Barking at the Groomers

[Apricot]

5 month old Olive had her second groom yesterday.  The groomer did a great job on her summer cut, however the groomer told me that after the groom was completed she barked the whole time until I picked her up.  So about 45 minutes of solid loud barking, and wouldn’t settle down.  This happened on her previous groom too.

I’ve been taking dogs to groomers over the past 11 years, and have never experienced this

.
Personality wise, she is a bit nervous around strangers.  Shy I suppose, but very friendly once she gets to know you.  And she doesn’t bark at home.

Has anyone experienced this, and what did you do to fix the problem?

 

What do I do?  I've got about 5 weeks until I take her to the groomers again.
 

[RuralPug]

Did the groomer say what sort of barking? Excited? Bored? Demanding? Anxious? It really makes a difference why before you try curb barking as the best way to stop barking is to remove the trigger mechanism.

Since the groomer said that it was while she was waiting to be picked up - I'm thinking that it is more than likely crate barking - all you need to do to stop that is get her used to being in a crate, so that she feels relaxed and safe and can watch the goings on.   Google "positive crate training" or "crate training games". This will also help her at the vets, during long trips, if workmen need the street door open etc.etc.etc.

The other possibility is a bit of separation anxiety. If that is the case, you need to work through it with her. If she is allowed to have a favourite blanket or toy with her while crated, that may help, but do check with the groomer first and make sure that her toy or blanket is firmly labelled as hers - groomers are busy enough without having to keep track of extra objects! 

[Rascalmyshadow]

5 months old is just a baby, at this age she really should be groomed by appointment and not made to sit in a cage for too long in a strange environment.

 

I would asked your groomer if you can bring her in at a set time when they are ready to start her straight away, then organise for them to ring you as soon as she's finished, as she gets older slowly increase the time she is left there once groomed, if the groomer won't be accomodating I would find someone that is.

[Roova]

If there is a short period of time she is expected to be in a crate can you leave her with a stuffed kong or a safe chew item so she's occupied and not just wanting out?

[Apricot]

Thank you for your replies.  You've confirmed what I was thinking, and that I'm on the right track.  That she's young, anxious, needs some crate training and a nice gentle introduction to the grooming environment.

 

The groomer told me to get a professional trainer in.  Implying that I can fix this at home and she will be "fixed" by the time the next groom comes around.  The problem I saw with that was, how do I fix the barking at the groomers if the dog doesn't do it at home.

 

I think I'm tempted to find a new groomer who can work with me doing what Rascalmyshadow said.

3 hours ago, Rascalmyshadow said:

I would asked your groomer if you can bring her in at a set time when they are ready to start her straight away, then organise for them to ring you as soon as she's finished, as she gets older slowly increase the time she is left there once groomed, if the groomer won't be accomodating I would find someone that is.

 

She starts obedience in 2 weeks time, then after that course we start a prep course for agility which includes crate training.  I am hoping that this will give her a bit more confidence when in strange situations.

[Two Best Dogs!]

Can't hurt to start the crate training now but also i like rascal's idea, find a groomer who can accommodate you. eg. Thyme's very first time he was sooking and barking a bit, so he got moved into the crate with my other dog to help calm him down. It was a new situation, at 4 months old, he couldn't be expected to be calm the way he would be at home. Even at 5 months...wouldn't say anything wrong with him, just that he is a baby in a new location. Of course will cry  

 

But now at one year, I had to leave him at 9am for an 11:30am booking and he was quiet and calm both when i left and arrive. (They did of course let him out for some cuddles and a wee). But I wouldn't expect him to be so calm now when at 4 months through to 6 months he was a vocal little crate boy! 

[Rascalmyshadow]

If the groomer told you to get a professional trainer that would be a huge red flag for me and I would not go back, there is nothing wrong with your dog, vet clinics, groomers etc can be very scary places not just for puppies but older dogs as well. 

 

A good professional groomer would know that and work to make your dog as comfortable and stress free as possible not have a whinge about it barking and then blame the owner.

 

If you can, find a place that has no more than two people working (usually a groomer and bather) even better if there is only one doing it all, the more people working there the more your puppy is likely to be (man)handled by multiple people which is often quite stressful.

 

Make sure they do not cage dry, leaving a cold wet dog shut in a cage with a hot drier blowing on it is cruel and dangerous.

At this age they shouldn't be using any form of restraints either, so if you can question them about that.

 

The other thing which helps get puppies used to being groomed is going in once a fortnight just for a bath and dry (and face/feet trim) without the haircut, they tend to become accustomed to the handling, cages, noises etc. a lot quicker.

 

If you go somewhere and you feel uneasy or your gut instinct tells you something isn't right don't leave your dog.

 

The way I worked when I was grooming was any young puppy, frail/very elderly, blind or highly stressed dogs would be done as appointments and I would schedule them around the dogs that were dropped off in the morning and picked up in the afternoon.

[Dogsfevr]

I disagree plenty of groomers can suggest a trainer because they see more issues than an owner may see,I say good on any groomer who suggests help & good on the groomer for being very honest & not lying about things & alerting the owner to a behaviour that there not aware off.
The groomer was right in implying the OP can help train the dog ,the dog isn't crated at home so its a behaviour they haven't had to deal with but something they can certainly work with at home very easily & make the dog feel much happy .Most vets are grateful for dogs that are crate trained if the dog is in for the day .

What to do i agree talk with the groomer & ask about booking a time slot where you drop off & pick up once finished .If you have used this groomer for a long time without issues i would presume there is enough off a relationship to talk that over .If its not something there happy to work with then finding another place would be a good start

It sounds like this dog was fine until crated ,so ideally crate training should have happened as soon as .The more work owners dog the easier it is for the dog ,most groomers will try BUT many premises by council regs have a noise restriction to there license ,the barking makes it hard to hear the phone & can set other dogs off

[Rascalmyshadow]

The reason I said blaming the owner and telling them they need a trainer is something I disagree with is due to the dogs age, the op's dog is not doing anything unusual or out of the ordinary for such a young puppy, if this was an adult it would be different.

Oh and I never said the op couldn't help the dog by crate training it at home.

 

At only the second visit and knowing the pup barked constantly the first time, the right thing for the groomer to have done would have been to call the owner as soon as the dog was finished, and tell the owner this when the dog was admitted so they were expecting the call, not leave the dog clearly upset in a cage.

 

 

Edited January 28, 2018 by Rascalmyshadow

[Dogsfevr]

And the op new it did it the first time so both parties could have addressed this issue ,maybe the OP couldn’t pick the dog up either ,either way this groomer has been honest ,the dog barks ,they could say nothing at all then it would be a post of the groomer never told me my dog barks so it’s seems there in a no win situation.

Age means nothing ,any dog savvy person can tell future issues even at that age ,so I see no issue in the groomer suggesting a course of action for the dogs sake surely that is what matters .

And yes I’m a groomer and very honest to clients about any issues big or small being noted so the owner is aware and plans/strategy’s considered .

 

[Rascalmyshadow]

Yep and I've been grooming for a very long time and am no novice by a long shot,, I am very honest and straight out with clients however clearly this owner is addressing the issue as they stated so not sure why there is a need for a trainer, the dog needs time, patience and good experiences at the groomers.

 

I have worked with and met enough groomers, vets, nurses etc in the animal industry and way too many of them have little patience, instead of helping clients and their dogs/cats etc they are quick to point the finger and blame the owner for not doing the right thing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Apricot]

 

 

12 hours ago, Dogsfevr said:

And the op new it did it the first time so both parties could have addressed this issue

Please don't suggest I have done nothing inbetween the first and second groom. The first time I took Olive to the groomer she was with my other dog.  The groomer told me that Olive fretted when she was separated from my other dog and that is why she was barking.   She was about 14 weeks old at the time.  This time I sent the puppy on her own so that she wouldn't see Peaches on the grooming table and frett.  Obviously that didn't work though.  In that instance I did what the groomer suggested.

 

12 hours ago, Dogsfevr said:

maybe the OP couldn’t pick the dog up either ,either way this groomer has been honest ,the dog barks ,they could say nothing at all then it would be a post of the groomer never told me my dog barks so it’s seems there in a no win situation.

I don't think anyone was suggesting that the groomer should not have told me she was barking.  It was obvious that she was barking, I could hear her.  It more that the groomer is unwilling to work WITH me and the puppy.  Funny thing is I CAN pick my puppy up before and after appointments.  However this groomer has strict drop off and pick up times.  All dogs are dropped at 8am and picked up at 12.  And in the afternoon session all dogs are to be dropped off at 1pm and picked up at 5pm.   And it is because of this inflexibilty, I can't see this grooming practice being the right place for my puppy, (it's fine for my older dog) until the puppy is properly comfortable with being groomed and being crated.   And to get her comfortable with grooming I am going to find a groomer that has less waiting time for the dog.  

 

Thank you everyone for your help.  Reading everyones suggestions has made it clear to me what actions to take.