Imagine being at the dentist.  The dentist has instruments in your mouth and you're unable to talk, they ask you to raise a hand if you're struggling, in pain, are feeling anxious or want the work to stop. There's a problem, you repeatedly put your hand up and it's being ignored. You're feeling agitated, stressed, anxious, angry and upset.  That is what a dog goes through in many grooming situations.  They are unable to verbalise and therefore use body language to express their emotions, and most of the time it's not being read. Groomers are taught in training that:

1. if a dog is wriggly, put a belly strap on 
2. If the dog is still wriggly, use a handling method that immobilises the dog. 
3. if the dog won't accept the dryers, put a hoodie on
4. if the dog is biting, put a muzzle on
5. if the dog is disabled, put it in a hammock.  

All perfectly normal practices but for me, none of this sat right. I saw too much body language showing signs of distress with dogs who couldn't wait to leave, or didn't want to  come into the salon in the first place.  When I set up my own business I investigated holistic grooming via a lady called Sue Williamson, and vowed to do things differently.  Therefore my ethos is:- 

• Prioritising welfare and wellbeing over aesthetics.    
• Working at the dog's pace whilst observing body language and emotions. 
• Never using physical pressure ie holding chin fur, grabbing or tightly holding onto legs, paws or tail. All aspects of grooming utilise positive based/reinforcement techniques. Usually food or toys.
• Any safety aids allow freedom of movement. Groomers helpers, cradles and hammocks have no place in my salon.  I avoid belly straps if I possibly can. They will only be used for occasional welfare use, i.e to remove matting from the sanitary area of a dog with hip/rear leg weakness.  They are only on for a minute or 2 and not used for the entirety of the groom to prevent a dog from moving. The dog will be rewarded afterwards. 
• I do not make dogs stand for the entirety of their groom. Preferring to work around sitting and lying down positions - whatever is more comfortable for the dog.
• I do try and avoid muzzles if at all possible, as I find it heightens the dog's anxiety. IF muzzles are needed for pressing welfare issues, the dog needs to be muzzle trained first and with agreement of the owner. Grooms are still performed at the dogs pace.
• Providing respite breaks during the groom, and additional breaks for dogs that need extra help to decompress.
• Offering honest feedback and educating owners on the best way to desensitise their pet. Including positive based techniques, to help with their groom.
• Always advocating for dogs in all circumstances.

I invest a lot of time in each session with bonding and desensitising practices.  All grooms are adapted to encourage positive behaviours. Therefore, I'm not the groomer for people who:-

• groomer hop depending on availability or repeatedly cancel/rearrange their dogs groom. Continuity is key and grooming is a welfare requirement not a hairdressing appointment.
• are looking for immaculate/polished grooms (most dogs are unhappy about some elements of the groom - ie dryers, paw and face-work).
• are looking for short time duration slots of under 2 hours, or wish to hold me down to precise collection times.
• are not prepared to embrace my ethos, that their dogs' wellbeing/body language takes priority over owner preferences.  
• submit groom requests (aside from blade lengths), or show/issue photo's/magazine pictures to adopt like for like comparisons.
• wish to give me groomer advice and compare me to their previous groomer. My way of working is my way of working.  
• are looking for quick fixes, I will not trigger stack a dog by repeatedly doing something it is fearful of. 
• are not prepared to work with me in areas that require desensitising at home, to help their dog overcome their fear/anxiety.