Your Guide to Picking the Best Grooming Package for your Pet

If you have ever tried to book a dog groom and felt like you were ordering off a complicated coffee menu, we get it. We sit down and talk through what grooming packages really mean, how pet parents can pick the right option based on coat type and lifestyle, and why we believe basic hygiene should never be treated like an upgrade. For us, a proper bath and groom already includes the essentials that protect your dog’s comfort and health: nails, ears, paw pads, sanitary cleanup, and a clean coat.

We also explain how we think about packages in a more practical way: as a maintenance schedule. Instead of pushing add-ons, we focus on how often your dog should come in so the coat stays manageable and the price stays predictable. We break down common needs for doodles, poodles, and other long-haired dogs, plus what can change during allergy season when pollen and outdoor irritants make skin and coats harder to manage.

Finally, we share why an in-between visit can be a game changer. Sometimes your dog does not need a full groom, but they do need a face cleanup, nail grind, or quick sanitary and paw pad touch-up to prevent sore eyes, irritation, and nails that grow past the point of comfort. If you want a clear, no-confusion approach to pet grooming in North Texas, this conversation will help you book with confidence. If it helped, subscribe, share it with a fellow pet parent, and leave us a quick review so more owners can find simple, honest grooming guidance.

To learn more about Hound Therapy visit:
https://www.HoundTherapy.com
Hound Therapy
3509 E Park Blvd.
Plano, TX
469-367-0009

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:03

Welcome to Tale Talk Grooming Chronicles with House Therapy, the podcast where we talk all things pet grooming, daycare, academy, and more. Hosted by Shannon and Tanya of House Therapy, serving pet owners across North Texas. We're here to share expert tips, hilarious pet stories, and the inside scoop on keeping your furry friends happy and healthy. Our motto, humanity over vanity. And don't worry, we don't fight. Let's get started. Who let the dogs go?

What Grooming Packages Really Mean

SPEAKER_01 0:37

Who let the dogs go? Helping pet parents choose the right grooming package with confidence based on coat type, lifestyle, and real grooming needs. Welcome back, everyone. I'm Sophia Yvette, co-host and producer back in the studio with Shannon and Tanya, professional groomers at Hound Therapy. Hi, ladies, we are jumping right in today. So today's question is how do pet parents know which grooming package is truly best for their pet?

Why Basic Hygiene Is Included

SPEAKER_03 1:07

So I would say everybody hears those words, grooming packages, um, pretty often. And and what that basically means spa package, deluxe package, add-on package, upgrades, all of these things. At Helm Therapy, here our grooming, we're fully inclusive. So we don't mean to be charging extra for something that a dog already needs. We don't feel like that you need to have a package. Your package should be um included in all of the things that when you come to the grooming, uh they should already have clean ears and trimmed nails. That should be um just a given. It doesn't need to be an extra upgraded package, in my opinion. So many salons will use those words packaging to help structure their services. And although that's great, you have a basic bath, you have a deluxe bath, you have a spa upgrade. Um, packages include, you know, nail trim, air cleaning, coat conditioning, de shedding. Um, for us, it's we don't want our menu to look like a Starbucks. We don't want you to need a translator.

SPEAKER_02 2:13

I don't want you to get confused.

SPEAKER_03 2:15

You shouldn't need a translator to order a bath. Um, a bath comes with everything. If you're going to be bringing your dog to the grimmer, um, they should be looking at the nails. They should be cleaning the hair out of the pal pads, they should be cleaning their ears, they should be cleaning their coat. Um, those are all things that are included in a bath. I don't when you go to get your hair cut.

SPEAKER_02 2:35

To me, they should be dremeling the nails. Um hundred percent. Whether it's especially I I've worked places that didn't offer just dremeling with the groom. Um if I see a little lady bring in this tiny little dog that's scratching her to pieces, I'm just gonna dremel those nails. I'm not gonna charge her an extra twelve to fifteen dollars on top of her groom just to dremel the nails when they could be smooth and not scratch her anymore.

SPEAKER_03 3:03

Yeah. We we don't believe that basic hygiene should be an upgrade. I'm just I it should just be basic hygiene. It should just be done. And I mean, a bath and a groom are very similar. Groom takes a little bit more skill as far as scissors and clippers go, but a bath themselves, um, you know, it it that is everything.

SPEAKER_02 3:26

Most of the packages that people explain are bath procedures anyway.

Packages As A Maintenance Schedule

SPEAKER_03 3:30

Yeah, I mean it's it's nail like I said, ear cleaning, pads and sanitary. Uh, what kind of haircut do you need? Well, I mean, is that a deluxe package? Like, what's extra? Because that should already be there. So for us, um, it's more about a schedule. Um, we like to look at our packages as more of um uh like let's figure out how how many weeks your dog needs before it needs to come in for its all-over hair care professional groom or bath that it's getting. Um, and that that package should be something like, hey, look, let's do a four to six weeks. And this is about if you if you do this, we can maintain XYZ price for you. Um, you know, if we go longer, you come a little bit more often. Um, so our packages are more we don't even call them packages, but we do, we do throw that out there as like, hey, look, let's do uh like a an every four week or a reoccurring, and and we can call it a maintenance package here, which is kind of how we explain it. Um and it it helps to say, hey, look, it's more for how often you should come, not about all of the things that we're not going to do for you with your regular groom. So I mean, we believe that everybody should kind of get that. Um, you know, doodles, curly coats are gonna come in a little bit more often. So their price might be a little bit higher uh just because they take a little bit more work, unless you go shorter. Um, but as far as packages go, uh, we're not focused on a whole lot of extras.

The Face And Nail Trim Option

SPEAKER_01 5:04

Do you ever see in the future creating like a super deluxe package for your longtime members?

SPEAKER_03 5:11

We we have actually just recently added um, and we call it a package just because people seem to understand that word.

SPEAKER_02 5:19

The terminology.

SPEAKER_03 5:20

Right. And and we fit it into uh our our regular basic for people who cannot afford to come very often. We do a face and nail trim package, which basically means that we call it the maintenance package. Yeah. So if you come in for a nail grind and trim, um usually if we have time, we'll do the paw pads anyway, because you know, we're right there. Um we've added, we could just because we've seen a need for it. Um some dogs, especially right now for spring, the weepy eyes and you know, they don't necessarily need to be groomed because they're still short from their last groom, uh, or they're in between grooming weeks, but they don't, they just need a little fresh. Um, you know, the hair I'm under their little private Santa area has gotten long, or that weepy eye has turned into a crusty, you know, Scoopy mess. Yeah. So we've decided that we would add uh an extra little bit of package. So for, you know,$35, you can come in and we'll do an all-over kind of cleanup, which is where we do the nails. We'll, you know, clean under the tail, um, you know, a little Sandy, if it's a little girl, uh, we'll shave in front of the eyes, uh, under the ears, we'll pull the ear hair extra out if they've gotten some ear problems. So we've added it's kind of an in-between grooming price, and we've called it, you know, a face and nail package so that people know what to book. Um, and it just means basically it's it's all of our roughness procedures that we would do before we bathe your dog in between grooms so that your nails don't get too long and the ears, you know, don't get infected, or your the the face on your dogs don't get um sores, you know, right in front of the eyes. Cause if that that lays there and just with wet matted goop, it can cause a lot more irritation later. So we would much rather offer something that you know includes a little bit more than just a nail trim or you know, a a full-on bath because not everybody needs, you know, one of the four things that we're doing. So we have added some some little things uh like that just because we see a need for it.

SPEAKER_01 7:25

Well, ladies, um final question for you How often should pets be groomed to maintain coat health as a general rule?

SPEAKER_03 7:37

So I would say it's gonna depend on your on your dog breed, but any breed that has got chronic allergies uh this time of year, they're gonna need to be bathed a little bit more often. So I would say every four to eight weeks, depending on if it's a short haired or a medium haired dog. And I would say every four to six weeks if it's a long-haired coconut, yes, like a a doodle or a poodle.

SPEAKER_02 7:59

Because all of that pollen is gonna about to start sticking into the food. It's awful. Already terrible.

SPEAKER_03 8:04

And we're getting into this beer grass too. So, you know, when we're here coming in for that, and and I would say if you have a dog that you shave on a regular basis or two or three times a year, because that happens, um, and you know, your dog doesn't need grooming all of the time, take advantage of those in-between grooming moments that you can get, like getting those nails done, just doing the nails, um, or coming in and taking advantage of, hey, can you go ahead and clean up my face? We can do baths at home because he's short haired, but I can't get his nails. Those continue to grow. And if you don't address them uh before they get too long, the quicks will grow with them. And then oftentimes we can't get them as short as you need. It's just a really long or painful process. So take advantage of doing that. I do my dog's nails every week, but on a basis for a young, healthy dog that's two to six, I would say every two to four weeks for nails, um, unless they're exercising outside on concrete a lot. If it's a puppy, I would do almost every two weeks just because their nails grow so fast. And if it's an elderly dog, sometimes you can wait a little longer. Um, but you might want to come in for that face and fanning trim because, you know, they they do tend to not squat as well as they used to. Um, or they've got those teary eyes. And it's good to just keep those little faces clean so that you can bathe them and take care of your on maintenance at home.

SPEAKER_01 9:27

Wow. Well, thank you both for breaking that down so clearly for us today. You know, we really appreciate your expertise, and we will see everyone next time. Thanks.

SPEAKER_03 9:38

Have a good day.

SPEAKER_00 9:42

That's a wrap for this episode of Tale Talk with Hound Therapy. Ready to book your pet's next groom daycare stay or grooming academy tour? Call us at 469-367-0009. That's 469-367-0009 to schedule an appointment or visit us online at www.houndtherapy.com, serving North Texas with expert pet care. Until next time, keep those tails whacked.