The Dog House

Welcome to the Dog House

The Dog House is proud to offer a bespoke and personalised service to suit your dog, specialising in small to medium sized dogs.

I work on a 1-2-1 basis with all dogs so you can rest assured that they will receive my undivided attention. This allows your beloved dog the time they need to get to know me and enjoy being pampered.

All dogs in my care are bathed and dried by hand and I strive to provide an environment that allows your dog to feel as relaxed and stress-free as possible.

I always treat your dog as I would my own and I take the time with each dog to make sure they feel safe and reassured during their grooms.

It is important to me that your dog enjoys their grooming session in a safe and calm environment.

About

I am a professionally trained dog groomer and hold an OCN Level 3 Dog Grooming Diploma.

I have been a passionate dog lover all my life and I am the proud owner of Baxter and Peggy, two beautiful Border Terriers. It was this love that gave me the confidence to have a complete change of career and retrain to become a dog groomer. I have not looked back since.

I want your dog to have a positive association with the grooming salon and it is my aim to put both dog and owner at ease in a friendly and welcoming environment.

You can rest easy knowing I am fully insured and trained in canine first aid to ensure your dog is given the very best care.

I use only state of the art equipment and professional salon products on your dog to achieve the extremely high standards that I pride myself on.

Services

Long haired groom

Some breeds don’t shed their fur and they benefit greatly from regular clipping to keep their coats healthy, clean and tidy. If you are unsure of which style to choose, I can help you to identify the grooming style that best suits your dog’s needs and your own preferences.

This groom includes:

Brushing to remove undercoat and deal with minor matts and tangles
Bath with shampoo and conditioner
Blast dry for removal of remaining loose hair
Clipping and styling according to your requirements
Nails trimmed
Clean eyes and ears

Ideal for: Cockapoos, Spaniels, Shih Tzu etc.

Short haired groom

You may not immediately think that short-haired breeds need grooming. However, because they shed, they benefit greatly from undercoat removal techniques. This groom means that much less of your dog’s coat ends up on your floors and furniture at home and they are left with a more comfortable, beautifully soft and shiny coat.

This groom includes:

Brushing for removal of dead coat
Bath with double shampoo and conditioner
Blast dry for removal of remaining loose hair
Nails trimmed
Clean eyes and ears

Ideal for: All short-haired breeds including Jack Russell, French Bulldog, Labradors etc.

Tidy Up

If your dog just needs a good bath or a tidy up or even just a face tidy please get in touch.

Nails

Some dogs’ nails grow quickly, and others hardly at all but it's important to keep your dog’s nails short. Not only do they look unattractive when long, but over time they can do serious damage to your dog.

De-matting

Ensuring that minor mats and tangles are brushed out is an important part of a groom because, aesthetics aside, allowing mats to build up provides a great hiding spot for parasites and can cause soreness and skin complaints in your dog. If your dog’s coat has larger mats it may require a different groom to my standard grooms. I do try to brush out mats where possible but this is sometimes not sufficient to remove larger masses and it must be clipped away instead. Dematting is considered on a case-by-case basis and I always work with you to provide the best solution for your dog.

If your dog is extremely matted, I will charge an additional de-matting fee as it takes time and care trying to comb out these mats without hurting your dog. This will be discussed with you when I have assessed your dog’s coat condition.

Give me a call and I will be happy to discuss in more detail and give you a quotation for your dog.

If you'd like a quote, please contact me

Teeth Cleaning

The Emmi-Pet Ultrasound Service

Did you know 80% of dogs have dental disease by 3 years old, taking up to 2 years off their life expectancy. One of the biggest benefits to our dogs’ health is caring for their dental health.

With everybody leading busy lives only 1/3rd of pet owners provide dental care at home – and it may not even be effective! Let me help you.

Emmi-Pet technology is superior for dog teeth cleaning, it is a revolutionary ultrasound dog toothbrush that cleans your dog’s teeth without any noise, vibration or brushing. It uses ultrasound waves, water and a specially formulated toothpaste creating nano-bubbles to break down plaque, tartar and kill the bacteria in the mouth.

Trial Sessions

My trial sessions are great for dogs that aren’t used to coming into a salon environment or are a little nervous around new people. You may be worried that they won’t allow us to clean their teeth as it has proved difficult at home. Or maybe you’re a little sceptical and want to see some results before committing to the course of Initial sessions…

A short 15 minute session will allow me to slowly introduce them to the toothbrush and toothpaste, working around the different areas of the mouth before choosing a tooth to focus on.

I will take before and after photos to show how well the teeth cleaning process has worked.

Initial Sessions

As the toothbrush does not vibrate and is totally silent, I have a good success rate and most dogs are totally happy with the whole process. They can then be booked in for their initial sessions. Most dogs require 3 initial sessions however in some circumstances this can be more.

Having a trial session can help to determine how many further sessions will be needed.

The initial sessions are 30 minute, weekly, teeth cleaning sessions. These sessions will slowly and gradually remove the build up of plaque and tartar on their teeth, killing the bacteria in the mouth and freshening the breath. I believe that a course of these shorter, 30 minute sessions works better than, say, spending an hour trying to get the dog’s teeth clean in one session.

Different parts of the mouth are worked on over a course of sessions with before and after photos being taken to show you the progress that has been made. Progress will depend on the amount of plaque and tartar the dog has and also their behaviour too.

As with grooming, some dogs like to fidget!

Maintenance Sessions

Once your dog has completed their initial sessions and their teeth are clear of plaque and tartar, it is important to maintain the dog’s dental hygiene.

Maintenance sessions that can be added on to a groom or that can be provided as stand alone sessions. Your dog does not need to be groomed by me for them to come for teeth cleaning sessions.

These sessions are also beneficial for dogs that have recently had a vet dental. As the plaque and tartar has already been removed by the vet, there is no need for the initial sessions, your dog can go straight onto maintenance sessions. Maintenance sessions are recommended at intervals of around 6 – 12 weeks.

The frequency of visits varies from dog to dog and will depend on how quickly their plaque and tartar returns. You can help at home by brushing daily with a vet recommended toothpaste and by encouraging them to chew toys or natural treats.

If a dog has not returned for maintenance sessions within the advised time frame, they may need a longer 30 minute session, or to start the course of initial sessions again.

If you'd like to find out more, please contact me

Spa Packages

Blueberry Facial

A blueberry facial is a special dog shampoo derived from — you guessed it — blueberries. This can help decrease the appearance of tear stains in your pet’s face, but it can also be used as an overall body shampoo to brighten their coat. It is not only appropriate for white hair the truth is that this process is great for all colours and coats.

De-shedding Mud Bath

If you find yourself picking up hair constantly around your house, it may be time to consider applying a de-shedding treatment for your dog.

Your furry friend's natural hair replacement cycle never stops. It is nature's way of replacing the old with the new. It may slow down during some seasons based on your dog's age and environment, but it never ceases to run its course.

A de-shedding mud bath spa treatment contains a unique blend of ingredients which remove loose fur, rejuvenate and hydrate the coat and improve volume and shine.

Nose & paw balm

A 100% natural nourishing balm that can be applied to the nose and paws to help sooth and

nourish from daily irritations.

The balm contains a blend of natural ingredients that are fragrance free and lick safe designed to protect a dog's skin, providing hydration to help nourish sensitive areas.

The balm will help protect paws from harsh elements such as hot surfaces, sand, concrete, ice and salt.

It will heal a flaky nose with a mix of natural moisturising and regenerating ingredients.

Its a hypoallergenic, tearless, and lick safe-option that naturally exfoliates as it cleans and hydrates.

Blueberry facials offer the benefits of antioxidants and vitamins A, D, & E to itchy, irritated skin. They've grown in popularity recently - it's like treating your dog to a spa day while addressing tear stains or enhancing coat colour, while providing a calming, aromatherapeutic experience for your dog.

It smells incredible and when rubbed into the skin helps unblock hair follicles and releases undercoat that is stuck, so it not only gets out the hair that is ready to shed but also any that is nearly ready or being held in with blocked follicles.

It gets handfuls of hair out in the bath with this product, and it leaves a nice smell and beautiful finish on all those tricky double coats.

Hydrobath

The Hydrobath spray nozzle promotes a healthy shiny coat by stimulating the hair follicles to remove all dirt and loose hair which promotes coat growth and improved coat and skin condition.

The Hydrobath provides a therapeutic massage which promotes better blood circulation, relieving tired muscles and joints which is especially good for older arthritic dogs.

The Hydrobath also open the pores of the dog’s skin releasing the dead hair more than any other form of washing will do, this helps in the reduction of shedding.

Puppy Package

Have a new pup? I can help you take care of it!

If you have welcomed a new puppy into your family recently, consider signing up for The Puppy Package. Puppies can sometimes be wary of new environments, and a grooming salon will certainly be unfamiliar to them. The sights, sounds and smells your pup will experience during a standard groom can be overwhelming to a puppy, and lead to an aversion to the process as an adult if not managed in a compassionate and patient way. I help take your pup through a gentle familiarisation of the grooming environment over four fortnightly sessions. I will support your pup so grooming is a thing to be enjoyed, rather than afraid of.

Why do puppies need special treatment?

Simply put, puppies are brand new. Grooming salons can be noisy places sometimes, and while adult dogs are used to it, your puppy may be experiencing several different sights, sounds, smells and sensations – all for the first time.

The Puppy Package is all about gentle exposure to these new experiences:

The sights, smells and sounds of the salon
The sensation of water on their bodies
The experience of having their feet and ears touched by a new person
Desensitisation

I don’t want your puppy to be afraid of me, so my gentle familiarisation

package guides them tenderly through it, building new experiences on

at each visit.

What does the Puppy Package involve?

Visit 1

Your puppy’s welcome to The Dog House. Starting off with a sniff and socialise period to get them used to the grooming environment, with you throughout. I will gently handle your pup’s feet, ears, teeth and tail to desensitise and familiarise them with being handled and heap them with positive reinforcement and praise. At the same time, I will chat with you about your pup’s breed and needs from a groom.

Visit 2

This time, your puppy gets a bath. With a view to familiarising them to the sensation of water on their body, and especially around their face and ears, this also helps your pup get used to the bathing tools I use, including our gentle dryer. This is a great experience for all young dogs, not just those that need regular grooming, because having a bath is a universal requirement.

Visit 3

A combination of visits 1 and 2, but this time I introduce a brush and trim if required. But I also include lots of desensitising playtime to include playing with their paws, opening their ears and stroking their tail. These are movements that dogs are not naturally accustomed to but need to get used to in order to tolerate typical grooming appointments.

Visit 4

It’s time for your puppy’s first full groom by bringing all of the elements together and adding some extras. Because of our gentle familiarisation process, your puppy should now tolerate a range of grooming activities – this session includes a bath, brush, face trim, nail cut and ear cleaning as well as a coat tidy depending on breed.

Extra bonus gift for you and your pup

After your last Puppy Package session you’ll also receive a gift pack and graduation certificate to mark the occasion!

What comes next?

The Puppy Package is a fantastic way to get your puppy accustomed to regular grooming. After they’ve graduated from The Puppy Package, I can schedule them for regular appointments to ensure that their coat health and condition is always top notch.

But it’s more important than that: some dogs whose grooming routine is not maintained can quickly develop skin conditions and other problems such as matting which results in discomfort and pain. How frequently your pet will require a groom will depend on breed and coat variations, but what is important is that a regular grooming routine is maintained to keep them happy and healthy.

Why not schedule your grooms in advance so you always know when your appointment is going to be? I also offer the option to pay for your grooms by Direct Debit meaning less hassle all round!

If you'd like a Puppy Package quote, please contact me

VIP Club

Spreads the cost of grooming into 12 monthly payments to help you budget

Criteria to join the VIP Club

Your dog must be a fully grown adult.
You must be an existing client so that I am familiar with the amount of time and work required.
You keep your dog to an agreed grooming schedule which is appropriate for the amount of maintenance you do at home and the dog's coat type.

VIP Fees

VIP fees are paid by Standing Order on the 1st of every month.
I work out how much your annual grooming bill is and divide it by 12.
You pay this amount on the first of every month by Standing Order.
Your price will be based on the price you are paying right now and will be frozen for at least 12 months after you join the VIP Scheme.

How it works

I will schedule your appointments 12 months ahead.
If you cannot make an appointment just let me know and I'll move that appointment for you - all the others will stay the same.
If you cancel an appointment without giving 48 hours notice or you fail to show up for an appointment (known as a no-show) then you forfeit that month's VIP payment and will have to pay the ad-hoc price for a replacement.