10/09/2025
One of my day train dogs had some trouble at the groomers, let’s talk about it!
This is Wriggs. He’s a very happy, friendly dude so imagine my surprise when he showed up with his groom not done and a report of being aggressive. So much so that they couldn’t finish his groom this time. How could this normally happy go lucky fella be a biter?
The answer is pretty easily! 😉
I discovered that Wriggs doesn’t like to be restrained and gets pretty sharp and defiant pretty quickly. His face and head especially. And when you have a fluffy face and sharp scissors- well, the groomer needs to hold their head! This behavior can be caused by a past bad experience- someone in a hurry or without patience or just frustrated. But it can also just be the dog and their own notions about being handled…
I could see the issues right away as we went through the motions. He let me do his feet no problem but was very clear he didn’t want them lifted or held tightly. I gave him some breaks and some cookies when he was cooperative!
There is stress there- the yawning, the head turning, and he was panting a bit too. But all the while he did choose to stay there with some reminders!
Moving to the head I instantly saw a big problem was being held still. Even a light pressure made him shake his head and move away. No growling- to be clear. Or snapping. We were very far from that. But there were clear signs he was uncomfortable. So we took a cookie/trick break and I adjusted my plan for him. Slow but fast. Hold under the chin with an open hand. He wasn’t thrilled. But we kept it short and he happily survived! We did four little sessions exactly like this in a five hour stretch.
Is the “grooming fix” perfect? Absolutely not. I am not a groomer anymore and my scissors literally are dollar store desk scissors. My apologies to the next groomer. 😉
Is he perfectly trained and promised not to be snappy again? Also absolutely not. This was one session of many that he needs.
Specifically for Wriggs he needs some training on general restraint, and having his head held, oh and the sound of scissors behind his head.
Generally for all dogs that need grooming- especially doodles who need frequent grooming… practice. Watch some YouTube’s on what a grooming looks like and focus on the skills your dog will need and things they need at accept. It is your job to ensure that the groomer is safe and that your dog is also safe. A snappy dog is often the excuse for poor treatment. People tend to lose patience a lot faster when the dog is trying to bite them. And fighting equals more defensive behavior….
Be patient. Be slow. Reward what you like. Don’t create conflict that you can’t win. But also don’t just give in to the dog- that only makes them more powerful. Be fair and clear about what we expect.
Wriggs is on his way to doing a lot better for his next apt but it’ll take some upkeep and continued good experiences! But he’s gonna be just fine!
Happy grooming!
