3 Ways To Help Your Dog Feel Comfortable With Going To The Groomers
If you have recently started taking your dog into the dog groomers, and they don't always behave the best, this can be stressful for both you and your dog. You may feel stressed because you are worried how your dog is feeling while they are away from you, and your dog is stressed because someone that they don't know is washing, brushing, and blow drying their fur. While taking your dog into the groomer may be difficult at first, it is likely going to get easier, especially if you do certain things to help you dog to feel more comfortable. Here are three things that you can do that can really help your dog to feel more comfortable going into the groomers.
Practice Grooming Them At Home
One very simple, but effective, thing that you can do to help your dog get used to being groomed at the groomers is to groom them at home. Doing basic things like brushing your dog and bathing them will get them used to this kind of thing, which will make it seem much less scary, and much more routine to them, when they are at the groomers.
Stay With Them At First
When you first start taking your dog into the groomers, it is a good idea to stay with them. If you stay with them, they are not going to feel nearly as scared and alone because they are going to see that you are right there with them. You can pet and talk to them to keep them calm, and help them to see that the groomer isn't there to hurt them. As they get more and more comfortable and familiar with the groomer, they are going to be able to grow a relationship with them, and will grow to trust them. Once your dog reaches this point, you are going to be able to start leaving your dog alone at the groomers, and they will feel comfortable with you being away.
Be Consistent
Just like with everything else, it is very important that you stay consistent when it comes to taking your dog into the groomers. This means that you will want to avoid missing appointments if at all possible, or simply getting lazy and forgetting to schedule them altogether. Your dog is likely not going to get used to going into the groomers if they are only going in every now and then because each appointment will be so few and far between that it will likely seem like a new experience for them.