Dog Grooming Lessons.
“I Can’t Groom my Dog”
“He (or she) won’t let me groom them”. A comment I hear frequently from new customers, generally just before I’m presented with a dog I have to clip off due to matting. Some scenarios are worse than others. Ok some dogs are less problematic to groom, and it is easier to maintain between regular grooms.
Every Pawpal benefits from a Groom
Fact all dogs need some level of grooming. Whether it’s bathing after a muddy walk, maintaining nails, or brushing coats out daily. If everyone could groom their dog to a professional standard, I would be out of work. As a human with four legged friends, there are things you can do to reduce the stress for you both.
Owner Education
In 2015 as part of a Degree in Animal Science, I looked at the benefits of owner education in grooming and its effect on the behaviour of their dogs whilst been groomed. Frequently, The knowledge gained by owners, with positive re-enforcement for the dog, resulted in a more pleasant experience for both.
Teaching your dog to accept grooming, is like teaching any other trait.It can take time and different dogs take longer to pick up on it. The advantage of a human knowing what they are doing also appears to help the dog. The anology I use is; Imagine going to the hairdressers and been sat down with the trainee on their first day. With no instruction, they stand over you with a brush and scissors. You will both feed off each others nervousness.
“Will This make me a professional Dog Groomer?”
Quite Simply No. There are at present no legal requirements for training to be a dog groomer. That said, there is a positive movement within the industry, to raise its image and maintain the standards set by professional groomers who have invested large amounts of time and money in their training.
The main objective of this course is to train people in the correct care of their own dogs, been able to bathe and brush out and maintain the coat between professional grooms, and covering basic clipper and scissor techniques for those who wish to look after their own dogs safely to a basic pet standard.
We will give insights into what is involved in entering the industry, and hopefully if there is sufficient interest, will look to run further courses in the future. To book a place please contact Anna Lowndes whose details are on the below flyer.
