Dog Grooming FAQs

Call or text Anita on 0407 763 674, email bookings@dogdayspa.com.au, or use the booking form to request the day you’re after. Anita will confirm your appointment with you.

Try to call 2–4 weeks before the day you want. Same day appointments are rare, especially in the warmer months. Many clients rebook before they leave, and Anita is happy to book appointments ahead for the whole year (she even has fridge magnets with your yearly appointments).

Tuesday to Friday, 9am to 4:30pm, by appointment only.

To confirm Hours are from the booking policy dated January 2024. Still current?

Doggy Day Spa is on Lochiel Avenue, Edithvale, in Melbourne’s Bayside area. Anita works from home, so you’ll get the full address when you book.

To confirm Is “full address when you book” right, or should the street number be shown?

Yes. Anita sends a text message the day before your appointment as a courtesy.

Anita needs at least 48 hours’ notice to change or cancel an appointment. Later cancellations and missed appointments are charged at the full grooming price, though she’ll try to fill the spot and may waive the fee. Replying to the reminder text to cancel counts as a missed appointment. Read the full booking policy.

Please aim to arrive up to 10 minutes early. Each session ends at its allocated time, so if you’re running late, call or text as soon as you can and Anita will let you know whether there’s time for the full groom or a bath and tidy instead.

Early drop off is often available. Please discuss it with Anita before your appointment.

• Dog clipping from $70
• Small bath & tidy from $55
• Thinning & deshedding from $75
• Scrub in the tub (no clipping) from $35
• Nail clip $10

The final price depends on your dog’s size, coat and the style you’d like.

To confirm Prices are from the homepage. Still current?

Ear cleaning and medicating, nail clipping, a teeth check and giving your own flea or worming treatment are all included at no extra charge. Some fancy trims suit a maintenance revisit within 4 weeks, which is only a small charge.

Yes. Regular grooming clients get nail clipping free in between clipping appointments.

Cash or OSKO bank transfer only, paid before or at the time of collection. If you pay by transfer, show Anita the screenshot of the payment. The bank details are in the booking policy.

Usually 1–1½ hours for small and medium dogs, and up to 3 hours for larger dogs. There’s no sitting around all day in a grooming salon: Anita contacts you when your dog is nearly ready to collect.

To confirm The homepage says 1–1½ hrs (small/medium) and up to 3 hrs (large). The About page says 2–2½ hrs and 3–3½ hrs. Which is right?

Clipping off, a warm hydrobath with two shampoos and conditioner, a towel dry (and play), a blow dry and brush, then clipping and scissoring to finish the style. Nails come last, then a spray of perfume, a necktie or bandana for the boys or a flower for the girls, and treats!

A standard trim is one length all over, easy to maintain at home, with a face and head trim that still shows off your dog’s cuteness. A fancy trim is a more styled cut, either to your request or Anita’s choice. It can need a little more care at home, so some fancy trims suit a revisit within 4 weeks. See all services.

Yes. Anita does thinning and deshedding for double-coated breeds using the right products and tools, from $75. The hydrobath pressure and conditioner help lift out the undercoat too.

Yes. If your dog is matted, Anita can do a complete shave down so the coat can grow back healthy. From there you can choose a style that’s easy to keep on top of.

Quality natural, chemical free products, with essential oils to replenish condition and moisture. There are special shampoos and conditioners for sensitive skin and medicated shampoos for itchy skin, so let Anita know about any skin issues.

No. Doggy Day Spa is cage free. Dogs are free to wander the salon or hang out in the playpen. For safety, a dog may sit in the playpen for a few minutes during change-overs so nobody escapes.

No. Grooms are one on one, by appointment. Anita pampers only a few dogs each day, so it’s always a calm environment for you and your dog.

Anita will call or text you when your dog is close to finished. Please collect promptly: as a cage-free salon, a late pick up (more than 30 minutes after the text or call) needs to be arranged ahead, or a dog sitting fee of $1 per minute applies.

Yes. Anita was a vet nurse for 7 years and encourages even the most anxious dogs to enjoy their session. Every dog has its own card noting things like “hates nails being cut”, so she knows what to be gentle with next time. For anxious dogs, please don’t feed them for at least 6 hours before the appointment.

Please don’t bring them. If your dog has a cough, diarrhoea, lethargy or recent seizures, grooming is a lot to go through. Call or text to rebook.

Yes. Anita uses a flea rinse that kills fleas, so your dog goes home flea free. Wash your dog’s bed, vacuum the house and wash out the kennel while they’re away. If you use a flea treatment at home, bring it along and Anita will give it at no charge. More in Does your dog have a case of the itches?

Let Anita know before the groom. She has special shampoos and conditioners for sensitive skin and medicated shampoos to relieve itching and irritation.

Yes, at no extra charge. Bring in the solutions or drops your vet gave you and Anita will clean and medicate the ears for you.

Yes. Bring the worming tablets along and Anita will give them to your dog at no charge.

Anita Pearce. She was a vet nurse for 7 years and has been grooming dogs for over 25 years. Every groom is done by Anita, one on one. Read her story.

All sizes, from small dogs to large ones, including breed-specific cuts and “designer” crosses like Schnoodles, where you can choose which breed’s style you’d like.

Yes. Many of Anita’s customers have stayed with her from when their dogs were pups right through to their senior years.

To confirm Is there a minimum age for a puppy’s first groom?

Doggy Day Spa is in Edithvale and grooms dogs from across Bayside Melbourne and nearby suburbs.

To confirm Which suburbs should be listed? Suggestions: Edithvale, Chelsea, Bonbeach, Aspendale, Mordialloc, Chelsea Heights, Carrum.