It's not an uncommon sight to spot a dog getting nervous, or in some cases, aggressive, while on their way to the groomer’s, or at the groomers. Not all dogs act the same, but some sure do. If this is your dog, the grooming experience must be a pain. It doesn't have to. Below we share some ideas you can use to make grooming a happy experience for your dog:
1. De-stress the ride
One should look at the underlying causes for their dog’s discomfort and anxious behavior during the ride. The cause may be the anticipation of a bad, evil groomer who will seemingly mishandle them, or a stranger they don't like meeting, or fear of the tools that will be used, or simply, motion sickness. The possibility of the latter is often overlooked. Get your vet’s opinion on this. If motion sickness is, in fact, what creates discomfort in your dog, there can be measures you can take to prevent this. To find solutions for the rest of the causes, read on!
2. Undo the usual projection of fear
Many dog parents project their own fear on the dog while at the groomer’s, or during the ride. Say, you are a kid who is afraid of visiting a dentist. You are now on the way to the doc with your mother. Your mother is constantly looking at you with sympathy, embracing you anxiously, and asking you not to fear. What will you do? Most probably, FEAR! This is exactly what we don't want to do with a dog before a grooming session. Relax, and create a relaxing environment around your dog.
3. Enact the grooming experience at home
You can play out a faux-grooming experience for your dog at home. If your dog is relatively new, or it's their first time getting professionally groomed, you can put them to ease by making them comfortable in getting handled. Read our blog The
To-Dos and How-Tos of DIY Dog Grooming: An Easy Guide to get to know the steps involved in grooming. You don’t need to go DIY, you just need to play out each step. This will do three things: i) It will familiarize the dog with “words” such as “nail clip”, “hair trim”, etc. and to the steps in a grooming session, ii) It will familiarise your dog with the tools used at the groomer’s, and iii) It will make your dog comfortable with getting handled. Each time you complete acting out a step, give your dog some treats. This will have them looking forward to grooming sessions.
4. Make the groomer’s a ‘treat-y’ place
Often a dog is afraid of the groomer it perceives as a stranger. It's a good idea to take your dog to meet the groomer before a grooming session. Another thing one can do is let them have 5-mins of playtime or interaction. You can give the groomer some treats to feed your dog. Give your dog frequent treats. This can be at regular intervals, such as when you arrive at the groomer’s, when your dog meets the groomer, when the grooming starts, and as the steps follow.