1
Sniff everything
Off the lead, round the room, into the corners. Nothing is switched on and nobody picks the puppy up until it has had a proper look at the place.
Puppy introductions
The first visit is a hello, not a haircut
First puppy visits are free when you book a full groom for later.
Whatever your puppy decides about grooming in the first few visits, it will believe for the next fifteen years. So the first one is short, quiet and almost boring — which is exactly the point.
No clippers unless it's happy
Feet and ears handled gently
Home while it's still going well
Short, gentle, and over before it gets hard
The visit, in order
What actually happens on the day
A short, gentle first visit so grooming is never scary. Here is the order we work in, and we stop wherever the puppy stops enjoying it.
2
Meet the table
Lifted up, fussed, given something nice, put down again. We do it two or three times so that going up is ordinary rather than alarming.
3
Hands and brush
Feet held, ears looked in, tail lifted, then a soft brush all over. These are the things that go wrong later if nobody practises them early.
4
Noise, from a distance
The dryer on low at the other end of the room, clippers running in a hand that is nowhere near the puppy. Heard, not felt — and then home.
When to come
Sooner than most people think
Once your puppy has finished its vaccinations and can meet the world, it is ready for a grooming salon — long before the coat needs anything doing to it. A puppy that has already been on the table three times is a different animal at its first real groom.
For coats that will need regular work — doodles, spaniels, shih tzus, terriers — book the introduction early and the first proper groom a few weeks after it. Short-coated puppies still benefit: nails, feet and ears are handled by a stranger long before anyone needs to hurry.
After the second vaccination, when walks have started
Before the puppy coat starts to change, not after it mats
Bring the lead, a towel and something your puppy likes
Five minutes a day at home
Practice is what makes the first proper groom easy. None of it needs equipment — hands and a soft brush will do.
Hold each paw for a few seconds, then let go and praise
Look inside both ears, lift the lip, touch the tail
Brush right down to the skin, not just over the top
Stand your puppy on a table or a step so height is normal
Run the hairdryer on cool in the same room, now and then
And three things not to do
Don't let the first visit be an emergency de-matting
Don't make a fuss at the door — it tells the puppy to worry
Don't wait for the coat to blow before you book anything
Booking
Send us a photo of your dog and we will find you a slot
WhatsApp is the quickest way to reach us — we answer between dogs, and we can tell you the price and the length of the appointment from a photograph of the coat.
The Malvern Mutt Parlour
41 Church Street, Malvern WR14 2AA
Tuesday to Saturday, by appointment. The book runs about two weeks ahead, so plan a little before the coat needs it.