Pet Grooming Notes: What to Record Every Visit
Good pet grooming notes exist to answer one question for whoever handles the pet next: how do I repeat this result, safely, without calling the owner? At a minimum, record eight things every visit — the exact service and add-ons performed; blade, comb, and scissor lengths by body area; the shampoo and products used; coat and skin condition on arrival (matting, hot spots, fleas, ear debris); behavior through each handling step; anything found that the owner needs to know; total time in the salon; and the groomer who did the work. Attach them to the pet's profile, not just to the appointment, and the next groom starts with information instead of guesswork.
Most salons already write something down. The problem is usually that notes are free-text, inconsistent between groomers, and never read again because they are buried in an appointment from four months ago.
What belongs in the pet profile vs. the visit note?
Separate the two. The profile is the permanent record that rarely changes. The visit note is written fresh every time.
The permanent pet profile
- Identity: name, breed or mix, age or date of birth, sex, spayed/neutered, weight
- Contacts: owner, a second contact, and the veterinary clinic with phone number
- Vaccinations with expiry dates, so a lapse is flagged before check-in
- Medical: conditions, medications, seizures, heart or breathing issues, arthritis or hip problems
- Allergies and product sensitivities
- Handling flags: muzzle required, no heated dryer, cannot stand for long, fearful of clippers near the face
- The usual: preferred groomer and the standing style the owner expects
- A clear photo of the pet
The visit note
- Date, service, add-ons, groomer, and total time in the salon
- Blade, comb, and scissor lengths by area: body, legs, head, ears, tail, sanitary, feet
- Products used, including any switch from last time and why
- Condition on arrival, in plain language
- Behavior through each step of the groom
- Findings to tell the owner
- Before and after photos
- One line: what to do differently next time
Which pet grooming notes actually change the next appointment?
| What to record | Why it matters | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Blade and comb lengths by area | "Short" means something different to every groomer | #10 sanitary, 1/2" comb on body, scissored head, tail left long |
| Coat condition on arrival | Supports a de-matting charge or a shave-down, and protects you if the owner is surprised | Tight mats behind both ears and in the rear pants; owner approved a shave |
| Products used | Skin reactions become traceable and good results repeatable | Oatmeal shampoo; moved off medicated after redness last visit |
| Behavior step by step | The next groomer knows exactly where the risk is | Easy for the bath; snaps during rear nail trim — two-person hold |
| Findings for the owner | Builds trust and often gets a pet to the vet earlier | Pea-sized lump on left flank; owner told at pickup |
| Time in the salon | Shows which dogs are priced wrong | 2h15 for a doodle booked as a 90-minute groom |
A note earns its keep only if the next groomer can reproduce the haircut from it without calling anyone.
How do you write notes staff will actually read?
- Use a template, not a blank box. Fixed fields get filled in consistently; an empty text area gets a sentence or nothing at all.
- Put the critical flags at the top of the pet record. Muzzle, medical, and "do not do this" notes are useless on page two.
- Write for the next person. "Did the usual" is not a note. "1/2" comb body, scissored head, feet tidied round" is.
- Finish with one "next time" line. Book 30 extra minutes, start with nails, or ask the owner to brush between visits.
- Take two photos. A before and after shot carries more information than a paragraph, settles disputes, and doubles as marketing content when the owner says yes.
- Keep judgment about the owner out of it. Assume every note could be read aloud. Record facts and actions only.
How should behavior and incidents be documented?
Behavior notes are the part groomers most often soften, and the part that matters most for staff safety. Record what happened and what worked, not a label for the dog:
- Be specific about the trigger and the step. "Fine until the dryer" is far more useful than "anxious."
- Record what succeeded. Air-dry instead of forced heat, a second handler for nails, a lick mat, or shorter sessions.
- Make flags visible before the booking is accepted, so a fearful dog is not slotted into the busiest hour of a Saturday.
- Document incidents the same day: time, what happened, what you did, who was told, and whether the owner and vet were contacted. Keep it factual and complete.
How long should you keep grooming records and photos?
- Active pet records: keep them for as long as the client is a client, and for a good while after — people come back years later.
- Vaccination records: keep the document and track the expiry date, not just a yes/no checkbox.
- Incident and injury records: keep these the longest. Ask your insurer what they expect, since requirements vary by state and policy.
- Photos: the last 12 to 18 months do most of the work, and storage is cheap enough to keep more.
- Never type card numbers or other payment details into a notes field. Use a card on file in your payment system instead.
Keeping notes on the same record you check out with
Franpos is a cloud platform for pet businesses that brings together POS, online booking, integrated payments, memberships and packages, marketing, and payroll. Pet profiles, visit notes, photos, vaccination expiry dates, and service history sit on the same client record staff use at checkout and clients book against — so notes are read at the moment they matter instead of living in a separate binder. See the grooming solutions page, compare plans on the pricing page, or book a demo and walk through a real pet record.
Frequently asked questions
What should be included in a grooming note?
Service and add-ons, blade and comb lengths by body area, products used, arrival coat and skin condition, behavior during handling, anything the owner should know, time taken, and the groomer's name.
Should groomers write down behavior problems?
Yes. Record the specific trigger, the step it happened on, and the handling that worked. Vague labels do not help the next groomer, and undocumented bite risk is a staff safety problem.
Are before and after photos worth the time?
Yes. Two photos take under a minute, prove condition on arrival, help reproduce a style months later, and become social content when the owner consents.
Can pet owners see grooming notes?
Owners typically see the service history and what they were told at pickup, not internal handling notes. Write everything as though it could be shown, then share summaries deliberately.
How detailed do notes need to be for a bath-only dog?
Shorter, but not skipped. Record the product used, skin condition, drying method, nail and ear work, and behavior — those are the details that change how the next visit is scheduled.
