Happy Tails Grooming Salon

10/09/2026

Sweet little Skeeter. He's such a good boy

10/09/2026

Here's another good friend of mine, Winston. He's been coming here since he was a youngster. Love this guy.

10/08/2026

Sweet little Ellie.
Just a heads up, Happy Tails will be closed from Tuesday, October20th until Friday, October 23rd. We will reopen on Saturday October 24th. We're going to take a little trip to Gatlinburg to check out some bears. Pass it on.

10/03/2026

My buddy, Buddy. He's the sweetest German Shepherd ever but you've gotta lay off the cheese bones Buddy.

10/03/2026

My buddy, Buddy. He's the sweetest German Shepherd ever. You've gotta lay off the cheese bones Buddy.

10/01/2026

Handsome Ace.

09/24/2026

Mr. T. He's so handsome

09/22/2026

Baby Maisie. Too darn cute 🥰.

09/18/2026

That's Mr. Cooper to you.

08/25/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19HogKiTb3/

I am a pet groomer.
Not a behaviourist, not a trainer, not a Veterinarian.

I think sometimes we need to remember where a groomer’s responsibility ends and an owner’s begins. Groomers seem to be one of the only pet professionals who are routinely expected to train an animal to tolerate the service while simultaneously providing the service.

If your dog is terrified of the vet, we don’t expect the Veterinarian to spend every appointment training your dog to accept being examined. We work with a trainer, learn the appropriate techniques, and then we, as owners, put in the work between appointments. My own German Shepherd doesn’t like being handled by strangers at the Vet. So I’m taking her to training. The trainer is giving me the tools to help her become comfortable with handling, but ultimately it’s my responsibility to practice those skills with her. It is not my Veterinarian’s responsibility to train my dog during her appointment.

Grooming should be treated the same way. A good groomer can absolutely work patiently, use appropriate handling techniques, recognize stress signals, make accommodations, and help create positive experiences, but we cannot undo months or years of fear, lack of exposure, or behavioural issues during a grooming appointment while also trying to safely complete the groom.

Desensitization happens through consistent, repeated work, not once every 6-8 weeks on the grooming table. Your groomer can be part of the team, and your trainer can give you the tools, but at the end of the day training and preparing your pet for the world is the owner’s responsibility.