A puppy’s first groom sets how it feels about grooming for the rest of its life, and an old dog does not owe anybody a perfect haircut. Both get short sessions, breaks whenever they need them, and no pressure to finish.
We answer the phone, or call you back the same day.
The first groom is not really about the haircut. It is about a puppy learning that the table, the noise, the water and having its feet held are all boring and nothing bad happens. Get that right and you have a dog that is easy to groom for fifteen years. Get it wrong — rush it, push through the struggling, finish at all costs — and you have a dog that fights every appointment for the rest of its life, and everyone involved pays for that.
So a first groom here is deliberately dull and deliberately short. Handling all over, feet included. The clippers switched on and run near the coat without necessarily cutting much. A bath, a gentle dry on low, a light tidy, nails. Then we stop, while it is still going well, rather than pushing for a finished look. It is a flat rate under six months precisely so nobody is tempted to get their money’s worth.
Senior dogs need the same patience for different reasons. Arthritic hips do not want to stand for two hours; deaf dogs startle when they do not hear you coming; lumps and thin skin need a groomer working slowly and looking properly. We use a padded non-slip table, let the dog lie down for as much of the groom as it likes, and split the work across two visits if that is kinder. A shorter, simpler haircut on an old dog is usually the right answer, and we will say so.
Written into the quote, not left to interpretation.
Flat rate under six months.
Comfort first, haircut second.
Honest limits, no forcing.
Worth saying out loud.
The same four steps on every job, from a single service walk-in nail trim to a full groom.
Tell us the breed or your best guess, the rough weight, and when the last groom was. A photo helps more than a description. We will quote you a range on the spot.
At drop-off we go through the coat with you and agree the haircut before we start. If we find matting or a skin problem you did not know about, you hear about it then, not on the invoice.
Your dog is not sitting in a crate waiting its turn. It comes in, gets groomed, and goes home — usually two to three hours, and we text you when it is close.
You get the dog back, plus what we noticed: a lump, a sore ear, an overgrown dewclaw, a coat that needs a shorter interval. Anything a vet should see, we say so.
No pressure and no surprise add-ons — the number on the written quote is the number you pay.
Coat type down the side, dog weight across the top. We confirm the exact price when we see the dog, before anything is switched on.
| Add-on or single service | Price |
|---|---|
| Nail trim, clippers | $15 |
| Nail grinding and smoothing | $20 |
| Ear cleaning | $12 |
| Teeth brushing | $12 |
| Anal gland expression | $15 |
| Sanitary trim | $12 |
| Paw pad trim and balm | $12 |
| Face, feet and tail tidy between grooms | $18 |
| De-shedding treatment added to any groom | $20 – $55 by size |
| Flea and tick bath | $22 |
| Medicated or oatmeal skin bath | $18 |
| De-matting | $18 per 15 minutes |
| Puppy’s first groom, under 6 months | $35 flat |
| Walk-in nail trim, Tuesday–Friday | $15, no appointment |
These are ranges, not quotes. Where a dog lands inside its range depends on what actually takes time: how much dead undercoat is in there, how long it has been since the last groom, whether we are working around anxiety or sore joints, and where the dog sits within its weight tier. We confirm the price when we see the dog, before any clipper is switched on. Ranges reflect typical 2026 Montezuma County jobs.
Our matting policy, in plain terms
We will not brush out a severely matted coat. Past roughly fifteen minutes of de-matting, pulling a pelt apart hurts more than a short haircut does, and it can leave the skin bruised and raw underneath. When we find a coat in that state we stop, call you, and recommend clipping it short so it can grow back properly. It is not the result anyone wanted, and it is the right call for the dog every time.
Not sure which row your dog is on?
Text a photo to (970) 555-0164 and we will tell you the coat type and the range before you leave the house.
Our shop is in Cortez. Pick your town for the drive and what we see from there.
Everything lives under one roof here — one shop, one number, and the same people who already know your dog.
What Cortez-area dog owners ask us most about this service.
Still have questions? Call us directly — a real person, no phone tree: (970) 555-0164
We answer the phone, or call you back the same day.
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