It’s normal if your pet feels stressed, frightened, or anxious whenever they’re getting groomed, especially if it’s from an external groomer. Even as professionals, groomers themselves have their fair share of pets that dread the experience.
So whether it’s bringing your pets out to your regular groomer, or taking care of them in the comfort of your own home, there are a few things you can do to ensure that they enjoy the experience.
It starts with you
Home is where your pets feel the most comfortable, and learning how to groom your pets in your own home can really help your pets feel relaxed and at ease when you are brushing their coat, trimming their nails, or cleaning their teeth.
This helps them grow accustomed to touch on various parts of their body, which can help ease them into a grooming session at a salon.
Distracting them with their favourite toy while being brushed down at the house, and then bringing that toy with you when you bring your pet to a groomers can also help them feel a little more at home!
It doesn’t have to be short, but sweet
Grooming your pets regularly would be ideal, just so that their fur and nails stay in good condition, which means each grooming session should be brief and short.
But if you find that your pet shows signs of anxiety, stress, or discomfort during grooming, it is completely fine to give them their space in between. Giving them the time to breathe and calm down can help them enjoy the experience, and prevent them from cultivating fears from being groomed.
Pamper and Praise
Pets are intelligent at picking up on the tone of your voice and reading body language. Being confident when you groom them, or even dropping them off at a groomer can really help your pet feel safe.
Giving them compliments throughout the grooming session can let your pets know how well they are doing, and they will be sure to love all the positive feedback they get.
Treats are also highly encouraged during grooming sessions, and they could even be given out after every stage of grooming, just to reward them for doing such a great job so far. Do remember to bring a bag of your pet’s favourite snack whenever you bring them to a salon, which can help to promote positive associations and reinforcement.
After all, we groom our pets only because we love them and we want to take care of them, so it’s important that we do everything we can for them to enjoy the pampering, as well as minimise any potential health issues and keep them in tip-top shape.
Grooming can be a stressful process for both pets and owners alike, but with these few tips, we hope that we all can learn to be better groomers for our furry friends!
