Grooming Anxiety: Top 5 Tips to Calm Your Pet
In our years of experience, we’ve come to understand the simple fact that not all pets love their grooming experiences. And hey, that’s okay! But it’s true - all pet owners must understand that grooming is necessary for all pets. One of the most common feelings for pets to experience upon visiting the groomer is anxiety. Pets get nervous and anxious, just like us humans. With our years of experience at Shear Standards of Grooming, we want to share some tips and tricks on how you can help your pet calm themselves for their next visit to the groomer.
Begin Grooming Young
One of the best ways to help your pet avoid anxiety with their grooming visits is to prepare them from a young age for the grooming experience. Most pets will get their first groom between the ages of 8 and 12 weeks old once they have their vaccinations. When you can start grooming your pets at a young age, it will help them bond with us as groomers. They will quickly learn that grooming isn’t scary - it’s a fun and relaxing experience at the pet spa!
Stay Calm
It’s no secret that pets can mirror the stress levels of their owners. If you can remain calm about the grooming experience and give your pets a calming touch, use a relaxing voice, and find calming sounds like music, you are setting your pet up for success.
There are other options to help your nervous pets stay calm before a grooming experience. A variety of pheromones and aromatherapy options are available for you to try. Many pet owners combine aromatherapy with massage. Professional pet massage services are available, as well as at-home massage therapy options for pets.
Prepare Them for the Day
While pets don’t keep a calendar, they seem to understand when it’s time to visit the groomer. One of the best ways to help prepare your anxious pet for a grooming appointment is to give them plenty of exercise before the visit. A day full of exercise and adventure can be just what your pet needs to curb their nerves. You can opt for an extra long walk, lots of chasing the ball, a good run, or maybe a few hours playing with other pets. The added exercise helps them burn off the anxiety and allows them to arrive feeling calm at the groomer.
Positive Reinforcement
Whether we want to accept it or not, some pets just don’t like grooming! The next best option to help them through the grooming experience is to offer positive reinforcement. You know your pet best, but let us, as groomers, help with this, too. If we work together to reward them with high-value treats, verbal praise, and gentle petting whenever they are calm and collected throughout the grooming process, you can make the association that there is a positive reward when they remain calm.
Troubleshoot The Anxiety
If none of these options help calm your pet’s grooming anxiety, there may be other reasons for your pet’s emotions. Is it possible that your pet is afraid of car rides? Maybe being around other animals is causing unnecessary stress. It’s possible that your pet is in some sort of pain or has generalized anxiety. None of these are major problems when it comes to grooming - they all simply need to be handled differently than other pets, and other grooming options may be better than visiting the pet salon. We will do what we can as groomers to help troubleshoot these concerns.
Work with Your Groomer
Some pets are more anxious - and that’s okay. They most likely aren’t afraid of your groomer. When you work with our professionals at Shear Standards of Grooming, understand that we are prepared to work with them and accommodate their needs to take care of their groom without extra stress. It is our number one priority to keep your pet happy and healthy.