Hygiene trims
What is a sanitary trim?
It is the least glamorous line on the grooming menu and one of the most useful, especially for long-coated dogs who spend their winters on Cape Ann beaches and their summers in the heat. This page covers what gets clipped, what does not, and who benefits most.
The short version
Short hair where it matters for cleanliness, and nowhere else
Picture the parts of your dog that get soiled by nothing more than going to the bathroom and sitting down. On a long-coated dog that is the fur under the tail, around the anus and genitals, the lower belly and a strip down the inside of each back leg. A sanitary trim takes those areas short with clippers on a close guard, leaving a clean margin so nothing sticks and nothing tangles.
Everything else stays. The trim is not a haircut and does not change how your dog looks from the side or the front. On a dog with a naturally short coat, a Lab or a pointer, there is little to take off and the add-on is rarely needed. On a doodle, a shih tzu, a spaniel or a long-coated cat, it is the difference between a coat that stays clean between grooms and one that does not.
- Under the tail and around the rear
- The genital area and lower belly
- A strip along the inside of each back leg
- Never the tail plume, the trousers or the sides of the body
At Dogtown
$10 on a bath or a full service, done after the dry
On the Dogtown menu the sanitary trim is a $10 add-on. Book it with a bath, $55 to $95 by size, or with a full service at $75 to $120, and the groomer does it on the table once the coat is dry, because clippers glide through clean, dry hair and drag through damp. It sits naturally alongside the face trim, also $10, and nail clipping at $16; together they are the maintenance visit that keeps a long coat civilized between full haircuts.
If you have booked a full service, the haircut you choose may already take these areas short. Tell the groomer at check-in what you want and ask whether the add-on is needed; the price is confirmed at check-in after the coat assessment anyway. A dog who is at Dogtown for daycare or an overnight stay can have the trim done before pick-up, and the two overnight bundles take 10 or 15 percent off grooming.
| Add-on | Price | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Sanitary trim | $10 | Rear, underside of tail, lower belly, inner back legs |
| Face trim | $10 | Around the eyes, muzzle and ears between full grooms |
| Nail clipping | $16 | Trim and buff, all four paws and dewclaws |
| Teeth brushing | $10 | A gentle brush for fresher breath |
| Dematting | $15 per 20 minutes | Working out knots before any clipper work |
By age
Puppies learn the clipper here, seniors need it most
For a puppy the sanitary trim is a gentle introduction to the sound and buzz of clippers on a part of the body that is not the face. Our groomers keep it quick, praise through it and stop if the puppy has had enough. A young dog who accepts this at five months accepts a full haircut far more easily later.
Adult long-coated dogs are the core customer, and the Cape Ann life makes the case. A doodle who runs Crane Beach on a leash between October 1 and March 31 comes home with wet sand packed exactly where the trim would have kept the hair short. Seniors need it more than anyone: a dog who sits more, squats lower and grooms itself less gets soiled more easily, and a stiff dog cannot twist to clean up. Short hair there is a kindness, not a cosmetic choice.
- 01
Book a bath or full service and add the sanitary trim online, in the app or by phone
- 02
At check-in, mention any skin sensitivity or a dog who dislikes clippers near the rear
- 03
The groomer bathes and fully dries the coat first
- 04
Clippers on a close guard take the rear, tail underside, belly and inner legs short
- 05
A check for redness or debris, then the rest of the groom or straight to pick-up
Salt, marsh and ticks
Why the belly and rear need the most help on the North Shore
Cape Ann dogs get wet from below. Tidal mud in the Essex marshes, wet sand at Wingaersheek on odd-numbered days through the off-season, slush and road salt on Gloucester sidewalks in February: all of it collects on the lowest, longest hair first. A sanitary trim, sometimes paired with a shorter belly on the full haircut, means a towel at the door does the job instead of a bath.
Tick season here runs roughly April to November, and the groin and inner thighs are exactly where ticks like to attach. Short hair there makes your evening tick check faster and lets you actually see the skin. If you find a tick, the CDC's removal guidance is the reference; if the skin around a bite looks angry, that is a vet question. Our groomers will tell you at pick-up about anything they found.
- Marsh mud and wet sand collect on the lowest hair first
- Tick season, April to November: short hair speeds the check
- A towel at the door instead of a bath after a beach morning
At Dogtown
Grooming for dogs and cats at Eastern Ave
Small hygiene add-ons, full baths and haircuts for dogs, and a quiet studio for cats.
Asked and answered
Questions people ask about this
Short, complete answers you can act on today. More in the full FAQ.
Does a sanitary trim change how my dog looks?
Can a sanitary trim irritate the skin?
How often does my dog need a sanitary trim?
Do you do sanitary trims on cats?
More questions? Read the full FAQ
Sources
Rules and dates change. We re-check every beach, licensing and ordinance page each spring and fall; the source above is the current word.
Keep reading
Next step
Clean between grooms.
Add a sanitary trim to any bath or full service online or in the Dogtown app. Ten dollars, and the towel at the door does the rest.
- 01Free evaluationWeekdays 6:30 – 9:30 AM
- 02Book a dayOnline, in the app or by phone
- 03Play, rest, repeatReport card at pick-up
