I strive to achieve the best grooming results possible, I love my job and my work, which helps greatly, I am not the kind of person that hates getting up in the morning and dreads going to work. I provide a high standard in grooming, and I achieve a tremendous amount of job satisfaction on a daily basis, you need to more than just "love" dogs to become a competent dog groomer..!

Signs that alarm you, may be unfounded Although a few dogs may seem apprehensive at the grooming room door, this can be due to a number of reasons, it is not because he is afraid of the groomer through any form of miss handling, but more like he remembers an unpleasant procedure within his grooming session, ie ear plucking, the simplicity of a good bath, and just the general handling during his visit. So if your dog is one of the few that hesitates before you leave him, as a rule try to remember the following. Ear plucking can and often is a very un pleasant task though usually over within a matter of seconds, the small amount of pain involved is enough for your dog to associate this with only the groomer, when next he visits, it's true, and I can think of many dogs that I groom, and of which I love and fuss and play with throughout the session, and spend only 2 seconds plucking the hair out of his ears, quickly un eases him, and temporarily he remembers that no one else performs this somewhat painful procedure, ie owners etc, thus a mental note is made within his brain, and the next time he sees me, he thinks " I don't want to go to him he hurts my ears" so he backs off, and this then in turn allows the owner to think "what do you do to him to make him appear so afraid/hesitant" The bath and the shower, again this procedure is usually only undertaken by the groomer at the centre, and even if an owner does bath their dog at home, usually they stay away from the face, eyes and ears, not so of a groomer, we are competent and thorough, many if not all breeds need their face washed too, the head is always the last to be washed, and like many children, a dog is the same, he hates his face/head etc being washed, so again he associates this with only the groomer and remembers the next time he visits. This can also be said to be the same of the hair dryer, the noise and voracity of the dryer he doesn't experience at home, again he associates with only the groomer. The general handling of the dog throughout the grooming session, again, most dogs do not have their feet manoeuvred from underneath them, and their toes separated in order to trim in between and underneath the pads, four times.! not a painful task, but somewhat uncomfortable, he must learn to balance on three legs, something he never need do elsewhere. A noose can be fitted, but only as a last resort in my centre, I find this can instantly cause a dog to feel un-easy, most of the dogs I groom, will stand freely with out the use of a neck noose, once he is happy in my care and we have 1 on 1 rapor. Nail clipping, again, unless the dog has had a bad experience and had his quick (nerve inside the nail) caught resulting in much pain and bleeding, this is a task that is only performed by the groomer, its done fast and I find its usually the noise that puts the dog off, and not the actual cutting of the nail, but remember this in lots of cases is done 16 times 18-20 if due claws are present, the paw needs to be held tightly often he will pull away against you, so here a necessary force is needed pulling against him, not painful, but not in his everyday handling. The combing and brushing, often applied at home by his owners, some heavily coated breeds need an extra amount of vigour, in order to get to the root of the coat, lifting the legs to get to the tummy, groin and armpit areas, can be very uncomfortable for him. So the next time you visit the grooming centre and your dog seems a little hesitant, please bear in mind the above, it only takes remembering 1 of the said points for your dog to show reluctance

In his old age When a dog becomes of a certain age, the grooming session indeed can become a very stressful procedure, due to nothing more than simply his age, and being unable to stand for long periods of time. In his old age, try to remember how much love and happiness he has given you through out his long life, in his final years it is time for you to give and show him the love he deserves, you must allow for him to remain "comfortably happy" a trip to the groomer is probably the last thing he needs, so in my opinion it is much kinder and less stressful to allow the groomer to cut him in a simple short cut, and not conform to the usual breeds standard clip, I refer here to breeds such as the Poodle, Schnauzer etc anything that needs styling or shaping, this for an old dog is a mundane and often painful/uncomfortable time, if he has Arthritis or Rheumatism, he doesn't need to be pulled about just because you desire him to look like he always has. I urge you to think for a minute about what is best for him, and I am sure you will agree, that a short clip, is kinder and easier, it needs clipping less regularly proving best for him, he can age happily and he will love you more for it.