Grooming FAQs

Getting Started

new dogs, puppies & special considerations

Most dogs benefit from professional grooming approximately every 6–8 weeks, although some dogs may need more frequent appointments depending on their breed, coat type, lifestyle and how much maintenance is being done at home.

Regular grooming isn’t just about keeping them looking good. It helps keep their coat manageable, prevents matting, keeps nails maintained and gives us an opportunity to regularly check their skin, coat, ears and general condition.

Once we get to know your dog and their coat, we can recommend a grooming schedule that works for them.

Don’t wait until your puppy desperately needs a haircut before introducing them to the groomer.

Once your puppy has completed the vaccinations required for them to safely attend a grooming environment, we recommend starting with gentle introductory grooming appointments.

For most puppies, we don’t recommend a full haircut before around six months of age. Puppies are still transitioning from their puppy coat to their adult coat during this period, and different breeds and coat types develop at different rates.

Rather than rushing into a full haircut, those first appointments are about introducing your puppy to bathing, drying, brushing, having their feet and face handled, nail trimming and the sounds and sensations of grooming equipment.

Where appropriate, we can tidy areas such as around the eyes, feet and sanitary areas without necessarily giving them a complete haircut.

Starting gradually gives their adult coat time to develop while, more importantly, teaching your puppy that grooming is a normal part of life.

Imagine your first ever day at a new job and someone immediately expects you to know exactly what you’re doing.

Grooming can feel a bit like that for a puppy.

There’s a new person, a new environment, baths, dryers, clippers, scissors, brushes, strange noises and someone touching their feet, face, ears and body in ways they’re probably not used to.

That’s a lot to process in one visit.

Early grooming appointments allow us to introduce these experiences gradually rather than waiting until your puppy has a large amount of coat that has to be groomed.

The goal of those early appointments isn’t the perfect haircut. It’s helping your puppy learn that grooming is normal, safe and something they can become comfortable with.

Absolutely. We welcome anxious dogs and understand that not every dog walks into a grooming salon thrilled about the situation.

Tell us about their previous experiences, triggers and anything you know makes them uncomfortable. The more we know about your dog beforehand, the better we can approach their appointment.

Potentially, yes. Reactivity or behavioural challenges don’t automatically mean a dog can’t be groomed.

We just ask that you’re completely upfront with us about their behaviour, known triggers, previous grooming experiences and any history of snapping or biting.

Knowing this information beforehand allows us to make the safest and most comfortable decisions for your dog and our groomers.

Absolutely. Senior dogs often just need a little extra patience and consideration.

We may adjust their groom depending on their mobility, health, tolerance and how they’re feeling on the day. They may need additional breaks, different positioning or a modified groom.

With senior dogs especially, comfort comes before achieving the perfect haircut.

Absolutely. Please don’t be embarrassed and please don’t hide it from us.

A previous bite or snap doesn’t automatically mean we’ll refuse to groom your dog.

Knowing about it beforehand means we can understand what happened, identify potential triggers and make safer decisions for your dog and our grooming team.

The more information you give us, the better prepared we can be.

Coat Care & Matting

understanding coat, shedding & matting

We’ll assess your dog’s coat when they arrive.

Small areas of matting may sometimes be manageable, but severe or tight matting can pull against the skin and become uncomfortable or painful.

In these situations, clipping the coat shorter is often the kindest and safest option. We’ll always do our best to make your dog look great, but their comfort comes first.

Because technically being able to do something doesn’t necessarily mean we should.

Trying to brush severe matting out can mean repeatedly pulling against your dog’s skin for an extended period of time. That can make grooming unnecessarily uncomfortable and can create a negative grooming experience.

Sometimes the kindest thing we can do is clip underneath the matting, start fresh and help you put a maintenance routine in place for the new coat.

Possibly.

The length we’re able to leave depends on how severe the matting is and how close it sits to the skin. We need to safely get underneath the matting rather than trying to cut through it from above.

We’ll always do our best to make them look great, but sometimes a shorter haircut is necessary. Think of it as a coat reset — then we can work together on maintaining more length as it grows back.

A de-shed is primarily designed for double-coated breeds — dogs that have a protective outer coat with a softer undercoat underneath.

Rather than clipping the coat, a de-shed uses bathing, drying, brushing and appropriate grooming techniques to help remove loose and dead undercoat.

It won’t permanently stop your dog shedding — because they’re a dog, not a carpet — but it can significantly reduce the amount of loose coat coming out around your home while helping maintain the health and function of their natural coat.

This can be completely normal.

A de-shed removes a significant amount of loose undercoat during the appointment, but additional hairs can continue releasing afterwards as the coat cycles and newly loosened hair works its way out.

You may notice some continued shedding over the following few days before it begins to settle down.

Generally, we don’t recommend clipping or shaving double-coated breeds unless there’s a genuine welfare or veterinary reason for doing so.

Their outer coat and undercoat work together, and shaving can sometimes affect the way the coat grows back.

In most situations, we’d recommend a proper de-shed and tidy instead, allowing us to remove excess undercoat while maintaining the dog’s natural coat.

We generally recommend brushing at least a few times each week, with dogs that have longer, curly, fluffy or easily tangled coats benefiting from some form of brushing or coat maintenance every day.

That doesn’t necessarily mean sitting down and brushing your entire dog from head to toe every single day.

You can break it up.

One day you might focus on the front legs and paws. The next day you might work through the back legs. Another day could be the chest, ears and areas around the collar or harness.

Breaking brushing into short, regular sessions can make it much more manageable for you and much more comfortable for your dog.

Pay particular attention to areas that experience friction or are easily missed — behind the ears, under the collar or harness, armpits, legs, feet and around the tail.

And remember: brushing at home doesn’t have to be perfect. Consistency is what matters.

Your Appointment

booking, prep & what to expect

Appointment times vary depending on your dog’s size, coat, the service they’re having and how they’re feeling on the day.

Some dogs need additional time or breaks, particularly puppies, senior dogs or dogs that find certain parts of grooming challenging.

Grooming isn’t an assembly line, so we’d rather give your dog the time they need than rush them because the clock says we should be finished.

If possible, give your dog an opportunity to go to the toilet before arriving and avoid feeding them a large meal immediately before their appointment.

Please also let us know about any health concerns, injuries, skin issues, medications, behavioural changes or anything else that may affect their groom.

Even something that seems minor can be useful for your groomer to know.

Matting can add significant time, equipment wear and complexity to a groom.

Bark Road includes a reasonable amount of coat work within your appointment, but significant matting that requires additional grooming time may incur an additional charge.

Where possible, we’ll let you know when we assess your dog’s coat.

The last thing we want to do is turn grooming into an unnecessarily stressful experience for your dog.

Some dogs don’t enjoy having certain areas touched. Others may struggle with their feet, face, dryer, clippers, nail trimming or another particular part of the grooming process.

We’ll always try to work with your dog and safely complete as much of their groom as they’re comfortable allowing us to do.

But we’re not going to continually push a dog beyond what they’re able to cope with simply to achieve a perfect haircut.

If something can’t be completed safely or your dog is becoming excessively stressed, we may modify or stop that part of the groom.

Sometimes completing a little less today and building their confidence over several appointments creates a much better relationship with grooming in the long run.

Helping dogs feel comfortable every day

  • book in a groom

    classic grooms | deshed | tidy ups

  • book a nail trim

    the pawdicure club

  • book in a bath

    wash | rinse | slay