FAQ

  • Congratulations on this special time for your family! We recommend beginning your new puppy’s grooming journey with our exclusive “Barking Babies Puppy Experience”, as your puppy’s first introduction to grooming. This gentle initiation into the professional grooming world for fully vaccinated, first-time puppies under 6 months old, has been lovingly curated by Barking Butler, focusing on creating a positive association and desensitising your pup to the grooming environment.

    Learn more about our “Barking Babies Puppy Experience” listed on our Treatment Menu, here.

  • Barking Butler operates on a 1:1, Groomer to Pet ratio and all appointments are individually scheduled so your dog gets undivided, professional attention. Therefore, we will be ready to commence your dog’s treatment at your agreed appointment time. We value your time and ours, and early/late arrivals may incur fees or involve rescheduling.

    • Late cancellation: If a client cancels or requires rescheduling of a confirmed appointment AFTER 2PM the business day before an appointment, the Booking Deposit will be forfeited.  If there have been 2 or more consecutive cancellations, it will be assumed that no further appointments are required and any remaining future bookings may be cancelled without further communication.

    • No-show: If a client does not show on the day of a confirmed appointment, the Booking Deposit will be forfeited.  If there has been a ‘No-show’ without reply or communication from the client, it will be assumed that no further appointments are required and any remaining future bookings may be cancelled without further communication.

  • Yes, but places are limited to 1-2 pups per day depending on times required and size of dog, so booking in advance is essential.  See our Treatment Menu for more information

  • Barking Butler is a judgement-free zone and we are here to help! If you are concerned your dog’s coat is in poor condition, you couldn’t be in better hands. By contacting Barking Butler for your grooming needs, you have made the first step to getting things back on track for your dog and we look forward to supporting you and your pet moving forward with a healthy, regular grooming routine.

  • We operate an open-plan salon environment and although no dogs are socialised with others while in our care, furclients will still be able to see other dogs, owners and groomers and be exposed to the sounds, smells and distractions associated. This environment will not suit every dog and we will be more than happy to make recommendations if we discover your pet is not best suited to our particular grooming environment. We will always put the safety and well-being of your pet first.

    Owners must inform us in advance if they believe their pet to be aggressive or if they have had similar feedback from previous groomers. If a pet is not coping with our salon environment, we reserve the right to cease any grooming appointment at any time for safety reasons and will happily provide referral information if appropriate.

  • We aim to text you 30 minutes before your pet is ready to confirm the pick-up time, allowing plenty of notice to make your way back to the studio.  Please collect your pet at this time.  If your pet is not picked up within 1 hour of the pick-up text message being sent, a Day Care fee may apply.

    Please also note we close at 4PM daily.  If you are running late, please let us know ASAP.  A late pick-up fee of $15 per 15 minutes will be applied if you are running late and arrive to collect your pet after 4PM.  On the rare occasion your pet is still being groomed beyond 4PM, no fee is applicable.

  • Matting in a dog’s coat can be painful and can lead to many health issues and safety risks when grooming.  We explain general risks around matting in our standard “Client Agreement”, which we ask all clients to sign before their first appointment.  Further to this, if your dog presents to an appointment with particularly severe matting, you may be asked to sign a further “Matting Client Agreement” before your appointment commences, to ensure you are fully aware of all risks during and after the appointment.  The good news is, once you secure Barking Butler as your dog’s groomer, you will never need to worry about matting again! With your assistance, we will help to get your dog in a healthy grooming and maintenance routine, and matting will become a thing of the past!

  • Depending on coat type and grooming goals, grooming appointments can be anywhere from 1-8 weekly, but always at a maximum of 8 weekly. All grooming schedules can be tailored to your needs and your Barking Butler groomer will work with you to find what works best for you and your dog.

  • We use premium products with natural derivatives that are gentle on skin and coat, but accommodations can of course be made if you would prefer to supply your own products for use at your dog’s appointment. A small fee will apply and it is important to note the coat and therefore the groom finish, may not be the same as when using Plush Puppy. We also offer Plush Puppy Sensitive Shampoo as an add-on to any appointment, if you would prefer we use a high quality and dedicated sensitive shampoo during your dog’s appointment.

    Read more here about bringing your own product to your appointment, or adding Plush Puppy Sensitive or other specialist products to your dog’s appointment.

  • We recommend a maximum 8 weekly grooming appointment schedule to keep your pet in optimal coat condition and health, to keep visits as stress-free and positive for the pet as possible and to keep appointment pricing consistent. However, we can discuss alternatives based on your grooming goals and home maintenance schedule when you come for your first appointment and look forward to supporting you with the right routine that best suits you and your pet.

    Please note that due to the high-demand for our services, our grooming values and our commitment to the well-being of all pets, if you are not looking for a regular grooming schedule for your dog, we may not be the best matched grooming service for you.

  • Great question, read more about that, here.

  • A Barking Butler groomer is not only a dog lover, they are a professional, highly trained and skilled groomer, who is knowledgeable in dog breeds, coat types, behaviour and anatomy. They are committed to being the best groomer and stylist possible and treat your dog as if it were their own. Therefore, showing respect and kindness to all staff is greatly appreciated.

    Read more in About BB and Why Choose BB.

  • We conduct contactless drop-off procedures for all clients and further arrangements can be made for affected families specific to their requirements. Please get in touch at bark@barkingbutler.comm to discuss.

  • For safety reasons, we request clients not to stay, but to leave the studio after drop-off in a positive and confident manner. Your dog responds to your energy, so help us help them, by giving off relaxed, ‘no-big-deal’ vibes at appointment drop-off! Remember, it is completely normal for some dogs to shiver or shake when going to new places and this usually stops as soon as Mum or Dad are out of sight.

    Saying things to your dog at drop-off like… “Oh my poor little baby! What’s wrong!? Oh no, you are so scared and sad!… You must really hate it here…”, might feel right at the time, but in fact, it doesn’t usually do much for your dog but confirm to them that there must indeed be something wrong, as you sound concerned, too! Let them know everything is okay by acting like it, using your tone of voice and body language. Remember, you are leaving them in the hands of experienced, industry professionals who will always put your dog’s safety and well-being first.

    It is also important not to arrive early for collection, as we operate an open-plan studio and if your pet sees you arrive while we are still conducting their groom, it could increase the risk of an accident occurring, or mean the groom takes longer to complete as the dog may get too excited for us to continue safely.

    We are always happy to provide a highly detailed debrief of your pet’s session with us after their appointment and look forward to forging a special bond with your pet built on trust and kindness.

  • You will notice that we aim to never physically collect your dog from you at appointment drop-off. Instead, we ask you to calmly remove their lead and collar, and place them inside our designated drop-off pen. When you have left, we go straight to them for cuddles and chats, and get their grooming appointment started.

    Why? Because we want to start your pet’s appointment on the most positive paw, and by physically removing your pet from you, they might associate us as the ‘baddies’ taking them from their family. Instead, we come in to ‘save the day’ with reassurance and hugs when their owner leaves.

    An added bonus is, this works wonderfully well in keeping everyone healthy in COVID times!

  • We use the premium Plush Puppy product range for exceptional grooming results and also stock this brand in our retail store at reception. Only the best for our clients! If you would like advice on what products to use at home, please ask one of our friendly team members. For a list of retail offerings available at Barking Butler, view here.

    Barking Butler Grooming Studio is a VIP stockist of Plush Puppy, the only in Western Australia.

  • No, you can take that with you after drop-off and keep it safe ready to bring back for pick-up!

  • Barking Butler operates on a ‘humanity over vanity’ approach to grooming. We love a long beautiful coat as much as the next guy, but if that long coat is in poor condition (matting, knotting, skin issues) and cannot be brought back to a healthy condition without causing pain or trauma to the dog or without putting our staff at risk, then the coat will need to be safely clipped to a shorter length, advised by the groomer. This can sometimes be disappointing or come as a shock if you have not been aware what has been happening ‘under the fluff’, but when required, it is always very necessary.

    The reality is, a matted coat is a damaged coat, and you don’t want that kind of coat hanging around, anyway! It is important to remember, your dog’s matted coat is not the fault of the groomer, they are just the person to help you resolve the problem and support you to ensure it doesn’t happen again. We will happily provide some brushing lessons and advise on tools to use at home so you can maintain your pup’s coat between visits, and then advise on a regular professional grooming schedule that best supports your grooming goals and your dog’s well-being. That longer coat will be back and better than ever, in no time!

    Barking Butler will always put the well-being and safety of all dogs in our care before any aesthetic requests. That is to say, we will always put “humanity, over vanity!”.

  • Yes, nail clipping and grinding are included in every Barking Butler grooming treatment.

  • Although it wouldn’t be our first recommendation, if that is what is requested, we will always support dog owners in how they want their dog groomed and will offer the best possible education and advice where appropriate to help owners make informed decisions.  You may be asked to sign our “Double Coated Shaving Client Agreement” before your appointment commences, which we ask all clients to sign if we are to shave their double coated dog, so they can understand the risks associated.

  • We do not provide dog-unseen quotes over phone or email, especially for a dog we have not groomed before. As you can understand, there are a lot of factors and variables to consider (size, coat condition, temperament, breed) and what one person sees as ‘small’ or ‘’not matted”, might be different to another person’s assessment.

    You can use our Treatment Menu to get an idea on price for our services, but please note prices are provided FROM all figures displayed, this means this is where our price range starts from for a particular sized dog in a well-maintained condition, with no behavioural or health issues that has been groomed in the last 8 weeks by a professional groomer. Therefore, this price displayed may not reflect the exact price for your dog, rather, it may provide a starting point for pricing.

    If you would like further clarification on price, we would be happy to discuss with you over the phone, please call (08) 9368 1333.

  • Most enquiries we receive usually start with “how much?” and price is important, but so is the care your beloved pet will receive. There is a big difference between the cheapest of something, and the best of something.

    Barking Butler sets itself apart from the average groomer, and our commitment to excellence is reflected in the quality of our services. While we may not be the cheapest grooming option in Perth, we encourage pet owners to consider the true value of our offerings. Our grooming experience wasn’t designed around trying to be the cheapest option. It was designed around offering the highest quality. Barking Butler focuses on factors that truly matter, such as the expertise and qualifications of our grooming staff, the use of premium products and tools, the safety measures implemented in our environment, and the compassionate care and attention to detail provided to each animal.

    At Barking Butler, we prioritise the well-being of your pet, ensuring they receive the highest standard of professional grooming in Australia. We believe that the saying "you get what you pay for" holds true in the world of pet grooming. If you're seeking top-tier service, informed care, and an investment in your pet's overall well-being, then Barking Butler Grooming Studio is the ideal choice for you. We eagerly anticipate the opportunity to welcome you to the unparalleled experience of grooming excellence at Barking Butler.