Biting and grooming

[jasper_boy]

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[Holly Berry]

How confident are you about grooming her yourself? I do mine and at the beginning they were a bit rough and ready but you soon get the hang of it. That way you would be able to reassure her and yourself.

There is a good clipping guide on here http://www.cockersonline.co.uk/discuss/index.php?topic=32160.0

[HeatherandBenjy]

I think that if your groomer is planning to muzzle Piper, then that needs some planning! 

Muzzles need to be introduced carefully and the dog rewarded for wearing them, (in much the same way as you've got Piper used to having her ears brushed). Otherwise all that is going to happen is that Piper will associate the muzzle with something scary and she may well start to object to having the muzzle on. This in turn could be a real issue if you ever really need to muzzle her, for example if a vet wanted to check her ears......

I agree with you that it would be far better for Piper to learn that being groomed is a good thing. I clip most of ours at home and sometimes go to our groomers for a 'tidy up' - luckily our groomer is a good friend and I stay with them. I would be horrified if she or anyone else muzzled one of my dogs without my permission.

Well done by the way for taking Piper on and being so patient to work through her fears. 

[clairep4]

TTouch can be really good for this kind of issue as you go at the dog's own pace and can teach them to be much more accepting of handling. Where are you based? If you let me know I may be able to recommend someone (I know of a trainee practitioner who is also a dog groomer and uses lots of TTouch when grooming clients' dogs, she's had some real success with dogs that have previously been really snappy and snarly about grooming, and she owns a cocker!).

[bluegirl]

Maybe ask the groomer what her intentions would be if you left her. I have some who visit me for a groom and they can be quite snappy, like you say its usually to do with feet, ears or back end. I don't insist anyone stays or goes, thats up to them and I'll work round them but I did have one boy who objected to being groomed and at one point his family had a very poorly relative so I suggested on this occasion they drop him off and I'd see what he was like without his mum for back up. He was a different dog without her, it was the first session in quite a few where he just put up with me grooming all his usual "touchy bits". Now she always leaves him with me.