Photo Credit: Shelley Groomer CCBY
As any pet owner knows, it’s common for dogs to get a bit worked up when they go to the groomer. Upon realizing where it’s going, your dog may become anxious and begin panting, trembling, salivating, whining, and even vomiting. Luckily, there are many easy things that you can do to relieve these symptoms. Here are a few of our favorites:
- Make the car ride less daunting: To keep your dog calm on the way to the groomer, have an extra person come along to pet it and keep it company. You can also talk to your vet about anti-nausea medications, which may help your dog if it experiences motion sickness during car rides. By improving the car ride to the groomer for your pooch, you’ll help it to be less anxious upon arriving there.
- Change what causes the anxiety: It’s likely that you can make being groomed less stressful for your pet by changing a few small things. Just try to identify what your dog doesn’t like about the grooming experience and seek alternatives that are more comfortable. For instance, if your dog becomes anxious when being lifted onto the table, let it use a ramp or doggy steps to climb up itself. If it dislikes the sound of hair clippers, see if your groomer can use silent pet scissors.
- Help your dog get used to being touched: Many dogs have an issue with being handled by the groomer. Though every pooch is different, sensitive spots tend to include the eyes, ears, tail, paws, rear, snout, and groin. However, you can help your dog get over its fear of being touched with some simple at-home training. Try touching your dog in different places and giving it a treat each time you do so. For sensitive spots, move slowly toward the area and only continue if your dog is relaxed and cooperative.
- Purchase a muzzle: If your pet becomes aggressive when nervous, it may be a good idea to buy a muzzle to put on at the groomer. Just make sure to get your dog adjusted to the muzzle beforehand. To do so, try putting some peanut butter or a small treat inside of the muzzle. If you get a muzzle that has small holes in it, you can also feed your dog treats while it wears the muzzle to help calm it down. Ultimately, investing in a muzzle will allow you to restrain your dog and prevent biting incidents from occurring when you take it to be groomed.
Hopefully, you will find these tips to be effective in reducing your dog’s grooming anxiety. For more tips for dog owners, visit the Top Tails Dog Walking & Pet Sitting blog. Here, you’ll find articles that discuss how to save money at the vet and how to know if your dog is ready for a new baby.
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As the trusted Manayunk dog sitter, Top Tails has experience in dealing with pets of all sizes and demeanors. If you’re looking for someone to care for your dog while you’re away, choose us! Whether you’ll be gone for the day or the week, our trustworthy staff members are qualified to handle all of your pet’s needs. Top Tails Manayunk pet sitter offers several service packages to meet a variety of schedules. Are you interested in hiring us? Call 215-508-1903 now. We can’t wait to hear from you!