Just earlier this week a groomer in Vancouver was sued because the dog jumped off the table and the noose damaged it's trachea -- the trachea swelled up and suffocated it in the night.
Doesn't make me happy as a groomer -- I've seen how many dogs jump off tables when you are standing there trying to hold them. It's happened to me several times, and it's always unpredicatable. If we think a large dog is going to fall or jump off the table, we get someone to hold it or we groom it on the bench. But I've groomed dogs that suddenly leap off the table with the noose attached and hang themselves until we can get them back on the table. I had a border collie do it once, and none of us could even get near him to put him back on, he was trying to attack us. The noose eventually broke. It was very sudden, and certainly not predicatable. We were trying out a new noose and it did not release the dog like it should have.

Using a choke chain as a noose is just irresponsible, in my opinion, as things like this happen all the time. The noose should atleast have a CHANCE of coming off if the dog jumps or falls. We use choke chains as nooses in the tub, but the dog is not able to get over the tub edge. We will definatly use a leash around the belly to keep a dog standing. We would never do it for an older dog who can't help but sit -- for that we will get extra help. But for a dog that is just being a pain, not standing and moving it's feet off the table, a leash around the belly is definatly encouragement -- it isn't going to put all of it's weight on the leash unless it has to, and a young dog shouldn't. We wouldn't use a choke chain though -- I wouldn't even think of it, it's just such a strange thing to do. We use regular nylon-type leashes.

I feel that the groomer just didn't use the proper equipment. It never said she stepped away from the table, and she certainly didn't have to. Every single time I've had a dog jump or fall off my table, it's been while I've been grooming it.