Grooming an anxious dog is challenging. You know the dog must be groomed, but if grooming is stressful for the dog, it’s going to be even worse for you. You don’t want to damage the relationship you have with your dog by forcing him to be groomed. I get it. I have been there. It’s hard for dog parents to see their dogs feeling anxious about something that can help them feel better overall.
This Is Important: The degree of anxiety that your dog exhibits will affect how you handle dog-grooming stress. If the anxiety is to such a level that your dog is having an aggressive response toward you even trying to touch certain body parts, you need an in-person professional to help you through this process.
Consider Sedation: While we will always choose training first, sometimes sedation is necessary to quiet the dog enough that you can take care of the hair or skin problem, for example if the dog has a tail full of burrs. There are also calming supplements like CBD that may help. Discuss the best options for sedating your dog with your veterinarian and follow the instructions carefully.
In her article, “Dog Stress Relief: How to Help Your Dog Feel Calmer,” Dr. Kate Mornement PhD, CAAB, explains signs of stress in your dog include:
- Drooling
- Shaking
- Panting
- Dilated pupils
- Whale eye
- Yawning
- Licking lips
- Low body posture
- Tail tucked or held low
- Hiding or moving away
- Whining, barking, or growling
- Aggression or reactivity
Practical Ways to Calm Your Dog for Grooming
Let’s assume that your dog is exhibiting low to medium anxiety. Helping a dog be calmer for grooming when they are just not comfortable with what to expect is much easier than dealing with grooming for a reactive dog.
Which body parts your dog is uncomfortable with being handled also matters. Some dogs are fine with a brush on their backs and haunches but become antsy about their front paws being touched. Other dogs are less comfortable with their back paws being touched. Many dogs object to their ears being handled and even more dogs prefer that you not touch their teeth, thank you very much.
I approach grooming tasks by first tackling the act of having a dog be comfortable with their paws not only being touched but gripped. This starts with teaching an offered paw cue. I will lightly cup a dog’s paw and mark that with a “yes” and follow that with a high-value food reward. A high-value treat is one the dog rarely gets and receives only for the most difficult tasks. Think: deli meat or bits of roast chicken or turkey.
Most dogs will quickly start offering their paw if you are using a treat with a high value. I then incrementally add duration to the paw hold. I will then progress to using that cue for wiping paws before coming into the house. This is something that I do with my own dogs after every yard outing, so they get accustomed to this process.
When working on any sort of handling with my own dogs, I name each body part and create an association with naming such with a treat. For example, I say “ears” and touch their ears at the exact same time that I offer a high-value real-meat food reward. This husbandry practice becomes part of what I call games. Games include husbandry work along with fun tricks such as “tent,” “touch,” “spin,” “muzzle,” etc. This takes time, but it’s the best tactic.
I also taught my own dogs to be comfortable with brushing by giving them their favorite topping on a LickiMat. For my dogs, that is whipped cream. I started with a few moments of brushing and quickly increased the length of time with my once-nervous-about-grooming dogs. My dogs love to be brushed now and view that as the reward. No whipped cream necessary. We save that for Dunkin trips or in the Kong Goodie Bone when I leave.
Choose the Right Grooming Tools
Tools matter. Be sure the brush you choose is right for your dog’s coat and sensitivity. A rubber curry tool might work for a short hair Labrador, but not on a long hair Collie. There are grooming devices best suited for shedding, like the pin brushes that can work well on a long hair dog, especially if the tool is flexible with comfortable pins. Single-coat dogs may do well with a comb. The tool should fit comfortably in your hand and be an appropriate size for your dog.
Note: Before you start, check the dog doesn’t have any sore spots or hot spots on his skin that would be painful if touched. Take extreme care if you find mats or tangled hair (think about someone yanking on a tangle in your own hair—it hurts!).
Remember that new tools may frighten your dog. Your dog doesn’t know that the purpose of that scary-looking cutter thing is to trim their toenails to a comfortable length or the humming clippers are going to get rid of whisps of paw hair. As for a Dremel, the noise of such is concerning to many dogs. Clipping/grinding nails are the hardest grooming tasks for fearful dogs. Note: Dog grooming sensitization can also be part of a Cooperative Care Protocol.
It doesn’t take a lot of work to calm an anxious dog for grooming if you approach it in the right manner by choosing the right tools for your dog and task at hand and treat the dog for being a brave dog! Happy grooming!
