# Traumatic Groomer?



## MyMaggie (Apr 1, 2012)

My family has used the same groomer for about 15 years. She used to groom my Mom's toy poodle for about 10 years as well as her two newish poodles. Jake(poodle) used to get super excited when you asked him if he wanted to go see Julie. He loved her and now her two new dogs love her too. Yet I have had her do Maggie about 5 times now and every single time when she comes home she is super clingy to the point she would crawl in your skin if she could. She has major panic attacks when we go to leave and she seems to always be sick for about a week after.

Now to be fair Maggie does have horrible separation anxiety. It has gotten better though since we started using a thunder shirt on her. And a change in routine throws her off usually for a few days. But coming back from the groomer it is increased by 100. I can't take a shower without her crying. She sits at the side of the tub and whines the whole time. If you go to use the bathroom she cries outside the door. If I go to bed before my SO and I close the bedroom door she sits outside the door and cries. Yet if my SO goes to bed first she does the same thing. She always seems to need both of us in the same room.

However if I go to leave for work I can put her in her kennel and leave and she is fine. Same if Jason goes to work. But if we leave together and don't take her ith us she will cry and whine for a good hour. She does this for about 2 - 3 weeks after each visit to the groomer then it eases off.

Could it be the groomer we use? Jason and I are already thinking of taking her to a different one anyway for different reasons but could it just be Julie? Or is it just being groomed in general? Why must my dog be more complicated then a child? lol


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

what does your gut tell you about this groomer?

not every dog is a match with every groomer...


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## MyMaggie (Apr 1, 2012)

Honestly my gut tells me i've babied her way too much over the years lol. I've had her since she as 8 weeks old and she has lived in my pocket.

However I am thinking it may just not be a good match. Its a shame because Julie is fantastic and she runs her business out of her home and only takes a few clients a week so the dogs always get special attention and love from her. But I think it just may not be the right match for Mags. Now the joy of finding a groomer that doesn't charge insane crazy prices and their priority being pumping through 50 dogs a day *sigh*


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## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

First and foremost I would listen to your gut. If you don't feel like it's the right match, then find a different groomer. That said, I see dogs all the time that show a lot of anxiety upon coming AND leaving from grooming, that are actually totally fine while being groomed and aren't abused or mistreated in any way at the hands of their groomer. Honestly, and I hate to say it, but I think some just really have their owners trained and know what responses get them the coddling attention. BUT, sometimes, I know that it is a real red flag of a real issue that shouldn't be ignored, which is why I say, instead of wondering or playing the "what if" game, I would seriously listen to your gut, even if what it tells you doesn't necessarily make sense.


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

That's why Snorkels looks like a drunk crackhead took scissors to her.

I do her grooming myself, and it's because I just don't trust people to take my dogs away. we had a mobile groomer and I watched through the window of his truck but we don't have that any more.

I've had that reaction before - we took Rebel to get a bath and the second time we took him he was so freaked out I didn't leave him. I don't know about a bad match with the groomer, but i know he wouldn't have acted like that unless something bad had happened to him the time before.


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## Dude and Bucks Mamma (May 14, 2011)

This is why I also groom mine myself. Granted, both of mine are short haired but even with my brittany I groomed him myself. My mom's rule was that, if Hoss was going to be allowed in the house, he had to be shaved. I kept his coat between Buck's length and Dude's length all year round and it wasn't hard. 

If you think that maybe it's just the grooming process in general you could always think about learning to groom her yourself. I don't trust others with either of my boys.


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## Little Brown Jug (Dec 7, 2010)

I'm in school currently for grooming and I have to say sometimes its just that the dog and groomer don't mesh. There are dogs that come into get groomed and one classmate can do it fine without a hitch, the next time that dog comes in and a different classmate does it it won't cooperate at all ending in both dog and groomer getting stressed and frustrated. We all have our own ways of grooming which doesn't work for every dog. Then there are dogs that have been getting groomed at the school for years, since they were puppies and act like your trying to kill them no matter what, nothing bad has ever happened to the dog during the process not even having a nail cut too short. Some dogs just don't have a tolerance for grooming.

It could be something as simple as that for Maggie plus you said yourself you've babied her that too probably plays a roll if the rest of your family's dogs have been fine with for the past how many years. 

Try a different groomer maybe, or even try and learn yourself and tone down the coddling. Hopefully something works out for poor Maggie and yourself.


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## brandypup (Jan 23, 2012)

Did you start with simple trips and treats? Like have her there and have her nails trimmed while you are there. Leave. Another day have them do face feet and tail. take her back for 1 minutes and come back out. Then slowly work up to leaving her. And see if it is the seperation anzity. (SP) It's easy however pain staking to correct. It's tideidous process of getting her used to the groomer. 

When I worked at the groomers (front staff) We always requested the owners stay with the puppies and not do a full grooming the first couple times.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

MyMaggie said:


> Honestly my gut tells me i've babied her way too much over the years lol. I've had her since she as 8 weeks old and she has lived in my pocket.
> 
> However I am thinking it may just not be a good match. Its a shame because Julie is fantastic and she runs her business out of her home and only takes a few clients a week so the dogs always get special attention and love from her. But I think it just may not be the right match for Mags. Now the joy of finding a groomer that doesn't charge insane crazy prices and their priority being pumping through 50 dogs a day *sigh*


i had a shih tzu who would be just out of control with his groomer.....the other three loved loved loved her but he was an absolute terror. i will never forget the day Jo picked him up, put him face to face with hers and said 'we don't DO that here'. 

and that's all it took for him to behave. we had, previously, gone to groomers who wanted to put him on tranquilisers and such....of course, we never let them stay at said groomer...

but this one? she was just perfect and i could see she loved dogs...

i tend to judge my groomer by how my dogs are going in and coming out. as both dogs come out excited and wagging and happy to see us and aren't shrinking or anxious which is a whole different behaviour....then i'm okay. 

i also watch the groomer take my dogs from me to see how they handle them and the first time, i tend to stick around for a bit, looking at other things they sell, just to see how they handle dogs.

we recently had to change groomers because ours had retired.....we had gone to her for almost a decade...and she even dog sat...true dog lover.

our new groomers are every bit as good and they came to us by way of recommends from the same kind of dog owners that we are....

anyone who touches my dogs is interviewed and watched.

maybe arrange to meet her outside of the place where she grooms to get your baby more comfortable with her...if your gut is telling you that julie might be fine...

that's what we do....when we first get a groomer, we ask that they meet our dogs outside of the establishment. that will immediately tell us whether or not we're going in.


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## MyMaggie (Apr 1, 2012)

See Maggie isn't scared of Julie at all. She loves her. She will stand quietly for her and cover her in kisses. TBH I don't think there isn't a person out there she doesn't like. I have socialized her right from the very second I got her. She plays with other dogs, she will let little kids drag her across the floor by her ears. She has never once nipped at another person or even growled. Heck she doesn't even bare her teeth at anything. I am constantly told how great she is.

I have watched Julie groom her and she is very gentle with her. When we take Maggie to see her Julie will pick her up and give her kisses and make a big fuss. Yet for whatever reason the weeks after being groomed she is super clingy and a big sook. 

I took her to puppy classes before her first groom. The place did everything in small steps over a few weeks to get them slowly used to it. She was great. Then when I moved to the other end of the country I started taking her to the lady my family uses and she comes home a wreck *sigh*

I may try another one for the next 3 or so sessions and see if she changes.

I really regret how much I babied her. Its taken a lot of work to undo her clingyness. She still has anxiety when we go to leave her but it has gotten much better. What has really helped is telling her she can not lay on my lap every time I sit on the couch lol.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

tell me how you did that, because we have a pug who thinks our laps are his pillows. and nothing has ever changed that. 

maybe, just maybe, try taking baby steps with her and julie....start over...especially if your dog actually likes her and isn't afraid of her....

sounds like it's the anxiety of you leaving, probably, that starts her going and then when you pick her up....she's got you right where she has always had you...comforting her anxieties....it's a secondary gain for her....


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