Has your dog been black listed by your local groomer? Deemed a dangerous dog by local groomers and vets? Chances are you have not put the work in early on that is required to have a stress free visit to the groomers and or vet office. Is it too late? For most dogs, no. I must say though, it will not be a fast and easy process. You will need to find a vet/groomer who is willing to allow you to book short (paid for) and longer (paid for) time slots to allow for learning co-operative care in the office or salon setting. BUT this process needs to 100% start at home with you, the owner.
Co-operative care is about giving your dog choice and control. Yes, you read that right. Choice and control. You might be asking yourself how in the world will giving your dog choice and control lead to the dog allowing something to be done to them they want absolutely nothing to do with. The answer is simple. We teach them there is a benefit to choosing to allow the action to be done. We teach them that we will respect their decision to be done for the moment or the day and will pick back up at another time. Through doing this we teach them to trust us and that their comfort during the process matters and this teaches them to learn to relax and even enjoy the process. If you do this when they are young it is much easier. However it can be taught at any age and just takes time, patience, a trainer that is willing do teach and guide you through this process and a groomer and vet who is onboard. If you have a dog who has been struggling in these areas, please reach out and I will be happy to help you with this.
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