George had a groom this week - always a challenge.
I fretted about this one for a while. We couldn't get our usual 10am slot and we were a week or so later than ideal due to the holidays.
I try for the 10am slot as that avoids the busy drop-off (it's at a daycare) and pick-up is usually between 1-2pm which is quiet time for the daycare dogs (no drop-off or pick-up).
Unfortunately I could only get a 2pm appointment which means pick-up at around 5pm...peak daycare time and peak numbers of people and dogs.
There's a reception area and a ramp to get out to the car park. I worried how I was going to get George out.
I thought about carrying him (and running as fast as I can!) but he doesn't particularly like being picked up and I think being restrained would make him panic (he already has leash reactivity).
So my plan was to create as much distance as possible, and keep doing emergency u-turns until we could make a break for it. I fully expected George to be over-threshold.
For the last couple of grooms, George took Trazodone in addition to his normal meds. But we haven't been using this recently. Whilst it initially appeared to help a lot, it started to make him more anxious and restless.
Our vet behaviourist advised we could increase his daily Clonidine to provide extra support for grooming and vet visits.
With a 2pm appointment, the timing was tricky. George has his first dose in the morning which would have worn off by the end of his appointment, and possibly even by the beginning.
The VB explained that the extra dose can't be given midway through the day as there is a risk of low blood pressure.
It's fabulous to be able to access this advice through the WhatsApp group.
So it was either adjusting the timings to much later for the first and second doses, or getting up at 4:30am for a first dose of three. George is much calmer at home now and doesn't really need the early support so I thought the option of dosing later was better.
So George spent the morning without any situational medication for the first time in a long while (he still had his daily Fluoxetine).
He was definitely more energetic and playful which was nice to see. He didn't rest as much but was starting to rest later in the morning.
He did react slightly more to noises but nothing like he used to before medication. Although it was an unusually quiet morning so a little difficult to tell.
It got me thinking that perhaps I can ask about reducing his Clonidine dosage...although the increased rest he gets definitely helps him overall. I couldn't tell whether he was actually struggling to settle so I'll need to give this more thought and seek advice.
With the increased dose, he was sleepy by the time we left for the appointment.
He really didn't want to go in. He kept trying to get back in the car. I find this really difficult. Everything in his body language screamed that he didn't want to go in.
But, like the vets, it is essential. I struggle with how I can manage this process without breaking his trust. I want him to trust that I will listen to him.
I realise that lots of dogs are reluctant to go to the groomers. But it feels like it is particularly detrimental to making progress with anxious dogs when you are working hard on demonstrating to them that you have their back.
I don't know what the answer is. We took it slowly of course but I think we could have been there all day and George still wouldn't have wanted to go in.
We are working on cooperative care at home but we are still only using a soft brush and he finds his tail and paws difficult. I had tried to condition George to handling and the hairdryer from a young age. He had a puppy groom and a bath and tidy before progressing to a full groom. He had a positive association with the location as he was enjoying puppy school there at the time. I thought I had done all the "right" things.
I suppose it is like the happy vet visits and something I need to build up slowly again.
Once he saw his favourite groomer, he went in without too much fuss. They are very good with him.
There was a huge Leonberger dog (I think) the size of a pony just inside the door. George looked absolutely tiny beside him. He's never come across a dog that big before!
So that was drop-off done but pick-up was my main worry.
As expected, he was ready at 5pm. I had explained the situation and they kindly allowed me to pick him up a little later. We were incredibly lucky. We got out between other people and dogs without George seeing any of them. Somehow!
The groomer said she will arrange 10am appointments in future which is a big relief. Amazingly, at home we didn't run into any neighbours.
So something I was worried about for quite a while actually went pretty smoothly and George didn't go over-threshold (although he wasn't happy).
There's a lesson here I think! Whilst planning to minimise exposure to triggers is very helpful, there's no point worrying about what might happen. Easier said than done of course. At least George is looking smart with his new summer cut.