Check-In & Consultation: the full procedure
Greet client and dog, confirm the exact style and service, review the health/intake notes, and set expectations and pickup.
- Applies to: Groomer / front desk.
- Frequency: Every appointment, at drop-off and pickup.
- Scope: Covers check-in/consultation and pickup handoff. The intake health check is its own SOP.
What you need
- Pet card / intake
- Style reference photos
The procedure, step by step
- Greet client and dog — Welcome the client and dog, and do the nose-to-toes check-in exam with the owner present (see the Intake SOP).
- Confirm the exact style — Confirm precisely the style/length and services requested — use photos, since "short" or "puppy cut" mean different things to different owners.
- Review notes and flag — Review the dog’s history/handling notes and any matting; point out concerns and added-cost items up front, and refer anything medical to a vet.
- Set expectations and pickup — Agree the price, any matting/shave-down possibility, and a pickup time; collect a reachable contact number.
- Handoff at pickup — At pickup, review the groom with the owner, note any follow-up (e.g. brushing at home), and confirm satisfaction.
Quality check before you finish
- Client + dog greeted; check-in exam done with owner.
- Exact style/length confirmed (photos).
- Notes reviewed; concerns + add-ons flagged; medical → vet.
- Price, matting possibility, pickup time agreed; contact collected.
- Pickup handoff + satisfaction check done.
This is a free, source-anchored standard operating procedure (SOP) you can print and hand to staff. It documents the work sequence for a Dog Grooming business — not safety or regulatory rulings, which defer to the cited authorities, the applicable code, and your own health-and-safety plan. Open the tool above to print it, toggle ink-saver, or (with a free ToolFluency Business account) edit it to match your own workflow.
Sources
- PetEdge — Pet Check-In Exams (petedge.com)
- PPGSA — Grooming Standards (petgroomersandstylists.org)
About Free Grooming Check-In SOP
Free printable grooming check-in SOP: greet client and dog, confirm the requested style and service, review intake/health notes, set expectations and pickup time, and hand off at pickup.
How to use
- Read the full procedure top to bottom before the work — the SOP runs in order and each step builds on the last.
- Toggle Ink-saver (black & white) for a cheaper mono print for the binder; leave it off for the full-color version.
- Click Print SOP to print or save as PDF. Print one per crew, laminate it for the binder, or attach it to the job in your scheduling system.
- Train new hires on it and have staff sign off. Found something out of date? Use the feedback link — flagged SOPs are re-researched against the source list.
Frequently asked questions
What happens at grooming check-in?
Greet the client and dog, confirm exactly the style/length and services requested (refer to photos), review the intake/health notes and any matting expectations, agree a pickup time and price, and note any special handling. Confirming the cut up front is what prevents "that’s not what I wanted" at pickup.
Why confirm the style at check-in?
Owner and groomer often picture different things by "short" or "puppy cut." A documented check-in consultation (ideally with photos) aligns expectations before the clippers come out, protecting both the result and the relationship.
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