If you've been following the evolution of dog grooming over the past few years, you'll know there's a growing conversation about how we groom - not just technical skills, but the entire approach.

Recent groundbreaking research from Dr Julia Epinosa and her team has given the entire dog care community something we desperately needed - hard evidence that what happens to dogs, particularly early in life, matters profoundly, and that the effects ripple outwards for years, if not the entire lifespan of an animal (Epinosa et al., 2025).

Whenever I publish a somewhat "controversial" post, I've noticed something that happens every single time that makes me feel incredibly sad: brilliant, passionate groomers shutting down the moment someone raises concerns about conventional practices. The defensive walls go up, the conversation stops, and progress comes to a halt. I really need my readers to understand - whenever I have pointed out areas for improvement in grooming practices, it's never been about you.