Pet Grooming Intake Forms & Client Questionnaires
A grooming appointment is not a haircut. You are handling a living animal that may be anxious, arthritic, prone to seizures, or carrying a skin condition the owner forgot to mention. The difference between a smooth two-hour groom and a trip to the emergency vet is often one question that never got asked. Most groomers rely on a quick verbal check-in at drop-off, and that is exactly when critical details get lost — the owner is rushing to work, the dog is barking at the doodle in the next kennel, and nobody writes anything down.
The Pet Grooming intake form replaces that chaos with a structured document your front desk fills out once and references every visit. It captures the pet's breed, weight, age, and temperament around grooming — calm, anxious, aggressive, or first-time. Vaccination status is a non-negotiable section: most grooming facilities require current rabies and bordetella proof, and the form includes fields for vaccination dates and the veterinarian's name and phone number. If a dog bites a groomer and you cannot produce proof of rabies vaccination, you have a serious public health reporting problem on top of the injury.
What the Grooming Form Captures
The health and safety section goes beyond vaccinations. It covers flea and tick treatment status, current medications, skin conditions like hot spots, allergies, and dermatitis, matting severity (light, moderate, severe/pelted), and any medical conditions that affect grooming safety. Senior dogs with arthritis cannot stand on a grooming table for extended periods. Dogs with heart conditions or a history of seizures need modified handling — no high-velocity dryers, shorter sessions, and an emergency plan. Dogs recovering from recent surgery may have incision sites that cannot get wet. Every one of these is a detail the owner knows but will not volunteer unless you ask directly.
The grooming preferences section captures the cut style (breed standard, puppy cut, teddy bear, lion cut, shave-down, or custom), face and ear preferences, tail style, and nail trim comfort level. Owners who say "just clean them up" at drop-off and then complain that the ears are too short at pickup are a recurring problem in every grooming shop. The written form makes expectations explicit. It also documents whether the owner has any areas to avoid — a sensitive paw, a lump the vet is monitoring, a spot where the dog snaps when touched.
The companion client questionnaire is what you email or hand to the pet owner before their first appointment. It asks them to describe their pet's grooming history, disclose any bite or scratch incidents, note behavioral triggers (clippers, water, nail grinding), and provide an emergency veterinary contact. The questionnaire includes a signature and acknowledgment section — the owner confirms the information is accurate and authorizes emergency veterinary care if needed during the appointment. That authorization matters. Without it, a groomer who rushes a seizing dog to the vet may face questions about who authorized the treatment.
Related Pet & Animal Forms
Pet groomers frequently work alongside trainers and veterinary offices. Our Dog Training & Behavior form covers behavioral intake for training programs, and the Veterinary form handles the clinical side of animal care. If your grooming business also offers boarding or daycare, these forms ensure you have complete documentation across every service you provide.
Pricing
Each form is $12.99 for the complete set (intake + questionnaire), $9.99 for intake only, or $6.99 for questionnaire only. All PDFs are fillable in Adobe Reader and password-protected against editing.
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Related Guides
Pet Grooming Intake Form Guide · Dog Training Intake Form Guide