Pet Grooming Client Intake Form: 25 Questions to Ask Before the First Appointment

A service label alone cannot describe the job. A regularly groomed small dog and a large dog with an overgrown coat may both request a full groom, but they need different preparation and calendar time. When the booking has only an owner name, staff discover those differences at check-in.

Collect information early enough to review it. Every question should help with scheduling, service, communication, safety, or a required business record.

Owner and pet identity

1. What is the owner’s name?
2. What mobile number should receive appointment updates?
3. What email address should receive confirmations?
4. Who is the emergency contact?
5. What is the pet’s name?
6. What species or animal type is the pet?
7. What is the breed or best mixed-breed description?
8. What is the pet’s sex?
9. What is the birthday or estimated age?
10. What is the current weight?

Service and coat

11. Which service does the owner want?
12. What style or coat length is preferred?
13. Which add-ons are requested?
14. When was the last professional groom?
15. What is the coat type?
16. Is there matting or heavy shedding?
17. Are there known skin sensitivities or product allergies?

Handling and policies

18. Are there relevant health considerations?
19. Is the pet taking medication that staff should know about?
20. Are there mobility limitations?
21. Has the pet bitten or attempted to bite during handling?
22. What triggers anxiety?
23. What handling approach has helped before?
24. What vaccination information does the shop require?
25. Has the owner agreed to the shop’s policies and communication preferences?

Ask only for information your business needs and can protect. Health and behavior answers are owner-provided operational context, not a veterinary diagnosis.

Separate the questions into three stages. Ask for owner contact, pet identity, weight, type, and requested service when the appointment is created. Collect required health, behavior, vaccination, and consent information before the visit using the shop’s approved process. Leave style preferences and referral details optional when they can be clarified at check-in.

Blismo connects its five confirmed pet fields to the booking. Confirm which additional form, document, and note fields are available in the shop’s configuration before relying on them.

Consider an owner who calls while the groomer is bathing another dog. She wants a full groom for Luna, a three-year-old, 42-pound goldendoodle. A voicemail that says “Call me about Luna” still leaves the shop to identify the pet, choose the service, estimate the time, and reach the owner again. A structured booking gives staff a starting record and a place to follow up on coat condition before the visit.

Blismo’s confirmed pet fields capture name, sex, birthday, weight, and type or breed as part of the booking flow. The shop should confirm the requested service and contact information, then use its own approved process for anything more sensitive. The operational gain is that the calendar shows which animal is arriving, not simply who called.

Paper form, separate form, or connected booking?

A paper form at check-in is familiar but arrives too late to fix a poor time estimate. A separate online form can gather more before arrival, although staff may need to match its submission to the appointment. A generic scheduler reserves a slot but may have no distinct pet profile. A connected pet booking flow begins with structured animal identity and keeps it with the appointment. None of these options removes the need for a shop-specific consent or vaccination process.

Update the record with the service actually performed, whether the scheduled duration worked, objective coat or handling observations, the owner’s preferred style, and the recommended return interval. Keep each animal’s information separate even when one owner has several pets.

For the visit-level details to save after each groom, see the dog grooming record card guide. For the wider owner and pet relationship, see the pet grooming CRM guide.

Do not ask questions nobody reviews. If an answer cannot change preparation, service, communication, or a required record, remove or defer it. Long mandatory forms can make a new client abandon the booking.

Do not merge several pets into one profile. Siblings can differ in age, coat, behavior, appointment duration, and return cycle. Keep animal-level information separate while linking the owner relationship.

Do not promise a final price from incomplete information. Weight and breed help a shop start the conversation, but coat condition and the actual requested work may change the quote. Explain when the groomer will confirm it.

Do not treat owner answers as a diagnosis. Record relevant reported health or behavior information objectively. Decide who may access it, how it is corrected, and how long the business keeps it.