Free guide · 6 chapters · 58 min read
Bites, muzzles and health: grooming safely
The check-in questions, the health conditions owners forget to mention, the consent form, muzzle and bite policies, and what to do in the first hour after a bite.
- Updated Nov 2026
- 1 free template
- Read online, no email needed
Contents
- 01 The check-in Fifteen questions to ask before every groom, and where the answers should live. “No heart issues,” the form said · Two different check-ins · The 15 questions · Quote the price with a condition attached 11 min
- 02 Health conditions owners forget Seizures, heart murmurs, sedatives: what to ask, and what to do with the answer. The bark from the drying table · What actually changes on your table · Read the medication list, not the tick box · Sedatives: the condition you can’t see 9 min
- 03 The consent and release form What the form covers and when to have it signed, with a free template to edit. The red patch · What a consent and release form is for · Consent form or full service agreement? · Section by section 8 min
- 04 A muzzle policy When a muzzle is required, how to tell the owner, and how to note it for next time. The dog that curls like a shrimp · What the sentence actually means · Write the policy before you need it · Try these before the muzzle 10 min
- 05 A bite policy Whether to groom dogs that bite, and the policy that keeps staff and dogs safe. “The newbie gets all the biters” · Should a grooming salon take dogs that bite? · The five decisions a bite policy makes · A quick decision table 10 min
- 06 When a groomer gets bitten What to do in the first hour, and the paperwork and conversations in the week after. The Aussie on the drying table · The first 10 minutes: stop, secure, treat · The first hour: the dog, the owner and the record · Animal control and rabies 10 min
Himani Agarwal, Founder, Packyard Ran two pet shops with grooming salons. Sold them in 2026 and now builds Packyard full time.
