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The series features 16 professional dog groomers from around the country, who battle to create incredible transformations of beloved family pets. They compete to be crowned the nation’s Top Dog Groomer and win The Golden Stanley trophy.

There are four groomers in each heat. They compete in two challenges and then two go through to the quarter finals and, sadly, two are eliminated. There are 8 shows in total and the competition is split into four heats, two quarter finals, one semifinal and the final.

At the end of each quarter final two groomers are eliminated by the judges and two go forward to the semi-final. In the semi-final only one groomer is eliminated by the judges and the remaining three battle it out in the final to win THE GOLDEN STANLEY trophy and be crowned the Nation’s Top Dog Groomer.

Firstly, the 4 dog groomers face the surprise ‘Breed Makeover’ challenge. The contestants all groom the same breed of dog to Breed Standard... but they have no idea what dog they will be grooming.

Secondly, it’s the Dog Walk Challenge – a test of their creativity, as well as technical ability. In this challenge the groomers are given a theme for which they can prepare, and they also specify the breed of dog that they would like to groom. These challenges include turning their pooches into a teddy bear and giving a puppy its very first haircut.

As the series progresses, the themes become increasingly intricate, gradually introducing new techniques and the use of temporary colour to some of these creative grooms.

Each challenge is timed and generally lasts between 2-3 hours. The judges, Colin Taylor and Verity Hardcastle, as well as our grooming consultant Stuart Simons (see more information on him below) helped us to create the challenges and worked out how long each groom would take. The timings also take into account dog breaks for food, water, to stretch their legs and have a wee.

It’s a bit like a catwalk but we never, ever say ‘cat’ on this show! At the end of each show, the groomers reveal their finished creations to the judges on The Dog Walk and this is also where their owners are given the chance to see their newly transformed dogs for the very first time! Up until this moment, the owners have no idea how their dogs will turn out.

From the quarter finals onwards, the groomers face an additional challenge in each show. This extra challenge is called ‘Dogology’ and this happens between the Breed Standard challenge and the Dog Walk challenge.

In Dogology, each groomer is presented with a different cross-breed dog, and each dog has two distinctive parents. The groomers are given one minute to assess the dog’s features and try to name the breeds of its two parents. If the groomers get stuck the judges can help with some clues.

In the final, the difficulty of Dogology is increased by blindfolding the groomers and asking them to identify the breed of a dog by touch alone!

There are four dogs in each challenge plus loads of Stanley’s furry friends running around outside in the sunshine.

The ‘Breed Standard’ groom was always a surprise to the groomers and the dogs were randomly assigned to the contestants on the day.

However, in the ‘Dog Walk’ challenge, the groomers were given a theme for which they could prepare a design and then they nominated a few breeds of dog that they would like to carry out that groom on. But, they never met any of the dogs in either challenge until the dogs were brought in to the Pooch Parlour.

No. Stanley and Sheridan are very good friends both on and off set. Stanley said that Sheridan was lovely to work with and even though this is her first presenting gig, she did an excellent job. They speak quite regularly, and Stanley is currently giving her tips and advice with her house training.

Stanley is a rescue dog (rescue dogs are totally brilliant!) and lives with a lovely lady called Laura who has a whole house full of animals that can often be seen on TV, in films and in the media.

When he is at home, Laura calls him ‘Ponti’, Stanley says that he has a stage name because his hero, Sir Michael Caine, also has one.

Some people say it was partly filmed at Dock 10 Studios in Salford and some people say it was partly filmed at Oxon Hoath in Tonbridge, but what we can definitely say is that it’s a magical place where doggy dreams do come true. Your dog will know exactly where it is. Ask them.

Find out more about judges Colin Taylor, Verity Hardcastle and vet Bolu Eso on the Pooch Perfect team page

As well as vet Bolu, we were also advised by Jody Gordon of The Animal Welfare Consultancy (the AWC).

Find out more about them on the Pooch Perfect team page

Yes. Grooming is a healthy and necessary part of responsible dog ownership particularly with certain breeds. Some breeds require more regular grooming than others to ensure that they can see properly, move easily, keep cool and breathe freely – as well as looking super smart. For example, Brachycephalic dogs (which basically means dogs that are flatter faced with a short nose like the Shih Tzus that you’ll see in episode one) need more regular grooming to prevent them from over-heating due to their shorter snouts.

Brushing your dog also helps to ventilate their coat, allowing it to grow healthy and strong and it takes away old and damaged hair and running a brush through their coat acts as a nice massage which promotes healthy blood circulation. Grooming is also a great bonding time, the more regularly you do it, the more they’ll get used to it and it should become a soothing and relaxing experience for you both. When you can, especially if your dog has the type of coat that requires regular maintenance, you should take them to a professional groomer as much as every 6 weeks or so. Not only is this a fantastic pampering experience for your pooch but qualified groomers are also trained at spotting little things that we might miss such as skin conditions, itchy ears, spots, lumps or bumps and many issues to do with their eyes, ears, teeth and feet which they can then recommend that you speak to your vet about.

You’ll probably see your groomer more regularly than you would your vet, so it’s really handy having another professional keeping an eye on your best friend for you.

The doggies were always pampered, cared for and very well-loved throughout their visit with us. Animal Welfare was incredibly important to us throughout the whole process and the production team was helped and guided by The Animal Welfare Consultancy who were recommended to us by the RSPCA. In fact, our advisor, Jody Gordon, co-wrote the RSPCA’s rule book which provides advice and support to people using, or thinking of using, animals in any production environment.

As well as Jody, our on-screen vet Bolu was also very active both in the studio constantly checking on the dogs but also behind the scenes where he, Jody and our grooming consultant Stu examined every dog before they came into the studio.

Dogs were only allowed to participate if they passed their initial health and temperament checks and it was at the sole discretion of our animal welfare team as to whether a dog could take part in the show. The welfare team also met and chatted with all the dogs’ owners to ensure we knew their every little foible – from their favourite treats to their favourite tickles.

On top of that our top professional grooming consultant, Stuart Simons, helped us to create the challenges to ensure that they were safe to perform on the dogs and he always ensured that both dogs (and the groomers!) were happy and well treated in the studio.

The dogs’ owners applied on their behalf (our doggies are clever but none have yet mastered a keyboard!). The owners filled in an application and were then called to discuss their application.

All the dogs had to have had experience of being groomed by a professional (and enjoy it!), be fit and healthy and in need of a trim. All the dogs needed a reference from their own groomer and from their vet to check on their health and temperament. The dogs had to have hair that was long enough to challenge the groomers and to provide a really good transformation.

The owners took photos and provided video footage of their dogs as, due to Covid-19, the production team were unable to meet all the dogs in person prior to the show. The dogs were selected by the casting team who were helped and advised by our professional dog grooming consultant (Stuart Simons). At the studio, all the dogs were checked by Bolu (our vet), by Stu (our grooming consultant) and by Jody (our animal welfare advisor).

We also booked more dogs than were needed for the competition to come to the studio. This was to ensure that any dog that may not have been suitable for a variety of reasons or whose coat did not meet the required standard was not used or put through anything that they might not have enjoyed.

The application form made it clear to the owners how their dogs might be groomed and they were given the opportunity to opt out of any type of groom.

Successful applicants were contacted by phone and again talked through how the show worked and how their dog might be groomed. In the ‘Breed Standard’ challenge it was made very clear to the owner how their dog would be groomed – the breed standard cut. In the ‘Dog Walk’ challenge it was explained to the owner what type of groom they should expect (for example, a creative groom with a dash of temporary colour) but not exactly how their dog would look as this ‘surprise reveal’ to them formed part of the show.

The ‘Dog Walk’ owners came to the studio to see their pups’ new cuts revealed to them for the very first time. They were nervous but, thankfully, really happy with how their dogs looked. Phew.

We always gave the owners the option to have their dogs regroomed the next day. This is because some of the grooms looked great on the dog walk (and really showed off the groomer’s talent) but may not have been totally practical for everyday life like chasing balls and getting muddy in the park! However, the vast majority of owners chose to keep their dogs’ new haircuts.

All products used were animal safe and any colour was temporary (such as chalk) which completely disappears after a very few washes and let’s not forget that the dog’s hair regrows really quickly (and they don’t look at themselves in the mirror half as much as we do, so a ‘new do’ is water off a dog’s back to them).

Yes. All the products that our contestants used were animal safe and checked by Jody (Animal Welfare Adviser), Bolu (Vet) and Stuart (Dog Grooming Consultant). The shampoo & conditioners were vegan & eco-friendly, concentrated, bio-degradable, pH balanced and contain no harmful chemicals or dyes.

Yes. All colour was temporary and only minimal colour was used to help highlight some aspects of a groom. The colours were created using either chalk (which is a natural product) or a vegetable/and or fruit based colouring which washes out almost immediately depending on the dog’s coat (a bit like getting beetroot on your hands).

Every owner was asked if they were happy for their dogs to have some colour put on them and whether their dogs suffered from any allergies. Each dog was then checked by our vet and grooming consultant upon arrival to ensure that it had no skin conditions that might prevent it from participating.

The colour used does not penetrate the hair follicle, it simply stains the outside of the hair and can then be washed off. It’s a little bit like using a (safe, non-toxic) board marker on a white board. All products were labeled as animal safe and contained nothing which could cause the dog any harm if it accidentally ingested any of the product by licking itself.

We also had a rule that no more than 20% of the dog could be coloured. All the products used were very safe and temporary and they were used by professional groomers who have great experience of handling and managing dogs.

In some grooms, particularly the Asian freestyle groom, the dogs were dressed in an outfit. These outfits were all ‘dog friendly’ and checked by Bolu (vet), Jody (Animal Welfare Advisor) and Stu (Dog Grooming Consultant) to ensure that they did not restrict the dog’s movements. Whilst the dogs were wearing them, they were also carefully monitored to ensure that they did not get too hot or cause any discomfort.

The groomers had to groom their dogs in such a way as to ensure the outfits could comfortably fit the dog and did not restrict them. Whilst we were filming, the dogs only wore these outfits for the minimum amount of time necessary.

If you decide to dress your dog up, please ensure that it can move freely, does not get too hot and that there isn’t anything that the dog could chew on or cause it to choke.

Colin and Verity helped us to find a very well-respected dog groomer called Stuart Simons who acted as the dog grooming consultant on the series.

Learn more about Stuart on the Pooch Perfect team page

Breaks were regularly taken during grooming and this was carefully monitored by Jody Gordon of the Animal Welfare Consultancy and by our vet Bolu Eso.

During the rest periods, the dogs were left alone to relax, have a drink or go for a wee whilst under supervision of one of our many dog handlers.

The dogs also had access to their home comforts, such as their beds and toys. Their owners also supplied our handlers and groomers with their dog’s favourite treats which were given to them as a, well, treat for a bit of positive reinforcement.

The Pooch Parlour’s temperature was always carefully monitored by both our Animal Welfare Consultant Jody and by our vet Bolu. We had the air conditioning on throughout filming to ensure that the dogs never over-heated.

The dogs also had access to water at all times except when they were on the grooming table itself but whenever the dogs had gone for a while without water, they were offered it at the first opportunity. Again, water and rest breaks were always closely supervised by Jody and Bolu.