Same as last time, please
The owner of a miniature schnauzer hands over the lead and says, same as last time. The groomer who did the dog last time is off today. The booking says full groom. Was it a short body with a traditional skirt, or longer all over? Were the eyebrows long or trimmed back? What blade was used on the back?
The groomer makes an educated guess and does a lovely groom. It is not the same as last time. The owner notices the eyebrows straight away and is disappointed, even though the dog looks smart.
With your regular groomer, the drift is slower but still there. After a year of visits, the dog's cut has changed bit by bit, and the owner shows you a photo from last summer and asks for that again.
Some owners bring a photo on their phone. Most do not, and the ones who do often bring a picture of a different dog from the internet.
The cut is in the groomer's hands, not on the record
A groom has many small decisions: blade on the body, comb attachments on the legs, the shape of the head, feet, tail and face. Groomers remember them for dogs they see often. Nothing records them.
- Blade and comb lengths are not written down.
- Finished photos, if taken, go on social media or a personal phone, not on the dog's record.
- Owner likes and dislikes (no bows, keep the ears long) are mentioned at the door and forgotten.
- Notes fields in booking apps hold everything, so style details get buried.
- Cover groomers start from scratch.
Disappointed owners and unwanted drift
A cut that is not what the owner expected is one of the quickest ways to lose a regular client. Even when the groom is good, not matching expectations feels like a mistake to the owner. Groomers also lose time working out what to do instead of getting on with it, and the salon cannot give owners the consistency that brings them back.
How we record each dog's style
- Each dog's record gets a style card with fields for the areas that matter: body, legs, head, ears, face, feet and tail, each with the blade or comb used.
- At the end of the groom, the groomer updates the style card in a few taps if anything changed, and takes a finished photo from the front and side on the table tablet.
- Owner preferences (keep the eyebrows long, no bandana, shorter in summer) are held on the card, separate from handling and admin notes.
- When the dog is checked in, the table tablet shows the style card and the last finished photos.
- If the owner asks for a change, the groomer records it, so next time same as last time means the new style.
- Owners can be sent the finished photo, which also gives them something to show if they ask for that cut again.
| Detail | Today | On the style card |
|---|---|---|
| Body blade | Regular groomer's memory | Recorded |
| Head and eyebrow shape | Guess | Photo and note |
| Owner likes and dislikes | Said at the door | Stored preferences |
| Summer versus winter cut | Remembered, maybe | Two saved styles |
Some grooming apps have pet photo galleries. If yours does, we connect to it and add the structured style fields alongside.
Any groomer can do the dog's usual cut
When the schnauzer comes in and the regular groomer is off, the cover groomer sees the blade lengths, the eyebrow note and two photos from last time. The owner gets what they asked for. Over months, the style stays where the owner wants it, and when it changes, it changes on purpose.
Does this sound like your salon?
- Owners ask for same as last time and you have nothing to check.
- Cover groomers get the style wrong.
- Blade lengths are not recorded anywhere.
- Finished photos are not linked to the dog's record.
- Owners have been disappointed by a groom that was well done but different.