Grooming a dog is a necessary factor of owning one. However, some obstacles arise when dealing with a nervous dog. Such dogs can be really hard to groom and would often result in them becoming unclean. Fortunately, professional dog trainers and groomers know how to handle such dogs.
The well-known dog trainer Cesar Millan recently worked with a nervous dog. Chloe is a nightmare for groomers, and her owners had no idea how to handle her. Cesar made sure to bring Chloe and her owner to this facility to demonstrate a solution.
Chloe had several issues that stem from her nervous behavior. Aside from her poor social skills, she's very stingy when being groomed. The owner has given up on grooming services and opted to do the job herself. However, every time she does it, Chloe tries to bite her.
Cesar proceeded with the grooming by readying the electric shaver. Chloe tried to hide her paw, but Cesar held it. The dog resisted and growled, but Cesar didn't let go of the paw.
According to the trainer, once a behavior pattern is recognized, an owner must persist and wait for a different outcome. In the case of Chloe, Cesar waited for her to calm down before he started shaving her paw. This is a principle that Cesar says applies to many dog behavior issues.
It was the owner's turn to groom Chloe and follow Cesar's lead. To her surprise, Chloe only resisted once. After that, she allowed her to continue shaving her paw. Cesar even joked that the owner could open a grooming salon for difficult dogs.
The owner's sister also tried to replicate what Cesar did. Again, there was no protest coming from the dog. The experience is very different compared to their past attempts.
Video courtesy of DABL via YouTube.