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What to put on a dog grooming report card

A report card is the difference between an owner who thinks you washed their dog and an owner who understands what you did and why the next visit matters. Here is what earns its place on one, and what does not.

The dog, not just the appointment

Name, breed or type, and the date. It sounds obvious and it is the bit most often missed, because you know which dog it is and the owner is holding the card three days later trying to remember what you said at the door.

What you actually did

Full groom, bath and tidy, clip off, hand strip, nails. Say it plainly. Owners rarely know the difference between the things they are paying for, and a card that names the service quietly teaches them what they booked.

Coat and skin as you found it

This is the most useful line on the card and the easiest to get wrong. Describe what you saw, in ordinary words. "Coat in good order, slight dryness behind the ears." Not a diagnosis, not a warning, just an observation from someone who has their hands on that dog every six weeks.

If something genuinely worries you, that is a conversation and a vet, not a line on a card.

Matting, honestly and without blame

None, a little, moderate, heavy. Owners get defensive about matting because they hear it as criticism. A tick box takes the sting out of it, and it gives you a record if a coat is getting worse visit on visit.

How they were on the day

Settled, nervous of the dryer, better than last time. Owners love this line more than any other on the card. It is also the one that builds trust fastest, because it tells them you were paying attention to the dog and not just the coat.

What you used

Oatmeal shampoo, light conditioner. Useful if a dog reacts to something, useful if an owner wants to buy the same at home, and it makes the card look like a record rather than a receipt.

When to come back

Six to eight weeks. The single line most likely to earn you money, and the one most groomers leave off. An owner who has been given a number books sooner than one who has been left to decide.

A note in your own words

One or two sentences. Something specific about that dog. "Brushing behind the front legs twice a week would keep the knots down before the next visit." This is the part people keep on the fridge.

What to leave off

• Anything that reads as a diagnosis. You are not a vet and a card is not the place.
• Telling an owner off. If the coat was bad, the matting box says so without a lecture.
• Prices. The card is a record of the dog, not an invoice.