Running a pet grooming business means managing a waiting room of anxious dogs, breed-specific service times, and owners who forget their Tuesday 2pm appointment. Between bath-and-trims, de-matting sessions, and puppy first grooms, your schedule can unravel fast.
The right booking software lets pet parents book their own appointments, collects deposits to protect your time, and keeps your grooming tables filled without you fielding calls mid-bath.
Why Pet Groomers Need Dedicated Booking Software
Generic scheduling tools don't account for what makes grooming unique:
- Breed-based pricing where a Chihuahua costs a fraction of a Great Pyrenees
- Service bundles that combine bath, haircut, nail trim, and teeth brushing
- Pet profiles that track temperament, allergies, and grooming history
- Deposit collection for large breed or specialty grooms
- Recurring appointments for clients on a 4-6 week grooming cycle
Phone tag between baths is the fastest way to lose a booking. When a pet parent calls, gets voicemail because you're mid-groom, and then forgets to call back, they end up at the shop down the street that lets them book online.
The Cost of No-Shows for Groomers
A no-show doesn't just mean lost revenue—it means an empty grooming table during your busiest hours:
| Service | Duration | Typical Price | Lost Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bath & Brush (small) | 1 hour | $40-60 | $40-60 |
| Full Groom (medium) | 1.5-2 hours | $65-95 | $65-95 |
| Full Groom (large) | 2-3 hours | $95-150 | $95-150 |
| De-matting Session | 2-4 hours | $120-200+ | $120-200+ |
| Puppy First Groom | 45 min | $30-50 | $30-50 |
When you've blocked two hours for a Standard Poodle and the owner doesn't show, there's no recovering that slot on a fully booked Saturday.
Grooming businesses without deposit requirements report no-show rates of 15-25%. With automated deposits and reminders, that drops to under 5%.
Essential Features for Pet Grooming Booking
Breed and Size-Based Pricing
Grooming a Yorkie and grooming a Newfoundland are entirely different jobs. Your booking system should let clients select their pet's breed or size category and see accurate pricing:
- Small (under 20 lbs) — Base pricing
- Medium (20-50 lbs) — 30-50% premium
- Large (50-80 lbs) — 50-80% premium
- Extra Large/Giant (80+ lbs) — 80-120% premium
This sets expectations before the appointment and eliminates the awkward conversation when an owner shows up with a Bernese Mountain Dog expecting to pay the same as their neighbor's Maltese.
Service Packages with Add-Ons
Structure your offerings in clear tiers:
- Bath & Brush — Shampoo, blow-dry, brush-out, ear cleaning
- Full Groom — Bath & brush plus breed-specific haircut, nail trim
- Spa Package — Full groom plus teeth brushing, paw balm, cologne
- Puppy Introduction — Gentle first groom for puppies under 6 months
Then let clients add services like:
- Nail grinding (+$10-15)
- De-shedding treatment (+$20-40)
- Flea & tick shampoo (+$15-25)
- Teeth brushing (+$10-15)
- Creative color (+$30-60)
- Blueberry facial (+$10-15)
Deposit Collection
For larger breeds and specialty services, deposits protect your schedule:
- Small breed bath & brush: No deposit needed
- Medium breed full groom: $20-30 deposit
- Large/giant breed groom: $40-60 deposit
- De-matting or specialty: $50-75 deposit
Make deposits non-refundable for cancellations under 24 hours. This filters out casual bookings and ensures committed clients.
Pet Profiles and History
Unlike most service businesses, your client isn't the person booking—it's their pet. Your system should track:
- Pet name, breed, weight, and age
- Temperament notes (anxious, nippy, great with dryers, hates nail trims)
- Medical conditions (skin allergies, seizures, arthritis in older dogs)
- Grooming preferences (specific cut styles, blade lengths)
- Vaccination records (rabies, bordetella—required by most shops)
- Multiple pets per household (many clients bring two or three)
This information should carry forward between appointments so groomers don't start from scratch each visit.
Automated Reminders
A solid reminder sequence for grooming appointments:
- Booking confirmation — Immediately (include deposit receipt, service details, and what to bring)
- Prep reminder — 24 hours before (remind about vaccination requirements, no feeding 2 hours before if anxious pet)
- Day-of reminder — Morning of appointment (include drop-off time and shop address)
- Pickup notification — When grooming is complete (include photos of the finished groom)
Post-groom photos in the pickup notification are a small touch that clients love—and share on social media.
Recurring Appointment Scheduling
Most grooming clients need to come back every 4-8 weeks. Your booking system should support:
- Automatic rebooking at checkout for the next appointment
- Recurring series (e.g., every 6 weeks on Thursdays)
- Reminder to rebook sent 1 week before their recommended return date
- Loyalty tracking for clients who maintain a regular schedule
Recurring clients are the backbone of a grooming business. Making rebooking effortless increases retention.
Setting Up Your Grooming Booking Flow
Step 1: Define Your Services
Create distinct bookable services with size-based pricing:
| Service | Duration (Small) | Duration (Large) | Small Price | Large Price | Deposit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bath & Brush | 45 min | 1.5 hours | $40 | $75 | None |
| Full Groom | 1 hour | 2.5 hours | $65 | $130 | $30 |
| Spa Package | 1.5 hours | 3 hours | $85 | $165 | $40 |
| Puppy First Groom | 30 min | 45 min | $30 | $45 | None |
| De-matting | 1-2 hours | 2-4 hours | $80 | $180 | $50 |
| Nail Trim Only | 15 min | 15 min | $15 | $20 | None |
Step 2: Create Your Intake Form
Collect what you need before the appointment:
- Pet name, breed, and weight
- Age and spay/neuter status
- Vaccination records (rabies, bordetella)
- Temperament and behavior notes
- Specific grooming requests or cut style
- Skin conditions or allergies
- Last grooming date
- Multiple pets? (how many and details for each)
Step 3: Configure Scheduling Rules
Set boundaries that protect your workflow:
- Minimum lead time — 24 hours for standard grooms, 48 hours for large breeds and de-matting
- Buffer between appointments — 15-30 minutes for cleanup and table reset
- Daily capacity — Limit based on grooming tables and staff
- Breed-specific time blocks — Giant breeds need longer slots, don't let the system book them into a 1-hour window
- Blackout dates — Block holidays and vacation time
Step 4: Define Cancellation Policies
Be transparent:
- Cancellations 48+ hours out: full deposit refund
- Cancellations 24-48 hours: 50% deposit retained
- Cancellations under 24 hours: deposit forfeited
- No-shows: deposit forfeited, rebooking requires new deposit
- Repeat no-shows: require full prepayment for future bookings
Display these during booking so clients know the terms before they commit.
Managing Multiple Groomers
If your shop has more than one groomer, your booking system should handle:
- Individual groomer schedules with separate availability
- Skill-based routing — Not every groomer handles hand-stripping or Asian fusion cuts
- Client-groomer matching — Let regulars book with their preferred groomer
- Workload balancing — Distribute appointments evenly across your team
- Commission tracking — Track services per groomer for pay calculations
Letting clients pick their groomer builds loyalty. When someone finds a groomer their anxious rescue dog actually trusts, they'll drive across town to keep that appointment.
Handling Multi-Pet Households
Many of your best clients have more than one pet. Your booking system should make this easy:
- Multi-pet booking — Book two or three pets in a single session
- Household profiles — Link multiple pets to one client account
- Staggered scheduling — Start the second pet while the first is drying
- Bundle discounts — Offer 10-15% off when booking multiple pets same day
- Single checkout — One payment for all pets in the household
Multi-pet households represent your highest lifetime value clients. Make the booking experience seamless for them.
Seasonal Considerations
Pet grooming demand fluctuates with the seasons:
- Spring — De-shedding season. Huskies, Golden Retrievers, and double-coated breeds flood your schedule. Increase availability and promote de-shedding add-ons.
- Summer — Peak season. Shave-downs, puppy cuts, and pre-vacation grooms. Book out weeks in advance.
- Fall — Steady demand. Good time to push holiday pre-booking and package deals.
- Winter — Slightly slower for some breeds. Promote moisturizing treatments and paw care.
Adjust your availability and promote seasonal services through your booking system to match demand.
Marketing Your Booking System
Once your system is live, drive traffic to it:
- Add a "Book Now" button to your Google Business Profile
- Link booking from your Instagram and Facebook bios
- Share before-and-after groom photos with a booking link in every post
- Include the booking URL on your business cards and shop signage with a QR code
- Set up Google Ads for "dog grooming near me" pointing to your booking page
- Send rebooking reminders to past clients who haven't scheduled their next visit
Before-and-after photos are gold for groomers. Every transformation post should end with a clear path to book.
Measuring Success
Track these metrics monthly:
- Booking volume: Total appointments scheduled
- No-show rate: Target under 5% with deposits
- Average ticket value: Track upsell success on add-ons and packages
- Repeat client rate: Returning customers (target 60%+ for groomers)
- Rebooking rate: Percentage of clients who schedule their next appointment before leaving
- Revenue per grooming table: Daily and weekly utilization
Use this data to optimize pricing, service offerings, and staffing levels.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Flat-rate pricing regardless of breed size: You'll lose money on every large breed groom
- No deposit requirement: Saturday no-shows on large breed bookings are devastating
- Skipping intake forms: You need to know about aggression, allergies, and medical conditions before a pet is on your table
- No buffer time between appointments: Tables need cleaning, dogs need settling, and you need a breather
- Ignoring recurring bookings: Your most profitable clients are the ones who come every 6 weeks—make rebooking effortless
Getting Started
If you're still managing appointments through phone calls, text messages, and sticky notes on your grooming station, you're spending more time scheduling than grooming. An online booking system works while you're behind the table—capturing new clients, collecting deposits, and sending reminders automatically.
Look for a solution that integrates with your existing website, handles breed-based pricing and deposits, and lets pet parents book in under two minutes. Your schedule will fill faster, your no-shows will drop, and you'll spend your energy where it belongs—making dogs look and feel their best.
Ready to streamline your grooming business? Start your free trial and see how much time you save in the first week.