Canine Design Dog Grooming Academy

Canine Design Dog Grooming Academy Canine Design Academy is an award winning salon and training school based in Evercreech

02/09/2026

Snowstorm! ❄️🌨️

26/08/2026

Today I groomed Barney - one of the cutest bichons I’ve ever met! He was a rescue from an Irish puppy farm and was in danger of being euthanised 🥺

He now has a lovely home and is hugely loved by his family 🥰

26/08/2026

Grooming an anxious rescue dog 🐾

This is Alfie, a Romanian rescue who had never experienced a grooming salon before. ❤️

When grooming an anxious or inexperienced dog, it’s so important to remember that the tools and techniques we use can make a huge difference to how that dog experiences the groom.

Rather than simply using the equipment we would normally reach for, we adapted Alfie’s groom to keep noise, pressure and stress to a minimum.

✨ The drying process

We used the blaster on a very low setting, without a nozzle, and also used a dryer brush. This allowed us to work through the coat while keeping the noise and sensation as gentle as possible.
Alfie was then placed in the cabinet dryer, with me sitting beside him to reassure him. Many anxious dogs actually find a cabinet dryer a much more relaxing experience than having a loud stand dryer blowing directly at them.

✂️ Choosing the right tools

For Alfie’s trim, we chose not to use clippers. Instead, we used a coat tender, Panda Chunkers and Panda Fierce hybrid thinners.

This allowed us to remove and shape the coat while avoiding the additional noise and vibration of clippers - another small change that can make a big difference to an anxious dog.

❤️ But the most important tool is patience.

An anxious rescue dog who has never been groomed before doesn't know that we are trying to help them. Everything is new - the table, the equipment, the noises, the smells and the handling.
Taking our time, watching the dog's body language and adapting our approach can turn what could be a frightening experience into a much more positive one.

There is no single technique or piece of equipment that works for every dog.

Good grooming is about knowing your tools - but great grooming is knowing when, how and why to use them. 🐶✂️

Alfie did brilliantly, and we were so pleased with how he coped with his first salon experience. ❤️

Do you get bitten often? 🐶🦷It’s a question we’re asked quite regularly - and the honest answer is no, not very often.In ...
20/08/2026

Do you get bitten often? 🐶🦷

It’s a question we’re asked quite regularly - and the honest answer is no, not very often.

In fact, I would go as far as to say that if a groomer is getting bitten regularly, there is usually a common denominator that needs looking at.

The dogs are stressed.

A dog that is frightened, anxious, overwhelmed or constantly being pushed beyond what it can cope with is far more likely to feel that it needs to defend itself.

And that’s where good handling makes such a huge difference.

A calm, confident groomer who understands canine body language, recognises the early signs of stress and knows how to work with the dog rather than simply restraining it can prevent so many situations from ever escalating.

Because:

Relaxed salon = relaxed groomer
Relaxed groomer = relaxed handling
Relaxed handling = relaxed dogs
Relaxed dogs = dogs who are far less likely to bite. ❤️

Of course, there will always be the occasional dog who bites. Some dogs have learned that biting works, some have had terrible experiences in the past, and some simply have a very low tolerance for grooming.

But regular biting shouldn’t just be accepted as “part of the job”.

Instead, ask why is this dog feeling the need to bite?

Are they frightened?

Are they being rushed?

Are we ignoring their signals?

Are they being restrained too much?

Are we expecting too much from them?

Is the salon environment adding to their stress?

The aim shouldn’t be to become really good at avoiding bites.

The aim should be to become really good at reading, handling and communicating with dogs so that they rarely feel the need to bite in the first place.

Good grooming isn't just about producing a beautiful haircut.

It’s about creating an environment where the dog feels safe enough to let us do it. 🐾❤️

🐾 WE NEED SOME WIRES! 🐾We’re looking for a few calm, well-behaved wire-coated dogs to join us as models for our students...
15/08/2026

🐾 WE NEED SOME WIRES! 🐾

We’re looking for a few calm, well-behaved wire-coated dogs to join us as models for our students learning hand-stripping.

If you have a lovely wire-coated breed who is happy to be handled and can stay reasonably calm while being groomed, we’d love to hear from you! ❤️

Your dog will be very well cared for throughout the day, with plenty of reassurance, cuddles, comfort breaks, fresh water and regular rest periods. Our students are supervised throughout, so your dog’s welfare always comes first. 🐶💕

And, of course… it’s FREE doggy day care! 😂🐾

So while you’re busy, your dog can enjoy a day with us, get lots of attention and come home looking beautifully smart!

We’re particularly interested in wire-coated breeds suitable for hand-stripping - please message us with a photo of your dog, their breed, age and a little bit about their temperament.

Calm dogs only, please - we want the experience to be enjoyable and stress-free for everyone. ❤️

Please feel free to share this post with anyone who might have the perfect little wirey model! 🐾

Happy Birthday Herbert!🥳 Our salon manager turns 4 today🥰❤️🥹
13/08/2026

Happy Birthday Herbert!🥳 Our salon manager turns 4 today🥰❤️🥹

11/08/2026

We had a very cute visitor to the salon today - Karmaflage the chameleon ❤️❤️❤️❤️ @

09/08/2026

A very simplified and easy to understand explanation as to why we have to clip your dog short if it’s matted.

If you want a longer coat on your dog, you must brush regularly and go through the coat from the skin with a comb to check it is knot free.

This is the only humane method and we will not torture dogs at Canine Design 🐾





Address

The Green Willow, Victoria Square, Evercreech
Shepton Mallet
BA46JP

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 4:30pm
Tuesday 9am - 4:30pm
Wednesday 9am - 4:30pm
Thursday 9am - 4:30pm
Friday 9am - 4:30pm
Saturday 9am - 4:30pm

Telephone

+441749830723

Website

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