Classic form
Dog grooming intake form with the matting consent already signed
A grooming appointment goes wrong in two ways: the coat is worse than the booking allowed for, or the dog will not tolerate the dryer and nobody warned the groomer. This intake form asks about both before the appointment, and it takes the matting consent in writing so the conversation at the table is about the coat rather than about permission.
The form itself
A static copy of the finished form, exactly as it renders. Nothing here can be filled in or submitted, so read it as a reference and build your own from the button above.
Every field, and what it collects
The complete field list, in the order respondents meet it.
- Your nameNameRequired
- Mobile, for the pick up messageShort textRequired
- Dog name and ageShort textRequired
- Breed or best guessShort textRequired
- Weight in kilogramsNumberRequired
- What are you booking?DropdownRequired
- Options: Full groom, clipped and styled · Bath, brush out and tidy · Deshedding treatment · Puppy first groom, short and gentle · Nails and ears only · Hand strip for a wire coat
- How is the coat at the moment?Single choiceRequired
- Options: Brushed every day, no knots · Brushed weekly, the odd knot · A few tangles behind the ears and under the legs · Matted in places, I cannot get a comb through · Heavily matted over most of the body · I am honestly not sure
- How does your dog handle each of these?Rating gridRequired
- Statements:
- Being bathed
- The dryer
- Nail clipping
- Face, ears and eyes
- Being lifted onto a table
- Other dogs nearby
- Does any of this apply?Multiple choiceRequired
- Options: Sore joints, arthritis or trouble standing for long · Skin allergies or hot spots · A heart condition · Recurring ear infections · Seizures · Surgery in the last three months · On medication for anxiety · Deaf or vision impaired · Bites or has bitten a groomer before · None of these
- Anything else the groomer should knowLong text
- A photo of the cut you wantPhoto upload
- A photo of your own dog after a groom you liked works better than a picture of another breed. One photo, taken on a phone, is plenty.
- Matting consentMultiple choiceRequired
- Options: I understand a matted coat may have to be clipped short and I consent to that if the groomer judges it necessary · I understand the appointment may cost more and take longer if the coat is matted
- SignatureSignatureRequired
You and your dog
The coat
Health and history
Matting consent
What each field on this form collects
The first block is four fields plus a service choice: the owner name, a mobile for the pick up message, the dog name and age beside the breed, and the weight in kilograms, which is what decides the bath, the table and the time allowed. The service dropdown lists six real products rather than a free text box, because a full groom and a hand strip are different appointments at different lengths. The coat block opens with a paragraph on why matting matters and then takes coat condition on a six point scale that ends with an honest not sure. The temperament grid rates six handling moments, bathing, the dryer, nail clipping, the face, being lifted onto the table and other dogs nearby, as fine, unsettled, needs two people or never tried. The health block is a ten item tick list closing with none of these, followed by a free text field. The last three fields are the style photo, the two matting consent ticks and the signature.
Why the temperament grid is a grid
Asking is your dog good with grooming produces the same answer from every owner, and it is the answer they hope is true. Splitting it into six specific moments produces something different, because an owner who has never clipped their dog nails at home has to tick never tried, and an owner whose dog panics at the dryer knows exactly which row that is. Four columns keep it honest: fine, unsettled, needs two people and never tried.
How to adapt this form
A mobile grooming van adds a parking and power question and a field for where the van can be positioned, because a job that cannot be reached is a wasted slot rather than a late one. A cat grooming service replaces the temperament grid rows with handling moments that suit cats, being held, having the belly touched, clippers near the back legs, and adds a sedation history question, since sedated grooming is more common and needs a veterinary conversation first. A salon that also boards or does day care keeps this form for the coat and temperament information and adds a vaccination record upload and a feeding block, which are the two things a boarding stay needs and a groom does not.
What makes this form work
Coat condition has six answers and one of them is not sure
Brushed daily through to heavily matted over most of the body, plus an honest escape. Owners tick the option that matches what a comb actually does, which is what sets the appointment length.
The temperament grid asks about six moments, not one dog
Bathing, the dryer, nail clipping, the face, the table and other dogs, each rated fine, unsettled, needs two people or never tried. Never tried is the most useful cell on the form, because it tells the groomer where to go slowly rather than where to expect trouble.
Consent is two specific ticks above a signature
One covers clipping a matted coat short if the groomer judges it necessary, the other covers the extra time and cost. Both sit under a paragraph explaining why, so the signature means agreement to a described outcome.
Questions people ask
Why does a groomer need matting consent in writing?
Because the decision has to be made with a dog already on the table and an owner on the phone. A signed acknowledgement that a matted coat may have to be clipped short, and that it may cost more and take longer, turns that call into a confirmation rather than a negotiation. It also protects the owner, who has agreed to something specific rather than a general clause.
Is a shaved coat really kinder than brushing the mats out?
Once matting is tight to the skin, yes. Dematting a badly matted coat pulls on skin for hours and animal welfare guidance is consistent that clipping is the humane option at that point. The paragraph above the consent says this plainly, which is why most owners tick it without needing the conversation repeated at drop off.
What does the weight field change?
The booking length, the bath used and the table setup. A nine kilogram cavoodle and a thirty five kilogram retriever are different appointments even for the same service, and a salon that takes weight at intake can schedule accurately instead of running late all Saturday. It is also the number a groomer checks before lifting a dog alone.
Should the health tick list include biting?
This one does, as the second last option, and it is deliberately worded as bites or has bitten a groomer before rather than as aggressive. Owners disclose behaviour far more readily when it is described as an event than as a label, and a groomer who knows can muzzle train gently rather than being surprised.
Why ask for a photo rather than a description?
Because grooming vocabulary is not shared. A teddy bear trim means three different lengths to three groomers, and a puppy cut means whatever the last salon did. One photo settles it. The field asks for a photo of the owner own dog after a groom they liked, since a picture of another breed sets an expectation the coat cannot meet.
Can this form be filled in at the salon instead?
Yes, and many are, on a tablet at the counter. The reason to send it beforehand is the coat condition answer: a salon that learns about heavy matting the day before can extend the appointment, while one that learns at drop off has to either rush the groom or turn the dog away.
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Sources
Written and checked by the OneCraft team. Last checked .