Our Services

Dog Grooming

Grooming is an important part of your pets wellbeing. Regular grooming improves circulation, prevents matting, assists with parasite control, socialises your dog and helps to keep them sweet smelling. At Best Friends in Gatley, Stockport we offer a comprehensive range of grooming treatments.

There are many different styles available for the different breeds and types of dogs. You will be given a full consultation on arrival to discuss your requirements. A decision will be made on how to best maintain your dog’s coat in a style that suits you and your dog, his lifestyle and one that will keep him comfortable until his next groom.

During grooming the stylist will inspect your dog’s coat and skin and check for parasites or any suspicious lumps or bumps. Many health problems and issues can be brought to the owner’s attention this way. Living with your dog daily it may be difficult to spot small changes – while your pet is being groomed, we handle every inch of their body and will alert you to anything suspicious. Ears, teeth and gums will also be checked and any issues reported back to you. Nails will be checked and trimmed if necessary. Large hard plugs which can form from hair and dirt between the pads, will be removed for your dog’s comfort.

We understand that leaving your dog can be worrying, we want you to feel happy and confident when your dogs are in our care and as such offer free acclimatisation visits. Speak to one of our stylists to discuss your requirements and your dog's needs.

Contrary to popular belief it is not harmful for your dog to have frequent baths. With today's modern shampoos and conditioners, essential oils will not be stripped from your dog's coat. With proper analysis of your dog's coat we can match and blend shampoos and conditioners to improve the condition of your dog’s coat.

We only use the best quality products and will select the ones that give the most benefit to your dog’s coat type. This may be an anti-tangle treatment, medicated shampoo, conditioning shampoo, a colour enhancing shampoo or a deodorising shampoo. We also have a range of skin rinses designed to be left in the coat to treat a range of skin complaints and allergies. Working in conjunction with your vet we can also treat with a range of prescription shampoos and treatments.

Maintenance baths can be given between trims to ensure your dog stays clean, sweet smelling and free from knots and tangles.

Teeth Cleaning

We use the Emmi-pet teeth cleaning system for dogs. This cleans teeth thoroughly and effortlessly using ultrasound which penetrates deep into the gums, preventing gum inflammation, periodontitis, tartar, bad breath, and tooth loss. Your dog has his own microchipped toothbrush head. This non-invasive system will benefit not only your dogs’ teeth, but their health in general, as unhealthy teeth and gums can affect the dogs whole body.

The ultrasound works without vibration or sound, the ultrasound waves, toothpaste, and water work together as a team and break down tartar and plaque and kill bacteria.

Most dogs can be successfully treated with a course of 5 or 6 sessions followed by a maintenance clean as and when needed. Some dogs may require veterinary attention if the tooth decay is advanced, there are loose teeth or infected gums. If we have any concerns, we will refer you straight to your vet. We offer a free consultation prior to an appointment to discuss this.

Dog Training

We run a range of classes, one to one sessions and online consultations. Uniquely we also offer, via zoom, a pre-puppy or dog owning consultation. Do you want to make sure you are ready for your new arrival? Prevention is so much better than cure! This may be just what you are looking for.

We also offer consultations, via zoom, for those early weeks with your new puppy, those formative few weeks before your puppy can join a class. Struggling with house training, play biting, sleepless nights? This may be the course for you.

All of our training is done using reward based training and teaching you to teach your dog in a way that they can understand. If a dog does something he finds rewarding he will repeat the behaviour.

Pam is a qualified behaviour consultant and a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT) member number 00278. Get in touch to see how we can help.

We are aware that not all dogs are confident at the groomers. We would like to change this. Most dogs are nervous due to lack of exposure during early critical socialisation periods. Some may have had a bad experience. What ever the reason we can devise a bespoke package to change your dogs perception of the groomers and the salon. Using a holistic approach of behaviour modification, we have yet to meet a dog whose mind we can’t change!