Do dog groomers deal with gentle nervous dogs?

Stheno

Sorry for the very stupid

Its years since I had a dog and recently we adopted a little Patterdale cross from a rescue who had been seized from a hoarder by the ISPCA

I spent a long time in the past volunteering with rescues so was well prepared to put in the work to help Boo adapt to being a normal dog

Six weeks in, the joy he has brought to myself and my partner is indescribable

However he is still learning what life is like but is a terrible gentle dog, almost subservient e.g. if he is eating and we accidentally move close by he stops, expecting it will be taken away.

We both wfh in separate offices and are constantly in and out of the garden for breaks and so he spends loads of time playing in the garden, so we decided to get him a kennel for outside if we inadvertently leave him outside

So off to the petshop we went to see what size kennel.we needed. The staff were lovely but he was nervous and pooped all over the floor
The staff were great about it tbh.

Boo has a rough coat so I groom him every day to filter out the old hair.its like a double coat tht a GSD would have I think

Would most groomers be OK with such a timid dog who might panic a bit and poop as he did in the petshop?

I'm not planning on taking him to a groomers for a couple of months, but wanted to check

Thanks in advance

IndigoStar

Yes, we have a very nervous rescue here too. Local dog groomer is also a kennel are great with her.
They know she's quiet and scared of everything, they give her the quietest spot in the kennel when we go away. When they groom her they don't blow dry her for too long because she really doesn't like it but otherwise she does fine there.
The people that own the business are perfectly suited to the role. Lovely, patient natures.

My dog in the 3 years we have owned her has never warmed to any men except for my hubby. She runs scared from all men, a sad history we will never know about.
But the male kennel owner befriended her after a day, getting the paw and everything. Speaks volumes I think.

SillyMangoX

Coming from a groomer, myself or any of the other groomers I know have absolutely no problem working with nervous dogs! When I have a nervous dog in I either take them as first appointment in the morning or last in the evening so there isn’t as much coming and going happening around them and I can take my time and give lots of breaks. What I would say though is get recommendations from people you know for which groomers are around you and then talk to the groomer about maybe a few meet and greets or desensitisation sessions. Literally just come and say hi for 5 minutes a couple of days a week, then work up to leaving your dog for a half hour for maybe a brushing and getting used to the sounds and smells of the salon and eventually work your way up to a full groom.
Not every groomer will be in a position to offer this, most of us are closed with the lockdown and will be extremely busy when we open back up, so if it does happen that you can’t do the desensitisation, it wouldn’t be the worst in the world but it might take two sessions to get a groom done

Mine did.

If you're in Dublin, I can recommend an excellent groomer who took great the best care of my very nervous cocker spaniel rescue.

Who coincidentally has a dog named Boo!

Ratcatcher100

His coat will be less thick as he lives in the house with you the reason it was so dense is probably where he had lived in the past he may have been cold & miserable and coats grow to compensate for cold. When i got my lurcher he had a rough coat but now its very smooth as he is kept warm. You can also ask the groomer if you can be with the dog on his first groom as he is very nervous , no groomer would refuse that .

Stheno

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Mine did.

If you're in Dublin, I can recommend an excellent groomer who took great the best care of my very nervous cocker spaniel rescue.

Who coincidentally has a dog named Boo!

Would you mind sending me their details please?

Stheno

Ratcatcher100 wrote: »

His coat will be less thick as he lives in the house with you the reason it was so dense is probably where he had lived in the past he may have been cold & miserable and coats grow to compensate for cold. When i got my lurcher he had a rough coat but now its very smooth as he is kept warm. You can also ask the groomer if you can be with the dog on his first groom as he is very nervous , no groomer would refuse that .

Ah interesting, thanks

We went out for almost two hours today, first to the park which has a stream, then to a local beach

The muddiest, wettest dog came home, so I tried giving him a bath, then brushed him

You're right the difference in his coat was noticeable

I brush him every day and am getting a lot of dead fur off too so that helps

cocker5

Stheno wrote: »

Ah interesting, thanks

We went out for almost two hours today, first to the park which has a stream, then to a local beach

The muddiest, wettest dog came home, so I tried giving him a bath, then brushed him

You're right the difference in his coat was noticeable

I brush him every day and am getting a lot of dead fur off too so that helps

If your going to be going on adventures with mud and beaches definitely invest in a drying coat!

They are a life saver!

https://ruffandtumbledogcoats.com/

SillyMangoX

Ratcatcher100 wrote: »

His coat will be less thick as he lives in the house with you the reason it was so dense is probably where he had lived in the past he may have been cold & miserable and coats grow to compensate for cold. When i got my lurcher he had a rough coat but now its very smooth as he is kept warm. You can also ask the groomer if you can be with the dog on his first groom as he is very nervous , no groomer would refuse that .

Just a quick note on this, don’t be offended if the groomer can’t accommodate you staying. With covid we are encouraged to have contactless drop offs and not have people stay due to social distancing. Also it allows the dog to bond with and from trust with the groomer whereas if the owner stays the dog is distracted and often more nervous because they can see their owner and not get to them! You could always ask the groomer if they wouldn’t mind videoing part of the groom - some of us are totally on board with that. I often do it unprompted to show owners certain behaviours that may have happened. Most recently a dog who finally took a treat from me and gave me face kisses after 2 years of hating me for no reason

DBB

SillyMangoX wrote: »

Most recently a dog who finally took a treat from me and gave me face kisses after 2 years of hating me for no reason

Probably just tenderising you prior to the kill :D

SillyMangoX

DBB wrote: »

Probably just tenderising you prior to the kill :D

It wouldn’t surprise me he’s a cute boy but has it out for me as I am the lady who shaves his bum :pac:

anewme

Another point on rough coats. They are meant to be rough and may need to be hand stripped. They should not be soft and silky.