Nail & Tidy

What this visit is

Nail trims come round far more often than haircuts do, so we made this one a walk-in. If the door sign says open you don’t need an appointment: we’ll clip, grind smooth and tidy the scruffy bits while you wait. It’s also the easiest way for sound-sensitive dogs to get comfortable in the studio between bigger visits, and regulars often stop by just for the treat and the scale.

Who it suits

Any dog between full appointments, and particularly the ones who find a long visit hard going. Thirty familiar minutes is often the only grooming a short-coated dog needs all year, and it keeps the studio a normal place to be rather than somewhere that only happens twice a year. Cats are welcome for nails too, on the dog-free Tuesday and Thursday mornings, though it is worth a call first so we can slot you in quietly.

How the time is spent

Nails first, clipped and then ground smooth so nothing catches on the floor or your legs. Then ears wiped and checked, the hair around the eyes taken back so they can see out, and the pads trimmed for grip on hardwood. If the quick has grown long we will take a little off and ask you to come back sooner, rather than cutting into it to reach a length in one uncomfortable go.

How often to come back

Every three to four weeks — nails grow faster than most owners expect, and a long quick is hard to walk back once it’s there. No appointment needed; if the door sign says open, come on in. Dogs who walk mostly on grass need us more often than city dogs wearing them down on pavement, so go by the click you can hear on your floor rather than by the date.