10/31/2026
Grooming can be extremely difficult for dogs for many different reasons. And being trauma informed means we do our best to avoid creating trauma and to work with any existing trauma. Sometimes that also means the groom isn't perfect because the dog's mental health comes before looking good.
Mabel is a puppy who gets upset with having her face held still - who dares to try to contain my energy??? Most puppies struggle with this part, but Mabel has particularly strong feelings. So as we are helping her learn it can be positive to have your face gently held, we get done what we can on her face and don't ask for perfection. 💚
Finn has a history of trauma and is especially sensitive about his feet. We have done several training sessions where we worked on building a relationship based on trust and built positive associations with different aspects of the grooming process. For his first groom with us, he let us do everything aside from shave his feet! He even let us trim his nails, so we were happy to end on a positive note. Finn does a good job pulling off those boots anyways! 😎
Duncan is a geriatric gentleman with a history of trauma and pain. His main struggle is the pain though from his wonky shaped legs combined with being an old man who is overweight. So we are working on teaching him that we will be as gentle as possible and do our best to help him feel good. He said he was done with his face being trimmed, but he is a distinguished gentleman even with some fluff still around his ears 🥸
It's so important to build a trusting relationship with every dog who walks through our doors. That is why we believe in compassion over compliance and utilize a holistic mindset. 💚
