Does anyone know what might cause my dog to panic every time we take him to the groomer?

He could of had a bad experience like getting scared by a bigger dog, or the groomer could of accidentally hurt him. I would hope anyone who works with animals wouldn’t be abusive, but you never know these days. Maybe you could try another groomer and see if he has the same reaction.

Caeser Milan’s TV show probably has had an episode similar to this type of dog neurosis, or provide clues to the source of the malady.

If he was accidentally nicked or his skin pulled, that could cause such a reaction. The groomer should have told you about and worked on it.

What do they say?

If it was my dog and he was in that much distress, I would try switching groomers. I would also work on taking him into a groomers shop (probably a different one) but don’t have him groomed. Just be in there with him. Give him treats. Toss a ball if there is enough room. Then take him home. Repeat this step lengthening the visits.

Have the new groomer make friends with the dog, pet him, give him treats, but not groom him.

Work up to setting him on the grooming table. If the groomer uses electric tools, run the tool, but don’t groom him.

Return to clipping his bangs or nails gradually until he is comfortable with full grooming again.

Be patient and gentle with your dog.

In my experience, dogs just don’t change spontaneously so drastically. I would assume that your dog is reacting to something that happened there. Ask the groomer is if something happened that she/he is aware of, but in any case, if your dog’s reaction doesn’t improve, I would look for somewhere else.

My dog was always delighted to go to the vet’s for an appointment or for boarding so I was pretty sure he wasn’t being mistreated while there. My groomer would occasionally tell me that he hadn’t been happy at times while she was grooming him, but he never actively resisting going there. I would trust your dog.

Thanks everyone for the the advice!

@Marina good tip! I will try to find a groomer open on the weekend so I can just ease him into the grooming.

@janbb I always ask the groomer how the appointment went and always get a good report back, but like you said ”...dogs just don’t change spontaneously so drastically.”

I can do this “Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz” to my girl Ruby, and she’ll get all nervous. The noise alone creeps her out.

My Chumly, got a nicked thigh once…so he’s leery of the clipper anywhere near the back 1/2 of his body. But, other than that, their okay with going to the groomers now. (I used to do it myself pre-mommyhood)

I do tell them where we’ll be taking them ahead of time…including “making the noise” to help prepare them. Then, we praise the begeesus out of ‘em once their home!

Dogs are the most forgiving animal on the earth. Whatever happened, happened several times. I would look for a new groomer.

You did not mention if this started on the way, or only after you got there, that could also shed some light.

Sounds as if the groomer was unnecessarily rough or clipped something other than hair. Although it is hard to believe, there are some groomers that don’t like dogs. The dogs generally figure this out and misbehave, so the groomer feels justified in being harsh.

And no groomer in their right mind would tell you something had gone badly enough that your dog is scared to ever come back. That is an excellent way to lose a customer.

I would follow Marina’s advice.

My 15 year old Persian cat is as docile as a cat can be. We took her to a new groomer. The groomer called me the first time and said I would have to come back and hold the cat. She was giving them a problem. She had another groomer prior who stopped doing cats who had NO problem.

Anyway, the next time we brought the cat there, they told me they would try to groom her without me and call me if there was a problem. When they finally called, they said “Come get the cat. We won’t do her. She’s vicious”.

When I saw the cat, the groomer AND myself saw blood by her mouth. When I got home, I was able to see her tooth was broken. I called the groomer. She said “The cat must have banged her mouth”.

Anyway, long story short, I made the groomer pay the Vet bill. The cat is fine, now. The new groomers has NO PROBLEM! I feel there were MANY loud dogs at the old groomers which spoofed the cat and God knows how they mishandled the animal.

The first question I would ask is what kind of condition is the dog in when you take it to the groomer? If a dog is matted and you don’t want it clipped off, then you have to realize it is going to hurt the dog to get it brushed out. Also if it is matted badly, it can pull the hair when it is being clipped because the clipper blade has to slide between the mat and the skin. If you keep the dog in good condition and that means you can get a comb through it, just like you get a comb through your own hair, then I would agree, change groomers.

@rooeytoo It’s interesting you mention the matting. When we first got our dog we had a big back yard and he would get a few mats from playing in the dirt/mud, but the groomer never scared him then. Now we have no yard and I don’t think he has had a mat in nearly a year…. I think it’s time to try another groomer.

I agree with finding another groomer. It’s possible that the groomer capone has been going to has begun to ‘burn out”, and has less patience with him, which may make him uncomfortable going in. She/he may not have done anything really horrible to him, but if she/he rushes through the grooming, it could pull and pinch, and make him not enjoy it as much as he used to.

I don’t think I’d make a big deal with the new groomer tho. In my opinion, it would be just like making a big fuss when a toddler falls down. If you make a big fuss over it, he will cry for attention with every tumble.

I think you should interview some groomers, and maybe go into the shop to see how the interact with other dogs before scheduling an appointment. you can get a pretty good idea of how they are by the comfort level of the dogs you see them owrking on. If they are trembling and nervous, it may not be the best choice for Capone. But if they seem happy and confident, you may want to consider using theri services.

Ask your vet’s office if they can refer you to someone who has a reputation of being extra gentle with nervous dogs. Word of mouth is priceless in situations like this.

I owned a grooming service for 6 years, and when it was no longer fun for me, I got out of it. It’s hard to be patient when you are tired of what you are doing, and this could be the case with Capone’s present groomer.

@drClaw Incredibly cute dog. I just looked at the picture. My dog likes to go under the covers too.

@Marina so does mine! She lifts the blankets up with her nose, then burrows under and cuddles either next to my stomach or behind my knees! I have to roll over very carefully every night :)

Just to give an update, the last time we took our dog to the groomer was the day I wrote this question. When we got him back he was lethargic, the next day and today he has been acting normal (eating, drinking, playing), but has been shaking and acting jumpy (particularly around people). Anyway thanks everyone for your advice and needless to say we will not be going back to this groomer. I don’t want to out the groomer as being horrible because I am not 100% sure if it is really their fault, but if you live in the Seattle area and want to know who it is to avoid them send me a message and I will tell you.

That is very scary. Poor little pup. Something is very wrong. If he is still frightened, you might get some Rescue Remedy. I know it is available in Seattle.

maybe something that happened to him in the past and he doesnt want it to happen again