I would like to add what the dog OWNER should do to reduce this stress.

1) Do NOT allow your dogs to get matted then insist we must brush the coat out. Not matter how you look at it, brushing out mats HURTS!

2) Make sure your dog actually GOES to the bathroom before coming in to the shop. I understand the nervous pee-pee or a scared poopy, but when your dog comes in and after less then 1 minute's time has to pee an ocean or leave a cow flop, I KNOW the dog was not walked. And YES, re washing and drying take time.

3) TRAIN your dog! Train them on a leash, make sure they know that a cage is not a bad thing, USE the brush at home. These things help them deal with the stress of being groomed.

4) Do NOT press us for time. It you want us to get the job done safely then you can't be asking "What time?" every hour. This is probably the biggest gripe of groomers. VERY, VERY few people allow us the time it takes to get the job done without stress.

I try to do my job to the best of my ability, with the understanding that this is someone's beloved pet. But how many hundreds of times have I not been able to get Fifi's face perfect because she fought me tooth and nail and then have Fifi's owner have the gaul to tell me she is uneven. Have some REAL expectaions!

Enough said.......