Full service, defined
What is included in a full-service groom?
The phrase means different things at different studios, which is why owners in Gloucester compare menus and still feel unsure. Here is exactly what our full service covers, what sits on the add-on list, and how to decide whether your dog needs the haircut or just the bath.
The short version
Bath, dry, brush-out and a haircut over the whole dog
Full service is our bath-only groom plus a haircut. The bath-only visit, $55 to $95 by size, is a warm bath, a high-velocity blow-dry and a brush-out to the skin. Full service adds the cut: a breed-standard shape if you want one, or a custom length for a shorter summer clip or a longer winter coat. Bring a photo of the look you like.
The haircut covers the whole dog, so the face, feet, legs, body and sanitary areas are shaped as part of it. That is the difference between full service and the $10 face trim or $10 sanitary trim, which exist to tidy those spots on a bath-only visit between haircuts. What full service does not include is anything on the add-on menu: nails, teeth, glands, medicated shampoo and de-matting.
- Warm bath with a gentle shampoo
- High-velocity blow-dry to the skin
- Breed-specific or custom haircut over the whole dog
- Final price confirmed at check-in after a coat assessment
How it works at Dogtown
Six stages, in an order that protects the coat and the dog
The order matters. Cutting a dirty coat dulls blades and leaves an uneven finish, so the bath comes first and the scissoring last. Between them the coat is dried completely and brushed through, because a curl that is still damp will not cut true and a hidden mat will catch a clipper blade. Every stage has a pause built in for a dog who needs one.
Check-in is where the plan is set. The groomer looks at the coat, asks what length you want and whether anything has changed since the last visit, then confirms the price. If the coat needs de-matting, that is when you hear about the $15 per 20 minutes charge, and if a shave is kinder than a de-mat, that is discussed too.
- 01
Check-in and coat assessment, with the final price confirmed before work starts
- 02
Warm bath, with any booked medicated or whitening shampoo
- 03
High-velocity dry, section by section, until the coat is fully dry
- 04
Brush-out and comb-through to the skin, with any light de-matting
- 05
Haircut: clipper work for the body, scissors for face, feet and finishing
- 06
Add-ons such as nails, teeth or Shed Release, then a final check and a message to you
Included or extra
The add-on menu is where the rest of the price comes from
Every add-on is priced on its own so you pay for what your dog needs. Most full-service dogs take nails and a few take teeth brushing. Double-coated dogs benefit from Shed Release in spring and fall. The medicated shampoo is for dogs whose vet has suggested one. The handling surcharge buys extra time and a second pair of hands for a dog who finds the table hard.
Two things soften the bill. Book the next appointment at pick-up and it is $5 off. And if your dog is at Dogtown anyway, the groom can be scheduled inside a daycare day or before an overnight pick-up; the Dogtown Classic bundle takes 10 percent off grooming and the Deluxe 15 percent, as does the unlimited daycare membership.
| Item | Included in full service? | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Bath, blow-dry, brush-out | Yes | Included |
| Breed-specific or custom haircut | Yes | Included |
| Face and sanitary shaping as part of the cut | Yes | Included |
| Nail clipping | No | $16 |
| Teeth brushing | No | $10 |
| Shed Release de-shedding treatment | No | $10 |
| De-matting | No | $15 per 20 minutes |
| Antiseptic or fungal shampoo | No | $8 |
| Whitening shampoo | No | $8 |
| Anal glands express | No | $40 |
| Behavior or handling surcharge | As needed | $20 |
What it means for your dog
Curly coats need the full service, double coats usually need the bath
If your dog's hair keeps growing, full service is the right booking. That is the goldendoodles, Bernedoodles, poodles, shih tzus and schnauzers of Cape Ann, whose coats need cutting every 4 to 8 weeks whatever else happens. Skipping the haircut for a bath-only visit works once between cuts, but a doodle at ten weeks is a de-matting job.
If your dog sheds, the answer is usually bath only with a Shed Release. Bernese mountain dogs, goldens, huskies and Australian shepherds should not be shaved; their double coat protects them from cold at Good Harbor in February and from sun at Halibut Point in July. What they need is the undercoat lifted out, and that is a bath and brush-out job, not a haircut. Feet and sanitary tidying can be added.
- Full service: doodles, poodles, drop coats, wire coats and any coat that grows
- Bath only plus Shed Release: Bernese, goldens, huskies, Aussies, labs
- Puppies: a bath-only first visit, then the first haircut once the table is familiar
- Seniors: the same service, with breaks and the $20 handling surcharge if needed
Booking it right
Weight band, photo, add-ons, and a note about the beach
Book online through MoeGo or in the Dogtown app. Choose full service in the weight band your dog falls into, add nails or anything else, and use the notes to say what length you want. A photo at check-in beats any description. If your dog has been swimming at Wingaersheek or rolling in Dogtown Common leaf litter that week, say so; sand and burrs change how the coat is handled.
Tick season on Cape Ann runs April to November, and a full-service groom is the most thorough tick check your dog gets, because the groomer works to the skin over every inch. If a tick turns up, we tell you. For Gloucester, Rockport, Essex and Manchester-by-the-Sea the Pup Van runs at $10 each way, so a full groom can happen while you are at work.
At Dogtown
Full service and everything around it
Baths, haircuts and add-ons in the Gloucester studio, with grooming during daycare or an overnight stay when that suits you.
Asked and answered
Questions people ask about this
Short, complete answers you can act on today. More in the full FAQ.
Does a full-service groom include nail trimming?
What is the difference between a full-service groom and a bath only?
Can I choose the haircut style?
Why is the final price confirmed at check-in?
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
Book the full service.
Pick your dog's weight band online or in the Dogtown app, add nails or teeth, and bring a photo of the cut you want.
- 01Free evaluationWeekdays 6:30 – 9:30 AM
- 02Book a dayOnline, in the app or by phone
- 03Play, rest, repeatReport card at pick-up
