Which stage was the cavapoo on?
Your salon offers puppy introductions: a few short visits to get used to being handled on the table, the sound of the clippers, the bath and the dryer, before a first full groom. It is one of the best things you do, and owners love it.
A cavapoo puppy comes in for its third visit. The groomer who did the first two is not in today. The booking just says 'puppy visit'. Was the puppy fine with the dryer last time, or did it panic? Did it get as far as a face trim? Nobody knows.
Another puppy did its first visit a month ago and never came back, because nobody proposed a second one and the owner assumed the salon would ring.
A third arrives for what the owner thinks is its first full groom, while the groomer thinks it is the second puppy visit.
A series of visits booked as if each were the only one
Puppy introductions are a sequence, but most diaries treat each as a standalone appointment. Nothing holds the plan or the progress.
- Stages are not recorded, so each groomer starts over or guesses.
- Notes on how the puppy coped live in one groomer's memory.
- The next visit is not proposed at checkout.
- Owners are unsure what the plan is or how many visits are left.
- Puppies who drop out of the series are never followed up.
Rushed puppies and lost lifelong clients
A puppy pushed too far too fast may become a difficult dog to groom for years. A puppy whose introduction stalls may come back months later with an overgrown coat and no experience of the salon. Either way, you miss the chance to build a relaxed, regular client for the rest of the dog's life, which is the point of offering introductions.
How we build puppy introduction plans
- You define your stages (for example handling on the table, bath, dryer, nails, face tidy, first full groom) and roughly how many visits each might take.
- When a puppy is booked, a plan is attached to its record showing the stages.
- At the end of each visit, the groomer taps which stages were done and how the puppy coped (relaxed, unsure, needs more time), with an optional short note.
- At checkout, the next visit is proposed at the gap you recommend, with the stage it will focus on.
- The owner gets a short summary after each visit, so they know what was done and what comes next.
- Puppies with no next visit booked appear on a follow-up list after the gap you set.
| Question | Today | With a puppy plan |
|---|---|---|
| Which stage is this puppy on? | Ask the groomer who did it | Shown on the record |
| How did it cope with the dryer? | Memory | Note from the last visit |
| When is the next visit? | Owner assumes you will ring | Proposed at checkout |
| Who dropped out? | Unknown | Follow-up list |
How you introduce puppies, and how quickly, is your groomers' expertise. We make sure the plan and progress are recorded and passed on.
Every puppy picked up where it left off
The cavapoo's third visit starts with the note 'fine with bath, unsure about dryer, try low setting'. Whoever is on picks up exactly there. The owner knows the plan and books the next step on the way out. Puppies who drift are followed up while they are still young enough for the introduction to help.
When the puppy finally has its first full groom, the groomer can read the whole history in a minute and knows which parts of the process it is comfortable with.
Is this how your puppy visits run?
- Puppy visits are booked one at a time with no plan.
- Progress is known only by the groomer who did the visit.
- Owners are unsure how many visits are left.
- Puppies drop out of the series without follow-up.
- Different groomers repeat or skip stages.