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A scruffy wet terrier sits in a deep grooming tub with suds on its brow, looking at the camera while gentle hands lather its coat in soft window light.

A bath. A biscuit.
All the time he needs.

Gentle, one-to-one dog grooming in Totnes — with a soft spot for nervous dogs, rescue dogs and shy first-timers. Only ever one dog in the studio: yours.

Book a free meet & sniff

Nervous & rescue dogs — our speciality

“He isn’t like other dogs.” Good. Neither are we.

Since 2015 we’ve groomed the tremblers, the biters, the never-been-brushed and the seen-too-much. Whatever you’re braced to explain on the phone, say it plainly — it won’t be the first time we’ve heard it, and it will never be judged. This is what nervous dog grooming in Totnes should feel like: nothing happens until your dog agrees to it.

A nervous brindle lurcher, ears half-back but leaning in, gently takes a biscuit from an open flat palm.
The first appointment is always this one: a biscuit, an open palm, and no agenda.

“He bites when he’s scared.”

Then we won’t give him a reason to be. No restraints as a first resort — ever. We’re muzzle-comfortable, completely unflinching, and slow on purpose: most “biters” turn out to be dogs nobody ever stopped rushing.

“She’s never been groomed.”

Then her first time sets the tone for life, so we treat it like it matters. First grooms — puppies especially — go at her pace, not the clock’s: dryer on low, clippers introduced like a game, and we stop while it’s still going well.

“He was a street dog.”

Then he’s already braver than most. Rescue dogs from all over South Devon get the longest run-up we can give: a free meet & sniff before anything, double-length appointments at no extra charge, and a session that ends the moment he says stop.

“She hates the dryer.”

Then we towel more and dry less. Quiet dryers on the lowest setting — or none at all, and a longer cuddle in the towel burrito instead. There is always another way to get a dog dry.

Rehearse it before you book it

One dog at a time: how a visit goes

If your stomach knots at the thought of handing over the lead, walk the whole visit through here first. Four steps, no surprises — one-to-one dog grooming in Totnes at your dog’s pace, start to finish.

  1. A dog's nose reaches toward a biscuit offered at the studio doorway.

    The meet & sniff

    No clippers, no tub, no charge. Your dog wanders in, sniffs the corners, eats a biscuit and decides we’re alright — while you ask everything you’ve been saving up.

  2. A small, calm grooming studio stands empty in soft morning light, towels folded and tub clean.

    Arrival, on the day

    The studio is empty when you get here, because there’s only ever one dog in it: yours. No barking chorus, no cages — just a quiet room and the kettle on.

  3. Gentle hands rinse warm water through the soapy coat of one relaxed dog in the tub.

    The groom itself

    Warm water, quiet dryers, and a break the moment your dog asks for one. Nervous dogs get double-length appointments at no extra charge, so nothing ever has to be rushed.

  4. A wet nose and one contented eye peek out from a snug white towel wrap.

    The towel burrito

    Wrapped up warm, dried gently, faintly smug. You get your dog back with an honest word about how it went — the brave bits, and what we’ll take slower next time.

The Register of Good Dogs

Five stars, 268 times. Written by their humans. Approved by them.

  • Barnaby
  • Peggy
  • Noodle
  • Bram
  • Wilf
  • Mabel
  • Otto
  • Dottie
  • Stanley
  • Prune
  • Reggie
  • Olive
  • Bertie
  • Winnie
  • Frank
  • Nell
  • Alfie
  • Hetty
  • Monty
  • Pip
  • Elsie
  • Ludo
  • Flo
  • Ted
  • Crumpet
  • Gus
  • Poppy
  • Sid
  • Agnes
  • Rufus
  • Betty
  • Digby
  • Marge
  • Chip
  • Sybil
  • Nigel
  • Clem
  • Waffle
  • Doris
  • Colin
  • Maud
  • Pickle
  • Herbie
  • Nora
  • Baxter
  • Ivy
  • Susan
  • Bruno
  • Sprout
  • Edie
  • Kevin
  • Tilly
  • Ernie
  • Lottie
  • Humphrey
  • Greta
  • Wallace
  • Mim
  • Duffy
  • Pearl
  • Arlo
  • Queenie
  • Bob
  • Fern
  • Ozzy
  • Dulcie
  • Ralph
  • Minnie
  • Chester
  • Babs
  • Toby
  • Gwen

No small print

The grooming menu
(biscuits included)

Plain names, plain words. Every groom below is one dog, one groomer and all the time it needs — here’s what each one actually is, so you can choose without guessing.

A freshly groomed apricot cockapoo shakes itself dry mid-air, ears flying, backlit by morning window light.
The after-bath shake: complimentary with every groom, whether you want it or not.

The Meet & Sniff

£0

No clippers, no tub — just biscuits, hellos and a good sniff round the studio while you ask anything. Every first visit starts here, and it never costs a thing.

The Full Bubble

by coat & size

The works: warm bath, gentle dry, full groom to finish — coat, face, feet, nails, ears, the lot. One dog, one groomer, no clock-watching.

The Splash & Dash

by coat & size

A warm bath, a proper brush-through and a tidy-up — the in-between groom that keeps a coat happy from one Full Bubble to the next.

The Hand-Strip

by coat & size

Traditional hand-stripping for wiry coats — terriers, cockers and whiskery characters of every sort. Done entirely by hand, the old way, with breaks whenever the coat (or the dog) asks.

The Great Moult

by coat & size

De-shedding for double coats — collies, shepherds, huskies and anyone currently leaving a second dog on your carpet. Undercoat out, topcoat gleaming, sofa saved.

Puppy’s First Bubbles

by coat & size

A puppy’s first groom in Totnes, taken slowly enough to stay a game. Short, kind and biscuit-heavy — because the first visit decides how the next fifty go.

Paws & Ears

by the visit

Nail trims and ear care without drama, at a pace your dog sets. Small jobs, big-deal patience.

Every price is agreed in plain numbers at your free meet & sniff — by coat, size and temperament — before anything goes in the diary. Nervous dogs get double-length appointments at no extra charge, every visit ends with a biscuit, and no dog is ever hurried through.

Start with the £0 one — book a meet & sniff

Three notes from the register

Written by their humans

The dogs can’t write reviews, so their humans do it for them — and the ones we treasure most all describe the same thing: a frightened dog who stopped being frightened.

A scruffy black-and-tan collie-cross with soft, hopeful eyes and a freshly groomed coat.

Barnaby

“Barnaby arrived from the rescue terrified of hands, taps, clippers — everything a groom is made of. His first three visits were just biscuits and hellos; she never once reached for him before he asked. Eighteen months on, he pulls towards the studio door. Pulls. I sat in the car afterwards and had a little cry.”

Rachel — Barnaby’s human
An elderly cocker spaniel with a greying muzzle sleeps soundly on a lap, a hand resting gently on her back.

Peggy

“Peggy is fourteen, deaf as a post and creaky in the hips, and the big salons used to leave her flat for two days. Here she’s done in gentle stages, with rests, on her own schedule — the only dog in the room. She comes home smug, smelling of biscuits, and sleeps the whole drive back. That’s the review, really.”

Jim — Peggy’s human
A wiry-coated mixed-breed dog with one ear up and one folded, calm and quietly dignified.

Bram

“Bram was a street dog before he was ours, and he bites when he’s scared — we said it on the phone, braced for the usual pause. Instead: ‘Good to know. Bring his muzzle if it helps him feel safe.’ No flinching, no fuss, breaks whenever he asked. He walked out taller. So did we.”

Anna & Tom — Bram’s humans

The £0 first visit

Come for a meet & sniff

No clippers. No tub. Just biscuits, hellos, and all the time your dog needs.

Twenty-odd unhurried minutes for your dog to sniff the studio, size us up and leave wanting to come back. You ask anything; nothing gets booked until you’re both ready. It’s free, and it always will be — because the deciding shouldn’t cost anything.

  • Only ever one dog in the studio — yours.
  • Nervous dogs get double-length appointments at no extra charge.
  • Fully insured and canine first-aid trained.
  • Tricky dog to describe? Describe them anyway. “He bites when he’s scared” is a perfectly good opening line.
An open studio doorway on a soft morning, a lead hanging on a hook and a jar of biscuits catching the light on the counter.

Book your free meet & sniff

Takes a minute. Costs nothing. Changes everything for a nervous dog.

We read every note properly and reply within a day — usually with a question or two about your dog, because we like hearing about them.

The practical bit

Find us in Totnes

A one-room studio a short wander from the High Street — quiet, calm and easy to reach, even with a dog who finds arrivals hard.

A row of historic shopfronts with hand-painted signage along a cobblestone street in a town.
Tucked just off the wander of the High Street — blink and you’ll smell the baked goods before you spot the door.

Where

Biscuit & Bubbles
Totnes, Devon

Exact directions come with your booking — along with a photo of the door, so neither of you has to guess.

When

Tuesday – Saturday
09:00 – 16:30
Sunday & Monday
Closed

Arriving with a nervous dog?

There’s a quiet spot to pull in right outside — no gauntlet of other dogs to run. The studio is empty when you arrive, and if your dog needs ten minutes in the car first, take them. We’ll wave when you’re ready.

Come and say hello. Biscuits on arrival — for the dogs, mostly.

Book your free meet & sniff