Grooming Guide & FAQs

For a first-time grooming appointment, we usually recommend booking a Tidy Up service for both dogs and cats.

The first grooming experience can feel new and overwhelming for some pets. A Tidy Up session is usually shorter and gentler than a Full Groom, which helps your pet slowly get used to the grooming environment, tools, sounds and handling.

For some dogs and cats, we may recommend one or two Tidy Up sessions before moving on to a Full Groom. This can help build confidence and make future grooming more comfortable.

A Full Groom takes longer and may be too much for some pets during their very first visit, especially if they are young, anxious, sensitive, or not used to grooming.

If you would like hair taken off your dog's body, this is usually considered a Full Groom, not a Tidy Up.

A Tidy Up does not include trimming or clipping the body coat. It usually focuses on areas such as the face, paws, hygiene area, nails and light neatening.

If you want the body coat trimmed, clipped, shortened or shaped, please book a Full Groom. You can choose a shorter clip or a longer fluffy style depending on your preference and your dog's coat condition.

Many owners think "just a trim" is a small service, but trimming the body can take more time than expected, especially if you want to keep the coat longer and fluffy.

Grooming price is not based only on how much hair comes off. It is mainly based on how much time, skill and coat preparation are required.

A short clip is often quicker because clippers can be used with a selected blade length. For example, short body clips can be done with different blade lengths depending on the style and coat condition.

If you want your dog to stay longer, fluffy and rounded, it usually requires more brushing, preparation, scissoring and styling time. This is why longer fluffy styles can cost more than short clips.

A fluffy and cute style requires regular maintenance. If the coat becomes matted, we may not be able to keep the body long and may need to clip the coat shorter for your dog's comfort and safety.

This depends on your dog's coat type, the style you want to keep, and how often you brush your dog at home.

If you want to keep your dog long, fluffy and styled, we usually recommend grooming every 4 to 6 weeks. You can also book a Wash & Dry or Tidy Up service between Full Groom appointments to help keep the coat clean, brushed and less likely to mat.

If the coat becomes matted, we may not be able to keep the body long. In that case, a shorter clip may be the safest and most comfortable option.

If you prefer to keep your dog's body short, grooming every 8 to 10 weeks may be suitable for many dogs, depending on their coat growth, lifestyle and home brushing routine.

If you are unsure, please ask our staff and we can recommend a suitable grooming schedule for your pet.

Matted coats require extra time, care and handling.

Dematting can take a long time and may be uncomfortable or stressful for dogs, especially if the matting is tight, close to the skin, or covers a large area. In some cases, heavy dematting can take hours.

For your dog's comfort, we do not recommend removing large areas of matting by brushing them out in one grooming session. This can be painful, stressful and may make the dog dislike grooming in the future.

If your dog has heavy matting, we usually recommend clipping the coat short instead. Even when shaving a matted coat, extra charges may still apply because we need to work very slowly and carefully. Matted coats are high risk because knots can sit very close to the skin and may hide redness, irritation, sores or skin problems.

Your pet's comfort and safety will always come before appearance.

Double-coated dogs usually require more drying, brushing and deshedding time.

Their coat is often thicker and denser compared with many other coat types, so it can take longer to wash, dry and brush properly. A double coat grooming session may take at least 20 to 30 minutes longer than other coat types, depending on the dog's size, coat condition and shedding level.

Our Double Coat Tidy Up includes basic deshedding. If your dog needs a large amount of extra brushing, heavy deshedding, or extra coat work, additional charges may apply.

No. Deshedding can help reduce loose hair and make shedding more manageable, but it will not stop shedding completely.

Shedding is natural for many dogs, especially double-coated breeds. Regular grooming and brushing can help reduce the amount of loose hair, but your dog may still shed after the grooming session.

For double-coated dogs, we usually do not recommend clipping or shaving the body short unless it is necessary for welfare reasons, such as severe matting or vet advice.

Double coats have a protective function, and clipping or shaving them too short may affect the coat texture, coat regrowth and natural protection.

For double-coated breeds, we usually recommend a Double Coat Tidy Up, deshedding and outline trimming instead.

If you want a full body scissors cut for a double-coated dog, please contact us first for an individual quote. A full body scissors cut can take much longer because we need to thoroughly wash, dry, brush and prepare the coat before shaping it with scissors. Pricing depends on the dog's size, coat condition, behaviour and the style requested.

Yes, we can groom many anxious or nervous pets, but your pet's safety and comfort will always come first.

We take our time and try to make the grooming session as calm and gentle as possible. If needed, another staff member may help support or hold your pet safely during the grooming process.

However, if your dog or cat becomes too stressed, anxious, aggressive, or if we feel it is not safe to continue, we may need to pause or stop the grooming session.

If this happens, we will always contact the owner and discuss the best option for the pet.

If we cannot safely complete the grooming session due to stress, behaviour, coat condition, matting or health concerns, we will contact you as soon as possible.

We may recommend:

• Completing only part of the service
• Changing to a shorter or gentler service
• Rebooking another session
• Visiting a vet before grooming if there are health concerns

Your pet's wellbeing will always come before appearance.

If your dog has sensitive skin, allergies, itchiness, redness, skin irritation or any previous reaction to grooming products, please let our staff know when you drop off your pet.

We have different shampoo options available depending on your pet's needs:

• Oatmeal shampoo — a gentle option often suitable for pets with sensitive or easily irritated skin.
• Medicated shampoo — may be suitable for pets with existing skin concerns, depending on the condition.
• Flea shampoo — may be used when fleas are found during grooming.

Special shampoos may incur an additional cost.

You are also welcome to bring your own shampoo if your pet has a specific product recommended by your vet or if you prefer us to use a shampoo your pet is already used to.

Please note: If your pet has serious, ongoing, infected, painful or worsening skin problems, we recommend speaking with a veterinarian before grooming. As groomers, we can only observe what we see during grooming, but we cannot diagnose skin conditions.

We mainly use Plush Puppy, an Australian grooming brand.

We also have different shampoo options for different coat and skin needs, including deshedding shampoo for double-coated dogs.

For double-coated dogs, we may use deshedding shampoo to help loosen dead undercoat and support the deshedding process.

Special shampoos, such as oatmeal, medicated, flea or deshedding shampoo, may have an additional cost depending on the service and your pet's needs.

If your pet has sensitive skin or you would like us to use a specific shampoo, please let our staff know when you drop off your pet.

Some pets have more sensitive skin than others. Certain areas, such as the private area, paws, armpits and ears, can be more sensitive.

Redness or irritation may happen for different reasons, such as:

• Sensitive skin
• Close clipping or shaving
• Friction from matting
• Heavy licking after grooming
• Existing skin irritation that was hidden under the coat
• Moisture, allergies or other skin issues

For hygiene areas, we normally avoid shaving extremely short unless requested, because very close shaving can sometimes cause irritation, especially in sensitive pets.

If you know your dog has sensitive skin, sensitive paws, or often licks after grooming, please let us know when you drop off your pet. We can leave the coat slightly longer in sensitive areas where possible and avoid using the shortest blade.

If you prefer the private area, paws or hygiene area to be clipped very short, please tell our staff. We will do our best, but please understand that shorter clipping may increase the chance of temporary sensitivity, redness or licking.

If irritation is severe, lasts more than a short time, or your pet keeps licking, chewing, swelling or seems uncomfortable, we recommend contacting a vet.

Some dogs may lick their paws, private area or other clipped areas after grooming because the skin can feel different, sensitive or slightly irritated, especially if the area has been clipped short.

This can be more common in pets with sensitive skin, pets that are not used to grooming, or pets that already had irritation hidden under the coat.

For female dogs, the private area can be especially sensitive if clipped too short, so we usually avoid using the shortest blade unless requested.

If your dog has a history of licking, chewing, redness or sensitivity after grooming, please let our staff know before the groom. We can try to leave more coat in sensitive areas where possible.

If your dog keeps licking excessively, becomes very red, swollen, sore, or uncomfortable, please contact a vet.

Ear plucking is available on request if it is suitable for your dog.

We do not automatically pluck every dog's ears, because ear plucking may cause sensitivity, redness or irritation for some pets, especially if the ears are already sensitive.

If your dog's ear hair is matted, blocking the ear canal, trapping wax, or if your vet has recommended ear plucking, please let our staff know when you drop off your dog.

If your dog has sore ears, bad smell, discharge, swelling, redness, or ongoing ear problems, we recommend checking with a vet first before grooming.

Yes. If we notice anything unusual during grooming, we will let you know.

This may include:

• Redness
• Irritation
• Lumps or bumps
• Scabs
• Sores
• Hot spots
• Fleas or ticks
• Ear redness or discharge
• Matted areas close to the skin
• Sensitive or painful areas

Where possible, we may take a photo and send it to you so you can see what we noticed.

Please note that we are groomers, not veterinarians. We can tell you what we can see, but we cannot diagnose the cause or provide medical treatment.

If we notice something concerning, we may recommend that you contact your vet for advice.

No. We do not offer complicated styling cuts or full scissoring styles for cats.

For cats, we mainly offer Tidy Up services or full body clipping/shaving where suitable. Cat grooming can be stressful for some cats, so we focus on safe, practical and comfortable grooming rather than complex styling.

If your cat has matting, hygiene issues or coat concerns, please contact us or book the most suitable cat grooming service online.

Yes. We provide grooming services for both dogs and cats.

For cats, please make sure your cat arrives in a secure carrier. Cat grooming can be stressful for some cats, so we always work gently and carefully. If your cat becomes too stressed, we may stop the session and contact you.

Yes. There is street parking available in front of the shop.

Please allow a little extra time before your appointment in case parking is busy.