How do you get your dog to trust a groomer after he's been abused by one?

Question

I took him to one place that I thought abused him. The first time I took him there he did great. The next time he didn't do so well and I just thought possibly he had a bad day. The third time he was biting them and acting up at home.

Not like him at all so I called a different groomer who told me that they were noted for abusing animals and convinced me that she would do a much better job and he would get over it.

After about another year he is not any better, he is bad with the groomer and then bad at home for about a week.

I talked to a different groomer who has explained to me why he is behaving the way he is and said that she knew the second groomer and she probably wasn't any better than the first. She is going to let me stay with him while she grooms him but my question is will he ever get over this and if so how long do you think it should take?

I know its kind of a long question but any suggestions would be great.

I know its not all the fact that the new groomer wants my business because she has told me what to watch for. He has been burned by hot razors and his belly has been cut. The burns on his belly have been there each time I had him cut. I thought it was just irritation from the shaving.

The third groomer let me go in and help her groom him. It seemed to help him but he was still trying to bite.

Answer 1

This is actually a great question. I have beeen grooming for 15 years, we do alot of dogs that just hate to be groomed. We are actually referred by other grooming salons and vets. The trick is to do a little at a time, first time bath and brush, 2nd time trimming the nails and feet, 3 rd time face and sanitary, 4 th time whole groom, you might be frustrated bcause this is a long process BUT it will be worth it. Now Im not saying wait a couple of months in between, take hm or her in every couple of weeks, and have the SAME groomer work on them. It takes patience but in the end you will have a good dog.

Answer 2

Never listen to a groomer's opinion about another groomer. You won't ever get an honest answer.

The best thing you can do is start over at a new place, with a new groomer. Try to find somewhere that offers an 'express' type service, where the dog is done straight through, no kenneling, and is done in an hour or two. You can try staying with him, but I've been a groomer for 5 years, and I will tell you that I have never seen a dog behave better with his owner there. More often, they will act even worse to see if you will 'rescue' them and take them home. If you feel better for trying, go ahead, but your dog will probably misbehave.

The other thing is, your dog may never have been abused at all. Some dogs just don't like grooming. I groom a 12 year old shih tzu who has never been ill-treated by anyone, and she simply hates to be groomed. She bites and shrieks and squirms, and I have to work very slowly and talk to her and pet her the whole time, but it's still an ordeal. If he was abused, he might not ever forget it and move on. It's unfortunate, but dogs have good memories for unhappiness. Try to find someone you can trust, and just keep working with him.

Also, make sure you're grooming him often enough- don't wait months and months because you don't want him to be upset, because he could become matted or end up with long quicks in his nails that are more likely to bleed during nail trimming, or any number of things that will make grooming more uncomfortable for him.

Answer 3

There is no excuse for razor burn. There are products to use that cool the blades so it is prevented. I wouldn't take my dog back to a groomer where that has happened. I used to be a groomer and I learned grooming from good and bad groomers. I have seen dogs who were at the good groomer's that came in afraid or nippy that the good groomer worked with and the grooming experience was no longer a trial or was in fact, enjoyed by the dog.
I have seen groomers that were bad groomers that got angry at dogs and yelled at them or were rough with them. So try out different groomers. This third groomer sounds like a good one especially since she is letting you come in to observe your dog being groomed by her.
You should see a change in your dog's behavior after a couple of grooming trips and you shouldn't see the razor burn anymore.
How the groomer handles the dog has a lot to do with whether the experience is a good one or not, even if razor burn does not happen. Good that you can see firsthand with the newest choice for groomer. If you like what you see then give this groomer a chance for at least three grooms and you should notice a difference.

Answer 4

Going with the dog will probably be very helpful. He should be more calm with someone he trusts. Dogs respond really well to reward, so maybe bring some treats along and when he is calm reward the behavior. Hopefully after a couple visits he will see that this groomer is no one to fear. I don't know where you are, but maybe see if your vet can recommend a groomer instead of taking their word for it. Obviously no one will admit that they might abuse your pet, and they are probably more than willing to talk down the competition if it means getting you as a client. I don't know if the Better Business Bureau does pet services, but maybe look into that as well to make sure you don't pick another abusive groomer.

Answer 5

Try the third groomer.
However, I don't think it is a good idea for you to stay. Maybe for a little bit, but if your dog knows you are there it will try to do anything to get off the table and back to you and the groomer will have a worse time of it.

Also, bring your dog to visit the groomer a few times and inbetween appts, just for a visit or a bath, no haircut. Hopefully he will learn to trust this groomer and not be afraid.

If all else fails, the groomer will muzzle him and that is not uncommon. Or, you can learn to groom him yourself.

Good luck!

Answer 6

well I don't know what kind of dog you have but could you do the bathing and clipping yourself? If thats out of the question there are some mobile groomers that come to your house, maybe if you were there too it wouldn't be so scared. We witnessed a woman in a PetCo really lay into a dog that didnt like it's coat being yanked out and it was awful, nothing really got done about it, the manager came out and pt on a show but she was still working there a week later. Your little guy probably will never get over his fear of groomers but might tolerate it better if someone came to the house or if you did it yourself. Good luck to you both

Answer 7

This happened to me as well, I have a very excitable dog and we took her to the groomers and when I went to pick her up she was laying on the ground being quite and she looked scared (not herself at all) a few weeks later I tried to brush her and she yelped and bit me (she has NEVER bitten me) and ran away from me. She wouldn't let anyone trim her nail or anything. I got tired of having dog hair everywhere so I had to brush her and I started out calming her down and rubbing her belly and talking to her and I lightly brushed her while I was petting her and she realized that I wasn't hurting her. So I would suggest that you do the grooming and stuff yourself and not trust others to do. If you cant do it yourself then stay at the groomers and watch.

Good luck

Answer 8

If the agression was caused by the first groomer, your dog should learn to relax if you're with a different, more patient groomer. If you stay for one appointment, and just let your dog know (by speaking kindly and being very happy with your dog while you're there) then your dog will learn that this new groomer is a good person and that she/he can be trusted. your dog should learn to relax after that.

I hate hearing about animal abuse. As a groomer, it really frustrates me when I hear about people manhandling pets. The groomer you take your dog to should be gentle, but firm, and seem to truly care about your pet.

Answer 9

begin grooming dog at home, let dog smell the comb, brush, nail-clippers, shampoo, any item that you would use on the dog, let dog smell it then gently use the device. after awhile. perhaps two to four weeks of patiently pampering dog ,arrange an appointment at a groomer and make sure that you can be there with dog the first few times so dog is not scared. then make the third appointment and leave dog there while you go out. in between appointments at home, let dog smell the brush and gently comb dog's hair.

Answer 10

That might have been one of the ways the animal was abused. You may have to take him to a vet and have him sedated to be groomed. I am a groomer and I have had several instances like this. It is very stress-full for the dog and he can get hurt, either by himself or by the groomer(not intentionally of course). It is hard to say though, cause sometimes a sedative could make things worse. At least once a week, you should put him on a table (something like the grooming table) and try to comb or gently brush around the face. Talk really gentle to him as you do this. He also might do better at the groomers if you are not around. Sometimes they are worse when the owner is around cause they know they can get away with being bad.