common grooming questions

Good grooming is essential for a clean, healthy, great-looking and happy dog. And a happy owner as well.

Depending on the breed and hair length, most dogs will benefit from regular professional grooming around every 6-8 weeks. Sometimes they’ll be shedding more hair, sometimes it’s as simple as their hair just looking a bit too scruffy or covering their eyes. If hair is starting to get tangled or matted, that’s a sign too.

For dogs with longer or curly hair or a double-coat (longer hairs combined with a shorter, softer fur near the skin) regular grooming is particularly important. Especially if summer is around the corner.

For any advice on if and when your dog needs a groom, please get in touch.

Regular, professional grooming makes sure your dog’s coat is clean and healthy, that their skin is clear and providing essential oils that the coat needs. Nail clipping is also important as long nails on a dog can cause discomfort when they walk. A trained groomer using professional equipment will help keep your dog looking and feeling their best and can sometimes spot early signs of other health issues.

There are some important grooming things any owner should try to do between professional grooms, such as using the right type of brush and brushing their dog’s coat thoroughly (paying particular attention to hair close to the skin where mats can occur) and washing them regularly (but not too often – probably no more than once every two weeks, and always with specialised shampoo). Of course that’s not always possible for everyone, and Clipsters can help. Also, some dogs will need their nails clipped, ears cleaned or glands expressed – things that many owners may not be comfortable doing. That’s where a professional groomers like Clipsters come in.

For more details and advice, see our article on how to brush your dog.

We’re always happy to have a chat about how best to groom your dog at home. Just send us a message.

What Clipsters charge to groom your dog depends on many factors. These include your dog’s breed, size and age. Other factors are the time since they were last groomed, and what you’d like done. All of these factors can affect how long a groom takes. Because of this we can only provide broad guidelines of costs. We recommend that you call or email Clipsters to discuss what’s best for your dog and how much that might cost.

Factors like your dog’s temperament and the condition of their coat may affect the time required to complete a grooming session, and therefore the cost. We will always agree a cost when you bring your dog to Clipsters, and on the very rare occasion that cost has to change, we will call or text you before we undertake any treatments.

Clipsters are fully insured and all grooming is carried out in a hygienic, purpose-built grooming area. Unlike some groomers we do not use home or domestic baths or tables. We only use professional-grade equipment, shampoos etc. We take the utmost care of your dog. Charlotte is a fully-qualified, professional groomer with an extensive knowledge of grooming, handling, behaviour and basic canine healthcare and first aid training. Sadly, there is currently no obligation for groomers to be professionally trained or qualified, and many groomers have not had the thorough testing or training of different breeds, hair length and hygiene indicators.

Also, Clipsters only groom one dog at a time, allowing for thorough cleaning between grooming sessions. It also means that Charlotte is focused exclusively on your dog. By not offering day care or other services your dog won’t be distracted by others, and nor will Charlotte.

Sorry, we cannot offer day care for dogs. You should drop-off your dog within around five minutes of the time agreed with Clipsters when booking (late arrival can have an impact on subsequent appointments). We will give you a rough idea of collection time when you arrive (most grooming sessions last around 70-90 minutes; upto two hours for larger dogs, hand strips etc.) and we will text you around 15 minutes before your dog will be ready to collect. Please consider local traffic or other potential delays if you’re driving or using public transport.

If you do not collect your dog at the agreed time you may be charged up to double your grooming fee as late collection can impact on other appointments. We may be able to recommend dog walkers and sitters to help you with timings.

Contact Clipsters to discuss your dog and what might be suitable.

Grooming is a safe process and Charlotte is trained in how to handle all types of dog, and how to spot both health issues as well as signs of anxiety or distress. It is highly unlikely any problems will occur during a grooming session.

If you are aware of your dog having any current or recent health or temprament issues, it is important that your let us know before you book. It doesn’t necessarily mean we can’t offer a full grooming service, but it does mean we can prepare and make sure your dog is taken care of as well as possible. It may also mean scheduling the groom appropriately, for example at the end of the day.

If your dog is found to have fleas, we will add an extra charge (typically £10) to your bill for application of medicated flea shampoo and to decontaminate the grooming area.

If your dog becomes agitated or aggressive to a point where it is considered dangerous to either the groomer or the dog to continue treatment, we will stop immediately and inform you by text or phone call. Charlotte will always put the welfare of the dog first and will work at a pace and in a way that the dog in comfortable with. We will have to charge for any treatment completed because of the time or products used.

Yes, we will do our best. Please be honest with us when booking as we may need to reserve extra time (which won’t affect the cost) to allow for their behaviour. If your dog does try to bite, we use the softest, professional grooming muzzles for the shortest time possible.

If your dog becomes too stressed we will do what we can but the dog’s welfare is our primary concern. If we don’t feel it’s right for the dog to carry on with the groom, we’ll stop. It can sometimes take a few visits to a groomer for a dog to be comfortable and more work can be carried out each time. We will discuss what’s right for your dog and potentially how best to manage grooming long-term.

Yes. Typically it doesn’t create any problems. We may suggest booking an appointment at the end of the day so we don’t have any male dogs in the room after her. Otherwise it should be fine, but again, please let us know before your appointment.

All dogs are unique and we take that into account during grooming. Don’t worry; your dog is in safe hands. We’ll do our utmost to make sure their first groom is a happy, positive experience. We’ll introduce them slowly to the grooming process, space, and equpiment. We’ll give lots of reassurance (and the occasional treat) and take our time. We will work with you throughout the process.

To understand more, read our article on how we structure a puppy’s first groom.

It’s important both you and your dog are comfortable with grooming. A bad experience can cause real problems. Please contact us if you’d like your dog to meet Charlotte and familiarise them with the grooming facilities so both of you can feel more comfortable before making an appointment (at no extra cost).

To understand more, ready our article on how we work with anxious and nervous dogs.

Clipsters only work with one dog at a time, and we focus exclusively on grooming. That means there are no other dogs around to distract or disturb your dog (or Charlotte).

Clipsters is based near Upper Walthamstow, between Wood Street, Fulbourne Road and Hale End Road. We are easy to access from Highams Park and Chingford as well as Walthamstow itself. We’re also an easy drive (or a long walk) from Leyton, Leytonstone and South Woodford. Limited parking is available (permit costs apply during weekdays).

Clipsters are a professional company and we take your privacy and security as seriously as we do the safety and health of your dog. Customer information is stored securely and we only record the information we need to carry out our services (eg. basic contact information, details of your dog, your vet). We do not hold or have access to payment card information.

With your permission we may send you photos of your dog before and after grooming and potentially share them on Clipsters’ social media channels.

As Clipsters offer new services we may contact you with updates. You can unsubscribe at any time and we will NEVER pass on your details to third parties. For Clipsters’ full privacy terms and conditions, click here.