurt. If this happens, I will phone you and ask you to collect your dog immediately and we can have a chat about the options going forward.

Dogs are typically better behaved when they are in our grooming salon than when they are at home. Dogs that may appear nervous when they first come into the salon calm down when their owner has gone, and they get used to our environment. We can always give the dog extra time to settle in. It is highly recommended that a nervous dog comes in for socialisation prior to their appointment. This has proven to improve their experience of visiting us greatly.

That would depend on the aggressiveness of your dog. It is high of a risk to groom a pet that can be aggressive. Groomers have had to be put on permanent disability from dog bites that cause nerve damage, causing financial hardship.

For the safety of the staff and your pet we need to know if your dog is prone to any types of aggressive or difficult behaviour so we can take the necessary precautions. When we are dealing with dogs that have difficult or aggressive behaviour, we need to work with their owner as well, so these dogs can be supported into accepting the grooming procedure. Some aggressive dogs that we work with will need to come in at the end of the day with the owner.

If you have had your dog castrated/spayed, this affects the dog’s coat and may cause the coat to become very fluffy. When a dog has a fluffy coat, we can either clip it or scissor/thin by hand. On hand strip dogs, clipping your dog can have this effect on his/her coat and your dog may not be able to be stripped again. The more times a dog is clipped, the fluffier their coat may become. When we have bathed your dog, we use a strong dryer which makes the coat become straighter and easier to trim. When you dog leaves us, their coat will be much fluffier than when they arrived. This will however flatten down when they get home as they get wet/lie down etc.

First, it’s good to understand exactly what Hand Stripping is and what it involves. Wire coated breeds should have a double coat consisting of a coarse wiry topcoat known as the guard coat and a soft undercoat. Hand Stripping involves plucking out the coarse guard coat by hand and some suitable tools. Removing the dead guard coat allows new growth to come through which keeps the rich colour and texture of the wiry coat. If this coat is clipped or scissored you will lose the deep colours of the coat, as mainly the pale undercoat will remain and the texture will soften, destroying the protection of the coat. Not all wiry coated dogs can be hand stripped for a variety of reasons such as suitability of the coat, health issues or if the coat has been previously clipped. A show standard hand stripped coat is time consuming and an ongoing process as your groomer would need to be ‘rolling’ the coat on a weekly basis allowing the harsh texture to remain constant. However, we understand this is not suitable for most owners so we will usually completely hand strip the coat in one session. Some dogs are more sensitive than others while being hand stripped and it is something that they need to get used to over time which is why it may need to be done over a few sessions at first. We also like to provide regular water and toilet breaks during the sessions (for both the dog and groomer!) as the appointment will be longer than an average session. However, over time the dog will get used to it and most dogs enjoy the quiet time to relax and be pampered.

Recently I’ve been asked regularly if I offer anal gland expression as part of my grooming service. This is NOT something we offer. Unless a dog is showing symptoms of infection or impaction of the glands they do not need to be manually expressed. Emptying of the glands is something which a dog does naturally when it goes to the toilet.

I will check the glands during the quick health check that’s done at the beginning of each groom, however, my advice to any customer who is concerned that their dog may be experiencing problems with its anal glands is to seek the advice of a vet for professional diagnosis / treatment.

Anal glands are situated on either side of the anus and are scenting glands. These can be externally emptied if they have become blocked or are uncomfortable for your dog. We do not routinely empty these glands as we feel if there is no problem with them, they should be left alone. If your dog is having a problem, they will be scooting their bottom along the floor or you may notice a particularly offensive smell around the rear of your dog. (if this is the case please consult your veterinary surgeon).

Anal gland sacs have been routinely expressed by groomers and veterinarians for many years, yet recent research shows that this is an often unnecessary and sometimes has adverse effects on the dog. Some of the possible problems which may be caused, may include, infection, irritation and/or ruptured sacs. Should these problems arise, they may require veterinary treatment. Repeated expression can cause the rectum to weaken leading to damaged skin, increased need for expression and in some cases incontinence. This can be especially true of external expression which is what groomers are allowed by law to do. As such, we do not perform anal gland expression as part of any service. We believe that this process should be only performed when medically necessary.