If a dog shows stress during grooming, what is the recommended action?

• A. Stop, reduce handling, and proceed only when calm or with assistance.
• B. Ignore the stress and continue.
• C. Increase handling to distract the dog.
• D. Use force to restrain until calm.

Answer: (A)

Recognizing stress signals and responding with safety-first handling is the key idea. When a dog shows stress during grooming, the best move is to pause, reduce the amount of handling, and only resume when the dog is calm or with assistance from another handler. This protects the dog from fear and potential jerking or biting and sets up a safer path for reintroducing grooming in a controlled, gradual way. In practice, give the dog a break, use gentler, slower movements, and rely on calm, soft handling or help from a more experienced team member. If needed, use positive reinforcement and allow time for relaxation before attempting again. Continuing despite distress, increasing handling to “distract” the dog, or using force to restrain can heighten fear, increase the risk of injury, and undermine future grooming cooperation.