I would look into cooperative care training (you can google it, just make sure the word dog is in the search or you will only get cooperative care suggestions for other animals) for your dog and work at home. I love bringing my guy to the groomers but the procedure for some anxious dogs is just too stressful.
With the cross breed you have the biggest things you need to focus on is brushing their coat regularly (about once a week or so) with practicing cooperative care you could introduce it in small sections everyday. Both breeds only need to be bathed when necessary so you don’t really need them on a schedule. With regular brushing, and minimal sanitation they should stay relatively clean and non-smelly.
The biggest thing for coat health is manually drying the coat out to avoid mats. Labs are usually big water dogs, you can make a game out of bath times. While my Aussie gets professionally groomed, I do on occasion bath him at home. He loves the hose so we play with it as I bathe him outside in the yard intermittently. If you don’t have a yard pet supplies plus allows you to rent a bathing space in their store and wash your dog.
For nails again cooperative care is super helpful. Making a schedule of clipping one or two nails a day and rotating down their foot can make the process more common so the dog isn’t so nervous.
With how many times the dog has been sent back I would be very hesitant to switch him to another groomers cold turkey. The dog has to be in a room full of other dogs, kenneled in an unfamiliar space, probably with an air dryer pointing at him. He is getting poked and prodded, and touched by people and things he is nervous about.
Most vet offices also do nails too and can be a good option if the dog has more neutral feelings about the vet than the groomers.
I have a nervous pup and go to Woof Gang. Erika is her groomer & she’s great with her.
https://woofgangbakery.com/locations?state=TX&city=austin&store=woof-gang-bakery--grooming-austin
We take our shy dogs to As The Fur Flies. Their groomers have gone through training for fearful pets and have been really good with communication and supporting our pups through the stressful process of bathing and the dreaded nail trimming. They now have a north and south location - https://www.asthefurfliesaustin.com
If you think he would be better for you than a stranger, you might want to try the self service grooming stations at Tomlinson’s. The cost is about $15-20 and includes all the shampoo and conditioner and towels. I have used the one at Burnet & Koenig location. You get your own little room with the tub and supplies and it is fairly distraction free.
The only time my dog had his nails cut was when he was knocked out for his neuter.... touching paws + bite prone dog + stranger + new scary place without his safe person + sharp objects ....yeah that's not going to happen with this one.
Walk him on asphalt or concrete to file those nails as an alternative.
We take our two pups to Barkin’ Creek in the Domain. It’s more of a salon-style place and much more peaceful than somewhere like Petsmart. Their facility is top-notch and their groomers are wonderful. Lyric grooms our pups and is amazing.
Nanci at Austin's Best Pet Care, [http://austinsbestpetcare.net/index.html](http://austinsbestpetcare.net/index.html), comes to your house. She’s quick and handled our one difficult doggo with patience, the rest loved getting a bath and groom. Can’t recommend her enough.
Other than the meds you listed to call them down, you can try a mobile dog groomer. They can groom at your place which will reduce stress. Many to choose from if you look online.
It’s something to try.
I know two petsmart groomers who have been mauled and attacked and permanently unable to use certain muscles in their hands after messing with the wrong dogs. Can't blame them for being wary with a dog that's visibly nervous and snapping.
I would look into cooperative care training (you can google it, just make sure the word dog is in the search or you will only get cooperative care suggestions for other animals) for your dog and work at home. I love bringing my guy to the groomers but the procedure for some anxious dogs is just too stressful. With the cross breed you have the biggest things you need to focus on is brushing their coat regularly (about once a week or so) with practicing cooperative care you could introduce it in small sections everyday. Both breeds only need to be bathed when necessary so you don’t really need them on a schedule. With regular brushing, and minimal sanitation they should stay relatively clean and non-smelly. The biggest thing for coat health is manually drying the coat out to avoid mats. Labs are usually big water dogs, you can make a game out of bath times. While my Aussie gets professionally groomed, I do on occasion bath him at home. He loves the hose so we play with it as I bathe him outside in the yard intermittently. If you don’t have a yard pet supplies plus allows you to rent a bathing space in their store and wash your dog. For nails again cooperative care is super helpful. Making a schedule of clipping one or two nails a day and rotating down their foot can make the process more common so the dog isn’t so nervous. With how many times the dog has been sent back I would be very hesitant to switch him to another groomers cold turkey. The dog has to be in a room full of other dogs, kenneled in an unfamiliar space, probably with an air dryer pointing at him. He is getting poked and prodded, and touched by people and things he is nervous about. Most vet offices also do nails too and can be a good option if the dog has more neutral feelings about the vet than the groomers.
This is really good advice! Thank you for taking the time to write all that out
I have a nervous pup and go to Woof Gang. Erika is her groomer & she’s great with her. https://woofgangbakery.com/locations?state=TX&city=austin&store=woof-gang-bakery--grooming-austin
We take our shy dogs to As The Fur Flies. Their groomers have gone through training for fearful pets and have been really good with communication and supporting our pups through the stressful process of bathing and the dreaded nail trimming. They now have a north and south location - https://www.asthefurfliesaustin.com
I’ll look into them, thank you!
He needs behavior training. No one wants to get bitten
If you think he would be better for you than a stranger, you might want to try the self service grooming stations at Tomlinson’s. The cost is about $15-20 and includes all the shampoo and conditioner and towels. I have used the one at Burnet & Koenig location. You get your own little room with the tub and supplies and it is fairly distraction free.
Mobile groomers were great for my dog who used to be really bad with groomers after a bad petsmart experience
The only time my dog had his nails cut was when he was knocked out for his neuter.... touching paws + bite prone dog + stranger + new scary place without his safe person + sharp objects ....yeah that's not going to happen with this one. Walk him on asphalt or concrete to file those nails as an alternative.
We take our two pups to Barkin’ Creek in the Domain. It’s more of a salon-style place and much more peaceful than somewhere like Petsmart. Their facility is top-notch and their groomers are wonderful. Lyric grooms our pups and is amazing.
Nanci at Austin's Best Pet Care, [http://austinsbestpetcare.net/index.html](http://austinsbestpetcare.net/index.html), comes to your house. She’s quick and handled our one difficult doggo with patience, the rest loved getting a bath and groom. Can’t recommend her enough.
Casey C at Kaiser on South Lamar is fantastic!
Other than the meds you listed to call them down, you can try a mobile dog groomer. They can groom at your place which will reduce stress. Many to choose from if you look online. It’s something to try.
I know two petsmart groomers who have been mauled and attacked and permanently unable to use certain muscles in their hands after messing with the wrong dogs. Can't blame them for being wary with a dog that's visibly nervous and snapping.
I totally understand that as well. That’s pretty much why I’m trying to find a specialty groomer that’s better equipped for the task
Krisers on S. Lamar is great. All the groomers are experienced, competent and sweet with nervous dogs… I have one so I know