All right friends, it’s myth-slaying time.
I can't count the number of times I've came across a video compilation of dogs struggling in the grooming environment under captions like "why I charge as much as I do" and "dogs from Hell"., and it's only getting worse.
What I see are dogs in grooming salons all over the world really, really struggling while their groomer continues to force, restrain and punish them for being "difficult" "drama queens".
What I found even more disturbing about these videos is how many positive emoji reactions these videos generate and how widespread this ignorance actually seems to be. Groomers, many of which have THOUSANDS of followers, who don't seem to be identifying that the real issue is in their lack of understanding of even the most basic canine behaviour and communication concepts.
It truly is scary, and incredibly frustrating.
These people are spreading across their platforms so many toxic myths about dog grooming and dogs that we all must break away from in order to get to the real problem.
I've taken a back seat long enough, I think it's time to stand up and speak out for the truth even though it might not be well received...
We seem to prefer a comfortable lie to the uncomfortable truth. We punish those who point out reality, and reward those who provide us with the comfort of illusion. Reality is fearsome .. but experience tells us that more fearsome yet is evading it - Bill Meyers.
Grooming Myth #1: A resisting dog is a dog who is being difficult and dramatic.
This is sooo not true. In fact, it burns me up every time I hear people say it.
When a dog is thrashing about the grooming table trying everything in his power to avoid the groomer and any of the tools that are presented to him, he might just find himself on a video of shame for the world to point and laugh at.
Not cool -
Yet groomers are so quick to blame the dog for unccooperation in the grooming salon - many are taught that grooming is never going to be pleasant for a dog which then normalises fear-based behaviours.
Rather than being encouraged to dig into the reasons why dogs tend not to enjoy grooming processes, groomers use this expectation to shield them from having to do more than what they feel their job entails.
Being ignorant to the real reason why dogs resist grooming tasks is easier than having to reassess everything you were taught back when you first began your training however many moons ago that was.
The Truth:
The truth is that a resisting dog is a dog who is struggling to cope with the environment and/or grooming process.
Unlike adult humans who can quite easily take a conscious step back and logically assess their environment, dogs do not have that luxury. Much like children, dogs rely on subconsciously feeling safe - dogs must be given time to adjust to new experiences at a pace that suits them with encouragement and praise.
While a groomer might consider fear-induced behaviours as being "difficult" because it taps into the time they have to achieve a specific trim, a dog doesn't think about their behaviour at all.
How a dog behaves on the outside is a reflection of how he is feeling on the inside - both are connected and simultaneous which means there is no pre-meditative act at play.
Therefore, blaming a dog for a groomer's lack of experience in observing, communicating and safely handling a dog is unhelpful and untrue.
To prevent a dog from resisting grooming tasks, groomers must implement a blend of positive training techniques and cooperative based exercises to help build a dog's confidence to the environment around him. It may take a little extra time to start with but it is ethically moral, and has more effective, longer-lasting results.
Grooming Myth #2: Dogs Require A Firm Approach And An Alpha Leader
This one may be surprising. If you have ever watched some of the mainstream dog trainers on television you have probably heard similar statements being thrown around.
However, being firm and being forceful are very closely linked and it's incredibly difficult to know where to draw the line between reasonable boundaries and a punitive approach to dog care.
The terms "firm" and "alpha" fall under the umbrella of Dominance Theory - a training concept that was made worldly famous by Wolf expert and researcher, Dr David Mech. However, years later Mech retracted his beliefs in Dominance Theory and has since mentioned several times that wolves and dogs are not the same and that even in wolf packs, dominance theory is barking up the wrong tree.
Where does this leave grooming myth number two?
Sadly many people still believe in a firm, punitive approach to dog care because it does seem to get quick-fix results - since most humans are lazy and want to see the results they expect yesterday, the use of punishment is appealing.
The truth:
Long-term, the consequences of such a damaging approach are incredibly telling in not only in the dog's general health (dogs are more susceptable to chronic health disorders including stress, anxiety, insomnia and pain) but also temperament since Dominance Theory principles have been shown to lead to more advanced behavioural problems including a quicker escalation of fear-based behaviours and often, a quicker bite response.
Dogs don't require a firm approach, least of all within the grooming environment, instead they need compassion, time and a bespoke care plan that considers their individual likes/dislikes, fears, experiences, health considerations and everything else in between.
Furthermore, dogs thrive in trust-building exercises that are designed to empower them into making their own decisions, assessing their own environments freely and having the emotional freedom to express how they are feeling without being suppressed.
When a dog is guided by a groomer who can successfully observe and communicate with him, together they can begin to really enjoy grooming tasks or at very least, find them a lot less stressful.
Grooming Myth #3: I should charge more if a dog poops in my salon!
I can totally understand why someone would believe this, especially if you think that a dog carer hasn't bothered taking their dog out for toileting before a grooming appointment (it happens!).
I’ve been there myself during my training days, and I can tell you that it can be incredibly inconvenient if we look at it from a purely logistical perspective - imagine you have just spent the last hour washing and drying a dog and suddenly he defecates and it goes all over his freshly groomed coat and you now have to bath him again.
Defecating and urinating in the salon are often chargeable offences - I say offences because groomers often treat it as such!
There's a lot of blame put on dog carers and not much consideration over the other potential reasons why this may have happened that would really be significant when it comes to how the groomer is carrying out grooming tasks.
The truth:
The truth is there are many reasons why a dog might defecate/urinate in the salon including:
health - some medical conditions might prevent a dog from even knowing that he needs the toilet until it's too late or result in dogs suddenly needing the toilet without much warning.
age-specific - depending on the age of a dog, he may need out for toilet opportunities more regularly than the average, healthy, adult dog. Puppies will require frequent breaks to not only rest and refresh but also pee in a safe and secure outdoor space, the same goes for geriatric dogs who also have weaker bladder control.
fear - let's not forget that a leading cause of urination and defecation in the grooming environment is actually significant psychological and emotional distress! When the sympathetic nervous system has engaged, all other systems are disrupted including the digestive system. Fear can cause a dog to "empty" suddenly which of course, is a big indicator that something in the grooming process has gone terribly wrong!
Therefore, defaulting blame to a dog carer can miss opportunities to identify potential health concerns that may require a Vet Referral and/or potential problems in your existing grooming regime.
No dog should ever feel so afraid in the grooming environment that they empty their bladder and/or bowels.
Why is it dangerous to believe these 3 myths?
Believing in these myths can lead to welfare implications and ultimately harm dogs in a grooming environment.
And I absolutely know you have everything it takes to prevent that from ever happening. You perhaps just need the right guidance to succeed in achieving a more cooperative and lower stress grooming environment. Otherwise, you risk showing the world your lack of knowledge when it comes to working with dogs in a modern and science-backed way.
When I see those videos on social media I can't help but get hot and flustered - they do groomers like me no favours, but they do even less for the poor dogs that are in them!
When we fail to really read between the lines when it comes to what is happening in front of us with dogs, we fail to live up to our duty of care to safeguard and tend to the well-being of dogs.
I’ve seen so many groomers turn it around for the better, who have gone from spending hours each day literally fighting against "difficult" dogs to suddenly looking forward to going to work each day because they now know how to make grooming processes more dog-centred.
There’s nothing mysterious or 'woo-woo' about holistic grooming protocol - it works because it's based on the very biology and psychology of dogs.
It might be uncomfortable hearing the words from this blog post but I would encourage you to try and use it as inspiration to learn more about how I do things differently.
If you would like to learn more you can sign up to the Holistic Grooming & Behaviour Diploma anytime, and join a close community of 100 students who are actively benefiting from learning more about the concepts I mentioned earlier.
Click here to learn more today.
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