Why Dog Welfare Should Define Grooming Excellence Over Competition Styling

I want to first start by saying I have tremendous respect for the skill and artistry that our grooming competitions showcase - the passion, the creativity and the technical precision displayed are nothing short of impressive.

HOWEVER - I believe we need to have an honest conversation about what message we're sending when these competitions aim to become the primary measure of professionalism in our industry.

The Styling-First Problem

When we elevate intricate styling skills as the pinnacle of grooming excellence, what happens to all of the other parts of our role that make grooming physically, physiologically, and emotionally good for dogs?

What happens when we lose sight of the true purpose and role of grooming - how it can contribute to safeguarding the wellness of the animals in our care?

Because when we measure grooming competency in how good we can style dogs, we risk:

• misrepresenting our core purpose: professional grooming should prioritise a dog's comfort, health and wellbeing above how they look

• creating unrealistic expectations: dog carers may expect their anxious, unhealthy and/or elderly dogs to tolerate more demanding and complex styling procedures irrespective of how this impacts them emotionally

• overlooking welfare expertise: skills in effectively identifying stress, pain and/or injuries, cooperative care, and behavioural support, which are simply not demonstrated, or even tapped into, in competition formats

• perpetuating outdated practices: competition environments often don't reflect patience and individualised approach that modern, welfare-focused grooming acknowledges

What Gets Lost in Translation

When the experience a dog has to grooming processes comes first, grooming becomes less stressful, and more ENJOYABLE.

The most skilled professional groomers I know are masters not in styling, but in:

• reading canine body language and stress signals

• adapting techniques for fearful, elderly and special needs' dogs

• educating the public on how to identify subtle cues to help safeguard a dog's wellness

• prioritising a dog's emotional state and being able to effectively demonstrate a bespoke grooming plan to consider a dog's individual needs

These crucial skills - the ones that actually consider the needs of dogs and how grooming can add to a dog's overall care plan to preserve health and wellbeing and prolong lifespan, are what defines excellence in grooming.

Grooming competitions, albeit admirable from a technical standpoint, simply don't address the pressing need for a more dog-centred, science-backed and modern grooming industry that places dog welfare at the forefront of every future opportunity we have to demonstrate meaningful competency.

A Better Way Forward

By the way, I absolutely believe there's a place for celebrating creativity and technical styling skills!

But as many have also agreed, perhaps this could be:

• the use of synthetic model dogs that would allow for stylists to really explore and fine-tune their skills without the worry of stressing a dog, contributing to existing/unidentified pain, and/or delivering the wrong message to the public

That way we could truly focus on:

• prioritising welfare-focused assessments that will shift how we measure competency from aesthetics to how effective a groomer is at identifying and addressing individual dog needs first

• celebrating holistic outcomes that raise awareness of the importance in synchronised care across all pet care sectors, and how groomers demonstrate effective collaboration efforts with local veterinary professionals, as well as, the wider pet care community

The Real Art of Grooming

The most profound grooming transformations I've witnessed aren't to do with scissor and clipper work at all but with establishing trust and cooperation in some of the most fearful dogs.

Watching groomers effectively support and guide the average pet dog through a carefully devised care plan, that helps to reduce fear, pain and anxiety and make the grooming experience more enjoyable, is more significant when thinking about the bigger picture, and how a grooming session can contribute to the dog's health both short and long term.

What if we dared to redefine excellence to reflect what truly matters - not just how we think a dog looks at the end of a grooming appointment, but how they felt throughout the entire process?

In my recent keynote presentation at The Holistic Pet Care Conference, I sought to challenge the status quo by suggesting that the reason why the grooming industry is not widely respected is because we have lost the real purpose of our roles and as such, have disregarded the real contribution we could make to the lives of dogs.

Grooming competitions, at least those that we know so well right now, are not the way to a more competent grooming industry.

Instead we should be focusing on delivering grooming events that consider educating on what welfare means in the context of grooming, and how to properly decipher animal welfare legislation without jumping through loop holes.

I'd love to see more enthusiasm and money spent on events and CPD that will actually make a difference to the wellbeing of our dogs, rather than continue to feed into the deep pockets of the individuals who seek to benefit from a more aesthetic-focused industry that doesn't leave room for the experience a dog has.

I'd love to hear thoughts from fellow professionals who are passionate about elevating our industry standards whilst keeping welfare at the heart of everything we do.

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To learn more about welfare-first grooming protocol, visit The HGA | Behaviour Grooming Education.