Giving dogs treats

[lillypeanut]

Their are different opinions on giving dogs treats.

When I give a dog a treat it is not to train them or reward them for good behavior. It is to gain their trust. I find that a dog who will take a treat or wants the treat after the groom doesn't want to bite me or doesn't hate me. I want to get the groom done quickly and efficiently like anyone else and I find that offering a nice small treat before the groom, sometimes during the groom, and then after the groom wins dogs over. With few exceptions every dog that does not take a treat before the groom or during takes it after and is a happy dog. If a client didn't let me give their dog a treat I would not groom it. I do other things throughout the groom too that keep the dog as mellow as possible but if I could not give dogs treats I would not groom.

[Kurt99]

It’s the weirdest thing. But the vast majority of the dogs I even offer a treat too, won’t take it. I never give treats anyway. My customers wouldn’t allow it for the most part, but I have no need to give them treats. I won’t take the time to train a dog, either the dog allows me to groom it, or else I don’t. I don’t charge enough to spend the extra time training them. Rare for me to get a puppy or even an adult dog or cat that I can’t get through the session in a normal amount of time.

[KarlaSnyder]

Wow. I would never refuse a client who didn't want me to give the dog a treat. Some dogs are highly allergic to certain foods-even a small amount could cause problems. I do like to give a treat after the groom with the owner's OK. Some dogs love this, and others aren't interested. You can gain trust in other ways besides food. Instead of refusing the groom, maybe ask the owner to bring along a few of the dog's favorite treats from home. That way, everybody wins.

[lillypeanut]

Most new dogs won't take a treat for me either but almost 100% they are looking for it after the groom and when I return it to the owner the dog is focused on me and wanting another treat. It's kinda like an offering of peace before the groom. Like dogs don't bite the hand that feeds them. I don't use a muzzle and rarely, very, very, very rarely can I not completely groom a dog under 30lbs who has been labeled difficult or traumatized. I don't even think one a year.

I also don't want clients who dictate how I groom a dog or what methods I use. Remember this is in the holistic/low stress forum so I don't follow old school grooming methods. I am searching for alternative ways to groom as quickly as anybody else but with a satisfying feeling when done. I don't want to dread a dog when I see it on my schedule and also I have never fired a difficult dog. Because alternative methods work. I only care that the dog likes me and is not afraid of me and I get it through the groom with the least amount of stress. There are plenty of options out there for people when searching for groomers. I have regular clients who are putting their dogs on diets and I let them know I am going to give their dog a treat anyway. My giving the dog a treat every 6 to 8 weeks did not cause the problem or even matter.

I am not their employee and I am not a machine. My personality wants to offer as pleasant and experience as possible. I offer a service that they can choose or not choose.

Also I use high quality treats and treats are just part of the combination of providing a low stress experience. Treats alone would not work.

[lillypeanut]

I just wanted to add that treats don't work for dogs nearing or in the "comfort groom" stage of life.

Also of course some dogs are going to stress from beginning to end no matter what you do. Foot aggression, etc. IMO, is different and can be safely conquered in a groom or two on most dogs that aren't otherwise aggressive.

And that my goal when grooming a difficult or scared dog is setting it up for the second groom and so on. I want the dog to get through the groom in normal 1 hour time or so and realize nothing too loud or stressful has happened and they get a pretty good treat in the end. Most dogs change after that first groom is over. Some take a few more grooms. But it gets easier every time.

I also do not take dogs that have too much coat to work with since I don't use HV. So it's a whole combination of a lot of things working with challenging dogs. I just wanted to speak about how I use treats as showing that I am friendly and not for training purposes.