How We Operate

At Elle Grooms, our policies exist to protect your dog's wellbeing, our team's safety, and the quality of care every client receives. Here is an overview of how we work, so you know what to expect at every stage of your dog's grooming journey.

Booking and Payments

All bookings and payments run through our secure online client portal. Card details are stored securely for convenience and to protect against no shows. Cash payments are still accepted in salon. We ask every client to keep their profile up to date, including contact and emergency details, and any changes to your dog's weight, health, or behaviour. Accurate information helps us plan a safe, efficient appointment.

Cancellations and Rescheduling

We require a minimum of 72 hours notice for any cancellation or change to your booking. Late changes, especially last minute ones for change of mind or lack of planning, disrupt our schedule and affect other clients waiting for appointments.

Beyond this minimum, we ask for as much notice as possible. We are a small, appointment based salon rather than a high volume one, and each staff member's day is scheduled around the specific dogs booked in. Our rosters are finalised about a week ahead with only minimal changes after that, so a late change leaves a gap that still needs to be managed, which takes admin time away from client care. If your appointment was booked well in advance and you were reminded around two weeks ahead, leaving your reschedule to the last minute is inconsiderate to our team and to other clients who could have taken that time.

Self-rescheduling through the portal is available within these boundaries. If a client repeatedly makes changes close to their appointment time in a way that affects our schedule, we reserve the right to remove online booking access for that account.

If you are booked on a recurring schedule throughout the year, a change to one appointment does not obligate us to rework every future booking. Where possible, we will adjust your next appointment slightly to help, but appointments after that will fall back into your existing schedule rather than shift as a chain.

Your appointment time is reserved specifically for your dog, so we ask that you arrive on time. A drop off more than 15 minutes late is treated as a no show and the appointment will need to be rescheduled. Late drop offs and pick ups within this window may still incur a fee. Running late pushes back every appointment booked after yours, which affects other clients and increases our staffing costs.

Maintenance Schedule

For standard to giant sized breeds, we require a maximum 6 week interval between appointments to remain an active client. This does not mean a full groom every time, shorter services such as a Tidy Bits or a Wash Up are perfectly suitable between full grooms.

Consistent intervals keep coats manageable, reduce stress for your dog, and keep handling safe for our team. Overgrown coats increase appointment time, physical strain, and safety risk. If a large dog exceeds 6 weeks without a booking, we are unable to take a new appointment until a consistent maintenance plan is back in place.

An Overdue Groom Fee applies when a dog is 9 or more weeks overdue, with a higher fee from 12 or more weeks overdue, as the appointment will exceed the time we have allocated.

Reactive and Fear Based Dog Handling

Fear based and reactive behaviour is one of our specialities. We use low stress, fear free, and balanced handling techniques built on years of experience. Because these appointments require extra time, advanced skills, and specialised handling, they are booked with our Extra Care or Behavioural Groom add on.

A regular schedule is essential for these dogs. It builds trust and helps prevent regression or further safety issues. If your dog has a history of biting, we recommend starting with the Behavioural Groom add on.

Why Regular Grooming Matters

Grooming is health and comfort care, not just cosmetic. Regular visits cover eye and ear trimming, hygiene and sanitary areas, paw pad and nail care, undercoat and matting management, and early detection of skin conditions.

Left unmanaged, these issues can lead to discomfort, infection, or health problems that are harder, more stressful, and more expensive to treat later.

Saturday Appointments

Saturday appointments include a 10% surcharge, built into the price rather than added on separately, to help cover the additional staffing costs of weekend availability. Long term, regular clients already on a discounted rate are grandfathered at 5%.

Flexibility, Where We Can

We know many of our clients work shifts, work in emergency services, or have unpredictable schedules. Where we can, we will coordinate waitlist priority or alternative slots to work around this, while still protecting your dog's welfare and our team's safety and wellbeing.

These practices let us stay a reliable, high quality maintenance salon for the dogs and families who trust us. If you have any questions about how we operate, get in touch, we are always happy to explain.