Free template for UK dog groomers
Free dog grooming consultation form template
Everything a new-client form should ask, from bite history to photo consent, ready to copy and adapt.
"He's never bitten anyone." Every groomer has heard it, usually about thirty seconds before the dog proves otherwise. A proper consultation form is how you find out about the bite history, the ear infection, the dryer phobia and the lump behind the left ear before you have clippers in your hand, not after.
It protects you too. When an owner insists the skin irritation wasn't there before the groom, a dated form describing the coat and skin on arrival settles it. When a nervous dog needs a quieter slot, you knew at booking, not at the door. Copy the template below, adapt it to your salon or van, and get it filled in before every new dog walks in.
Why a consultation form protects your business
Three things go wrong for groomers without one, over and over:
The undisclosed bite. If you never asked, you cannot say you checked. A written question about bite and snap history, answered and signed by the owner, is your evidence that you did your bit. Your insurer will think so too.
The pre-existing condition. Lumps, warts, ear trouble, flaky skin. If it is written down on arrival, it cannot become "your dryer did that" three days later.
The forgotten quirk. The dog that hates the high-velocity dryer, the one that needs muzzling for nails, the double coat that must never be clipped off. When it lives on a form instead of in your head, whoever grooms the dog next time knows too.
The template
Copy the sections below into a document, a printable sheet or your booking system. Everything in brackets is helper text to keep or bin as you like. One form per dog, not per household.
Section 1: Owner details
- Full name
- Mobile number (the one you actually answer)
- Email address
- Home address and postcode (mobile groomers: add parking notes and access instructions)
- Emergency contact name and number (someone who can collect the dog if we cannot reach you)
Section 2: About the dog
- Dog's name
- Breed (best guess is fine for crossbreeds)
- Date of birth or approximate age (puppies and older dogs both need gentler, shorter sessions)
- Approximate weight (this affects handling and, in most salons, price)
- Sex, and whether neutered or spayed
Section 3: Health and behaviour
- Vet practice name and phone number (in case of an emergency during the groom)
- Are vaccinations up to date? Date of last vaccination (salon groomers: include kennel cough)
- Any allergies or sensitivities? (shampoos, products, foods, anything that has caused a reaction)
- Any skin conditions, lumps, warts, or ear or eye issues we should know about? (please point these out at drop-off too, so we can work around them)
- Any medication, injuries or recent surgery? (recent operations change how a dog can be handled and positioned)
- Has the dog ever bitten or snapped at a groomer, vet or stranger? (honest answers keep your dog and our team safe, there is no judgement here)
- Anything that makes the dog anxious? (the dryer, nail clippers, other dogs, being crated, running water, being left)
- Any fleas or flea treatment in the last month?
Section 4: Grooming history and preferences
- Has the dog been professionally groomed before? When was the last groom?
- How did previous grooms go? (anything the last groomer struggled with, we would rather know)
- Coat condition today (any matting? Badly matted coats sometimes have to be clipped short for the dog's comfort, see our matting policy)
- Preferred style and clip length (photos of previous grooms you liked are genuinely helpful)
- Anything the dog particularly loves or hates during grooming?
Section 5: Consent and declaration
- Photo consent: may we take before and after photos of your dog? Yes / No
- Social media consent: may we share those photos on our website and social channels? Yes / No (first name of dog only, never owner details)
- I confirm the information above is accurate and I will let you know if anything changes: signature and date
- I have read and accept the booking, deposit and cancellation policy (attach yours, or build one with our free no-show policy kit)
How to use it (four tips from groomers who do)
- Get it filled in before the appointment, not on the doorstep. The answers should change how you book the slot. A nervous dog gets a quieter time of day, a badly matted coat gets a longer slot and a heads-up about price. None of that works if you read the form for the first time with the dog already on the table.
- One form per dog. A three-dog household is three forms. The Cockapoo's matting risk and the Staffie's dryer phobia do not belong on the same sheet, and neither do the different clip instructions.
- Review it, do not file it. A form filled in once and never looked at again is worthless by the third visit. Ask "anything changed since last time?" at every drop-off. New lumps, new medication, a house move. Date every update.
- Write notes you would be happy for the owner to read. Keep behaviour notes factual ("growled during nail trim, muzzle used, fine after") rather than personal. Under UK data protection rules owners can ask to see what you hold about them, and factual notes protect you far better than opinions anyway.
Or skip the paper altogether
The paper version works. The digital version works while you are mid-groom with your hands full. Pro-cess turns this exact form into a digital intake form: when a new client books, the form goes to them automatically, and it chases the ones who have not finished it, so the answers are on the dog's record before they arrive. Coat type, allergies, bite history and photo consent all attach to the booking and carry forward to every future visit. No card index, no soggy folder, nothing lost when a sheet goes missing.
No card needed for the trial.
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