Go Through Some of Our FAQs

Time to groom your dog or cat? Turn to the professionals at Paws & Claws Pet Grooming and Boarding for a wide range of pet grooming services. From nail trimming to haircut, we do it all! Schedule an appointment today.

If you need more information about the pet grooming solutions we offer, take a look at the frequently asked questions below.

We offer grooming 7 days a week. Appointment times will vary based on the day and season. We typically start booking at 9:00 AM with our last appointment of the day at 6:00 PM. If you have special needs that do not fall within these times, please let our staff know and we will make every effort to accommodate you. 

Our groomers are willing to take appointments as late as 6:00 PM depending on the day of the week and availability.

It is good to have your puppy become familiar with grooming as early as possible after the first set of puppy shots, usually 12-16 weeks of age. This will help him learn at an early age that grooming is a pleasant experience. 

Older pets often need special care and attention. We recommend the style be kept short and easy to maintain to keep the grooming process to a minimum amount of time. 

Baths include:

1-3 cycles of shampoo, possibly 1 cycle of conditioner, hand-dry as tolerated by dog, brush and / or comb out.

Groom includes:

Everything included for bathing plus a full cut / style based on breed standards and / or your specific requests, Nails trimmed, and ears cleaned.

All fees are based on the length of time it takes to complete the service rather than by breed. Size, behavior, condition and health of coat, length and density of coat, and length of time between visits will all affect the price. 

We are a competitive pricing salon in the city. 

Baths: $20-$55

Grooming: $27-$67 

To maintain a proper / manageable coat for non-shedding breeds such as Poodles, Bichons, Shih Tzus, Lhasa Apsos, Terriers, you should have your dog groomed every 4-6 weeks. If they are kept in a very short cut, these breeds may be able to go 8-10 weeks. Breeds that have short, shedding coats can usually wait 8-12 weeks between grooming appointments, as long as they are brushed regularly at home. 

Generally a dog’s nails need trimming every 6 weeks.

Most clients prefer to keep the same groomer. If your dog is nervous and / or you have specific requests, we find that coming back to the same groomer works best because it fosters a relationship between the client, groomer, and dog.

Bath with no trim – 1 ½ -2 hours 

Bath for large dog or dog that has a lot of hair – 2+ hours.

Matted it may take more time. 

Your groomer will gladly call you just prior to or after your dog is finished.

If you need your dog groomed in less time, please explain your needs when making your appointment and we will do our best to find a day and time to accommodate your request.

To minimize the stress on the dogs, we prefer they be picked up as soon after they are finished, as possible. 

Yes. The groomer will discuss your options and try to achieve the same result.

We prefer hand drying all dogs with a variable speed, high velocity dryer. This allows us to get a better finished look as well as gives us a chance to get a good look at your dog’s skin to asses any potential health issues. If your dog does not tolerate this method, we will use a warm / non-heated air circulating fan to “air dry” the coat.

Our grooming area is visible. Please inform us of your desire to watch when making the appointment, so we can find a day and time that will be the least disruptive to you or our other clients. 

It is not uncommon for dogs to get overly excited if they are able to see their owner, creating an unsafe condition for the dog. If this occurs, we may find it necessary to ask you either to watch from a greater distance or step away so we can safely attend to your dog.

If the hair is allowed to knot or develop “matts”, it is unhealthy for the dog’s skin. It may be possible to “dematt” the coat, if it can be done without causing pain to the dog. Unfortunately, the process is often painful or can cause irritation to the dog’s skin. If your dog is matted, we will discuss with you what can be done. 

Matted coats can cause a variety of skin and health problems. When your pet is extremely tangled, matted, or densely coated there are increased risks of stress, trauma, and / or injury. If possible, we will carefully de-mat your pet’s coat.

If the coat is severely matted or we determine that de-matting would be in-humane for your pet, we will need to remove the coat with clippers. Please feel free to discuss your pet’s needs and our dematt policy with one of our pet stylists.

Our groomers are familiar with most of the breed standards and are very experienced with more popular breeds. Many clients do not groom to the breed standard because of the maintenance required. Also, we encourage you to bring in pictures of previous grooms, if available. 

Your satisfaction is very important to us! If you notice something at pick up and one of our staff members are still in, they can often take care of it for you prior to leaving the facility. If you notice something after you leave, we ask that you give us a call within 48 hours so we can arrange a time to tweak the groom while it is still relatively fresh.

Not necessarily, he may just be anxious from the car ride, excited, or not sure if he is going to the vet to get a shot. Much like kids in preschool, once you are gone they settle in and get comfortable. In fact, they often pull us into the grooming area! We always allow the dog to roam around and smell the salon a bit to familiarize themselves with their environment.

Dogs are very intuitive and will pick up any anxiety that you may be feeling, so it is important that you be calm and reassuring.

Absolutely, although our top-rated product line is designed to promote a healthy coat and skin.

If your veterinarian has prescribed or suggested an alternate shampoo rather than our product line, we will gladly use it. Please note, many prescribed shampoos / conditioners require 5-10 minutes of contact time. If this is the case, our bather will stay with your dog and gently massage the product into their coat and skin. An additional fee will be added for this time.

These are scent sacs found right under your dog’s tail. Some dogs empty them naturally, some do not. Please consult with your veterinarian. Some veterinarians prefer that groomers NOT express the glands, therefore we do not do this in our salon.

Absolutely, tips are always appreciated.