Some days the schedule has one name on it, and that name gets the whole van to himself. Saturday was a Louie day.
Louie the Doodle
Louie was the only dog on the books today. Saturday is normally a day I do not groom at all. It is when I catch up on the website, the social media, all the parts of this business that are not dogs. His family had work stuff come up and nobody was going to be home, so we slid him to today instead. He had gone longer between grooms than he should have, and he needed it. When I got him up on the table I told the chat we were doing a nervous Louie today. That is exactly who showed up.
If you have followed Louie here before, you know he did not start out as an easy groom. Early on he was guarded and unsure, scared enough that he needed a muzzle for everyone’s safety, and getting him into the van took coaxing and a lot of patience. He was never a bad dog. He was a scared dog, and those are two very different things. I have written about him before as the dog who taught me the most, because every bit of trust he gives me he had to decide to give.
We started with his nails. He has been chewing on them, and he tried to tuck his feet away where I could not reach them, which is a move I know well by now. I told him I still needed them, and we ground the edges down one paw at a time. Lips checked next, and he gave the camera a good bloop for his trouble.
Then the hair inside his ears, trimmed with a 30 blade. Then the bath and the blow dry. He was warm in there, so I switched the air over to cool partway through, and he finished it off with one very good shake. That shake is my favorite sound in this job. It means the worst of it is behind us.
Here is the part I always watch for with Louie. When the nerves get to him, he pulls his legs in tight and folds himself down small, and you cannot groom a dog who has turned himself into a loaf. So we untuck, one leg at a time, and I keep telling him it is fine. Come on, untuck it. There you go. Today he came out of it, and by the end he was up on the table in a fresh bandana looking like a completely different dog than the one who walked in. Handsome boy. Such a cool boy.
The thing about nervous dogs is that they are usually the dogs who need the most work. Louie needs a full haircut every single time, and he is not built for that. It would be easier on both of us if he were. That is exactly why the patience is worth it. A dog who learns the table is safe comes back, and a dog who comes back on a real schedule is a dog I can actually keep healthy.
So if you have a puppy, or you are thinking about one, this is the argument for handling them early. Touch their feet. Touch their ears and their face. Get them used to being moved and maneuvered while it is still a game to them. It pays off for the rest of their life, and it is a whole lot easier than undoing a fear later.
One dog, one Saturday, and a very good boy who got through it. That is a good day’s work.
Until next time, my furry friends!
New to Vroom Grooms? Fill out the New Client Form to get started. I am booking new clients onto a waiting list right now, and I will reach out when a spot opens up. Already a current client? Text me at 419-315-4989 if you are not already booked out.
Catch the Action Live! Want to see these grooming transformations happen in real-time? Tune into the solo live stream over on Twitch at DogGroomerNicole. Whether we are tackling tricky coat conditions, working with different breeds and weight classes, or just enjoying some puppy cuddles, you can watch it all unfold straight from the van.
While you are watching from your laptop or desktop, please take a moment to click the link below the stream to learn more about Folds of Honor, a phenomenal charity we are incredibly proud to support.
See you all on the road!
About the Author
Nicole is the owner and certified groomer behind Vroom Grooms LLC, a mobile dog grooming service serving Northwest Ohio. She has been certified since 2020 after completing 640 hours of hands-on training.
This post was drafted with help from Nagini 🐍, her digital assistant, who keeps the blog running, handles the tech side of the website, and makes sure Nicole spends more time with dogs and less time wrestling with WordPress.