Hair of The Dog Grooming

General information

We are a fully insured Castle Vale home-based business offering professional quality cuts and grooming for your dog. Grooming can be stressful for your dog, which is why we strive to make them feel as comfortable as possible and treat him/her as our own.
Special needs can be catered for with hypo-allergenic products for sensitive skins. Alternatively if you would prefer to provide your own shampoo, this can be accommodated. Your dogs happiness is paramount which is why we feel communication between yourself and us is important so we can insure the welfare of him/her. When you drop your dog off to us, we will discuss exactly what you want from us so you can walk away happy knowing you’ll be seeing a smart, happy, trimmed pooch when you return.
We do not publish our prices online because they can be confusing and are subject to each individual dogs needs. We set a base price for a breed but then take into consideration variation sin size, weight, coat length, condition as well as the dogs behaviour. A final price will be discussed with you when the dog is dropped off so we can fairly assess the amount of work required. A rough estimate can be given over the phone based on a description of your dog, but we must stress that this price is not final and is subject to our conditions stated above.
How can I save myself money and my dog stress?
Grooming doesn’t start or end in a grooming salon! Regular brushing will go a long way to help reduce mats in your dogs coat which will only serve to cause your dog distress and will incur dematting costs on your grooms. If you are unsure what brushes you should use for your dogs coat feel free to bring the dog in at an appointed time so we can give you the best advice.
I have a new puppy who will need grooming in the future, what can I do to introduce them to grooming?
We strongly encourage introducing puppies to grooming at a young age as this could save them alot of stress later on in life. This will involve bringing your puppy to us and showing them the noises and experiences of being groomed. You can also further this training by getting your puppy happy with having his paws handled, keeping still as well as comfortable around vacuum cleaners and hairdryers. You can even use an electric toothbrush to simulate the noise of clippers around their paws and heads. Feel free to ring for advice and help on this matter it could help you to save money in the future on your grooms.
Terms & Conditions
Dematting
If your dog requires dematting either by brushing or clipping it will incur an additional charge. Dematting takes longer and requires extra products to be used. Please note, not all matting can be removed through brushing. In accordance with the Animal Welfare Act, if your dogs coat is badly matted, they will be clipped if brushing causes too much stress for the animal. (We will discuss this with you prior to taking this measure)
Cancellations
Time is reserved for your appointment, meaning we ask that you give 48 hours notice upon cancelling an appointment. Failure to do so could incur a charge on your next groom. If in the unlikely circumstance that we have to cancel your appointment, we will give you as much notice as possible and do our upmost to reschedule your appointment as soon as possible.
Aggressive, Nervous & Troubled Dogs
Many dogs react differently to grooming depending on experience. If your dog is found to be aggressive or particularly nervous they may be required to be muzzled. However if the dog is too dangerous to be groomed then the session will be stopped. Concerning nervous dogs, options will be discussed with you to ensure the welfare of your dog
Late Drops-Offs & Pick-Ups
As stated above, time is reserved for your appointment, and thusly for others too. If you are late dropping off your dog it could mean there is not enough time to carry out the work your dogs needs. This may mean you will need to bring your dog back to finish off his groom and can incur a further charge.
We will give you prior notice to your dogs finishing time so you can get pick them up on time. We must stress that we do not have the proper facilities to keep your dog for extensive amounts of time. It is important you arrive not too early and not late as the latter may incur an additional charge.
No Shows
Failure to meet your appointment can incur additional charges on your next groom and you may be requested to provide advanced payments for your appointments in the future
Pregnant & In-Heat
We will not groom bitches that are pregnant or in heat as this can cause unnecessary stress.
Complete Shave-Offs
Particularly for double-coated breeds, we may ask that you provide an advisory from your Vet if your dog needs a complete shave-off as this can cause permanent damage to your dogs coat

Transparency
We do not want to hide costs from you and wish to make it clear that all dogs differ based on their individual needs and characteristics which will affect the amount of time needed for their grooming. We will do our upmost to discuss every detail with you prior to the work being carried out so there are no nasty suprises. Any further work required that is found during the groom will not be carried out until you are contacted and are in agreement.