Small dog grooming in Gloucester, MA

Our menu prices grooming by weight, and the first band stops at 25 pounds. Up to that line, a bath is $55 and a full service is $75. From 26 to 50 pounds, the medium band, the same visits cost $65 and $85. Breed names do not decide it: a lean beagle and a heavy cockapoo can sit in different bands, and a puppy can move from small to medium during its first year. The groomer confirms the final figure once the coat has been looked over at check-in.

Choose the service by the coat. A bath suits a smooth or short coat such as a pug, a smooth chihuahua or a smooth dachshund, which has no haircut to pay for. Full service is for coats that keep growing, such as a Shih Tzu, a Yorkie or a maltipoo. If your dog sits close to the 25-pound line, weigh it at home before you book, so the price you see online is the price you pay.

Drying is where size matters most. The AVMA's cold-weather guidance notes that short-haired and short-legged pets feel the cold faster, and a damp seven-pound dog walking out to the car on a January afternoon on Cape Ann gets cold quickly. So the aim is a dog that is dry to the skin, not just dry on top. Fine single coats and dense double coats dry at very different speeds, and the groomer plans the time around the coat in front of them.

How the drying is done, how much towel work comes first, the dryer setting and how close it comes, is chosen for the coat and the dog, and the groomer confirms the method at check-in. If your small dog is frightened of the dryer, say so when you book; our answer on dryer fear explains the gentler options and the practice that helps at home. In the cold months, bring a sweater for the walk out and have the car warm for the ride home along Eastern Ave.

The coat decides the details, so we keep a page for each common small breed: Shih Tzu, Yorkshire terrier, Maltese, Havanese, bichon frise, Pomeranian, Cavalier King Charles spaniel and West Highland white terrier, plus pages for the chihuahua, papillon, pug, French bulldog, dachshund, Lhasa apso, coton de Tulear, Pekingese, cairn and Scottish terriers, and the small doodles: maltipoo, cockapoo and cavapoo. Each one explains the cut, the tangle spots and how that coat behaves between visits.

Small dogs that come to Dogtown for daycare play in groups matched by size, and a groom can be added to a daycare day after the free evaluation, held on weekdays between 6:30 and 9:30 AM. Drop off in the morning window and collect a clean dog between 4 and 6:30 PM. On daycare days the Pup Van, $10 each way, serves Rockport, Gloucester, Essex and Manchester-by-the-Sea. If plans change, cancel with notice; a groom cancelled without it costs $10.