Professional grooming involves handling and procedures that cause stress to many companion animals. Understanding and minimising grooming-related stress improves welfare for millions of dogs and cats.
Grooming-related welfare deserves attention because the frequency and inevitability of grooming makes cumulative stress significant for many companion animals. Dogs requiring professional grooming every 6-8 weeks experience repeated fear and stress throughout their lives if grooming facilities use outdated restraint techniques. The welfare impact compounds when grooming-related fear causes animals to behave defensively, resulting in harsher restraint in a cycle of escalating fear and restraint. Fear-free and low-stress handling approaches that are evidence-based and increasingly available represent a significant welfare advance. Early habituation through puppy and kitten handling programmes at veterinary practices and groomers prevents fear from developing in the first place.