Q&A with ‘The Paw Man’ (539) – Problem With Groomer/Boarding Kennels Marlena Kuhn Hi Paw Man. I have a question for you and feel free to share as Im curious to see if anyone else has seen this. I have a 2 year old Cairn Terrier that Ive had since 8 weeks of age. Hes been going to the same groomer for almost 14 months. The problem Im having is that since last September when I had to board him there hes absolutely frantic now when I take him in for grooming. Is it possible that he remembers that time from over a year ago? Paw Man Based on the information you provided, yes it’s extremely likely that your dog associates that facility with extended absences from you. It is not necessarily a reflection on the quality of the facility…. Just that the facility is associated with being separated from you. Marlena They told me he did fine while boarded (what else would they say)? But its so awful to leave him for grooming. He cries, he wants to be picked up and the worst is when the girl goes to take him in the back he just scrambles all four feet to get to me. Is he fearful of being left for a week or maybe the groomer is not so nice to him? Im going on vacation in a few months and my heart is torn about leaving him there again. Paw Man Well you could seek out a new groomer and boarding kennel for him, just to be on the safe side, but you might still be in the same situation with the next facility. How often do u put him in boarding kennels? Marlena Kuhn This was the first time. I called every day to check on him. But I am going away again and Im worried. Paw Man In my thinking it is quite unusual for a dog owner to check on their dog daily whilst it is in boarding kennels. This may be a sign of an over-bonding situation that goes both ways…. Where the dog is over dependent on you and you are too closely attached to the dog. Essentially the whole thing could be because when you take him to the groomers he perceives that you are going to leave him again…… but that alone tells me that the relationship may be a little too intense. Marlena Kuhn Is it possible he remembers? A whole year ago? Do I find a new groomer and boarding kennel? Paw Man It is very likely that he remembers!!! If being apart from you is very stressful to the dog (due to over bonding) then you can guarantee that the whole event was firmly etched into the dog’s memory. You could just find one new one, either groomer or boarding kennel. Marlena Kuhn I didnt mention that I didnt drop him off or pick him up for boarding. Coward that I am, I didnt want him to associate that experience with me. Paw Man In that case, the only thing left for the dog to associate its stress is the location itself :) Dogs are location specific learners. Marlena Kuhn Damn! I hate to find a new groomer. Shes good and very close to home. It will be far easier to find a new boarding kennel. But! When he goes for grooming hes just frantic. And I hate it Paw Man Then you would get great benefit from DAP (Adaptil) Marlena Kuhn For a grooming apt? Or kennelling? Paw Man Expose your dog to DAP in your home environment and it will stress a lot less, both whilst with you and when it goes in for grooming.
Posted on: Tue, 15 Apr 2014 08:26:35 +0000
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