FAQ’s and Myths

Appointment times will vary depending on the selected service and condition of the coat of the pet. Your groomer will be happy to quote you an approximate time at drop off.

The booking process may vary depending on how you request your appointment.

ONLINE BOOKINGS start with you selecting the appropriate form online from our Booking Online page: our New Client Form or Current Client Form. 

From there, you will fill out one of these request forms with your contact information and information about your pet along with your availability and your preferred groomer. The more information you provide us with.. the better! Once you have filled out the form to the best of your ability, you can then submit your request.

Please note that you may not receive the requested time or date! A spot around your request may be open, though a representative will contact you to confirm the best time and date for both you and the groomer!

PHONE BOOKINGS require you to submit your first and last name, contact information, availability, information about your pet(s), and what services you are looking for. We will then determine the best time and date for both you and our groomers! 

Please note that our Waivers available in our Booking Online page must be completed and signed before the appointment time. 

If you are looking for a Mobile Spa appointment, we may need to collect your information, and map out current appointments. Within 24-48 hours, we will determine when the mobile groomers are free and in your area and contact you with the next available spot!

Please note that if we end up missing you and having to leave a voicemail, we are not responsible for appointments that may book up in the meantime. We require confirmations for all appointments.

Send us a picture of your pet!  If you are unsure how to explain your dog’s coat type, photos are a great way to give our groomers a visual. We always want you to be pleased with our results.

Since grooming is like handwriting and not all groomers provide the same “look” we highly recommend you visit our instagram @purrdypawsspa. From there you can browse the various skill sets of our talented team and find the groomer that would be the best fit for you, your pet and the results you are looking for.

Still not sure? Give us a call and we can arrange a time to discuss!

It is recommended to get your dog groomed every 4-6 weeks for optimal results and comfort. Getting groomed too little can result in painful matting and reactive behaviours to grooming so it is essential to get your dog on a regular routine! Your grooming team can work with you to create a grooming plan tailored to your pups individual needs!

For a canine nail trim, we recommend every 3-6 weeks, or at least once a month depending on the nail growth and lifestyle. Some dogs may not require a nail trimming as often and puppies may require more frequent visits. Ask our team for their recommendation!

Cat and small exotic pet nails are recommended to get clipped at least once a month, whereas kittens would be more often!

No. Dry bath products are not simply effective. They do not do anything to get your pet clean or aid the skin to not be greasy. In fact, these products add to the grease, clog pores and will worsen matting! Cats are also at risk of ingesting the product on their coat.

All shampoos and equipment are high-end professional-grade grooming equipment and products. We want to ensure safety for your pet while achieving optimal results! Do not hesitate to ask our groomers about our current products and please let us know if either you or your pup have any allergies or sensitivities.

 We have a variety of options available for all coat conditions, needs and preferences!

Absolutely NOT!!! This is extremely painful for the animal to have a groomer rip out the mats with a comb; it can even cause bruising. It is also not effective in the elimination of the matting. The skin will still be greasy and therefore the pet will continue to mat quickly.

In cats, a degreasing bath and blow dry eliminates minor mats often without combing them out at all. Severe matting however is only solved by the shaving of the areas in addition to a degreasing bath to prevent matting when the hair grows back in.

Situational sedation (medications provided by your vet for calming purposes for the grooming visit) can alter your pet’s perception of reality and could cause them to have adverse behavioural reactions. A situational sedative also limits our teams ability to check and monitor for stress signals that may become a medical event for your pet. Our team can provide only limited life saving measures should your pet have a reaction to the medication.

If you MUST put your pet on a situational sedative, we highly recommend being groomed at your vets office.

Purrdy Paws Pet Grooming Spa does not treat fleas.

Fleas are only treated effectively by products that can only be prescribed by a veterinarian. If fleas are found on your pet during the groom, the service will be stopped immediately and you will be contacted to pick up your pet. See your veterinarian for a solution to fleas.

At all Purrdy Paws locations we require a minimum of 3 weeks (21 days), post uneventful surgery to provide grooming services. Grooming too soon after the procedure can cause complications for healing and an increase risk of infections.

The younger the better! The earlier you start the grooming process, the easier it will be on your puppy. Our “Puppy Package”* is the perfect introduction to the grooming process. It includes a bath with shampoo and conditioner, blow drying, comb-out, nail trimming, ear cleaning, cologne, and a bandana or bows! If needed/desired, we will also lightly trim around the face, feet and sanitary areas.

Consistent grooming early on makes a huge difference when it comes to your pet’s behaviour and comfort at the grooming spa!

It is very important to handle your puppy in ways that will get them prepared for their groom. Play with your puppy’s feet, ears and tail, as well as holding the hair under the chin gently to get them used to gentle restraint. Start brushing at home as soon as you can to prevent minor tangles and to get them used to the brush. These steps are important for both short-haired and long-haired dogs!

If you find that they are resistant to being brushed, positive reinforcement is key! Whether it be a quick play with a toy or a yummy treat, praising your puppy when they cooperate is extremely important. You may also bring your puppy in to see us for brush outs between grooms.

We always recommend a bath or groom every 6-8 weeks. Keeping your puppy on a grooming schedule will not only ensure that they will always be in tip-top condition, but also that they will continue to become accustomed to the process of grooming.

It is up to you!

We recommend coming in for a Puppy Spa Package once or twice to introduce your puppy to the grooming experience. Once completed, we can assess whether your puppy is ready for a full grooming and you can decide when to book!

Keeping your puppy brushed out at home will ensure that we can do the haircut you desire!

Yes! Keeping short-haired dogs clean and brushed will ensure their skin and coat stays healthy. Additionally, it will help build confidence and comfort with the grooming process!

A mat is a collection of densely tangled hair caused by friction or debris. Mats can also form in hair that becomes wet and is not thoroughly dried and combed out afterwards. They can be found on any animal that has hair.

When hair is not combed out or it becomes in contact with a substance, it begins to weave together, causing tangles. Tangles can collect more loose hair and develop into thick mats.

Mats can vary in size, consistency and location on the body.

Once a mat forms or becomes impacted to the skin, it is difficult to remove and should only be done so by a grooming professional.

If caught early enough, tangles can be removed by gentle brushing/combing before they become mats. However, if the mats start developing more severe and tight to the skin, the safest way to remove them is to shave underneath them. Many pets will not tolerate an attempt at combing/ripping them from the skin as you can imagine it is quite painful and can cause physical effects. The process of “de-matting” will also sour your pets relationship with grooming both at home and in the salon and could create an unsafe situation for both the human and the pet. Mat removal should only be performed by an experienced professional. Mats should NEVER be cut out with scissors at home!

Brushing daily at home along with regular grooming sessions in the salon to remove dead or shedding hair will prevent mats from forming and aerate the skin. Your groomer will speak to you about the most appropriate grooming routine for your pet! The tools being used at home between professional services are very important to keep your pet mat free! Ask your groomer for feedback as our team is always happy to give further advice and recommendations!

Matting can cause damage to your pet’s coat and skin. Matting can cut off the blood supply to extremities and deny regular air circulation, causing irritation and bruising. If mats get wet and don’t dry properly, they can cause further irritation or even skin conditions. Depending on the severity of the matting, it can impede your pet’s movement as well.

It is very important to keep your double coated dog brushed, especially during heavy shedding through season changes, to prevent mats and impaction. The undercoat helps keep them cool in the summer by allowing cool air to circulate through the coat, and warm and dry in the winter. If it is not properly brushed and dead hair is not removed, it will block cool air and trap heat causing your dog to overheat. When mats need to be shaved, it exposes the skin causing overheating and sunburn. This can be said for felines as well!

Matting on a dog’s ear can cause a hematoma. The matting pulls on the skin of the ear, reducing blood flow to the area. Once the matting is removed, the rush of blood to that area causes the vessels to rupture and blood to pool inside the flap of the ear (usually at the tip of the ear). Sometimes the blood can seep through the skin. This is less common in felines as there generally is not enough hair on the ears to create matting in that area. Genitalia can also be matted on canines and felines resulting in blocked urine or feces and cause for infections and blocked defecation.

Matting can also alter your pet’s behaviour. Matting is painful and can cause your pet to be reactive when touched in the tender matted areas or when attempts at removing the matting are performed. Matting should only be removed by a pet professional.

Pelting is a case of severe matting, usually covering a large surface area, multiple areas or sometimes the whole body of the pet. Pelting often requires a full shave down to skin, which can sometimes cause an itchy response for your pet. At times your groomer may uncover bruising, wounds or infections under the pelted area and further vet care may be required post service. In severe cases your pet may require a second visit after a pelt removal to have its bath and complete the service if your pet seems to uncomfortable, stressed or has skin areas of concern. It is important to discuss a healthy grooming plan with your groomer!

A pelt fee will be charged in the event that a pet is matted and must be shaved down due to to coat condition. Not only is this hard work on a groomers body and equipment, it is also hard on the pet to have painful matts removed. The skin may be tender or have injury caused by the mats and our groomers must work slowly and with care. Our groomers may need extra time depending on its severity. If needed, a pelt fee will be quoted prior or in the commencement of the groom. Please see our waiver for details.

Winter can be a hard time for matting for pets that go outdoors. Dogs with longer fur can collect snow, causing tangles more easily due to the wet. If pre-existing mats get wet during the winter, it can cause extra discomfort to your dog and possible health issues. Many people think shaving their dog in the winter will cause him/her to be cold, however if your dog is not double-coated, it will not make a difference. A short coat in good condition is more beneficial in those cold months than a long, matted coat. We recommend keeping felines indoors year round but in particular in the winter months where they could become trapped and freeze outside. 

Mats sometimes can be hard to detect with the naked eye or an unexperienced hand. Some matting lies close to the skin where the top coat looks and feels in good condition. It is easy to be fooled! If you are unsure if your pet is matted feel free to send us photos via email or stop by our shop with your furry friend and one of our groomers would be happy to do a quick assessment of your pet and give you some grooming advice!

**If you wish to have your feline assessed for grooming please call to schedule an appropriate time for felines only**

Double coated dogs have two layers of fur. The undercoat (closest to the skin) is made up of fine, fluffy hair and is what sheds more often! This layer traps air and insulates the dog. It keeps them warm in the winter and cool in the summer.

The topcoat is made of tougher guard hairs that keep the undercoat dry and protect the skin from the sun and bug bites. The topcoat still sheds, though not as often as the undercoat! Breeds such as Golden Retrievers, Pomeranians and Samoyeds are examples of double coated dogs.

Shaving a double coated dog entails cutting through the thick undercoat and the topcoat. Doing so can impede their ability to stay cool and lead to sunburn in the sunny months. Removing the top guard hairs allows water to reach the skin, leaving it with no natural way to stay dry or to regulate their temperature; whether in the heat or cold.

Sometimes it will.

Most commonly the undercoat grows in faster than the topcoat, leaving the dog with a soft, fuzzy coat which gives very minimal protection and causing the topcoat to mat into the undercoat. Some dogs may have patches that don’t grow back at all, or that don’t grow both types of coat layers. Older dogs are less likely to grow their coat back, depending on age, lineage and medical conditions.

Growing back a shaved double coat depends on proper care to ensure it grows back as strong and healthy as possible!

In medical situations it may be necessary to shave the coat or if the undercoat has become too matted to be combed out.

Unfortunately, double coated dogs do shed quite a bit, especially during seasonal changes. Food, medical conditions and age also play a key part in shedding too. However, shaving a double coated dog DOES NOT prevent them from shedding! Even when cut short, the undercoat and topcoat are cut to the same length and will still shed. It may be less noticeable because the hairs are smaller. Hair splinters are more likely during this time since the follicles have been cut.

If your double coated dog has been shaved and you are looking to regrow the hair with as much success as possible, we do advise regular professional grooming to clean the skin and coat and also keeping the pores well stimulated with brushing and drying. Frequent brushing (preferably daily) at home is very important to stimulate the coat growth through hair follicles and pores. The brushing will also help loosen any stuck hairs caused by the short length.

The best grooming option for a double coated dog is a bath and a blow out. A good shampoo will remove dirt and oil from the pores allowing the dead hair to loosen. Conditioning is important to rehydrate the skin to avoid dandruff. Most grooming salons have a high velocity dryer that will blow out shedding undercoats.

Regular brushing is important to remove shedding under coat and properly prepare for seasonal coat changes.

A dog’s coat is not an insulator but rather a heat regulator. This means a dog’s coat, no matter how thick, will keep him warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer all on its own! Taking away a dogs coat can expose sensitive skin to the environment and may cause more harm than good.

Mats will not keep a pet warmer and instead prevents much needed air from getting to the animals skin. This can cause bacteria and moisture to be trapped which can lead to hot spots and other painful skin conditions. A long coat can be warming in the winter for your pet provided it stays clean and free of tangles.

It is true a lot of coat quality can be attributed to genetics, however sometimes a dull or sparse coat may be a warning sign of illness in your furry companion. Just like a human’s hair quality can be largely effected by environment, medical and diet issues. Doing your research and keeping your friend on a high quality diet can give that dull coat a drastic turn around on appearance and texture.

Truth is ALL animals shed, they just may shed in different ways. Some drop hair like humans, others’ undercoat may get stuck in the guard hairs so it goes relatively unnoticed. Short-haired dogs and cats can sometimes be the worst shedders of all!

“Hypoallergenic”? The real source of allergens is skin dander and saliva, and since all animals have skin, no pet is guaranteed hypoallergenic, although some allergic people may react more or less to dander from particular pets or breeds.

This may be one of the largest misconceptions in both the canine and feline world of grooming.

Nail trimming and grooming is all part of keeping our pets clean and healthy. Pets don’t understand that without grooming they will develop painful mats or skin conditions or that overgrown nails are painful to walk on. Getting your pet on a regular grooming schedule is crucial to their wellbeing and longevity. A groom that has no painful issues to address makes for a much better grooming process for your reluctant pet and an easier time to build trust with the groomer. Before you know it, a reluctant pet will be looking forward to their spa days!

Many people truly believe that cats actually groom themselves! When you think of cats “grooming themselves” you are probably associating that to the licking that they do over their entire bodies. All the cats are doing is “licking” along with ingesting loose hair that will later be found around your home in the form of a hairball or two. All the cat is doing by licking is essentially coating itself in saliva that contains a protein called Fel D-1 which is possibly the largest cause of “cat allergies” in humans. No cat licking saliva on itself will ever make it “clean”, eliminate mats or dandruff or decrease shedding. In fact, the cat acting in this manner will actually add to the problems by creating more dander in the skin and causing the other issues such as matting and dandruff to worsen. The only problem eliminating grooming is grooming performed by a CFMG and NOT the feline with the problems!