No Sedated Dogs!

We have all heard of That Dog. The one that maybe lives next door and never has a very pretty hair cut. The one that gets way too long before being shaved way down. The one that screams bloody murder for being brushed. The one that turns into Cujo when it’s nails or feet are touched. That dog that has been kicked out of every salon in the area and now must go to their vet twice a year for a fully sedated groom. We might have thoughts like “Well the groomer clearly didn’t try hard enough,” “All dogs can be trained!,” or “You just need to find the right groomer!”

The truth is that by the time a dog is to the point of a sedated groom, the groomers have tried many, many, many times. They have tried different times, different techniques, different frequencies for grooming. They have tried using different tools. They have tried getting assistance. They have tried grooming when there are no other dogs in the salon. They have tried having their coworker groom the dog since sometimes dogs and people just don’t click for many reasons. If they are a good groomer, they have likely tired more things than you can think of trying to gain this dog’s trust and find that one magical key to getting them groomed. And while most dogs can indeed be retrained for grooming with time and patience, many will also need a little extra medical help in order to get there. That is where sedation comes in.

“Sedation” can be anything from a mood altering medication like Prozac to help lessen anxiety to Trazadone which, while it is an antidepressant, has the benefit of making dogs sleepy, to Acepromazine which can tranquilize an animal for 6-8 hours. Sedation can even include full anesthesia at the veterinarian’s office. It all depends on the dog. A dog who is just scared might benefit from the Prozac or Trazadone. A dog who is full on aggressive might need the Acepromazine or full anesthesia.

At TLC Pet Services, we have decided that we will not groom any dogs who take any prescribed medications for the sole purpose of grooming. If your dog takes Prozac on a daily basis for general anxiety, that is acceptable since you are likely to already know any possible side affects and can let us know about them. If your dog takes Tramadol for pain and they end up sleepy, we don’t want you to not give it, but we might ask you to ask your vet about changing the dose on a groom day to avoid the sleepies. Daily medications, even if they are or can be used for the purposes of altering moods and sedation, are okay as long as you let us know what they take, when they often take it, and any side affects you have noticed. We don’t want anyone skipping daily meds just to get groomed after all!

The reason we do not groom sedated dogs is safety. While many, many groomers out there will groom sedated dogs, the risks often far outweigh the benefits. Every dog reacts differently to drugs. Some dogs will seem sleepy and woozy but then snap and become extra violent, lashing out without giving any warning signs. They might loose any bite inhibition they have, resulting in worse injuries for the groomer or even for themselves. Some dogs will fight through the sedative, causing the unpredictable behaviors. They might suddenly start thrashing around, trying to escape from the grooming loops and table, resulting in injuries to themselves and their groomers. There are heavier sedatives out there that might be prescribed if others have not worked. These can cause the dog to be completely aware of what is going on but be unable to react to the stimuli. How scary would it be for you if you were terrified of a vacuum cleaner and someone then gave you a drug, waited for it to kick in, then started vacuuming around you? You are 100% aware of the noise and the sensation. You are still terrified. But, you can’t do anything about it. You are not likely to react well next time someone brings a vacuum near you while you aren’t sedated!

Without professionally trained staff and equipment to monitor even lightly sedated dogs, we will have no way of knowing if your dog is staggering on the table because the medication is working or if it is because they are experiencing a medical emergency. The signs of a heart attack, seizure, or breathing problem might be reduced or not even present because the sedative is masking them. By the time the signs are clear, it might be too late for your pet. Even if we are fortunate to see the signs early on, we still have to rush your dog from the salon, to our cars, and then to the nearest vet who can help us. It will take a minimum of 5 minutes to get to the vet. Those 5 minutes could mean the difference between a healthy recovery and one with complications or even the death of the pet.

Even if your pet does not experience a medical emergency under sedation (which is most likely to be the case), their behavior can be a challenge. A sedated dog is a wobbly dog. They sway and stagger. They might randomly fall over. They move unpredictably. It is much more likely that your dogs is going to step into our clippers or shears and receive an accidental nick or cut. They might end up with bumps and bruises from accidentally staggering toward the edge of the table and stepping off. It is much, much harder to achieve a decent groom on a head that is always lolling to one side or the other. It is also much, much more dangerous to groom a lolling head as an eye might suddenly be where the shears are supposed to be!

So what should you do if your pet needs sedation for a groom? Talk to your vet! Not every office will provide sedated grooming but they will likely know which offices in the area do. Depending on how bad the dog is for grooming, some vets will provide fully sedated shave downs even if they do not provide regular grooming services. They are not pretty grooms but they are functional!

We never want to reach a point where we have to dismiss your dog from our salon. It causes us as much distress as it causes you! However, if we ever tell you that you need to talk to your vet about a sedated groom, please remember that we have your pet’s best interest at heart. We want them to be safe and happy. We hope that with time, effort, and retraining, they can reach a point where they can come back to see us in the future!

The Importance of Training

Today’s post is an important one but it will branch away from grooming just a little bit. While we are a grooming salon, both Stacey and I have worked in other aspects of the pet care industry. We have seen how these different aspects affect a dog in the grooming salon so every now and again, we will drift ever so slightly away from purely grooming to other topics related to pets.
Today I would like to talk a little bit about training. Not grooming training but training in general. There have been many, many movies in the last few years starring gorgeous and well trained dogs. Lady and the Tramp, Togo, Max, A Dog’s Purpose, A Dog’s Way Home, and Alpha are just a few recent titles. There is no question that we love our dogs in all aspects of our lives, including our entertainment! So much so that there is even a website called “Does The Dog Die?” which allows you to see if any animals are harmed in the plot of a movie in case you tend to get super upset about those things! We are also very fortunate to live near Purina Farms where you can go watch all manner of dog events from breed specific shows to agility trials to herding trials and even the Purina Incredible Dog Challenge!


When we watch these highly trained canine actors and athletes, it is only natural to think, “Wow! I want my dog to be just like that!” I, myself, have long dreamed about having a dog or dogs capable of doing agility, dock diving, barn hunt, bikejoring, carting, and even antler hunting. Watching these dogs then looking at the dogs we share our homes with, it is also very common to think, “Well. You will never be like that,” as Rex runs across the living room with yet another one of your hiking boots or yesterday’s mail!

The good news is that while Rex might never live up to the image of Diesel, the dog who played Togo in Disney’s recent movie of the same name, it is entirely possible for Rex to still be a very well rounded dog! Even Diesel had to start somewhere. It all starts with basic obedience training!


As a former trainer, I can tell you that basic obedience is far more than Sit and Stay. Yes, your dog will learn basic skills like leash walking, sit, stay, come, drop it, and leave it in most classes but this learning is having a far greater affect on your dog than you might realize. These skills seem so easy to us but they are giving your dog a huge confidence boost! Most dogs love to make their people happy. When you have that “Ah ha!” moment and your dog sits on cue, you are excited and happy which in turn makes your dog happy! You are happy because suddenly your dog is paying attention to you and doing what you ask! What happens when you are happy with your dog? You interact with them more! Maybe before classes you were afraid to take them for a walk beyond your own neighborhood. Maybe you were too worried about their lack of attention to you to take them on a hike. The thought of going someplace like Buchheit, Lowes, or Home Depot (all of which are dog friendly!) was just terrifying! Now YOU also have the confidence to take your dog out into public, exposing them to a bigger world and thus making them more confident individuals.


If you can, it is always worth going beyond Level One classes. Most trainers will start with the bare basic necessities like the sit, stay, and come which are skills every dog needs in their every day lives to keep them safe. Beyond that, they might offer workshops on advanced leash walking techniques. There might be a Level Two class where you start learning to add distance to cues. Progressing to a Level Three is usually a prep class for a Canine Good Citizen test. This test is offered through the AKC. Passing the test means your dog is a well rounded canine citizen who is reliable in a variety of situations. They can then progress to passing the advanced levels, Community Canine and Urban Canine Good Citizen. Is it necessary to take your dog’s training to this level? No. Is it fun and rewarding to see your psycho little nut of a puppy train through all the levels and turn into a well rounded adult dog? Yes!

So what connection does basic obedience have with grooming? Why is this a subject we feel is important? It isn’t just because training still has a huge spot in my heart! It isn’t because my poor, long suffering Shaak Ti ends up trying thing after thing after thing because I want to. (Don’t worry. She loves trying and learning new things! Except Barn Hunt. Rats are apparently scary. She didn’t like that. She is never pushed into anything she doesn’t want to do!) Training and trying new things helps your dog gain confidence. Nervous dogs blossom. Shy dogs start to come out of their shells. Over the top energetic dogs learn self control. Uninterested dogs suddenly start paying attention. On the grooming table, a dog who has had training will be more likely to understand that something is expected of him and he needs to be patient while he figures out the process instead of freaking out and jumping around. A dog who has had training is more likely to calmly accept something different. They tend to adopt a curious yet Been There, Done That type of attitude. Does it mean that every Canine Good Citizen will automatically love and accept every part of the grooming process? No! Shaak Ti still hates having her feet messed with as a result of both just not caring for it and a painful foot injury. However, instead of struggling to get away, she whines a bit, maybe pulls the foot that got injured away a bit, but accepts that it will happen and be over soon.


Age doesn’t matter either. At the age of 7 years old, Shaak Ti is now learning to pull a wagon. She has also learned to run with a Kickbike scooter recently and will soon learn to run ahead and pull it (hopefully). If you got a puppy for Christmas, now is the prime time to start that basic training. If you adopted an older puppy or dog recently, even if they seem to know their basics already, that class will help you form a strong and lasting bond. There are even classes to teach tricks. Classes for competing in Rally Obedience. Classes for Dock Diving, Agility, and more. Training doesn’t have to just be sit and stay! Get out there with your dogs! You have nothing to lose and everything to gain even if you just stick with the basics!