A Free Free grooming is NOT like a traditional grooming. We will take extra time and care to ensure we are causing as minimal fear, anxiety or stress in your pet as possible. Fear Free is about doing what is best for your pet. This means we might need to reschedule, take a break or stop. We want to make sure that your pet is not overwhelmed so that grooming does not become a scary process invoking fear, anxiety and stress. Some pets already have established phobias to certain aspects of grooming that have become habits from being forced to comply to something they have exhibited a high level of stress for. If an animal is struggling, barking, snapping, etc, they are not GIVING you a hard time, they are HAVING a hard time and it is up to us to help make it easier. If a pet shows a high level of stress for an aspect of grooming yet it is forced to comply whether through force or restraint the pet will now create a negative association with the procedure which can then escalate behavior to become panic and or aggression at the next grooming. By addressing each individual pet's needs and developing a grooming plan that fits them and their tolerance level we help make it easier for pets to be groomed long term. This will vary from pet to pet. Each individualized plan will help counter condition and desensitize pre-existing conditioned responses to create a more relaxed and comfortable grooming experience for pet’s and their owners for the future. Initial Fear Free grooming's may take more time and more sessions to complete an entire groom than traditional grooming services. Patience at the start will pay off in big dividends (of less time needed) for all future interactions.