scared of grooming - any solution?

[Willow and J]

Willow is playful, happy, and sweet, but she is submissive and get easily spooked. She's not a barker nor whiner, and even when she gets spooked, she barks just a little (once or twice, usually.)

We take her to Petsmart to groom, and our groomer is very very nice lady. However, Willow is getting more and more fearful, and this morning, she was shivering in the corner with her nose toward door while we checked her in for regular grooming session. She never shivers with fear otherwise, and it's getting worse every time she gets groomed. She's peed in the past in fear, which is also unusual and only took place in the face of the groomer.

I'd like to consider grooming myself, but my hubby is not agreeing, and I can't do it without his help.  

Are there things we can do to make her less fearful of grooming?

[Lynda Kamrath]

Willow is beautiful.  I would also hate to see her fearful.  She may be reacting to the fact that you will be leaving her, even for a short while.

My dogs have never been to a groomer and they are very willing to stand for a grooming for many hours, but we can't take that long.  My husband and I are both retired and can take all the time we want working on the dogs, so we usually break up a grooming into three days.  Day I - I do a rough cut.  Day 2, my husband does the face and feet (#2 clippers).  Day 3 - I bathe the dog and he blows dry and does the final cut.  They have baths whenever we go to the beach and otherwise every couple of months since they are on our bed daily for morning coffee and scratches.  We have been grooming our own dogs for thirty years (poodles and doodles), and it seems to get easier each time we do it.  It has been a little transition from poodles to doodles, but cutting doodles is actually easier.   Go for it!  You both will enjoy doing it.

[Willow and J]

Never occurred to us that we can do this over several days. It would be fun to see the daily change. (Day 1:Left ear, right back leg, and tail, Day2: left half of belly and right half of muzzle... wait, that's not what you told me...) :)

Thank you!

[F, Calla & Luca]

I've learned to do pieces too. Today Luca had ears cleaned and nails trimmed as well as a bit of trimming of his feet and here and there. Tomorrow brushing. Next weekend Calla will have the same and that should tide them over for a while. When the big trim needs to be done, I can do head and tail and maybe face. Body and legs another day etc.

[Jen, Lachlan, and Declan]

LOL, there's nothing in the rule-book says they have to be done all at once. My sitter jokes that my boys are in a perpetual state of being groomed.

[Donna K & Quincy]

I was just reading through your discussion and the replies that said they groom their dogs over a couple of days and it reminded me of a picture I had seen once. This is what a half groomed doodle looks like. I think this is one of the cutest and funniest pictures ever.

[F, Calla & Luca]

Too funny!

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

I got interrupted once when grooming Tara and this was the result. It took a couple of days to get back to her: Check out the legs...

[Bonnie and Kona]

You're a cutie, skinny or fluffy, Miss Tara-bear.

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Or in this case skinny AND fluffy!

[Willow and J]

So cute! She rolled up her pant! 

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

J that is a much better explanation then the one I used which is that her right leg was swollen! LOL I'll use yours next time!

[Bonnie and Kona]

This is sooo funny!!!