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Signature grooming service

Puppy first groom

A gentle, unrushed introduction to the table, the dryer and the clippers — built around the puppy’s pace, not the clock.
from $42
Price
60 min
Duration
2–12 lb
Coat weight
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  • For pups over 12 weeks, after the second vaccination round
  • We stop and restart as often as the puppy needs
  • Written notes so the next groom starts where this one ended
A chocolate-brown Cockapoo sitting against a cream backdrop, long wavy ear curls
Porto studio · by appointment

What the Puppy First Groom actually is

The first grooming appointment decides how a dog feels about grooming for the rest of its life. That is not an exaggeration: a puppy that is rushed through a full clip at fourteen weeks becomes a two-year-old who shakes on the table. So this appointment is not really a haircut. It is an introduction, and the haircut is the part we are willing to abandon if the puppy has had enough.

We book sixty minutes and expect to use maybe forty of them on actual grooming. The rest is spent letting the puppy stand on the table with the dryer running somewhere else in the room, meeting the clippers with the blade off, and taking breaks on the floor. We go slow. We stop if they need a break.

What your puppy leaves with is a clean coat, tidy paws, a face trim and — more importantly — no reason to be frightened next time. If the coat is not ready for a full pattern clip, we say so rather than forcing one.

Who it’s for

Curly and wavy-coated puppies over 12 weeks that have completed their second vaccination round. Toy and Miniature Poodles, Cavapoos, Maltipoos, Cockapoos and Bichons Frisés. If you are not sure your puppy is ready, send us a photo and their date of birth through the studio page and we will tell you honestly whether to wait a few weeks.

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.

  • Slow introduction to the table, dryer and clippers
  • Coat and skin check with notes for your vet if needed
  • Warm-water bath with Curl Definition Shampoo
  • Hand-dry at low heat, with breaks
  • Face, paw and sanitary tidy (no full pattern clip)
  • First nail trim, one paw at a time
  • Ear check and gentle clean
  • Treats throughout, from you or from us
  • Finish photo sent before pickup
  • Written notes so the next groom starts where this one ended
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.

Meet & greet

Any weight
$24
  • 20 minutes in the studio
  • Table, dryer and clipper introduction
  • No bath, no clip
  • Best two weeks before the first groom
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Most popular

First groom

Under 12 lb
$42
  • Everything in Meet & greet
  • Full bath + low-heat hand dry
  • Face, paw and sanitary tidy
  • Written notes emailed
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First groom +

12–16 lb
$56
  • Everything in First groom
  • Light breed-pattern shaping
  • Extended settling time
  • Second visit at 20% off
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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

Say hello on the floor

Nothing happens on the table for the first five minutes. Your puppy meets the room, the smells and the groomer at their own height. You stay for this part if you would like to.
2

Table, dryer, clippers — switched off

We lift the puppy onto the table and let them stand there while the dryer runs across the room and the clippers buzz in a closed hand. Every new noise is introduced before it is used.
3

Warm bath, short and calm

A quick warm-water bath with sulfate-free shampoo. We keep it under ten minutes — long enough to be clean, short enough that it stays a good memory.
4

Low-heat hand dry with breaks

Handheld dryer on the lowest setting that will actually dry the coat, worked in sections, with a break on the floor whenever the puppy asks for one.
5

Tidy, treat, photo

Face, paws and sanitary area tidied, nails done one paw at a time, and a photo. We write down what worked and what did not so the next appointment can start from there.
FAQ

Questions we hear
every week.

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

How old does my puppy need to be?

Twelve weeks, and after the second round of vaccinations. Younger than that and the immune protection is not there yet for a shared studio. There is no upper limit — if your dog is eight months and has never been groomed, this is still the right appointment to book first.
A tidy, yes: face, paws and sanitary area. A full breed-pattern clip, usually not. Puppy coat is soft and does not hold a pattern the way adult coat does, and forcing a full clip at this age is how dogs learn to dread the table. We would rather book you back in six weeks.
For the first few minutes, yes, and many owners do. After that we usually ask you to step out, because most puppies settle faster when they are not checking whether you are about to rescue them. You are welcome to wait in the front room and we will come and get you if anything is wrong.
Then we stop. If a puppy is genuinely distressed rather than just unsure, we finish what is safe to finish, charge for the time used rather than the full service, and talk to you about a shorter meet-and-greet visit before trying again. Nothing is gained by pushing through.
From the studio
Related services

Other appointments
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.

Full curl groom

Bath, hand-dry, breed-pattern clip and a finish that keeps the curl bouncy for weeks. Works across Toy Poodle, Bichon, Cavapoo and Maltipoo coat patterns.
from $58
90 min
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Spa bath & blow-out

Sulfate-free curl wash, warm towel and a slow blow-out that defines instead of fluffs. We use our own Curl Definition Shampoo unless you bring one you prefer — either is fine.
from $28
40 min
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Nail & paw care

Quiet nail trim, pad tidy and paw balm for dogs who hate the grinder. We use a manual file for dogs that tolerate it better — same result, less drama, and they come back calmer each time.
from $18
20 min
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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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