Grooming | groom

Experienced Pet Grooming in Northport AL

With over 20 years Experience, We provide professional pet grooming services to the residents of Northport, AL and the wider community of Tuscaloosa.

Pet Grooming Procedures

In order that your pet receive a professional pet grooming experience, our groomers follow specific procedures. At Claws & Paws, we understand that many pet owners are not familiar with pet grooming procedures; it is very important that our customers understand the grooming process. We want you to know exactly how we are going to groom your pet when you drop him/her off at Claws & Paws. For step by step grooming procedures and how we are going to groom your pet continue below. The time it will take to groom your dog or cat will vary depending on stylist scheduling, the breed of dog or cat, the condition of hair coat, and other factors. If you have special drop off or pick up needs, please speak with one of our stylist for help with these arrangements.

Pet Drop Off and Pick Up - Our hours of operation are 7:30a.m. to 5:30p.m. Monday through Friday. We ask that you bring your pet in between 7:30 and 10:00 on the morning of your appointment. When you drop off, please leave grooming instructions, phone number, special instructions(if any), and establish pick up arrangements. We attempt in every way to have your pet ready at appointed pick up time. Due to the special nature of working with live animals, things don't always go as we schedule them to. Your patience and understanding is greatly appreciated.

The First Cut - The first part of the grooming process is something we call 'The Rough Out' (first cut). This first step gets your pet ready to have a bath. This is the part where your dog/cat gets the initial haircut/trim. We do other things during this time, such as: Clip nails; clean ears; brush hair coat and de-mat the coat when and where applicable. This is when clip patterns are set for specific breeds. It usually takes between 15 and 60 minutes to complete this part of the grooming process (dependent upon size, breed, condition of hair coat and temperament of pet.

The Bathing/Drying Process - After step one is complete, your pets hair has been trimmed and preparation for bathing has been made.... "The Bathing Process" begins. We have a wide variety of shampoos, regular, medicated, Hypo allergenic and flea are the pet shampoos used most often for bathing. Please tell us if you have a special shampoo need, we will do our best to assist you. For dogs with serious skin conditions, we will gladly use shampoo prescribed by your vet. This step (bathing/drying) can only be done properly after the previous step has been completed. This allows us to get your dog/cat as clean as possible, and helps us get your pet dry more quickly. After the bath we will fluff dry your pet. We dry your pet using forced air and/or stand dryers. This allows us to straighten the hair while drying it. The bathing drying process is essential to prepare your dog for 'The Finish Groom', as described below.

The Finish Groom - This is the final step that gives you dog the professionally groomed look you want to see. We cut the pets hair again after the first two procedures have been completed. This allows us to get a smooth even haircut. This is when any pre set pattern is finished. We then proceed to the final scissor work to complete the groom. During this time we trim hair around the feet, eyes, tail, ears, head, underneath body, backs of legs and any other trimming specified by you or specific to the breed of your dog.

ALL DOG BREEDS ARE DIFFERENT AND REQUIRE SPECIFIC GROOMING PROCEDURES
The above information is a general idea of the pet grooming process.