FEAR FREE GROOMING

What is Fear free grooming and how does it

benefit my dog?

Here at Wanderlust, we're proud to be a Fear Free Certified Salon. That means we have been trained to recognize signs of fear, stress, and anxiety, and actively work to decrease them while creating a positive grooming experience for your pet. We utilize techniques such as gentle handling, positive reinforcement, and lots of treats and praise to help your dog feel safe and calm during their appointment!

The goal for these procedures is to help your pet feel as calm and comfortable as possible. This is achieved through a combination of reward-based training and desensitization.

Fear Free Certified Groomers have been trained to always use a gentle touch, never causing pain or using intimidation. They work hard to provide a calm and relaxing salon environment, where pets are spoiled with yummy treats and lots of love. Tables and tubs have non-slip surfaces to ensure your pet feels stable and supported throughout the groom. Calming music is played and pheromones are diffused to create a soothing and serene atmosphere. Hearing protection is available to help pets feel more relaxed during noisy procedures such as drying and clipper use.

Why Multiple Visits? Fear Free Certified Groomers care about your pet’s emotional wellbeing and value their freedom of choice. This means they may need to stop a certain procedure if your pet is displaying too much stress. Your pet’s stress level will be closely monitored and scored. If your pet is experiencing high levels of stress, the appointment will need to be broken down into multiple visits to work through these fears, rather than overwhelm your pet. Your pet may need to be desensitized to equipment slowly. If your pet has a previous negative association with equipment or a procedure (such as a nail trim or a bath, for example) this will require a more gradual breakdown to reintroduce your pet to the item or procedure to develop a positive association. In some cases, it is helpful to enlist the help of your veterinarian, as they may be able to prescribe some calming medications or supplements to be used during the grooming and training process. Your Fear Free Certified Groomer may work closely as a team with your veterinarian, keeping them informed about your pet’s behavior and progress going forward.

What to Expect • Treats... lots of treats! Bring your pet in hungry so that your Fear Free Certified Groomer is able to use reward-based training techniques to help them feel comfortable and safe. If your pet has allergies or is on a diet, please bring some of their favorite treats from home. • Meet and treat: Before beginning the grooming procedures, your Fear Free Certified Groomer will take their time to get to know each pet with a “meet and treat.” They want your pet to feel comfortable with the whole grooming experience, starting right at the door. This meeting also allows the groomer the opportunity to assess your pet’s comfort level in the salon. • Interrupting your regularly scheduled program: Some pets may find certain grooming procedures to be very frightening or just plain uncomfortable. In the event a pet feels scared or stressed with a procedure, your groomer may not be able to accomplish everything they had set out to. In this case, the groomer will likely be giving you some homework and offering shorter more focused grooming appointments to work on the issue. They also may recommend a veterinary visit. • Happy, clean, relaxed companion: While it may not happen in just one grooming appointment, by staying dedicated to a Fear Free approach, your pet will leave the salon happy, clean, beautiful, and relaxed.