Gentle Paws Grooming

21/02/2024

This is line brushing, work along in a methodical line, clearing a small area at a time of any little knots or mats. Then checking the area after with a metal comb that gets all the way down to the skin, then go back over if you locate a knot
To avoid causing pain or discomfort, hold the knotted area above where you are brushing so it doesn’t tug
On a very knotted area, I prefer to use a smaller brush and work smaller areas, I also use detangle spray which really helps

05/11/2023

After cracking using the steps to get onto my grooming table, we then moved over to the bath!
Starting again from the beginning as it’s a new location and destination, he’s never been in my bath before. This time he was much quicker in learning what to do

05/11/2023

Helping to teach this amazing boy how to use the steps so he can freely get on and off the table during grooming.
This helps the dog relax more as they have an exit route should they need a break. By keeping the table low it helps reduce the fear of height. Also removing the need for using neck straps or other restraints

24/10/2023

Dog nail scratch board
If your dog hates having their nails done, this may work for you. It’s like a dog sized emery board, and a bit of fun with the teaching of how to use it
As you will clearly see in this video, I have not practiced before with my boy, but we’ll go through it together so you can see sometimes, it takes a while for your dog to understand what it is you want from them
Any questions, let me know

25/09/2023

Sisters are doin it for themselves, standing on their own four paws, and waggling their own tails …

14/08/2023

Defluffing an Airedale today, Gorgeous boy

10/08/2023

Beautiful sisters in for a trim before their holidays 🥰

20/06/2023

Had this gorgeous Italian in today, ooh did we make a fluffy mess

07/06/2023

Dealing with the start of matts in your dogs fur
Brush in small sections
Hold the hair above where you’re brushing and start at the bottom
If the dog moves away, work a different area, and then come back to it
Check it’s knot free to the skin using a comb

05/06/2023

I got to work with this gorgeous boy today, what a gentleman 😍

20/05/2023

Interesting read. If you want to stay whilst your dogs being groomed, that’s fine by me, anything to help your dog feel calmer

https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fthesciencedog.com%2F2023%2F05%2F11%2Fbe-the-type-of-support-your-dog-needs%2F&h=AT1GppxiXhA5yx7LjaYhRs8EYFBLcOZxksrfGsXREmK6x9bRqWeEVs1QBDmoa4R-GWYKgHMJAwSIemOV1ZZOaz9HhvO9hWxMXMfgD_eTXA5Fj9c2fYStzdwt4jhAEUI&s=1

Having owners present or absent during routine veterinary visits and procedures continues to be a controversial issue. While many owners (myself included) maintain that it is imperative that we rem…

11/04/2023

11/04/2023

I always forget the before pic for this beauty, but he does like a lying down groom

03/04/2023

Is your dog a sensitive soul? Not a fan of grooming? How I will work with you and your pupster
Initial meet and greet, of around 20 minutes, this allows your dog to have a meander around the grooming area, with a few treats and some ACE Freework, to put their noses to work and help them relax. There will be no grooming at all at this stage, this is purely to allow them to be introduced to the space with no pressure
We can have a chat whilst they mooch, and discuss any areas that cause stress
Going forward will be based on your dogs needs, sessions will be an hour long, and any grooming done, will be done at your dogs pace, if that’s just slowly introducing brushing, touching, noises and smells
You are more than welcome to stay, and will be beneficial for your dog until they are ready to go it alone
At each subsequent session, we can build on what they like and are being desensitised to whilst building up trust and using consent methods to allow your dog to opt in, and know how to make it stop if they need a minute
Hourly rate is at £30

03/04/2023

Handstrip for this wee Cairn Terrier

22/03/2023

Blow drying this sweetpea, no need to use nooses, he’s happy to move about and gaze out the window. I’m sat down and the table is low, and next to it are steps that he’s happy to use to get on and off the table.

22/03/2023

This gorgeous boy in today.

20/03/2023

It’s that time of year again! Ticks!
These gruesome little beasties are a right pain, but really easy to remove
If you haven’t already, it’s time to track down your O’Tom Tick Twister, this makes removing them a peace of cake, gently get the prongs at the base of the tick by the dogs skin, and gentle twist, the tick will then easily pop out. Once removed, take a look at the area, it will more than likely be raised slightly over the next couple of days. If it shows any sign of infection then keep an eye on it or seek veterinary advice
What I have noticed over the years, the more you knock the tick prior to removing the deeper it seems to embed itself, so be gentle when moving the fur out of the way

13/03/2023

Reiki for dogs

What is Reiki?
Reiki is a palm healing technique that promotes your body’s health and wellbeing. People who undergo the therapy do it to reduce pain, anxiety, and fatigue. Reiki doesn’t heal health problems directly, but practitioners consider it an alternative or complementary approach to healing.

How can Reiki help?
There has been studies which show how Reiki can help reduce physical pain, depression and helps to boost mood.

This form of therapy gently taps into the parasympathetic nervous system to ease the mind and body. The parasympathetic nervous system is a crucial part of the entire autonomic nervous system.

Reiki sessions will be up to an hour, and will be dependent on your dogs response to them. These can be done in your own home, I will just need a quiet area to sit with your dog
Each session is charged at £20 within Exeter.

23/02/2023

Puppy Grooming Preparation Package
Preparing your puppy for grooming is a really important step
Think how much time you take in teaching your new friend to walk on a lead, or to play fetch or all the small basics, sit, stay, down, come.
When you think of what the full grooming process entails, this really needs to be broken down into smaller more manageable steps
Nail clipping
Ear health check
Teeth checks
Brushing the coat through, using brushes, combs, dematters, shedding tools
Clipping for coats such as poodle crosses, poodles, Spanish water dogs
Sc******ng, for around the face, feathering, tidying paws
Clearing the hygiene area
Bathing
Drying, towelling and using a hairdryer/blower
And so much more

All these things maybe new and scary for young dogs
You may need advice in how to approach this for in between grooming visits to keep the coat in a good condition

My Puppy Preperation package will cover all this, going at the speed your puppy can cope with
It will be 5x 1hour sessions for puppies after full vaccination to 6months old
This will be charged at one payment of £100 to cover all sessions

13/02/2023

Using clippers to remove the hair from the underside of the paw, this allows for more grip for your dog on the ground. I like to keep them short and tidy as it’s so much easier to do seed checks between the toes and as my boy is a digger he gets clods of mud if they’re hairy 🤦‍♀️
Only do this on clean feet to avoid catching and also use the clippers on your own hand first, so you have a feel for pressure etc

03/02/2023

Whilst this article is referring to vet care, this can easily be written for basic animal husbandry and grooming. Interesting read if you are thinking about moving towards consent based grooming.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/all-dogs-go-heaven/202208/hold-still-physical-restraint-in-caring-companion-animals?fbclid=IwAR0pHsvnmNG5pzLxBkmhwsum2uAtf8xTmKRlqEeTcVAO_Ia36_nvImXlg7Y

We need to rethink physical restraint of dogs and cats.

02/02/2023

Apologies, it’s been a while since we worked on chin rests, with one thing and another, I’ve not managed to get a video in, so here this mornings one, any questions, please let me know 😀

29/12/2022

Consent grooming FAQ

What is consent grooming?

Consent grooming takes a dog centred approach, focussing on the dogs’ emotional welfare, by observing their body language (ie: behaviour) to identify when they are feeling fearful of a particular part/all of the groom. This enables the groomer to change that part of the groom to a more suitable techniques for that particular dog. Consent grooming recognises that each dog is an individual and needs an individual approach.

Consent groomers may also be referred to as Holistic, Force Free, Fear Free, Low Stress, Grooming Behaviourist.

The focus of consent grooming is to give the dog the opportunity to “participate” in the groom.

Consent groomers will teach the dog a way to say “yes” or “no” using a consent based technique such as chin rest, mat protocol, table protocol, bucket game.

What are the benefits of Consent Grooming?

As the dogs’ emotional welfare is the focus of consent grooming, it is rare that a dog is pushed to cope/tolerate a grooming procedures that it may be fearful of. This means that the dog is likely to remain much calmer, benefitting both the dog and groomer. As the dog is much calmer it is less likely to become aggressive or display unfavourable behaviours (eg, dancing around the table, trying to escape, pulling away from the groomer, vocalising).

As the dogs are calmer throughout the groom, they will be more relaxed when their guardian collects them, which prevents some of the stress fall out at home (being more sensitive to physical contact).

Taking this approach allows the dog to learn that grooming is not scary and so is able to cope with more and more each time, so that eventually an aethestically pleasing finish can be achieved without causing distress to an anxious dog.

What does a consent groomer work in comparison to a traditional groomer?

Many traditional groomers may be surprised to learn that they are already working in a similar way to consent groomers.

· Show compassionate and patience

· Finding alternative ways of doing different parts of the groom (for example using scissors rather than clippers is the dog is scared of clippers)

· Communicate with the client about the best groom for their dog (ie: short if the dog doesn’t like to be brushed, or spends a lot of time in muddy areas, etc).

· Consider pain/physical difficulties of the dog

· May use food to help distract the dog

The main general differences (in my opinion), consent groomers:

· rarely groom on the first appointment, choosing to observe the dog, identify his/her likes and dislikes, and provide positive based training techniques to help the dogs overcome their fears, such as counter conditioning and desensitisation. For more anxious dogs, it may take several appointments before any grooming takes place.

· mostly use a chin rest rather than a chin fur hold to groom the muzzle.

· recognise that no dog is naughty, but just communicating through behaviour in response to emotions as a result of the autonomous nervous system

- appreciate that dogs will react to PERCIEVED and REAL danger in exactly the same way.

- will never make a dog face its fear through flooding (eg. keeping the dryer on them until the "give up")

- rarely use safety restraints (as that removes consent opportunities) choosing to groom on a low table, or on the floor for bigger dogs.

· Avoid using grooming “tools” that restrict communication/movement, such as muzzles, cones, groomers helper, hammocks/calming cradles, and if they are used are positively conditioned first, and used for limited periods for welfare issues only (ie: a claw growing into a paw pad)

· Work with a behaviourist/trainer

· More likely to focus on training courses that build up their knowledge on canine behaviour, techniques to reduce anxiety (Tellington TTouch Training, Reiki, Low Stress Handling, Canine Flow, etc)

· Place less focus on aesthetics, more focus on the mental and emotional welfare of the dogs.

· May recommend a vet sedated groom whilst desensitisation/ training takes place to overcome clipping/scissoring issues.

How long does a consent groom take?

Once the groomer has found the “ideal” way to groom a dog, then a consent groom takes no longer than a “traditional” groom.

The part of consent grooming that does take time is the early appointments when the groomer is finding the what the dog is fearful of, and finding least aversive method of grooming for the individual dog.

How much does a consent groom cost?

This is probably the most difficult question to answer as groomers will charge different rates. It may depend on how long the appointment lasts, what the groomer works on (ie: is it desensitisation or actual grooming).

How do I train as a consent groomer?

There are no known grooming schools that teach consent grooming, therefore you will need to train as a groomer, then learn about consent grooming alongside your grooming education. A good place to start is Facebook Group “Taking the Grrr out of Grooming Dogs”, or Sue Williamson’s book “Taking the Grrr out of the Grooming Salon”.

How do I find a consent groomer?

At the moment there is no known list of consent groomers, so the best place at the moment is asking in Facebook Group “Taking the Grrr out of Grooming Dogs”

Is consent grooming totally stress and fear free?

Grooming is never going to be totally stress or fear free for some dogs. BUT consent grooming is still going to be the best option, as it will be a stress and fear free as is possible.

© Sue Williamson, Taking the Grrr out of Grooming Dogs/Happy Paws with Sue, 2022

27/12/2022

How are your chin rests going? Just remember it’s a work in progress and it takes as long as it takes 😀

22/12/2022

Chin rests!
Teaching your dog chin rests will help the dog get used to having their face touched.
This is useful for grooming, especially dogs which have hairy noses around their eyes, think poodle crosses, Westies
This is also a great thing to teach as if your dog gets sore eyes or ears and needs drops, having this in your bag of tricks before hand will be awesome
I will do another video with my boy showing how to build on this for face cleaning etc

20/12/2022

This is the second clip, it shows that by allowing him time to go off and take a minute, and by moving where I’m brushing when he’s not happy with a particular area, he allows me to groom him for longer
This is why I’m a huge consent grooming convert, yes it takes longer, but by slowly persevering and working with the dog in front of you, the wins are a less stressful groom for your dog and for me

20/12/2022

Slowly building up grooming with this gorgeous boy
He’s not a fan of being brushed, and this is the third session I’ve had with him.
This is the first shorter clip showing how he won’t settle only allowing a short stint, at the start of the session

29/11/2022

Bit of ACE Freework with this gorgeous boy prior to his first Gentle introduction to being brushed by me. This boy is not a fan of being brushed so going slowly and building from there will hopefully help him come round to it, more videos of that to follow as the weeks go by.
For those that don’t know about ACE (Animal Centred Education) Freework, is a way to watch how the dog moves, see what things he enjoys most, and allow him to use his senses smell, taste, sight, licking to aid in reducing stress levels.
All dogs can benefit from this, and is really easy to set up, I’ve used a cardboard box, and some different types of paper that are from packaging, an old rug, a towel, a step, a piece of old yoga mat, and the only things purchased was a couple of Licky mats and some different treats.
I also put my brushes and Comb in there so he can see and smell them