One of the most overlooked yet powerful tools in building a successful grooming business is desensitization training, particularly with wide tabletop exposure. Offering tabletop training to your clients not only sets you apart but also helps build safer, less stressful grooming sessions and lasting trust with both dog and owner.

Why Desensitization Matters

For many dogs, the grooming salon is a world of overwhelming stimuli: loud dryers, high tables, clippers and strange hands touching sensitive areas. If a dog is thrust into that environment without preparation, it can lead to anxiety, fear-based behaviors and long-term grooming issues.

Worse yet, forcing a dog through grooming when they’re scared doesn’t solve the problem; it simply teaches them to submit out of fear, not comfort. While they may appear compliant, these dogs often hold onto deep stress, which can manifest as aggression, shutdown behavior or reactivity in future appointments.

Dogs are incredibly intuitive and learn through association. If every grooming experience is one of restraint, discomfort or fear, they begin to associate grooming and groomers with stress. This isn’t a behavioral problem; it’s a survival response. Fight, flight or freeze are all normal reactions in a dog’s brain when they feel unsafe.

This is why repetition with low stress and positive associations is key. When we focus on desensitizing rather than dominating, we aren’t just grooming a dog, we’re training a partner.

The Role of Tabletop Training

Why Forcing Isn’t the Answer

Instead of wrestling with resistance, work with the dog’s pace. Consent-based grooming, supported by positive reinforcement, is rising in popularity for good reason: It keeps dogs emotionally healthier and makes the groomer’s job safer and more rewarding.

I always say, if you want to solve a problem, you must first look at the “why.” So why does this occur? For veterinarians, it is the day-to-day struggle of life-and-death decisions. In the past, most people who worked in the animal industry grew up in a farming-type environment, where births and deaths were sometimes daily events. In more recent times, however, a large majority of veterinarians and groomers did not grow up with that experience.

We have also shifted to placing greater value on our individual pets’ lives. Now, many people never even leave their pets alone at home. We either get pet sitters, dog walkers, send them to daycare or take them with us everywhere we go. And if we treat our pets that way, we also expect our clients to do the same with theirs. Unfortunately, that is often not the case. And when they don’t, it breaks our hearts. We tend to get mad and chastise or fire clients. But does any of that help the pet?

I hear the frustration of so many groomers who complain that clients never even brush their dogs; something so simple in our world that anyone should be able to do. The reality is, most clients don’t know how to brush a dog correctly. They don’t understand that you should never dry-brush a dog, that you don’t just rip or cut mats out, that you need to pay attention to the friction areas, or even what brushes or combs are appropriate for the dog they have. So where are they going to learn this info?

Many rely on YouTube videos and the internet. And while some of that information is great, many can’t differentiate the good info from the bad—and there is a lot of poor information out there.

If they are going to be your client and you want them to do the best for their pet, you need to teach them. But don’t expect this to be a quick five-minute session and call it a day. Think of how much time and how many corrections it took when your mentor taught you. And while the education doesn’t have to be as in-depth, even learning the basics requires focus.

They say that in any exchange like this, the student will only retain 10-30% of the information. If you understand that, you will realize that you need to offer more to solve the issue. You may want to give out explanatory-type handouts or have them come back and show you what they are doing at home. Repetition is the best way to learn.

One thing we must remember is that, just like the client who has not brushed their dog and needs to be trained as a pet professional, we also need training. Many of us rely on our own experiences to dictate what we do and teach; however, the problem is that it is very limited in scope.

An area I see many groomers struggling with is health, nutrition and skin issues. They want to help but are often frustrated not only by clients who don’t comply, but also by not getting the results they had hoped for. If you want to be proficient in these areas, I encourage you to seek out good educational resources. Who has credentials? Who has good results? One or two easy cases don’t make for an authority in the field.

The bottom line is, there is no single way to combat compassion fatigue. First, you need to educate yourself on how to achieve good results. If you are working with myths and hearsay, it is hard to be successful, which leads to frustration. Secondly, education of the client is key to solving many issues that are faced in the grooming salon. And finally, you cannot want to fix issues more than the client. Some clients will not follow through, no matter how much you educate them. If they frustrate you with their neglect, is that the kind of client you want? Peace of mind can be worth more than money.

Dr. Cliff Faver graduated with a BS in Biology/BA in Chemistry before getting a Veterinary degree in 1987. He is the past owner of Animal Health Services in Cave Creek, Arizona and now the US distributor for Iv San Bernard products, teaches the ISB Pet Aesthetician Certification program, and speaks internationally on hair and skin. His passion is to merge groomers and veterinarians to aid in helping and healing pets. He is also a member of AVMA, AAHA, AZVMA, Board member with Burbank Kennel Club, and has served on Novartis Lead Committee, Hill’s International Global Veterinary Board, and a Veterinary Management Group.

“The ‘secret ingredient’ isn’t the shampoo; it’s the culture of respect between groomer, dog, and owner,” he adds.

While the idea for the business originated in 2015, Flint and Jeff didn’t open a physical location until 2018, allowing them a few years of preparation and learning before they felt confident that they had created something special. And in the early days, customers were found through grassroots efforts such as local word-of-mouth, dog parks and adoption events.

“We told our story one handshake at a time,” shares Flint. “Today, our best marketing is still our team. When groomers love where they work, that energy radiates out.

Over the last seven years, Barkin’ Creek, which now includes four locations in Austin, Texas, has evolved in every possible way, with the biggest growth being cultural.

“In the beginning, we focused on refining our techniques and our client experience,” Flint recounts. “As we matured, we realized that the real foundation of quality is the people behind the scissors and dryers. So, we’ve invested heavily in ergonomics, safety equipment, and scheduling systems that prevent burnout.

“Our approach now is about sustainable, long-term craftsmanship—giving professionals the space, tools, and respect to do their best work,” he adds.

The business’s appointment-only system allows the team, which Flint refers to as “the heart of Barkin’ Creek,” to work in rhythm, not chaos, therefore creating consistency and reducing physical and mental fatigue.

Many of Barkin’ Creek’s groomers have been with the business for years because they feel safe, respected and valued.

“I tell every new hire the same thing: ‘If you take care of our clients’ dogs, we’ll take care of you,’ and we mean it,” Flint states. “Continuous education is a non-negotiable for us. We sponsor certifications, help send groomers to national competitions, and bring in industry educators for workshops.”

In addition to collaborating with other grooming professionals and schools, Barkin’ Creek hosts internal training days focused on product knowledge and client communication.

“We pay groomers for training time because learning is work, and valuable work at that,” explains Flint. “We also have cross-location mentoring programs, where senior groomers coach newer ones. The goal is to create a learning culture that fuels pride, not competition.”

“A stressed groomer can’t calm a stressed dog, so we build systems that protect both sides of the table,” Flint says. “We use Fear Free handling techniques, quiet tools, and ergonomic workstations. We train groomers to read canine body language—but we also train managers to read human body language; if a groomer is overwhelmed, we intervene with support or time off.”

Additionally, Barkin’ Creek uses high-quality, skin-safe products and safe dryers to protect both pet and professional.

“Every decision we make—from our flooring to our lighting—is designed to create comfort, calm, and confidence for everyone in the room,” Flint notes. “Every dog deserves empathy and proper care.

“It is critical that our groomers have a complete picture of each dog’s behavior and health before handling them,” he continues. “Our intake process gathers detailed information about medical, emotional, or behavioral concerns prior to the start of each groom.”

For anxious dogs, the groomers slow down, use positive reinforcement and never force. For dogs with allergies or sensitivities, they customize products and coordinate with veterinarians.

Inspired by Flint and Jeff’s two rescue dogs, who each suffered from dietary and health issues that created the need for specialized foods, Barkin’ Creek also created their own dog food rather than relying on commercial options.

“Our journey with our dogs, Bea and Jax, taught us that health starts from the inside,” Flint explains. “But it also showed us that groomers often see the first signs of nutritional issues—dull coats, flaky skin, shedding, allergies.”

Barkin’ Creek Dog Kitchen is not just for pet owners, but for groomers, as it gives them a healthier canvas to work on with dogs with better skin, softer coats and fewer irritations.

“They’re made the way we cook for ourselves—small batch, human-grade ingredients, no preservatives and no shortcuts; it’s farm-to-table but for your pet,” shares Flint. “The same trucks that deliver to your grocery stores or favorite restaurants deliver to our in-store kitchen in Austin. We don’t cut corners on our fish, meats, fruits, or vegetables. Period.”

“When a client hears a nutrition tip from the person who bathes and brushes their dog every month, it carries real weight,” Flint explains. “We want our clients to see groomers as part of their dog’s wellness team—not just stylists, but trusted professionals.

“Cleaner eating means a healthier, longer life,” he continues. “And we want—and need—every minute to last with our dogs, so why not feed them the best?”

If there’s one message Flint wants to get across to the grooming community, it’s that they shouldn’t think of themselves as service workers, but as animal care professionals.

“At Barkin’ Creek, we build everything—from our pay structure to our equipment choices—around that truth,” he says. “Groomers deserve safety, respect, education, and joy in their craft.

“We’ve built Barkin’ Creek to prove that a business can be profitable, compassionate, and professional all at once. And if our example inspires even one other shop to invest more in their team, that’s a win for the entire industry,” concludes Flint.

For many groomers, “I’m fine” doesn’t mean things are easy; it means the work still has to get done. That quiet expectation to always look capable, calm and composed can turn into a kind of mask—one that helps us function but also hides when we are overwhelmed, overstimulated, injured or running on empty. Over time, that mask can become so familiar that we forget to check what is happening underneath it.

For the first time in my career, something different happened this year at a grooming show. A coworker looked at me and said, simply, “You look tired. You should sit down.” There was no accusation in it, no implication that I was failing or falling behind, just an observation and permission.

What stayed with me was not just the offer to sit but the fact that someone noticed. Someone paid attention before I reached a breaking point. And in that small moment, support was not reactive, it was preventative.

Self-care in grooming is often framed as something personal; something we manage after hours on our own. But in a profession built on teamwork, timing and shared responsibility, real self-care does not happen in isolation. It happens in how we support each other long before someone reaches a crisis point.

Many groomers take pride in being the dependable one—the person who can handle anything, who does not complain, who always figures it out. That reliability is often rewarded, which quietly reinforces the idea that struggling privately is part of being professional. But when masking becomes the default, it makes it harder for others to recognize when support is needed. A groomer who has always “handled it” may not realize how far past their limits they have gone until something finally gives.

When everyone is focused on getting through the day, these signs are easy to miss, especially when the person experiencing them is still meeting expectations on the surface. By the time someone says, “I can’t do this anymore,” the team is already in crisis mode, stressed and reactive, and struggling to think clearly.

That is why self-care cannot only be about recovery after the fact. In grooming environments, it has to be about prevention, awareness and shared responsibility.

Some groomers thrive in fast-paced, high-volume environments; others shine when working with nervous, senior or behaviorally complex dogs; some excel at detail and precision; and others are exceptional at flow, communication or emotional regulation under pressure. A strong team is not made of interchangeable parts—it is built on balance.

Supporting each other does not mean lowering standards or ignoring accountability but rather recognizing that capacity changes. A groomer who usually handles high-stress dogs may need lighter assignments during an injury or flare-up. Someone who is typically social may need quiet rather than conversation when overwhelmed. When support is normalized, asking for help does not feel like failure.

How we check in matters. Supportive communication does not require deep emotional conversations or forced vulnerability. In fact, those approaches can feel overwhelming when someone is already under strain. Simple, neutral language often works best. Statements like, “I’ve noticed you seem more exhausted lately. Is there anything we can adjust?” or “Do you want support right now, or space?”

Give someone room to respond honestly without feeling cornered. Offering options instead of solutions keeps autonomy intact. Respecting a “not right now” response builds trust and makes future check-ins more likely to succeed.

Preparation is a form of care. When someone is overwhelmed, injured or emotionally flooded, clear thinking is often the first thing to go. Teams that establish shared language and expectations ahead of time are better equipped to respond calmly and effectively when stress is high.

Self-care in grooming is often framed as something handled outside of work hours, but much of what protects groomers happens on the floor, during the day, with other people. When teams normalize asking for help, adjusting workload and supporting each other’s limits, self-care becomes a shared practice. Accountability and compassion can coexist. Productivity does not disappear. It becomes sustainable.

Strong teams do not expect everyone to be everything, every day. They notice. They check in. They make room when someone needs to sit down.

The mask is not the enemy. It is a tool many groomers use to get through demanding days. The real risk is being the only one who knows it is there. And in an industry built on care, we owe that same care to each other.

True self-care isn’t only about what you do on your days off, it’s also about how you structure your workdays. By incorporating planning and organization into your daily work life, you can create a more consistent and sustainable level of self-care—one that doesn’t disappear the moment the workweek starts.

Have you ever noticed that your mind can’t quiet down when you feel like there are 50 things you need to do but don’t know where to start? Or maybe you walk into your salon and it’s so cluttered that your shoulders tense up immediately and you already feel behind before the first dog even arrives. That feeling isn’t a personal failure—it’s your nervous system responding to overwhelm.

Organization and self-care go hand in hand. When our days feel chaotic, our stress stays elevated. When we don’t intentionally take care of ourselves, burnout will follow. The good news is that burnout doesn’t usually appear overnight. And with the right systems in place, it can often be slowed, stopped or even reversed.

1. Feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion
2. Increased mental distance from one’s job, including feelings of negativism or cynicism
3. Reduced professional efficacy or feeling like you’re no longer good at what you do

Within these three dimensions, there are often warning signs long before someone fully burns out.

Physical
Physical burnout is often the first sign to appear in a profession as physically demanding as grooming. Constant fatigue is common; even after a full night’s sleep you may wake up feeling exhausted. Muscles can feel perpetually sore and you may notice that you get sick more often or struggle with frequent headaches. Changes in appetite are also common, whether that means skipping meals during busy days or overeating without realizing it.

Cognitive
Cognitive burnout is often overlooked but incredibly impactful. You might struggle to remember appointments, instructions or routine tasks. Simple decisions feel overwhelming. You may start expecting the worst to happen, assuming every problem will turn into a disaster. Your brain feels like it can’t handle one more thing even when your to-do list isn’t that long.

Recognizing these signs early is key. Burnout doesn’t mean you’re weak, lazy or bad at your job, it means your system is overloaded. By addressing it head on, you can get back to feeling like yourself faster.

Our minds are not designed to “hold” large amounts of information; they are made to come up with new, brilliant ideas. When we use our minds as a parking space for things like “order more shampoo” we diminish the amount of space we have for both creativity and rest. Many groomers underestimate how much mental energy it takes to constantly keep everything in your head.

Using a planner and having a system for capturing notes and to-do’s gives all those thoughts a home. It’s not about creating a rigid schedule that leaves no room for flexibility, it’s about creating clarity. When you know what needs to be done and when, you reduce decision fatigue and anxiety.

Time blocking, buffer times between appointments and realistic daily limits are tools for sustainability. Overbooking might increase income short term, but it often accelerates burnout long term.

Morning
Starting your day the same way creates a sense of control and calm. This might include reviewing your schedule, prepping your grooming area or taking five quiet minutes before the first client arrives. On a personal level, consistent morning habits—even simple ones—can help ground you before the demands begin.

Evening
The transition from work to home is critical. Without a routine, unfinished tasks tend to follow us mentally into the evening. An end-of-day recap, which might include cleaning your workspace and a quick review of tomorrow’s schedule, signals to your brain that work is done for the day. Once you make this a consistent part of your day, you will notice how your thoughts are not constantly going back to work after you’re done for the day.

Weekly
Pick one day of the week to get yourself together before your work week starts. This doesn’t need to take all day; just a few focused hours can make a huge difference. Review your work schedule, your kids’ or spouse’s schedules, and any personal commitments. Plan meals, do laundry, schedule downtime and identify any potential stress points ahead of time. This proactive approach reduces last-minute scrambling and decision fatigue during the week.

Monthly
Breaking business tasks into manageable categories can prevent them from piling up. Consider four main areas:

1. Finances
2. Employees
3. Marketing
4. Maintenance

Addressing each area monthly ensures nothing gets ignored for too long and prevents the stress that comes from realizing something important has been neglected for months. Pick one week every month to focus on each of the four areas to create monthly routines in your salon.

A good cat bath means getting deep in the coat, getting through the thick of it and actively scrubbing with your fingertips to work product all the way down to the skin.

To do this, hold the nozzle right up against the skin. Not only does this get the water where you need it to go (the skin), but it also muffles the sound of the water which helps decrease the chance of the cat getting upset by it.

Once the coat is completely wet (meaning there are no dry spots), add and work in your shampoo. Places to check that they are thoroughly wet include:

• The lower belly and tuck-up area
• Inner front and rear legs where the bend is
• The chest leading into the armpits
• Under the tail and back of the rear legs

Spending a bit of extra time (and water—yes, I’m talking to you, mobile groomers) will not only lead to a cleaner cat but also cut down on the overall groom time and water consumption by having the shampoo lather and rinse more easily.

Letting the water run in the bottom of the tub to warm up will give the cat a chance to hear and acclimate to this new sound. If you have a stainless steel tub, you can also put a towel in the bottom to help dampen the echo of the water hitting the metal. With first-time grooms, I will run the water a bit while the cat is nearby in their carrier so that the first time they hear the water running isn’t when they’re up close to it.

Spending some extra time rinsing gives cats the opportunity to pass the realizing-their-wet threshold. And if they do start to inch towards a meltdown, you still have both hands to help calm and control a wet but not soapy, slippery cat. In a worst-case scenario, like if the cat starts panting heavily, you can stop the groom right there, towel-dry and reassess, whereas sending home a soapy cat is less than ideal.

I would also recommend a nozzle that you can control the water flow by squeezing it with your hand. That way if you have to let go of the nozzle to hold the cat, the water doesn’t continue to run and spray uncontrollably.

Because one of my goals during bathing is to get the coat thoroughly saturated with water, I will sometimes start with the cat in a small tub of warm water with a pump or two of shampoo. I find this particularly useful with thick, full-coated cats like Persians and Siberians, and for elderly cats that are very clumpy and greasy that do not like the agitation of scrubbing. This gets the water and some shampoo where it needs to go so that the rest of the bath goes smoothly.

After a couple minutes in the soak, I’ll drain the small tub (I like a collapsible dish tub with bottom drain), shampoo and continue the bath like normal. Rinsing is always done with a nozzle to make sure no shampoo residue is left behind.

Using a rubber or silicone brush during the second shampoo can help lift even more, but be cautious around cats with thin or sensitive skin. And be sure to go with the direction of the coat, as this helps dead coat to release better than going against the growth with brushing or combing.

Don’t skimp on scrubbing areas that get tucked up while the cat is laying down. Places like the legs, paws, under the tail, and lower chest hold onto grease and clumped hair. Scrubbing should get through the thick coat so that the skin is thoroughly clean.

My usual drying routine for cats starts with wrapping them in a thick towel “burrito” to pat the face dry with a washcloth, clean the eyes, check around the mouth and chin area, and clean the ears. I then gently squeeze (not rub) the coat with the towel, unwrap the wet towel and rewrap with a dry one. At this time you can put a Happy Hoodie, e-collar, Air Muzzle, etc. on them to limit noise around the head for blow-drying.

Next I start the HV dryer on a low speed with no nozzle and give the cat a minute or two to acclimate to the sound. I start drying at the rib cage/side area with slow circles or back-and-forth movements. If the cat tolerates it well, I’ll use a flat, water-peeler-style nozzle and turn the dryer up to a medium to med-high speed to get the bulk of the water out of the coat, especially down the legs and paws.

Once the coat is 90-95% dry, I remove the nozzle to let the warm air help to finish drying. I’ll then turn the dryer back down to low, remove any Happy Hoodie or e-collar and dry around the head.

Better cat grooming starts in the tub. A good bath sets the tone for every other step: drying, combing, trimming and coat condition between appointments. If you want better results without adding stress or time to your day, the bath is where to begin.

Your clients may never know exactly what you did in the tub, but they’ll feel the difference when their cat comes home cleaner, softer and more comfortable than ever before.

Dr. David Posen, author of Is Work Killing You: A Doctor’s Prescription for Treating Workplace Stress, placed workplace stress into three categories: Velocity, Volume, and Abuse. And these three categories are readily apparent in the workplace of pet professionals:

1. Velocity: Everything seems to happen at the speed of light. Clients want access to you ASAP—be it by phone call, text message or appointment. Team members want tasks done as of yesterday.
2. Volume: Appointment requests outnumber openings available. Pet professionals are busy and the sheer volume of work can result in long hours and skipped meals.
3. Abuse: The third category is one we often tend to be silent about. It is about abuse, harassment, intimidation, bullying, belittling and threats. It can be snide remarks from a co-worker about your incompetence, intimidation from a client accusing of you not caring about the pet, threats about being fired if you don’t move faster or harassment from those difficult personalities.

1. Implementing organizational changes to reduce employee stress
2. Clearly defining roles (job descriptions) and responsibilities (SOPs)
3. Creating a quiet area for meals and scheduling meal breaks so they aren’t missed
4. Ensuring that mental health services are part of the organization’s health benefits and encouraging the team to utilize the services
5. Providing education and training and using resource materials from the insurance provider at monthly meetings to discuss dealing with stress

• Always focusing on what is wrong
• Criticizing or punishing people for taking time off
• Giving negative feedback and ignoring praising or positive feedback
• High turnover of team members
• High absenteeism
• Low productivity
• Abusive management or leaders
• Lack of leadership or an overly dominating leader

A business can no longer demand that employees leave their problems at the door when they come to work. Businesses need to have a strategic plan to address its team members’ mental and emotional wellbeing to allow individuals to reach their full potential, cope with stressors, be productive, and deliver high-quality client service and pet care.

Louise Dunn is a renowned award-winning speaker, writer and consultant. She brings over 40 years of in-the-trenches experience and her business education to veterinary management. Louise is founder and CEO of Snowgoose Veterinary Management Consulting. SVMC works with veterinarians who want to develop a strategic plan that consistently produces results. Most recently Louise received many awards including the WVC Educator of the Year numerous times and VetPartner’s The Life Time achievement Award in January 2016.