Preparing Your Dog for the Groomer

I wish I had seen this a lot sooner. I have never owned dogs that needed to be groomed, but thought nothing of taking my dogs to be bathed by someone else. I was lucky to have dogs that took things in stride, but I suspect things would have been even easier for them with preparation. Then we rescued a dog who got more stressed every time, and hindsight says I could have done a better job with her.

Now I have a dog who is very easy-going, but gets easily startled by sudden sounds, although she settles down quickly when she realizes there is nothing wrong. She was raised in a rescue environment, so the dogs barking around her wouldn't be a problem. But I believe she would really benefit from a meet-and-greet type of appointment to hear the dryers and see the set-up. We already take her on rides at every opportunity, so she thinks they are fun, not precursors to vet visits or anything negative.

The toothbrush is a great tip for getting a dog used to the clippers.