Refusing to groom a dog..(long,sorry)

[onions]

Fri I got a call from a new client with a 4 yr old Long Hair Chihuahua & the owner says
"...Oh, & she's nasty, I haven't trained her. But everyone says she's fine when I leave."

I say then all I can tell you is I'll give her a try, get done what I can, worst case scenario if she's THAT bad, I won't be able to groom her.

So she comes & the dog is in a carrier. I'm talking to mom & just kneel down next to the carrier to say hello to Cookie. Cookie is growling & showing teeth. I have mom put dog into our holding suite (a 4ft x 4ft enclosure with 3ft walls,open top & a gate )...mom leaves, I give Cookie 10 minutes to "relax".

Talking nice & sweet I crouch down to open gate, dog runs growling to hide in the corner. I slowly held open my palm for her to smell, more growling, more teeth. She was not food motivated, so offering treats didn't work. I tried to just get a slip lead around her neck, but I only had a short one & she was snapping at the air & I was worried about getting bit.

So I put her carrier into the suite, she hops in & I figure now I can maybe put it in the tub & get to her that way.

NO..now she's agressively attacking the carrier.

At this point I'm just SO DISGUSTED. I go back to mom with carrier & explain what happend.
And that my hands are my livelyhood & I just can't risk getting bit.

I really felt horrible because she was a very nice lady & she had traveled about an hour to come to the salon & I have only refused 2 other dogs in 17 years of grooming.

She really wanted the nails cut at least so I suggested she could put a muzzle on & Mom says "Oh, NO! I tried that once & she went to bite me!"

So I just apologized again for her wasted trip. And she said no, no, it's her fault for not training her dog.

I must admit, I gave up pretty easy, but it was late on a Fri nite, & I really just don't have the tolerance to risk my safety for people's stupidity.
And I could have offered a ton of suggestions on how to try to change the behavior, but just got "that feeling" that I'd be wasting my breath.

I still feel like poopy for not being able to groom the 4 pound bugger, though...sigh.

Any feedback is appreciated.
Thanks for reading.

[sarahliz]

Are there any really good dog trainers in the area that do aggression training, board and train or otherwise? You could keep a few of their cards on hand to pass to people like that. Then you aren't wasting your breath but you are giving them an option if they choose to do something. You could also suggest that she ask her vet what they recommend when she takes the dog in for vaccinations or whatever.

[Briarpatch]

There was a time when I was new and dumb and I would have tried it. I'm older and smarter now. The dog was a nut case. Glad you sent it on it's way.

[4Sibes]

What kind of feedback ya lookin for? Want me to call you a chicken and tell you that you should have let that gremlin munch allll over your hands? Uhhhh...no!

Must do the best we can do, and must protect the hands...besides, the poor gremlin sounds so stressed out of it's mind....I'm not so sure that grooming today was in her best interest. She might have had a heart attack.

[onions]

What kind of feedback ya lookin for? Want me to call you a chicken and tell you that you should have let that gremlin munch allll over your hands? Uhhhh...no!

Must do the best we can do, and must protect the hands...besides, the poor gremlin sounds so stressed out of it's mind....I'm not so sure that grooming today was in her best interest. She might have had a heart attack.

I think you just gave me the feedback I needed!
(smile)
BTW....LOVE the candle quote...

Yes, we have trainers we refer clients to....

[onions]

There was a time when I was new and dumb and I would have tried it. I'm older and smarter now. The dog was a nut case. Glad you sent it on it's way.

Thank you, Briarpatch....that's how I felt.
I shouldn't doubt myself.

[pooh13]

You did the right thing , You tried your best and the dog was not a good dog,best case scenario dog goes to vet gets knocked out cold gets nails clipped and everyone is happy (except the dog lol) and you keep your hands intact.

[Kindredkiss]

I would have picked up the ball of teeth, but then again I have done aggressive dogs since the day I started grooming. I like the challenge and I still have all my fingers!

[Helly]

I would have tried it. But I have lead lined x-ray gloves and gas anesthesia, LOL.

Seriously, you did the right thing. Getting any size dog done at the risk of being bitten just isn't worth it. Even at 4 pounds, they can still do plenty of damage. The bites might not be as big, but you end up with more of them, because those little buggers are quicker than snakes.

[puppy love]

Dont beat yourself up, you did all you could do to attempt to groom the dog. The owner needs to take that dog to an obedience trainer to work out some of those aggression/behavior issues, NOW! Before that dog hurts someone. If the nails need trimming, the owner should go to the vets office so they can safely sedate and trim the nails. You cant allow someones misbehaved and aggressive dog to injure you..

[ferretlov]

we had a dog like that last week! I couldnt get near him! I was just about to call the owner then I decided to try once more and threw a towel over him and snatched him up. held him a bit petted him gave a few treats and then he was fine good the whole groom and even played with us.