Pricing

I will not give quotes over the phone. Please visit, I will usually be able to give you a fixed price, or at least a price range, for a difficult or neglected coat. As this is a repeat business you will know exactly how much it will cost to have your particular dog groomed after I have groomed your dog once. I am very price competitive and fair, and will always offer the cheapest way of dealing with a particular problem. A small dog such as a Maltese, will take about 1 to 2 1/2 hrs and a giant breed such as a
Newfoundlander may take 3 - 5 hours. If they are knotted or matted add 1-2 hours. A surcharge of $10 will be charged per 1/2 hour, to compensate for time lost, due to knots. So you can see, that we are talking serious time and money here!

Save your money, brush and comb your dog.
But of course there is always a cheap option: an "all off". They just don't look as cute as when they have fur, .... You choose! But remember dogs get cold too! Get a coat please.

If your dog is knotted by more then 50%, I will give an "all off" haircut automatically! Undoing knots is a bit harsh on your dog, even if done gently!

For a coat that is maintained:
A small dog will cost $50
A medium dog, ( Golden Retriever) $50 to $60
A large dog may cost $70 to $100
Puppies will attract a training charge of $ 10 + for the first 3 visits! (not for puppy-clip)
Puppy clip usually under 7 months of age $25

Wash and dry:
Short hair dogs ( Labrador), $25
Lots of Undercoat add $10
DYS Hydrobath $10 towel and shampoo supplied
Just nails $10

I would love to see more puppies from the age of 3 months, for a PUPPY TIDY-UP, that is, eyes, feet, anus, nails, undoing knots and deodorizing and everything else that needs straighening . A puppies first visit will cost $25.- without a bath (unless necessary), The reasons pups don't get a bath, is because they usually don't need it after I have finished with brushing and deodorizing. And also because I want to make a good impression and believe me, a 4 month old has no time
for a bath! Better have a cuddle and play! And of course the promised bone. LOL.

Nails are ever so important to maintain on puppies, for proper foot formation, they grow quickly and need to be cut every six weeks or earlier with small pups. Eyes need to be freed from the obstructing hairs. (prevent early blindness and a life time of irritation). This first visit is very important, as it sets the theme for a life time of clipping and grooming. This first visit should be short and sweet, just enough to introduce your pup to the groomer, scissors, clipper noise and having to stand still! And yes you are allowed to stay and watch, if you wish.

Next visit should be around 8 - 9 months of age, as the hormones at this stage create havoc and a surge of hair growth, and the eyes, nails etc will need attention again too. After that age, I would like to see your dog every 6 weeks for a beautifully scissored haircut and tidy-up: I call it" The Full Monty", wash, dry, clip/scissor, nails, ears and deodorazing. Or every 3 months for an"all off". Five to six weekly intervals are preferred,dictated by the hair growth and haircut, accepted by modern
grooming standards.

How to maintain the haircut:
Brushing will get dirt and debris out of the coat, maintaines the haircut, stimulates blood circulation and hair growth. Brushing is also a great opportunity to bond with your pup and to look for grass seeds or injuries. Without brushing your dog will be matted by the time the six weeks are over! Like I said above, I can undo knots, but it is very time consuming and you will end up paying more.

First of all you need the right grooming tool! I will be able to advise you of the right brush, comb or rake. Usually a soft slicker and a fine comb. Choose a waist high surface, kitchen table is fine. Put a big towel onto it, so that your dog will not slip! If you are new to long haired dogs and are just learning the art of brushing, it might be a good idea to do it in sections, one side first, then have a break and reward puppy. A small dog like a malteser, should only take a few minutes, if done daily. If done weekly (don't recommend that), it will take more then half an hour, because of the accumulated dirt and debris plus small knots forming.
Brush the coat with the slicker brush, with the hair growth, so as to "open" the coat. Once you have done this thoroughly, you then need a comb for the finer details: Comb mouth, ears and tail. Make sure you are not just glossing over the coat. You need to comb the hair from the skin to the tips. Then the legs and the feet. Lift feet off the table, when doing this, so as not to hurt sensitive toes. Now lay your dog on his side and comb tummy and inside legs. Turn him over and do the same on the other 2 legs. You should be able to glide through the coat with the comb. Done!

Should you find some knots, use your slicker and go over this area again.

At this point I always comb the hair against the hair growth on the legs. This will undo small knots that you may have missed and will give a more salon "finished" look. Should you need some help with the brushing technique, I will be more then happy to show and teach you.

The bath:
NEVER EVER EVER WASH YOUR DOG WITHOUT COMBING HIM BEFORE THE BATH! Small knots will turn into big ones and bigger ones into clumps of matts, never to be opened again! Most people wash their dog too often! Dogs have a self cleaning coat. That means that your dogs coat can become clean by brushing. Given a clean bed, your dog will smell beautiful again too. Should your dog roll in something unsavory though, you will need to bath him with
shampoo.

Wet your dog with warm water. Making sure that the coat is wet all over. Use a good quality dog shampoo. Not a human shampoo, as they have the wrong PH for your dog and dry out the skin and hair. Please dilute the shampoo in a container, and apply with a sponge. Be careful not to get shampoo into eyes or water into ears. Please rinse thoroughly! Pay attention to tummy and pads, as those are the areas that shampoo gets stuck, drying out skin and becoming itchy.
Dogs then tend to lick and that can cause all sorts of skin problems.

I highly recommend a conditioner, to neutralize the alkalinity of the shampoo and restore the oils and PH. Please take great care to rinse the conditioner thouroughly too. Every six weeks for a bath with shampoo should really be enough. Instead of washing the dog too often, give him a good brushing and combing and he should be sweet and clean again. But if you have to bath him, in between salon visits, do it with water and conditioner. It will take away the dirt and smell, without drying out his skin. You can do this every day if you wish, without harming his coat or skin and I promise he will be clean.

Remember your dog will only be as clean as his environment. Pay attention to your backyard. What does your lawn look like? Grass is the best thing ever. It is the carpet in your back yard. It needs to be maintained, Poohs picked up daily. Urine needs to be neutralized with Lime, once or twice per year. Apply some Lime, just before it starts raining, and also some lawn fertilizer, in autum and spring. Don't let your pup back into the garden, till the rain has made the Lime disappear into the soil. Constantly wet areas, such as around water tanks, can be made "clean" with mulch. No mud - no dirty dogs.

I find this works great for me, with five resident dogs and numerous visitors, I always have green grass, even in the summer without watering!

Well groomed dogs also need to be protected from Fleas, with Advantage or other modern Flea products. Scratching causes lots of knots, hairloss and skin problems. When your dog scratches a lot, you need to do more grooming, sometimes twice a day, to keep knots away. He may also need a wash to settle the itch with a medicated shampoo.