Your Grooming Questions Answered

What is the basic difference between a Bath and Tidy and a Full Grooming?A Bath and Tidy is a thorough and professional cleaning, plus a healthful and beautifying trim of those areas of your dog that get the most heavily soiled: head, paws, and sanitary area. A Full Grooming includes a thorough and professional cleaning, plus a style cut for your dog's coat. In general, a Bath and Tidy serves as a touch-up service between visits for a Full Grooming. If your dog never requires a Full Grooming, a Bath and Tidy will keep him/her in top condition.

Do you charge extra for grooming older dogs? Never. We find older dogs are generally mellow and easy to work with. We do not discriminate, or add special charges for any dog based upon age.

Do you charge extra for grooming dogs with behavior problems? We do not. We handle each dog according to its needs and get the job done. If it becomes impossible to complete a dog's grooming due to safety issues, we will discontinue the grooming and charge only for the amount of work that was completed.

My dog has fleas. What now? Come on in! We treat for fleas at no extra charge. Flea prevention medications disrupt the reproductive cycle of fleas in your dog's coat, but they are not a 100% guarantee against fleas. Our flea treatment will get rid of all fleas on your dog's coat. One other note: fleas on your dog are not a sign of poor housekeeping or neglect. Fleas are everywhere outside, especially in moist gritty soils. Any dog can pick up fleas at anytime. It's nothing personal, it's just nature at work.

Is there anything for which you charge extra? We base our grooming rates upon the time necessary to complete a grooming. In general, dogs with long coats, dogs with highly stylized coats, and large dogs take longer to groom. They cost a bit more to groom than short-coated dogs, or dogs with simple styling needs, or small dogs. We may adjust our price slightly upwards if we encounter a coat with extensive matting or a coat that needs extra work due to poor condition. We will let you know what that adjustment will be in advance, so you can make an informed decision on how to proceed.

We also offer a few specialty services for your convenience that carry a small additional charge. These include tooth brushing, nail polishing, and nail capping.

What are the basic kinds of cuts or styles you offer? We can do anything you wish, as long as your dog has the coat to support it. Obviously, we cannot make a short coat longer and we cannot replace hair in bald spots. We will be happy to make suggestions, but ultimately it is your call and we listen.

What can I do about tear stains on my dog's face? There are a few options, none of which work 100%. The first and simplest is to let us thoroughly wash your dog's face. This will remove the caked on deposits on the face. Some staining will remain on the hair and skin. The second option is to let us cut away the stained hair. This will reduced the stained appearance even more, but may not entirely eliminate it. The third option is purchase a tear stain removal and prevention kit from your veterinarian or from a retail source. This kit will reduce tear staining but never eliminate it.