Taking the Bite Out of Grooming

Every vocation has its risks. Carpenters can hammer their thumbs, arborists can fall out of trees, and the risks involved in police work and firefighting are obvious. Anyone that works with another species, though, has taken on a whole new category of peril.

Those of us who work with companion animals are not only prey to job-related dangers such as cuts from scissors, hearing loss, chemical exposure from aerosols, repetitive motion injuries and more–but the four-legged clients themselves can be dangerous.

The first step to understanding how not to get bitten is in understanding why a pet would bite. Take a moment to look at it from the pet’s point of view. Here they are, having a lovely morning begging at the breakfast table, when wham, they get popped in the car and told they are going to visit the groomer. When they arrive, we often try to lull them by speaking nicely and offering bribes. Then we put them up on a high table when we know perfectly well a fear of falling is common among dogs.

We poke and prod at them in very personal spaces, tug on hair, pinch their toes and stick things in their ears, and pour water all over them. As if that wasn’t enough, we blow air at them using horribly noisy machines, and then expect them to stand like statues while we commit more indignities with loud buzzing and sharp cutting objects all over their bodies. Is it any wonder some four-legged clients try to bite to tell us they don’t like it? The wonder is that more of them don’t.


Reading Body Language
To avoid getting bitten, become an expert on reading body language. The most important warning signals may come when the pet first arrives at the salon. The dog that arrives pulling its owner through the door, ears forward but relaxed, wagging and looking around, is likely to be fine.

The dog that seems stoic, stands tall, perhaps even on its toes, makes solid eye contact with you and has ears forward, possibly to the point that the top of the head is furrowed, could be trouble. This dog may also be wagging, but it will be a slow wag, with tail level or slightly below. These postures hint at dominance or even arrogance.

The dog that shows its teeth or growls is definitely trying to tell you something, although it is a myth that a dog will growl before biting. A growl may be used by a fearful animal to intimidate and allow them a chance to escape–a dog that wants to bite often will not verbalize at all before doing so. Fearful dogs can be by far the greater risk type.

Watch for a lowered head, sideways glances, tail between the legs (even if it’s wagging) and stiff posture. Raised hackles (hair on the spine) can simply mean excitement, but if they are raised all the way from neck to tail, watch out. Beware of a rigid posture, tight muscles in body and face, ears set back and/or tight against the head, or wide eyes, perhaps with whites showing.

Make sure you are aware of your own body language and the signals you may be sending to a dog. Leaning over the dog may make it easier to groom, but it can also be seen as a very threatening posture by some dogs–others have learned that our body language is often unreliable in reflecting our behavior, so they can ignore what would, in another dog, be taken as a challenge. It’s up to us to notice if a dog is being reactive to our unspoken communication and take appropriate action.


An Ounce of Prevention
Use caution with every dog, even if they seem fine and you have groomed them dozens of times. Anyone can have a bad day, and that includes pets. Always follow safety precautions–never kiss a dog or allow it to kiss you, and don’t put your face near theirs. Start at the back of an animal with any procedure–it’s safer to get an idea of their behavior from the end farthest from the teeth.


Know Your Client
Be aware of each animal’s comfort level and physical limitations. Manipulations comfortable for that slender poodle may be painful for the elderly or fat bulldog on the next table.


Be Confident & Patient
Exude a calm confidence. Dogs respect a leader. If a dog is becoming stressed, give it a break, even if it’s just a few minutes. Some time alone, a drink of water and a cookie will all help put the animal in a positive frame of mind. Often, you can pick that dog back up and complete the grooming as though there had never been an issue. Some groomers use Tellington-Touch or regular massage to relax an upset client. Keeping the environment tranquil and as quiet as possible will pay dividends in a calmer outlook–from staff as well as pets.


Caution with Cats
We tend to think of cats and dogs in the same way, but they are very different species. Unlike the dog, if you put a stressed cat in a cage for a relaxing timeout and go back in 20 minutes, you still have the exact same stressed out cat you had before–only now he’s had time to plot how to get back at you.

The best way to handle cat grooming is fast. Get them in and out of the salon as quickly as possible. Most cats seem to have a time limit on tolerating grooming that can vary from 30 seconds to an hour or more, but once the “I’m done” switch is flipped, you’d better have the grooming completed as the cat is not likely to relax again. Cats do not handle stress well, and it’s even possible for them to die from it, so avoid it as much as possible. It’s important to remember that not every cat can be groomed.

Many of the body language cues of dogs and cats are similar–for example, raised hackles or a stiff posture are a danger signal in both–but many are different, and a cat will escalate from apprehension to full attack mode in a heartbeat. In my opinion, cats are much more dangerous to groom than dogs–not only are they more likely to bite or scratch, if they do, the wound is much more likely to be serious. Cats are less likely to give a warning bite first, and their bites or scratches are more likely to become infected as cats carry more, and different, bacteria than dogs do.

One last tip on how not to get bitten: pay close attention to the owner. Practice active listening with new clients and ask questions when taking the animal in. If an owner tries to get between you and the dog as you greet it, or says, “Oh, he’s never bitten anyone!” before you have even asked, slow down and start asking questions.

Don’t be afraid to ask if the animal has ever bitten anyone, in or out of the grooming shop. Ask what the pet does when the owner brushes it–saying he gets “a bit nippy” is a giant red flag. In some states, if a dog bites you while being groomed and the owner had pertinent knowledge that they withheld from you, they can be held liable, so don’t be afraid to ask.

Carol Visser is a Nationally Certified Master Groomer and Certified Pet Dog Trainer. Formerly a pet product expert for PetEdge, she and her husband Glenn now own Two Canines Pet Services in Montville, Maine, which provides grooming, boarding, training and day care services to Waldo County.