At Bark & Bath, we are passionate about making every grooming experience as positive as possible. After years of working with puppies, we have designed Puppy University—a three-session program that gently introduces your puppy to the sights, sounds, and sensations of professional grooming.
No puppy is born familiar with the grooming process. For breeds that require lifelong professional grooming, it’s essential to ensure they feel safe and comfortable in a salon environment. A grooming salon can be overwhelming at first—unfamiliar noises, new people, and different handling techniques. Without a gradual introduction, a puppy may develop a fear of grooming that lasts into adulthood.
Our three-step program helps your puppy build confidence in a calm and controlled way, ensuring that grooming becomes a positive experience for life.
Our program is carefully structured over three sessions, spaced one week apart, to gradually introduce your puppy to grooming.
Long Haired Breeds
Long-haired breeds require regular grooming to keep their coats in top condition. These sessions will introduce:
Short Haired Breeds
Even short-haired dogs benefit from early grooming exposure. This program will cover:
Handstripping
For wire-haired breeds requiring handstripping, we introduce:
We often hear of breeders or vets advising owners to wait until their dog is a year old before starting grooming. However, this can lead to unnecessary stress later on.
The best time to introduce a puppy to grooming is as soon as they are fully vaccinated (usually around 12 weeks old). This early socialisation period is when puppies are most receptive to new experiences, making it the ideal time to establish a positive grooming routine.
We recommend enrolling your puppy before they reach six months old, as this is when they are most adaptable to learning.
We understand that some puppies (and owners!) may feel a little anxious. For particularly nervous pups, we may allow owners to stay during the first session to help ease them into the experience. However, our goal is to help your puppy feel comfortable without relying on their owner’s presence.
Matted fur can cause discomfort and skin problems. Our groomers will show you how to keep your puppy’s coat in top condition between appointments, including brushing techniques and recommended tools.
Early grooming appointments are a great opportunity to check for fleas and ticks. We’ll provide guidance on prevention and treatment to keep your puppy pest-free.
To help reinforce what your puppy learns during their sessions, we provide simple “homework” tasks, such as:
Some puppies may need extra time to feel fully comfortable with the grooming process. If we feel your puppy would benefit from additional sessions, we can tailor an extended program to their needs.
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PUPPY UNIVERSITY PRICES
| Breed/Size | LONG COAT (3 Sessions) | SHORT COAT(3 Sessions) |
|---|---|---|
|
X Small – Small(e.g. X Small Yorkshire Terrier, Lhasa Apso etc) |
£110 (pay in full or £62 deposit + 2 x £24pw) |
£90 (pay in full or £42 deposit + 2 x £24pw) |
|
Medium (e.g. Cockapoo, Spaniel etc) |
£120 (pay in full or £72 deposit + 2 x £24pw) |
£100 (pay in full or £52 deposit + 2 x £24pw) |
|
Large(e.g. Labradoodle, Standard Poodle etc) |
£130 (pay in full or £82 deposit + 2 x £24pw) |
£110 (pay in full or £62 deposit + 2 x £24pw) |
|
Handstrip(e.g. Border Terrier etc) |
£130 (pay in full or £82 deposit + 2 x £24pw) |
|
(pay in full or £62 deposit + 2 x £24pw)
(pay in full or £42 deposit + 2 x £24pw)
(pay in full or £72 deposit + 2 x £24pw)
(pay in full or £52 deposit + 2 x £24pw)
(pay in full or £82 deposit + 2 x £24pw)
(pay in full or £562 deposit + 2 x £24pw)
(pay in full or £82 deposit + 2 x £24pw)