Bath, dry and brush

The appointment is a shampoo, often two, a conditioner where the coat needs it, a blow-dry with a high-velocity dryer that pushes out loose undercoat, and a full brush and comb-through. Most groomers include a nail clip and an ear check. A 'bath and tidy' adds a light scissor trim of the face, feet and hygiene area and costs more; ask the difference. Allow one to two hours, more for a thick double coat that takes a long time to dry.

For smooth and short coats, such as Labradors, beagles, staffies and pugs, this is the full service, because there is nothing to cut; a bath every 8 to 12 weeks with a de-shed brush-out keeps moulting down at home. For long and curly coats, such as cockapoos, shih tzus and doodles, it is an in-between visit that keeps knots out between full grooms. Several groomers will not book a bath and tidy for double-coated dogs such as golden retrievers or German shepherds and treat them as a full groom, because drying the undercoat properly takes as long as a cut.

Check what the price includes, because the name varies: bath and brush, bath and blow-dry, wash and go, maintenance groom. A 'wash and go' may mean the dog leaves only partly dried. Ask whether a de-shed is included or extra, whether the price rises for a long coat, and whether there is a lower in-between price for dogs that also have regular full grooms there. In London the middle half of 43 published prices is £45 to £68 across all sizes, against £30 to £43 elsewhere.