A husky is not a doodle and neither is a Labrador. What your dog needs depends on the coat they grew, not the breed on the paperwork — and in this heat, getting it wrong does real harm.
Tailored to the coat, not the breed on the paperwork. Not sure which one? Book a full groom and say so in the notes — we will tell you honestly whether it was the right call.
Most dogs
Full GroomBath, full dry, clip or trim, nails, ears, sanitary and pads.Book this →
Short coats
Bath & Blow-DryWashed and dried properly, right down to the undercoat. No clipping.Book this →
Double coats
Deshedding & Blow-OutTakes the dead undercoat out rather than the coat off.Book this →
Wire coats
Hand-StrippingKeeps the texture and the colour. Longer than a clip, so book it on its own.Book this →
After the vaccines
Puppy Introduction GroomShort and gentle. Teaching them it is normal, not cutting hair.Learn more →
In and out
Nails, Ears & SanitaryThe quick visit, for when a full groom is not due yet.Book this →
Skin trouble
Medicated & Flea BathsPrescribed by the vet next door rather than guessed at.Learn more →
Add to any groom
Teeth Brushing & CheckThe brushing is cosmetic. What we see underneath it is not.Learn more →
Collection & ReturnAdd to any groomAn air-conditioned vehicle, a handler who works here, and a call when they are done. A three-hour groom stops costing you the afternoon.Learn more →
Anal glandsAnal glands are done on request.Tell us your preference when you book.
The one that matters here
Do not shave a double-coated dog
It is the single most common mistake made in this country, and it is made out of kindness. The reasoning seems obvious in forty-five degrees: less coat, cooler dog. It is the wrong way round.
A double coat is insulation in both directions. The dense undercoat holds a layer of still air against the skin, and the long guard hairs above it are the only sun protection your dog has. Take them off and you get sunburn on skin that has never seen daylight, a dog that feels the heat more rather than less, and an undercoat that grows back first — often patchy, sometimes never the same. What actually helps is getting the dead undercoat out: a deshed and a full blow-out, which is most of what we do for these breeds and why it takes as long as it does.
Find your dog’s coat
Crossbreeds take after whichever parent’s coat they inherited, which is not always the one they look like. If you are not sure, send a photo and we will tell you.
Double coatHusky, Malamute, German Shepherd, Golden Retriever, PomeranianDeshedding and a proper blow-out, right down to the undercoat. Never shaved — see below, it matters here more than anywhere.Every 6–8 weeks, more through a moult
Curly and woolPoodle, Bichon, Cockapoo, Maltipoo, most doodle crossesClipper and scissor work. This coat mats faster than any other and it mats close to the skin, where you cannot see it happening.Every 4–6 weeks, with brushing at home between
SilkyShih Tzu, Yorkshire Terrier, Maltese, Lhasa ApsoDetangling and trimming, with most of the work around the face, the feet and the sanitary area.Every 4–6 weeks
WireSchnauzer, most terriersClipped, or hand-stripped if you want the texture and colour kept. Say which when you book — they are different appointments.Every 6–8 weeks
Short and smoothLabrador, Beagle, Boxer, Pug, most mixed breedsBath, deshed and nails. Short does not mean no grooming — a Labrador sheds more than most doodles do.Every 8–12 weeks
Matting, and what we will do about it
A matted coat is not a grooming problem, it is a welfare one. Mats pull on skin every time the dog moves, they trap damp against it, and they hide everything underneath. Which of these four you are looking at decides the appointment — and we will tell you which before we start, not after.
BrushableLoose tangles behind the ears, under the legs and where the collar sits. A comb and some patience take them out. Nothing is lost and nothing hurts.
Partial clipThe usual places have tightened into mats. We clip those areas out and keep the rest of the coat. Your dog looks uneven for a few weeks. That is the cheap end of this trade.
Full shaveThe mats have joined into a sheet lying against the skin. It comes off in one piece. We will not spend two hours pulling it apart — that is an afternoon of pain your dog never agreed to, and the coat grows back.
Vet firstSores, broken skin, or a dog in too much pain to be handled. The vet looks before the clippers do. This is the part a salon on its own cannot offer you.
Before and after
Three coat types we see most weeks, and what each one actually takes on the table. These pairs are here to show the difference between them — what your own dog needs depends on how far the coat has gone, which is what the coat check at the start is for.
Scroll for more
Before
After
Matted → Taken backA coat that has gone past brushing. This is what stage three looks like in practice, and why we take it off in one piece rather than pull it apart.
Before
After
Overgrown → TrimmedNothing wrong underneath — just four months too long between appointments. Face, feet and sanitary do most of the work here.
Before
After
Double coat → DesheddedSame length of coat in both photographs. What has gone is the dead undercoat, which is the part that was making the dog hot.
The reason to groom inside a clinic
What a groomer finds, and who they tell
A groom is the longest anyone has hands on your dog all year. Four things we find regularly that a salon on its own can only mention to you and hope.
A lump nobody had foundHands go over every inch of a dog in a groom. It is the most thorough physical search your dog gets all year.
Raw skin under a good-looking coatHot spots hide beautifully. You often cannot see one until the coat is wet and parted.
An ear that is infected, not dirtyA groomer cleans ears. Knowing the difference between wax and an infection is a different job.
Nails grown into the padCommon in dogs that are walked on sand rather than pavement. It needs a vet, not clippers.
Questions owners ask
Why will you not shave my husky?
Because the coat is what keeps the heat out, not what lets it in. A double coat traps a layer of still air that works in both directions, and the guard hairs on top are the dog’s only sun protection. Shave it and you get sunburn, a dog that feels the heat more rather than less, and an undercoat that grows back first and often patchy. What actually helps is a deshed and a blow-out that pulls the dead undercoat out, which is exactly what we do.
My dog is badly matted. Will you shave him?
Probably, and we will tell you before we start rather than after. Dematting a heavy coat is hours of pulling on skin that is already sore underneath. We would rather your dog had a short coat for three months than a bad afternoon. If the skin beneath is broken, the vet sees him first.
Do you sedate dogs for grooming?
No. Grooming is not a reason to anaesthetise a dog. If yours genuinely cannot be groomed safely while awake, that becomes a conversation with the vet about why — pain, fear, or something we have not found yet — rather than a decision a groomer makes with a syringe.
When should a puppy have their first groom?
Earlier than most people think, and for the wrong-sounding reason: the first few visits are about teaching a puppy that this is normal, not about the haircut. Once the vaccination course is finished, book a short introductory visit. A puppy who learns to enjoy the dryer at four months is a dog who is easy for the next fifteen years.
How long does it take, and can you collect?
Two to three hours for most dogs, longer for a heavy double coat or bad matting. We do not rush a dog through it and we do not leave them crated all day either. If you would rather not lose the afternoon, we will collect and bring them back — air-conditioned vehicle, a handler who works here, and a call when your dog is ready.
These cards are a live feed, not copy. Every one is pulled straight from your Google Business Profile — the stars, the words, the name and the date are whatever Google holds that day. Nothing here is written by us or by you.
Every review on our Google Business Profile is written by an owner, not by us. We do not publish selected quotes here — read them all, in full and unedited, on Google.
Book a groom
Tell us the dog and the coat
If you are not sure of the coat type, or how matted it has got, send a photo with this and we will tell you what the appointment needs to be before you come.
Veterinary Falcon
Pet Clinic LLC
Get a quote
