Grooming
Specialist grooming led by a certified vet technician and cooperative care trainer. Sessions are by enquiry, because the right approach depends on your animal, not just their coat. Contact us to find out what fits.
What grooming at AURA is
Grooming here sits inside a rehabilitation centre, not alongside one. Our groomer has a vet technician certification, worked as a vet assistant before joining AURA, and holds a cooperative care trainer qualification. That background matters when the animal on the table is elderly, post-surgical, anxious, or has a skin condition the owner has not yet noticed.
What separates grooming at AURA from a standard salon is who is doing it. A certified vet technician and cooperative care trainer handles every session. They are not grooming through stress signals. They are reading them, the whole time, and adjusting accordingly.
The groomer’s background
Grooming is one of those services where the credentials behind the person doing the work are invisible until something goes wrong. Four things set our groomer apart.
Vet technician certification
Vet techs learn anatomy, physiology, wound assessment, and how to handle animals in distress without adding to it. A groomer with that background reads a dog differently from the moment they walk in. They notice the lumps, the gait changes, the skin that is not just a coat problem.
Animal wellness certification
Wellness training focuses on what keeps an animal well between illness events. It shapes how sessions are structured: stress kept low, signals read before they escalate, positive associations built over time rather than a clean outcome forced in one visit.
Cooperative care trainer qualification
Cooperative care is a specific training framework for handling animals with their consent rather than against their resistance. Animals learn to participate in their own care, including grooming, without restraint. It takes longer to build the first time. Every visit after that is faster, and the animal stops dreading the room.
Vet assistant experience
Working in a vet clinic teaches you what a health issue looks like before it has a name. Post-surgical animals, animals on long-term medication, animals with skin conditions managed by topicals. Our groomer has handled all of them in a clinical setting. That experience does not stay at the clinic door.
What a grooming session looks like
Cooperative care means the session moves at the animal’s pace. Eight stages from arrival to close, in order.
Arrival and check-in
You arrive. We greet your animal and ask a few quick questions: anything changed since you booked, any sensitive areas, how they have been at home. Nothing is assumed from the last visit.
Visual and physical assessment
Before any water or scissors, we look at the coat, skin, ears, nails, and paw pads. We note anything the owner should be aware of. Post-surgical animals get a check of the surgical site before we proceed.
Settling time
Some animals go straight onto the table. Others need five minutes in the room first. We do not rush this. The animal’s comfort at the start sets the tone for the whole session.
Bathing
Water temperature set for the animal. Coat type determines the shampoo. Animals sensitive to water receive a slower introduction. Conditioner wash where requested.
Blow dry and brush out
Dryer noise and airflow introduced gradually for animals that find them stressful. Brush-out done section by section. We do not mat-pull. If dematting is needed, we discuss the right approach before starting.
Trim, nails, ears, paw pads
Each service performed as booked. Nail trims done with the animal’s tolerance as the guide. Ear cleaning gentle, with notes if there is anything worth monitoring. Paw pad shave done carefully, checking for cracking or injury beneath.
Rest pauses when needed
If the animal signals they need a break, we give one. No timer, no pressure. The session is done when it is done well, not when the clock says it is done.
Owner briefing and close
We tell you what we saw: anything on the skin, ears, nails, coat. Anything worth mentioning to your vet. You leave knowing your animal’s current condition, not just that they are clean.
What changes with cooperative care
Most grooming shops are not doing anything wrong. They are running a volume business with animals that tolerate the process. Cooperative care is a different approach, built for animals that do not tolerate it well, or ones whose health makes standard grooming a risk.
If your animal comes home from grooming flat, reactive, or hiding for the rest of the day, that is not just personality. It is a sign the session was stressful. That stress accumulates over a lifetime of grooming visits. Cooperative care works against that accumulation.
What we offer
We groom short coat to extra-long coat. Services below. No prices listed here. WhatsApp us with your animal’s breed and coat type and we will confirm what fits and what it costs.
- In & Out (wash + blow dry) A full bath, blow dry, and brush out. Works for regular maintenance between full grooms, and for animals that only need a wash.
- Conditioner wash Shampoo and conditioning treatment. For coats that need hydration, for animals with dry or sensitive skin, or as an add-on to the standard bath.
- Nail trimming Done at a pace the animal is comfortable with. If all four paws in one sitting is too much, we split it.
- Ear cleaning Gentle cleaning of the outer ear canal. We note anything that looks like an infection or discharge and let the owner know at the close of the session.
- Paw pad shave Hair trimmed from between the paw pads. Reduces slipping on hard floors and keeps the pads clear of debris. Done as part of the Freshen Up or as a standalone add-on.
- Freshen Up The full package. Bath, blow dry, brush out, nail clip, ear clean, and paw pad shave. Everything done in one visit.
The post-hydrotherapy add-on
For clients already doing hydrotherapy at AURA, there is a practical fit here. Your animal comes in for their treadmill session, and instead of going home wet and needing a bath, they stay for a wash and blow dry, or a full groom, straight after.
Your animal is already here. Already familiar with the space. Already settled. Adding grooming to the end of a therapy visit saves you a separate trip and keeps everything in one place they know. Ask us about combining services when you book your next hydrotherapy session.
The combination works for any dog already in the AURA routine, not just animals with skin conditions or particularly dirty coats. If In & Out after every session sounds useful, it is easy to arrange.
AURA package perk
If your animal is with us for rehab or you hold an active AURA therapy package, 20% off applies to every grooming item. The discount is not applied automatically yet, so mention your package when you enquire and we will apply it.
Not sure whether your current package qualifies? Ask when you message us and we will check before you book.
Signs your animal finds grooming stressful
Most owners know their animal is anxious at the groomer. Fewer know what that anxiety looks like when it is mild, before it escalates. These are the signals worth knowing.
Trembling or freezing on the table
A frozen posture is not a calm animal. It is an animal that has learned stillness is the safest response. Shaking is more obvious but freezing is equally telling. Both say the session is stressful, not that the animal is fine.
Lip licking, yawning, whale eye
Lip licks and yawns in a non-sleepy context are displacement behaviours. Whale eye (whites visible at the edge of the eye) signals tension. A groomer who catches these can slow down or pause before the animal escalates to growling or snapping.
Refusing food in the room
If your dog will not take a treat in the grooming space but takes treats everywhere else, their stress is high enough to override food motivation. That is a meaningful signal, and one cooperative care specifically works to reverse over time.
Trying to escape or pressing into corners
Animals that actively try to leave or press into walls are communicating that the environment feels unsafe. Cooperative care builds the association the other way, session by session, until the room is familiar rather than aversive.
Flat energy or hiding at home after
A dog that comes home and sleeps for hours, or hides under the bed, has spent a significant amount of stress hormones on the session. It is a recovery response. You will see it diminish with cooperative care over time.
Reactive behaviour at home the same day
Reactivity that is uncharacteristic for your animal on grooming days is almost always stress overflow. The session used up their tolerance. Sessions that feel low-stakes to the animal do not produce this.
Not sure if grooming is right for your animal right now? Message us. We will tell you straight whether you should come in, defer, or check with your vet first.
Frequently asked questions about grooming
Do I need to book in advance for grooming at AURA?
What coat types and breeds do you groom?
How long does a grooming session take?
Can I stay with my animal during the session?
Is grooming suitable for animals recovering from surgery?
What happens if my animal gets anxious mid-session?
Do AURA package discounts apply to grooming?
How do I find out more or book?
Connect with us
WhatsApp is the fastest way to sort a grooming booking. Tell us your animal’s breed and coat, what you need, and whether you are an existing AURA client. We will take it from there.
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