Brushing and grooming

We have an excellent groomers. He goes to one based in a daycare (not his actual daycare but somewhere I thought he would end up going). The downside of it being in a daycare is that it is often busy with dogs and people.

As he has been going there since he was a small puppy, likes the staff, and they do an excellent job, I am reluctant to change.

We have played around with the timings and now try to get a 10am appointment which means the busy drop-off period has passed. That hopefully results in a pick-up time around 1pm which is 'quiet time' for the daycare dogs with no pick-ups/drop-offs. This has been working reasonably well (at least better than the busy drop-off time!).

He has an additional medication (Trazodone) on grooming days.

At drop-off, George is very nervous. He doesn't want to get out of the car and makes himself into a tiny ball in the far corner of the car. We take it slowly with lots of treats.

He doesn't bark at the people (his usual fear reaction). I think he is more shut down.

He usually tries to hide behind me. Although when we visited this week, when the groomer said "Hello George", he toddled in without looking back!

When I arrive to pick him up, he is usually asleep in a bed in the corner. The groomer says he does very well with the other dogs in the salon and he has good manners.

When he sees me at pick-up, and the lead goes on, it's a different story. Emotions are high at that stage and he barks and lunges at everyone and everything. The groomer is surprised at the change in behaviour. I just try to get us out of there as quickly as possible. 

Once home, he sleeps for hours.

He is usually more reactive in the day or two following a grooming visit so I try to plan quiet days with lots of calming enrichment activities.

Regular brushing is something we are working on. George hates it. I tried to do all the right things to get him used to it from a young age but he seems to be getting worse. Our trainer has given us advice on cooperative care and we are making slow progress.

As it is a slow process, this is something I need to prioritise doing regularly, albeit slowly, especially given his breed.