aggressive pets

Pets can show aggression for a number of reasons. Sometimes it’s due to lack of socialization or training. Other times, aggression is caused by fear. Pets visiting the groomer often feel afraid. This is especially true for pets that have never been groomed.

At Claws N Paws Day Spa, we’ve seen a lot of fear-based aggression in pets. Sometimes, we can alleviate a pet’s fear by avoiding certain aspects of the grooming process such as kennels and dryers. However, there are other times when pets are simply too afraid to be groomed.

Fear-Based Aggression Puts Pets And Their Groomer At Risk

Pets that show fear-based aggression put themselves and their groomer at risk. These pets will bite and scratch relentlessly until they are able to get away from the situation causing them fear. Unfortunately, this isn’t ideal in a grooming salon. Once free, pets can become injured by falling from tables or colliding with other pets.

While our groomers might attempt to groom an aggressive pet, there is always the possibility that the stress and danger become too great and grooming cannot be completed. At this point, we will have no choice but to send them home. This might mean sending pets home with half a haircut or partially bathed. The safety of your pet is our first concern.

It is strongly recommended that aggressive pets be taken to their vet for grooming. Veterinarians are used to dealing with fear-based aggression and know how to safely sedate pets so that they do not pose a risk to themselves or others. While this might cost more than taking your pet to the grooming salon, it’s safer for your pet.

Pets that show mild aggression can usually be trained to trust their groomer. Frequent visits to the grooming salon can help. Bringing your pet in for simple services such as nail trims and ear cleaning allows pets to adjust to the sights, smells, and sensations of being groomed. As pets learn to accept these services, more can be done. While this type of training won’t work for every pet, it does work for many.

Claws N Paws Day Spa offers humane grooming services. This means we WILL NOT put your pet’s health or safety at risk for any reason.

Why you Might Not Always Get What you Expect From Pet Grooming – Part One

There are many reasons why you might not always get exactly what you expect when you bring your pet to the groomer. It’s extremely important that you understand that your pet’s health and safety are our number one concern. We will never put either of these in jeopardy to create the perfect haircut.

Before dropping off your pet for grooming, please discuss your concerns with your groomer, but be prepared to listen to ours as well. Typically, if your groomer feels there will be a problem with grooming your pet, they will let you know. However, if you fail to provide valuable information that will affect the grooming process, then we can only do our best with what we have to work with.

Unfortunately, some things are out of our control. If you are not satisfied with your pet’s haircut please do not hesitate to let us know. Posting your concerns on social media does not allow us the opportunity to help you understand why your pet doesn’t look as you expected.

AGGRESSIVE PETS

Your pet might be the sweetest, gentlest animal at home. They may cuddle up with your children and other pets, and you might believe they would never hurt a fly. Please keep in mind that we see a very different side of your pet. Grooming can be stressful, especially if they only visit once or twice a year. Normally gentle pets can quickly become aggressive when scared or stressed.

There are two types of aggression. When a pet is scared, it will usually bite at hands or fingers. This is the type of behavior that warrants a muzzle and some patience on the part of the groomer. This is often seen in first time pets or pets that haven’t visited in a while. Sometimes these pets struggle so much that it makes it impossible to groom them. We will not allow a pet to become overly stressed just to finish their haircut. They will be sent home unfinished. TO PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING, ALL PETS SHOULD BE PROFESSIONALLY GROOMED EVERY 4-8 WEEKS.

The second type of aggression is when a pet deliberately bites at a face. This is not typical behavior for pets. Pets that pose a significant risk to themselves or our groomers CANNOT be groomed. This is for their safety and ours.

Click here to see part two of this post.