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This is the most difficult and time consuming page to write of them all.
This is a truly sensitive topic for pet owners and people working in
the pet industry.
I am honest and plain speaking and pray this will not offend.
I will say it plainly so there can be NO misunderstanding.
I will personally and professionally guarantee that in our salon your pet will
NOT BE:
 | Slapped |
| Punched |
| Kicked |
| Pinched |
| Choked |
| Hung |
| SEDATED |
AT NO TIME WILL YOUR PET BE IN DANGER. Animals get stressed by
grooming. Not every dog likes it. Some do not co-operate, and
honestly, some are just plain mean.
But we will not HURT your dog!
HOWEVER
This does not mean we are CHEW TOYS! We do not allow dogs to attack us.
Period. I am tired of hearing...
| Sometimes Fluffy gets a little nippy but it doesn't really hurt. |
| Fluffy doesn't like it when... |
| Fluffy bites when I take food from him. |
| Fluffy thinks he OWNS... |
| Why can't dogs be EQUAL to us? (my personal favourite!) |
| Fluffy growls at me when... |
Is your dog dominant?
You may have a dominance issue with your dog if he:
| Resists obeying well-known commands. |
| Won't move out of your way when required. |
| Nudges your hand, mouths your arm, or insists on being petted or played
with—in other words, he "orders" you to obey. |
| Defends food, toys, or other objects from you. |
| Growls or bares teeth under any circumstances. |
| Resists handling by you, the veterinarian, or the groomer. |
| Gets up on furniture without permission and won't get down. |
| Snaps at you. |
What to Do If You Recognize Signs of Dominance in Your Dog
If you recognize the beginning signs of dominance aggression in your dog,
consult an animal behavior specialist immediately. Avoid using any form of
physical punishment on your dog. Getting physical with a dominant dog may cause
the dog to intensify his aggression, posing the risk of injury to you.
If your dog has shown signs of dominance aggression, take the following
precautions to ensure the safety of your family and others who may encounter
your dog:
| Avoid situations that bring out the aggressive behaviour. |
| Back off and use "happy talk" to relieve the intensity of situations in
which your dog acts aggressively. |
| Supervise, confine, and/or restrict your dog's activities as necessary,
especially when children or other pets are present. |
| Use a head halter or muzzle to help control your dog when you're outdoors.
Brand names of head halters include Gentle Leader, Promise Collar, or Halti. |
| When you're indoors with your dog, control access to parts of the home by
using baby gates or by crating your dog. You can also use a cage-type muzzle,
head halter, or leash for control purposes—but do so only when you can closely
supervise your dog. |
Dominance aggression problems are unlikely to go away
without your taking steps to resolve them. Because dominant-aggressive dogs can
be potentially dangerous, treatment of dominance aggression problems should
always be supervised by an animal behaviour specialist.
Becoming the Leader of the Pack
Use the following techniques—none of which require a physical confrontation
with your dog—to help you gain some control over your dog and establish yourself
as the "pack leader":
| Spay or neuter your dog to reduce hormonal contributions to aggression.
Understand that, after a mature animal has been spayed or neutered, it may
take time for those hormones to clear from the body. In some cases,
long-standing behaviour patterns may continue even after the hormones or other
causes no longer exist. |
| Use a training technique called "Nothing In Life Is Free" to establish
your leadership in a safe, non-confrontational way. This technique requires
your dog to "work" for everything he gets from you. Have your dog obey at
least one command (such as "sit") before you pet him, give him dinner, put on
his leash, or throw him a toy. If your dog doesn't know any commands or
doesn't perform them reliably, you'll first have to teach him, using positive
reinforcement techniques, and practice with him daily. (For complete guidance
on this technique, see "Nothing In Life Is Free: A Training Technique for
Dogs.") You may need to seek professional help if, after two or three weeks of
working on a command, your dog does not obey each time you ask. |
| Don't feed your dog people food from the table and don't allow begging. |
| Ignore barking and jumping up. |
| Don't allow your dog on the furniture or your bed unless invited to do so
by you, because this is a privilege reserved for leaders. If your dog growls
or snaps when you try to remove him from the furniture, use a treat to lure
him off. Otherwise, try to limit his access to your bed and/or furniture by
using baby gates or a crate, or by closing doors. |
| Always remember to reward appropriate behaviour. |
| Consult your veterinarian about acupuncture, massage therapy, or drug
therapy. Your veterinarian may prescribe the temporary use of medication to be
used in conjunction with behavior modification. |
| Consider enrolling your dog in a training class. This may help establish a
relationship between you and your dog in which you give commands and he obeys
them. Be sure to choose a trainer who uses positive reinforcement methods.
Understand that obedience classes alone, however, won't necessarily prevent or
reduce dominance aggression. |
Here is our Discipline Policy...If your dog attacks us the following steps
are taken:
| Hold by chin, eye contact and a firm "NO!" |
If it continues, we try again a couple of times. If it Escalates:
| If he is acting out of fear we will use a muzzle and reassurance. |
| If he acting out of dominance we may muzzle, or use the alpha roll
technique.
(We (We do NOT reassure a dog with dominance issues this merely reinforces and rewards the behaviour!) |
And yes, we really do know the difference between fear-based and dominance
aggression!
Here is a great resource for the different types of Dog Aggression
http://mendocinohumane.org/html/aggressive.html
What is the Alpha Roll? It is a technique where the dominant pet is
placed in a submissive position on his back and then eye contact is held until
he relaxes and looks away.
Here's a great article by a Westie Breeder with TONS of
experience with an exceptionally spirited breed.
http://westiewisdom.westieworld.com/alpha_roll.html
The Alpha Roll while controversial is the only option available to groomers,
because we are not in your home every day we cannot take away his favourite
cookie or alter his behaviour using any of the above modification techniques. We have to
be boss, and we will NOT tolerate being attacked.
This does not hurt your
dog, maybe his feelings, but ask yourself this...
"Is Fluffy's right to bite
more important than a safe working environment for my staff?
More important than my hands being the TOOLS that I need in order to
earn an income and provide for my family?
After so many years in the grooming industry and our arms and hands (and
faces) covered
with a spiderweb network of scars...
    
 
  
A little bit of training and discipline at home can prevent
this at our salon.
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