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Signature grooming service

Nail & paw care

A quiet nail trim, a pad tidy and paw balm — with a manual file instead of a grinder for the dogs who need it.
from $18
Price
20 min
Duration
Any weight
Coat weight
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  • Manual file option for dogs that hate the grinder
  • One paw at a time, with breaks — no restraint holds
  • Twenty minutes, walk-in slots most weekday mornings
Single-Ingredient Curl Treats spilling from a kraft paper pouch
Porto studio · by appointment

What Nail & Paw Care actually is

Short appointment, one job, done without drama. Nails trimmed to just clear of the quick, pads tidied of the hair that makes small dogs skate on tile, and a balm worked in afterwards for coats that spend their walks on Porto cobblestone.

The reason this is a separate appointment rather than a five-minute add-on is that a lot of dogs genuinely hate it, and rushing it is how they come to hate it more. We work one paw at a time and put the paw down between nails. If a dog objects to the grinder — the vibration bothers many small breeds more than the noise — we switch to a manual file. Same result, less drama, and they come back calmer each time.

If we can see the quick has grown out with the nail, we will say so and recommend a short course of more frequent, smaller trims to bring it back rather than cutting into it once.

Who it’s for

Any dog, any coat type — this one is not curl-specific. Particularly booked for dogs who have had a bad nail experience elsewhere, and for owners keeping a dog’s feet comfortable between full grooms.

What’s included

Everything in the
90 minutes.

No line-item surprises. The price we quote is the price on the receipt — coat condition add-ons are agreed upfront at check-in, not discovered at pickup.

  • Nail trim on all four paws, one paw at a time
  • Manual file option for grinder-averse dogs
  • Dew claws checked and trimmed
  • Pad hair tidied for grip on tile and hardwood
  • Between-toe check for grass seeds and debris
  • Paw balm worked in after trimming
  • Quick check for cracks, cuts and worn pads
  • Quick advice on nail length between visits
  • Treats throughout
  • Written note if the quick needs bringing back gradually
Pricing

Three tiers,
priced by coat.

Weight is our proxy for coat volume. We weigh on arrival and confirm the tier before we start — no retroactive upsells.

Nails only

Any weight
$18
  • All four paws trimmed
  • Dew claws included
  • Manual file on request
  • About 15 minutes
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Most popular

Nails + pads

Any weight
$26
  • Everything in Nails only
  • Pad hair tidy for grip
  • Between-toe debris check
  • Paw balm applied
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Paw spa

Any weight
$34
  • Everything in Nails + pads
  • Warm paw soak
  • Extended balm and massage
  • Pad condition report
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How it works

Five steps,
start to finish.

You drop off, we text. The 90 minutes are structured so your dog never sits waiting in a kennel — they go from your hands straight to the table.

1

Meet the tools first

The grinder and the clippers are shown to the dog switched off before anything touches a paw. For dogs with a bad history elsewhere, this alone takes a few minutes and it is worth every one of them.
2

One paw, then a pause

We lift one paw, do what is comfortable, and put it back down. No holds, no leaning on the dog. Most dogs will offer the next paw themselves once they work out that nothing bad happens.
3

File or grind, dog's choice

If the vibration of the grinder bothers your dog we switch to a manual file. It takes a few minutes longer and reaches the same length, and it is the difference between a dog who tolerates this and one who dreads it.
4

Pads and between the toes

Hair between the pads is tidied back so your dog is not skating on hardwood, and we check between the toes for grass seeds, grit and cracked skin.
5

Balm and a note

A worked-in balm for cobblestone-worn pads, a treat, and a note home if we think the quick needs bringing back with a few short-interval trims rather than one deep cut.
FAQ

Questions we hear
every week.

If yours isn’t here, send us a note — we usually reply the same day.

My dog screams at the vet for nails. Will this be different?

Often, yes, though we will not promise it. The differences that matter are time and choice: twenty minutes for a job that takes five, one paw at a time, and a manual file if the grinder is the problem. Tell us the history when you book and we will put you in a quiet morning slot.
Just clear of the floor when your dog is standing — you should not hear clicking on tile. We stop a comfortable margin short of the quick. If the quick has grown out because the nails have been long for a while, it recedes with frequent small trims; we will set up a schedule rather than cutting into it.
Yes. It is a standalone appointment and about a third of the dogs booking it never have anything else done here. Walk-in slots are usually available on weekday mornings; message us the same day to check.
It happens occasionally even when you are careful, especially on black nails where the quick is not visible. We stop the bleeding with a styptic powder immediately, the dog gets a treat, and we do not charge for the visit. It is uncomfortable rather than dangerous, and we will tell you rather than hoping you do not notice.
From the studio
Related services

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worth knowing about.

All services share the same no-cage-dryer policy. Booking two on the same day is fine — we’ll sequence them so your dog only comes in once.

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from $58
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Ready to book the
full curl groom?

Appointments fill about two weeks out — book now and we’ll confirm within a few hours. No deposit for first-time bookings.

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