CHALLENGING SITUATIONS
Managing Aggression
Grooming aggressive dogs requires significant experience and courage. To remain in control of the dog at all times, never take a lead off the dog until you have it tethered securly. Use a calm, controlled voice and touch. Do not rush the dog. Consider your safety and the safety of the dog. Know when to stop the groom. If other dogs or people are present, ensure everyone's safety. It is best practice to complete these dogs start to finish with the same groomer and relatively quickly. Try to not be interrupted when grooming an aggressive dog - you will need all your concentration on the dog. For a refresher on how to use restraining tools, look at the safety restraints section of igroomhub.
Watch Tingsha's progress over three years of grooming, which he is absolutely not a fan of. (7 videos)
Georgina and Raz get through a groom together managing slowly and sensibly what Raz will now tolerate in his older years (1 video)
Want to learn more on managing aggression?
These tutorials look at some of the ways groomers can approach dogs displaying aggressive behaviour during grooming.
For a deeper and more current look at what may be driving that behaviour, how dogs communicate discomfort and distress, and how we can respond before things escalate, head to Modern Principles of Behaviour-Informed Dog Grooming.
Modern Principles takes the conversation much further, with a dog-first approach to reading behaviour, recognising thresholds, building safer grooming experiences and making informed decisions about when and how to proceed.
