PetGroomBossPro Blog — Groomer App

Breed, Size, Coat and Cut Notes: Reading Each Pet on the Groomer App Card

An address tells a groomer where to go. The pet tells them what the next hour looks like. A Toy Poodle with a short clean face is one appointment; a Giant double-coated dog due for a de-shed is a very different one. That is why the pet, not the address, is the center of the PetGroomBossPro appointment card.

After Navigation, the Pets

In One-Tap Navigation From the Appointment Card to the Next Customer's Curb, the groomer got to the curb. Now they look down at the card and read the pets at this home, up to four per visit, each with its own section.

The Fields on Every Pet

• Name. The owner will notice if you call Biscuit “buddy” all morning.
• Dog or Cat. Cats and dogs sit on the same card, each marked for what they are.
• Breed. Typed the way the owner describes it, so “Goldendoodle,” “Shih Tzu mix” or “Domestic Longhair” all work.
• Size: Toy, Small, Medium, Large or Giant.
• Coat: Short / Smooth, Medium, Long, Double Coat, Curly / Doodle, Wire or Hairless.
• Rabies due date, typed in by the groomer or office.
• Notes, one line for the cut and behavior.

Size and coat are picked from a list rather than typed, so they read the same way on every card and every groomer's phone. Breed and notes are free text, because no list could cover every mix and every owner's preferred cut.

Why Size and Coat Matter Before the Groom

Size and coat are the two things that most change how long an appointment takes and how it is priced. Many groomers charge more for a large dog (say +$30 on a full groom) or for a doodle coat. In PetGroomBossPro, the owner can set a price add-on per size on the online booking page, and services can be priced off the pets on the property. When the groomer sees “Giant · Double Coat” on the card, it matches what the customer was quoted.

It also helps the groomer plan the day. A glance down the list in the morning shows which stops are quick and which need the extra time.

Cut Notes: The Most Important Line

The notes line is where the cut lives. Good cut notes are short and specific, written in the groomer's own shorthand:

• “#7 blade body, teddy bear face, leave the ears long.”
• “Breed trim, owner likes the tail full.”
• “Short all over for summer, #4 body.”
• “Lion cut, leave boots and tail pom.”

The same line often holds a quick behavior note too (“nervous with the dryer,” “muzzle for nails”). Behavior notes get their own article next, Behavior Notes in the Groomer App: Writing Down the Dryer-Shy Dog Before the Next Visit.

The Next Visit Fills In From the Last One

Here is the part that saves the most typing. When the next visit at that home comes up, it fills in from the last one: the same pets, breeds, sizes, coats, rabies due dates and notes. A dog on a six-week schedule is entered once and then simply shows up on the card every six weeks with last time's cut.

If something changes (the owner wants it shorter this time, or the puppy has grown into a Large), the groomer or office updates the pet, and that becomes what the next visit carries forward. Updating notes is covered in Updating a Pet's Notes So the Next Groom Starts Right.

Estimates work the same way. When a customer approves an estimate, the pet details on it carry onto the job, so the first appointment is not a blank card.

Any Groomer Can Groom Any Pet

When the pet details live on the card instead of in one groomer's memory, the business is less fragile. A groomer out sick on Thursday does not mean Thursday's regulars get a guess at their cut. The covering groomer reads the card, sees the breed, size, coat and “#7 blade body, teddy bear face,” and starts from where the last groom left off.

The owner benefits too. A customer who calls to ask what length the face was last time gets an answer from the office in seconds.

Reading the Card Quickly

Groomers do not want to read paragraphs at the curb. The card is meant to be scanned: name, breed, size and coat on one line, the cut note under it, then the next pet. For a multi-pet home, each pet gets the same short block, one after another. That is covered in Multi-Pet Homes on the Groomer App: Up to Four Pets on One Visit.

For the rest of what sits on the card, from add-ons to van notes, see the PetGroomBossPro dog grooming app page.