July 18, 2026
Your Puppy’s First Groom: What to Expect
This is for anyone booking a puppy in for the first time. The goal of a first groom is not a perfect trim — it is that the puppy leaves thinking the whole thing was fine. A dog who learns early that the table, the water and the dryer are unremarkable is a dog who is easy to groom for the next fifteen years. One frightening first visit can take a year to undo.
That is why Puppy's First Groom is 60 minutes at $45, and deliberately shorter and gentler than a full groom.
When to come in
Once the vaccination course is complete, usually around 12 to 16 weeks. Earlier than that is a health risk in a space other dogs use; much later and you have missed the window where puppies accept new things most readily.
What we actually do
We introduce the equipment before we use it — the clippers run near the puppy before they touch them, and the dryer starts on its lowest setting well away from the face. The session covers a bath, a light tidy around the eyes, feet and rear, a nail trim and an ear clean.
What it does not include is a full stylised haircut. Asking a 14-week-old puppy to stand still for 90 minutes is asking for the bad experience we are trying to avoid.
What helps beforehand
- Handle the feet at home. Paws are what most dogs object to. A few seconds a day, paired with a treat, makes nail trims easy for life.
- Tell us what worries them. Noise, being lifted, having the face touched — we will work around it if we know.
- Bring the vaccination record. We need to see it before the first appointment.
- Keep the goodbye brief. A long, reassuring farewell tells a puppy there is something to be worried about.
We would rather stop early with a happy puppy than finish the trim with a frightened one. If that means the first cut is a little uneven, we will tidy it at the next visit — and there will be a next visit, which is the point.