Written by: Emily Joswiak • October 2, 2020• pets

How To Prepare Your Dog for His First Visit To the Groomer

Dogs react differently to the experience of being groomed, whether it’s bath time or nail cutting. If you’ve decided to reach out to the professionals to get your dog groomed, it can be hard to trust that the job will get done correctly and won’t induce anxiety in your dog. If you finally feel that you picked out the perfect parlor for your pup, we have some tips for how to prepare your dog for his first visit to the groomer that can make the job easier for both your dog and the groomer.

Refresh the Dog’s Training

If your dog has been trained, by a professional like the one similar to a Gateshead Dog Trainer or someone of comparable caliber, well and good! Training your dog will help the dog groomer immensely, as grooming can require your dog to sit still for a long time. If your dog is not professionally trained, that’s okay! Practice sitting still with your dog and try to teach him patience. Patience can be a challenge for some dogs, but if rewarded well, your dog can learn to sit quietly for multiple minutes at a time.

Train him to enjoy car rides as well. Anxiety in the car can carry over to anxiety with the groomer!

Introduce Your Dog to Grooming

The most important thing about raising a dog to enjoy the groomer is teaching him to enjoy being touched by people. If you teach your dog that getting his paws and ears touched is a nice gesture, then he will allow other people to do it, too. A dog that hasn’t had interactions with anyone touching his ears or paws will get defensive and could be dangerous to the groomer. Groomers need access to the dog’s ears and paws and will also need to trim around the belly and other areas. Make sure your dog is okay with brushes and belly rubs before going to the groomer.

Water is another anxiety producer for pups. If you can, try to introduce your dog to water in a relaxing or fun way. If you have a spray nozzle for your outdoor hose, try introducing it with playtime or by letting him drink from it. A removable showerhead may better simulate the feeling of the groomer.

Practice Quick Goodbyes

You may not consider it when you think about how to prepare your dog for his first visit to the groomer, but separation anxiety can lead to difficult clients at a grooming parlor. If you leave your dog every day for school, work, or errands, your dog will be used to you leaving for periods of time. It can be hard to leave your dog in another person’s care but remember that dog groomers are trained to work with all kinds of dogs! Your dog will be perfectly safe with the groomer. If any problems arise, they know how to contact you. If it helps, stay in the same area as the parlor and run some errands, so you can pick your dog up as soon as he’s ready.

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