Tips for nervous dogs?

[grizabella]

I have one on the table right now that I’m sending home for being too stressed but I feel like I give up too easily, mum is gonna come back and sit with dog for the groom but if anyone had any tips moving forward that would be great x

 

[anton_james]

@grizabella The best advice is just to do things the way that the dogs want them to be done (within reason of course). I find that groomers who struggle the most with very anxious dogs are the ones who have a routine and they stick to it no matter what. If a dog doesn’t like having its chin hair held, I use a different hold to keep the face still. If they don’t like a clipper near their face at all, I hand scissor. Some dogs hate having their legs tucked up underneath them when having their nails done so I do it with the paw facing forward instead. Basically, I figure out which routine each individual dog hates the least and just roll with it.

Going slow and keeping your voice calm is super important as well. I know that I’m someone that will say “stop” or “no” when a dog moves suddenly and sometimes, super anxious dogs don’t like that so I sing or hum to myself which kind of forces my voice to remain level and calm. I’ve found that a lot of dogs love being sung to actually

 

[joshisajosh]

@anton_james This!!! Also hanging out with the dog before hand helps a lot, sitting outside with the dog if you have as close in area or going for a walk.

 

[gd3001]

@anton_james I have one dog that has to be handed to me butt first, but once I have him he’s an angel. And a husky that refuses to walk on a lead but if I tell her to get on the table or in the tub, she does it no problem. I spent too many years struggling to get dogs to accept having things done to them the “correct” way

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@grizabella I had an absolutely insane overgrown doodle. High energy coupled with the owner only having them groomed twice in his almost 2 year life.

I just did what I could. I groomed him on the floor while he got up on his hind legs and stared out the window. Not ideal for me but it was the only way he'd stay still for 2 minutes.
It was rough lol!

You just keep changing the scenery until you find something they can tolerate. And if you really can't find it then it's meant to be a sedated vet groom... right?

Edited to add that this dog I had was sedated with trazadone prescribed by his vet.

 

[joyathome]

@grizabella The podcast Creating Great Grooming Dogs is full of tips and techniques for shy/nervous/aggressive dogs

 

[proudwoman4]

@grizabella Do what you can do and what the dog allows. Don’t push it.

It’s hard to give advice for such a situation with out being there. I have one dog we split up the appointment into two. Bathing and drying one day and groom a few days later. Sometimes I can do nails sometimes I can’t. I always try the first day if not I try the second day with dad there.

 

[jakefromsf]

@grizabella Have you taken the fear free certification? That can help teach you to work with a wider range of doggy behaviors

 

[joshisajosh]

@jakefromsf This is the first time I’m hearing of fear free certification. Is there one specific for groomers or is it a general thing?

 

[jakefromsf]

@joshisajosh They have one for groomers! Do you attend any of the grooming shows throughout the year? There is so much to learn from all the seminars offered -usually there’s a couple on animal handling

here’s the website if you want to look into it.

I request nervous dogs who really need to be desensitized to have a standing appt every week or two

 

[stanley_4]

@jakefromsf the expectations that a dog will come in biweekly, when in reality none of my clients are willing to or have the ability or time to come in weekly or bi-weekly. For nails I have convinced a few with nervous dogs to do every 2 weeks and they were good cause nail trims aren't expensive and only take about 30 minutes out of their day. But for grooming it's been no convincing.

 

[excpomelo]

@stanley_4 The way I do it is that for certain dogs I simply make it a requirement that they come in x amount of times so I can work on desensitization with the dog, and that’s final. If they don’t want to they are welcome to find another groomer who will most likely end up also struggling with the dog. I just tell owners that I do low stress grooming, and a big part of that is desensitization. My goal is for the dog’s long term comfort, safety and happiness during the grooming process and that this is the way I work and I understand if it’s not for everyone.