Plenty of the dogs I groom are nervous. Some have had a bad experience at a salon before. Some are rescues who do not know what a hairdryer is. Some are just built that way. Nervous is not a problem for me; it is information, and it changes how the groom goes. Here is what that looks like in practice, so you know what to expect before you book.
What “nervous” looks like on the table
Dogs rarely announce that they are frightened. They show it in small ways first: lip licking when nothing has been eaten, yawning when they are not tired, turning the head away, the whites of the eyes showing, a paw lifted and held. Then the bigger ones: trembling, freezing, trying to climb off the table, and finally a growl.
A growl is not bad behaviour. It is a dog telling me, politely by its standards, that it has had enough of whatever I am doing. I listen to it. The dogs that worry me are the ones that go quiet and stiff, because they have stopped communicating.
Knowing the early signs means I can slow down before the dog gets anywhere near the end of its rope. That is most of the skill.
What changes for a nervous dog
- A gentler first visit. For a nervous dog I usually suggest a Bath & Brush rather than a Full Groom first time. Bath, dry, brush out, home. The dog learns that the salon is survivable before it meets the clippers.
- The easy end first. I start wherever the dog is most relaxed, usually the back and sides, and leave the feet, face and tail until the dog has settled, or until next time.
- Breaks. A nervous dog gets a breather whenever it needs one. Thirty seconds on the floor with a treat resets most dogs.
- A quieter dryer. Noise is the biggest trigger for most dogs. I keep the dryer on its lowest setting, start it well away from the dog, and dry the face with a towel.
- Nothing rushed. I groom one dog at a time, so there is no queue, and no one waiting with a lead in their hand.
Some of this takes longer than a standard groom, and a nervous dog’s groom is sometimes two shorter visits rather than one long one. I will talk you through what makes sense for your dog when you book.
The goal of a nervous dog’s first visit is not a perfect groom. It is a dog that walks back in through the door next time.
What you can do before the day
Tell me everything. Bad experiences, things the dog hates, a sore ear, a limp, a fear of men in hats. The five questions I ask every new owner are on the contact page, but anything beyond those is welcome too. I would rather know than find out on the table.
Tire the dog out. A good walk first thing, so the dog arrives relaxed rather than fizzing.
A boring drop-off. Dogs read us. If you hand over with a tense face and three goodbyes, the dog learns there is something to be afraid of. Hand over, say something cheerful, and go. If your dog has never been to a groomer at all, the puppy preparation plan works just as well for an adult; it just takes a little longer.
Pick a quiet time. Out of season, my Tuesdays and Wednesdays at Honey’s House in Hunstanton are the quietest slots I have, and they are where I like to book the dogs that need calm.
Rescue dogs and dogs with a bad grooming history
A dog that has been frightened at a salon before, or that has come from a home where it was never handled, needs the process broken into smaller pieces. What I would suggest, and it is only a suggestion until I have met the dog, is three visits.
The first is a Bath & Brush with no clipping at all, kept short. The second adds the dryer properly and perhaps the feet and sanitary tidy. The third is the first full groom. Some dogs skip straight to the third visit because they turn out to be fine; some need the slow road. Either way, the dog decides the pace.
When I will stop, and why a charge may still apply
I will be plain about this, because it is in my terms and I would rather you read it here than discover it on the day.
If a dog becomes excessively stressed, or poses a risk to itself or to me, I will stop the groom. Not as a punishment, but because a dog that is panicking on a table with scissors and clippers around it is a dog that gets hurt. When that happens, a charge may still apply for the time already spent, because the time has already been spent. It does not happen often, and it almost never happens twice, because the second visit is planned around what we learned at the first.
The one line I hold is this: I do not groom dogs with a history of severe aggression. Nervous, anxious, grumbly, hand-shy, never-been-groomed are all welcome. A dog that has seriously bitten is not, for its sake and mine.
One dog at a time
I work alone, with one dog on the table and no other dog waiting on a lead. For a nervous dog that is the single most useful thing about how I groom. There is no barking from the next cage, no queue, and nobody is rushing me because the eleven o’clock has arrived early.
Quick questions
Can I stay with my dog?
Talk to me when you book. For most nervous dogs it is calmer if the owner is not in the room, because the dog spends the whole groom straining towards you. For a few, a familiar face for the first ten minutes helps. I will tell you honestly which I think your dog is after I have met it.
Will you muzzle my dog?
Only if it is the safer option for the dog and only after we have talked about it. A soft muzzle is a tool, not a judgement, and plenty of lovely dogs wear one for the five minutes of nail clipping they cannot stand.
How much does a nervous dog’s groom cost?
The same services and the same from-prices as any other dog. If the groom takes longer because of breaks, or is split over two visits, the price follows the time, and I will tell you before we start. There is more on what changes the cost of a groom.