Creating Great Grooming Dogs

40 Episodes
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By: Chrissy Neumyer Smith MGBS, MCS, MCGE, CPG, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA, FFCP

This is the podcast where dog grooming and dog training meet! Learn how to teach dogs to be great for grooming and other types of handling for health and comfort. Perfect for groomers, trainers, owners, and other pet professionals.

The Bite Scale Ep214
#214
Today at 3:26 AM

 This week, we're discussing the bite scale. Why do we need to know about the bite scale? We want to know if a dog is trying to hurt us or not, because many of these "bites" are actually warnings. So, we're going to dive into that this week.

Dr Dunbar's Bite Scale

For full transcripts, go to the audio episode on CreatingGreatGroomingDogs.com

For more info on all of my classes etc, go to https://link.content360.io/CreatingGreatGroomingDogs


You can also listen to this episode as a pod...


Should You Always End on a Good Note? Ep 213
#213
10/29/2025

 Should you always end on a good note? Ooh, I think we've all heard this one before, and the answer is, it depends. We'll talk about why “ending on a good note” isn’t always good training — and how to know when continuing actually makes things worse for the dog.

For full transcripts, go to the audio episode on CreatingGreatGroomingDogs.com

For more info on all of my classes etc, go to https://link.content360.io/CreatingGreatGroomingDogs

You can also listen to this episode as a podcast on my website or anywhere you listen to p...


Owner Q & A Ep212
#212
10/22/2025

 We're gonna do some owner questions and answers, owner concerns, because as an owner, your dog has grooming and veterinary needs, and sometimes the communication breaks down because owners don't fully understand what we can and cannot do.

And sometimes our pet professionals don't have good answers for your concerns. So we're gonna cover a bunch of common ones this week.

For full transcripts, go to the audio episode on CreatingGreatGroomingDogs.com

For more info on all of my classes etc, go to https://link.content360.io/CreatingGreatGroomingDogs

You can also lis...


5 Positive Reinforcement Mistakes You Could Be Making Ep211
#211
10/14/2025

This week, we'll talk about five mistakes you could be making when you're trying to use Positive Reinforcement(+R).

For full transcripts, go to the audio episode on CreatingGreatGroomingDogs.com

For more info on all of my classes etc, go to https://link.content360.io/CreatingGreatGroomingDogs

You can also listen to this episode as a podcast on my website or anywhere you listen to podcasts.

For more information about my classes-

The full diploma program

Master Groomer Behavior Specialist(MGBS) diploma program

Shorter courses-


What Does "Specializing In Behavior" Mean? Ep210
#210
10/07/2025

 This week, we're talking about what it means to specialize. I hear many different versions, and I think it's a pretty exciting topic because I'm a geek, and that's what I like.

For full transcripts, go to the audio episode on CreatingGreatGroomingDogs.com

For more info on all of my classes etc, go to https://link.content360.io/CreatingGreatGroomingDogs

You can also listen to this episode as a podcast on my website or anywhere you listen to podcasts.

For more information about my classes-

The full diploma program

M...


Calm or Learned Helplessness? Ep209
#209
09/13/2025

Sometimes a dog looks calm, but is that what’s really happening? Or could it be learned helplessness? Join me as I dive into this listener question and unpack the nuances between the two.

Can I touch you? A pilot study comparing consensual and non-consensual human-dog touch interactions

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0168159125000589

"Choice and consent are critical welfare elements, especially in interactions between humans and animals. Dogs incorporated in therapeutic settings (therapy dogs) may encounter human touch interactions where they have limited control over their circumstances. The present study ex...


The Groom Pod & Creating Great Grooming Dogs Behavior Chat!
07/05/2025

I had a great conversation with The Amazing Susy Scott on The Groom Pod. She's a friend and a Master Groomer Behavior Specialist. You can find The Groom Pod at https://www.thegroompod.com/ 

The video can be found at https://www.creatinggreatgroomingdogs.com/videos/groom-pod-cggd/

For full transcripts, go to the audio episode on CreatingGreatGroomingDogs.com

For more info on all of my classes etc, go to https://link.content360.io/CreatingGreatGroomingDogs

Want to support the show? Buy Me A Coffee!


But Is It Kind? Ep208
#208
06/22/2025

 Kindness is such a subjective word. How can we ensure that we're making kind decisions for the pets in our care and for our own pets? Because there are many pet owners listening to this podcast also.

For more info, go to CreatingGreatGroomingDogs.com

For more info on all of my classes etc, go to https://link.content360.io/CreatingGreatGroomingDogs

Want to support the show? Buy Me A Coffee!

Mentioned in this episode:

"Groom S.M.A.R.T." https://www.wholepetnh.com/course-listing/p/hnttrhwcf56ktxk-d283x-dtgr5-hx69t-88...


Getting Your Boss Onboard Ep207
#207
06/03/2025

Episode 207. How do I get my boss on board? Geez, Chrissy. I like the show and I wanna do all these things, but I'm not self-employed and my boss isn't on board yet. So if you work for someone else, it may feel impossible to make these kinds of changes, but we're gonna talk about that this week, 'cause there are some great discussions that we can have with your boss.

For more info, go to CreatingGreatGroomingDogs.com

For more info on all of my classes etc, go to https://link.content360.io/CreatingGreatGroomingDogs


The Coffee Table Game Ep206
#206
05/26/2025

 This week, we are talking about a game that anybody can play with their dog to help them be more prepared for grooming and other types of care. It's super easy. Young dogs, old dogs, dogs with no issues, dogs with plenty of issues—this is easy stuff that anyone can do. 

For more info, go to CreatingGreatGroomingDogs.com

For more info on all of my classes etc, go to https://link.content360.io/CreatingGreatGroomingDogs

Want to support the show? Buy Me A Coffee!

Mentioned in this episode:

"Groom S.M.A.R...


If He "Hates It" Why Do It More Often? Ep205
#205
05/18/2025

 This week, we're answering the question "If he hates it, why on earth would you do it more often?"  Oh, this is such a great question. We're gonna have so much fun covering this one because I think we hear that a lot from our owners, but we also hear that from the non dog trainers. A lot of dog pros who aren't dog trainers might also question this. So we're gonna break it down this week

For more info, go to CreatingGreatGroomingDogs.com

For more info on all of my classes etc, go to http...


Emotional Wellbeing in Pet Grooming Ep204
#204
05/10/2025

This week we're talking about why humane handling must be a priority for groomers, for owners. For veterinarians, we have to make humane handling a priority. And that gets tricky if we haven't yet defined what humane handling is. 

For more info, go to CreatingGreatGroomingDogs.com

For more info on all of my classes etc, go to https://link.content360.io/CreatingGreatGroomingDogs

Want to support the show? Buy Me A Coffee!


More Than Just “Get It Done!” Ep203
#203
10/14/2024

This week we'll talk about how grooming is more than just getting it done. We'll talk about how we can tailor our grooming sessions to each and every dog.  We often think that groomers either have to get the job done or refuse, and there's so much that happens in between those two choices. It's not black and white. It's not yes or no. There's a lot more tailoring that we can do.

The Bitey End of the Dog: Chrissy Neumyer Smith

For more info, go to CreatingGreatGroomingDogs.com

For more info on all...


Cooperative Care In The Real World Ep202
#202
10/07/2024

This week, we’re talking about cooperative care in the real world. What do we really need to focus on? This episode is primarily for trainers, but also for anyone who communicates with them. The grooming world has some unique challenges and specific goals that set it apart. We'll talk about Grooming as a Very Elaborate Stand Stay.

The Bitey End of the Dog: Chrissy Neumyer Smith 

For more info, go to CreatingGreatGroomingDogs.com

For more info on all of my classes etc, go to https://link.content360.io/CreatingGreatGroomingDogs

Want to s...


Communicating for Pet Care: Finding Common Ground Ep201
#201
08/05/2024

This week we're talking about communicating with people. There's a human end to working with animals. We need to communicate with the owners. We need to communicate with other pet professionals, and if you're an owner, you need to communicate with everybody. So we're gonna talk about how we can best get everyone on the same page.

For more info, go to CreatingGreatGroomingDogs.com

For more info on all of my classes etc, go to https://link.content360.io/CreatingGreatGroomingDogs

Want to support the show? Buy Me A Coffee!


Behavior Cases Shouldn’t Be Frustrating Ep200
#200
07/16/2024

Working with behavior cases should not be frustrating. If you are frustrated working on behavior cases or working with dogs and pets who have difficulty with grooming, we will troubleshoot that this week.

For full transcripts, go to the audio episode on CreatingGreat GroomingDogs.com


For more info on all of my classes etc, go to https://link.content360.io/CreatingGreatGroomingDogs

Want to support the show? Buy Me A Coffee!


Let's Talk About Drying Ep199
#199
07/08/2024

Does your owner know why their dog needs to be dried? Why do groomers want to dry the dog? And then what kind of drying can we do? What kind of tools and techniques do we have? And let's also discuss if dogs are really afraid of drying? 

For full transcripts, go to the audio episode on CreatingGreat GroomingDogs.com


For more info on all of my classes etc, go to https://link.content360.io/CreatingGreatGroomingDogs

Want to support the show? Buy Me A Coffee!


Repetition Ep198
#198
06/18/2024

This week we're talking about repetition. Why is repetition important to learning? Why is that something that we would want to use in dog grooming, and how can that help us in dog grooming? Find out this week.

For full transcripts, go to the audio episode on CreatingGreat GroomingDogs.com


For more info on all of my classes etc, go to https://link.content360.io/CreatingGreatGroomingDogs

Want to support the show? Buy Me A Coffee!

#CreatingGreatGroomingDogs #DogGrooming #PetGrooming #DogTraining #GroomerLife #DogBehavior #PetSafety #GroomingTips #PetProfessionals #GroomingEducation #SafeGrooming #DogLovers #PetPodcast #Dog...


Scratch Boards: What They Solve & What They Don’t Solve Ep197
#197
06/03/2024

This week, we'll talk about scratchboards and the dog toys designed to help you file your dog's nails or help your dog file their own nails. We'll talk about what they're good for, what they're not good for, and why your groomer might give you the hard eye roll if you say you've been using one.

Dog Nail Scratch Board File https://a.co/d/eo6mDLG


De' Vora Scratch Square Dog Nail Trimmer & File https://a.co/d/9pjlyQt


For full transcripts, go to the audio ep...


Kayce Cover Behavior Chat
05/26/2024

Together We're Better Behavior Chats! 

Welcome to a special bonus episode of the Creating Great Grooming Dogs show! In this installment of "Together We're Better Behavior Chats," your host, Chrissy, engages in a fascinating conversation with the amazing Kayce Cover from Syn Alia Training Systems.


In this episode of Creating Great Grooming Dogs, Chrissy Neumyer Smith sits down with the renowned Kayce Cover, a friend, mentor, and pioneer in the field of animal training and cooperative care. Kayce shares her wealth of experience working with a diverse array of animals since the s...


Unseen Signals: Understanding Sudden Bites in Dog Grooming Ep196
#196
05/20/2024

This week, we'll talk about the "it came out of nowhere" bites. Some bites happen without warning, but what can cause that? What subtle warnings might have been missed? Now, whether you're a seasoned groomer or just starting out, this episode will give you some insights and help you have a safer, more understanding work environment. 

For full transcripts, go to the episode on CreatingGreat GroomingDogs.com


For more info on all of my classes etc, go to https://link.content360.io/CreatingGreatGroomingDogs

Want to support the show? Buy Me A C...


The Owner Who Doesn't Understand Ep195
#195
05/06/2024

We'll discuss how to talk with pet owners about the importance of safety in addressing behavior issues. This may be relevant to you if you're a pet owner or if your groomer has directed you here. Sometimes, conveying the significance of safety to owners who don't fully understand its relevance in addressing behavior and safety problems can be challenging. 

For full transcripts, go to the episode on CreatingGreat GroomingDogs.com


For more info on all of my classes etc, go to https://link.content360.io/CreatingGreatGroomingDogs

Want to support the sh...


When It’s Your Own Dog Ep194
#194
04/22/2024

Why can it be so much harder when it's your own dog? What makes it so different? There are some extra steps that we need to take when it's our own dogs. We have some blind spots, and sometimes, we get in our own way. We're going to explore some of those blind spots this week.

For full transcripts, go to the episode on CreatingGreat GroomingDogs.com


For more info on all of my classes etc, go to https://link.content360.io/CreatingGreatGroomingDogs

Want to support the show? Buy Me A...


The "Hard" Dogs Ep193
#193
04/01/2024

What do you do with the really difficult cases? We're going explore that this week. What do you do when a dog is really, really "bad" for grooming when we already know everything about him. We've been grooming him for years and he's just not going to get better. What do you do?

For full transcripts, go to the episode on CreatingGreat GroomingDogs.com


For more info on all of my classes etc, go to https://link.content360.io/CreatingGreatGroomingDogs

Want to support the show? Buy Me A Coffee!

...


Stephanie Zikmann Behavior Chat
03/04/2024

Together We're Better Behavior Chats! 

Welcome to a special bonus episode of the Creating Great Grooming Dogs show! In this installment of "Together We're Better Behavior Chats," your host Chrissy engages in a fascinating conversation with the incredible Stephanie Zikmann from The Holistic Grooming Academy! She is  the renowned author of "The Magic of Holistic Grooming" and "A Teacher's Guide to Low-Stress Grooming."


holisticgroomingacademy.com


For more info about Stephanie go to holisticgroomingacademy.com


For more information about Creating Great Grooming Dogs, go...


Meds For Behavior Issues Ep192
#192
01/29/2024

We will talk about the controversy about using meds for animals who have difficulty with grooming. There are lots of strong feelings about this. I think that many groomers refuse to work with animals that are medicated. And then there are other people who really want the animals to be medicated.

So we'll talk about where some of this bias comes from. This is not veterinary advice. I am not a veterinarian, and we will not list specific medications. We'll just talk about how many groomers feel about medications, and we'll give a little bit of a...


Train Your Dog Month Ep191
#191
01/21/2024

Episode 191. This week, we're talking about National Train Your Dog Month. So January in the United States is National Train Your Dog Month, and I wanna talk about a variety of dog training options out there for owners to explore and also talk about the idea that training is enrichment and it should be fun for people and dogs.

For full transcripts, go to the episode on CreatingGreat GroomingDogs.com


For more info on all of my classes etc, go to https://link.content360.io/CreatingGreatGroomingDogs

Want to support the...


Warnings and Bites Ep190
#190
01/15/2024

Episode 190 Warnings and Bites. What is the difference between a dog giving you a warning and a dog trying to hurt you? I don't want you to think a dog can't hurt you. Maybe you think they're too small, old, or young. Any pet can hurt you. I also don't want you to think that maybe a dog missed. “You got lucky that he missed.” They rarely miss. So we're gonna talk about the difference between warnings and a dog that's trying to hurt you and why we, as professionals, should take warnings very seriously.


ht...


The 4 Stages of Learning Ep 189
#189
01/02/2024

There are lots of ways we can define learning. I think these 4 stages are going to be helpful. If you've ever wondered, well, we worked on it last time, why doesn't he understand this time? Or why does he need to practice this? There are lots of things that we can do better if we understand how dogs learn.

This is the Creating Great Grooming Dog Show. I'm Chrissy Neumyer Smith. I'm a master groomer behavior specialist(MGBS), a certified professional groomer(CPG), a certified behavior consultant for canines(CBCC-KA), a certified professional dog trainer(CPDT-KA), a...


Is Punishment Necessary? Ep188
#188
12/19/2023

Episode 188, is punishment necessary?  Is that something that we need to do to get our jobs done? Is that something that's going to be helpful? We'll explore that this week.  

This is the Creating Great Grooming Dog Show. I'm Chrissy Neumyer Smith. I'm a master groomer behavior specialist(MGBS), a certified professional groomer(CPG), a certified behavior consultant for canines(CBCC-KA), a certified professional dog trainer(CPDT-KA), a Fear Free certified professional(FFCP) in training and grooming, I'm an instructor at Whole Pet Grooming Academy, and I own Happy Critters in Nashua, New Hampshire, and this my fri...


Desensitization, This Moment Matters Ep 187
#187
12/15/2023

Episode 187 Desensitization. What is it? How does it work? Why could it be helpful? What are a few reasons why maybe you haven't had good luck with it. That's what we'll be talking about this week.

This is the Creating Great Grooming Dog Show. I'm Chrissy Neumyer Smith. I'm a master groomer behavior specialist(MGBS), a certified professional groomer(CPG), a certified professional dog trainer(CPDT-KA), and a certified behavior consultant for canines(CBCC-KA). I'm an instructor at Whole Pet Grooming Academy, and I am the owner of Happy Critters in Nashua, New Hampshire. And this, my...


Emotions And The "Why?" Ep 186
#186
09/16/2023

Emotions And The"Why?" Ep 186 

Episode 186. Is it okay to talk about emotions and animals? Is it anthropomorphic to talk about emotions and animals? Where is the line, between what we see and the story that we build around what we see? And let's talk about emotions and what we observe this week. 

For more info, go to CreatingGreatGroomingDogs.com

For more info on all of my classes etc, go to https://link.content360.io/CreatingGreatGroomingDogs

Want to support the show? Buy Me A Coffee!

You're listening to the Crea...


6 Reasons Why Some Dogs Get Worse Every Time Ep185
#185
09/05/2023

Episode 185. Why do some dogs get worse about grooming time after time and they just keep getting worse? Shouldn't they eventually realize that it doesn't hurt them? Why don't they learn to just go with the flow? That's what we're gonna cover today in episode 185. The Six Reasons Why Some dogs get worse every time.

For more info, go to CreatingGreatGroomingDogs.com

For more info on all of my classes etc, go to https://link.content360.io/CreatingGreatGroomingDogs

Want to support the show? Buy Me A Coffee!


But We Touch Their Feet! Ep184
#184
08/26/2023

For more info, go to CreatingGreatGroomingDogs.com

For more info on all of my classes etc, go to https://link.content360.io/CreatingGreatGroomingDogs

Want to support the show? Buy Me A Coffee!

Episode 184, but we touch his feet. We touch his feet, just like the trainer and the groomer. And the veterinarian said, why is this dog still having a problem? That's our question for this week. 

This is the Creating Great Grooming Dogs show. I'm Chrissy Neumyer Smith. I'm a certified professional groomer, a certified behavior consultant for canines, a cer...


The Customer Service Angle Ep183
#183
04/26/2023

For more info, go to CreatingGreatGroomingDogs.com

For more info on all of my classes etc, go to https://link.content360.io/CreatingGreatGroomingDogs

Want to support the show? Buy Me A Coffee!

This week we're talking about how to make owners happy. How do we make a living working on dogs with difficulty with grooming? Now, this is very much for the groomers, but this is also for owners to understand where groomers are coming from and for the trainers and for anybody else because our customer service angle in the grooming industry ne...


Science Based Training Ep182
#182
04/14/2023

This week we're talking about science-based training. What does that mean? Why is there a controversy and what do you need to know? You'll get my take on that this week.

For more info, go to CreatingGreatGroomingDogs.com

For more info on all of my classes etc, go to https://link.content360.io/CreatingGreatGroomingDogs

Want to support the show? Buy Me A Coffee!

Ep182 What Does Science Based Dog Training Mean 

===


[00:00:00] Chrissy: . Episode 180 2 of the show this week we're talking about science-based training. What doe...


Who Does The Teaching? Ep181
#181
03/30/2023

Who does the teaching? That's an interesting question, isn't it? So if we have a dog that has trouble with grooming, that has some difficulty, is showing some behavior that we do not want, is it the groomer who does the training? Is it a trainer, a behavior consultant? Is it an owner? Let's talk about all of our options this week.

For more info, go to CreatingGreatGroomingDogs.com

For more info on all of my classes etc, go to https://link.content360.io/CreatingGreatGroomingDogs

Want to support the show? Buy Me A Co...


Humane Treatment Ep180
#180
02/27/2023

This week we're talking about Humane Treatment. That whole idea of "I'm not hurting him.", "This needs to be done.", "This is really important." We'll talk about some of the humane aspects we must look at as groomers, veterinarians, vet techs, and owners.

For more info, go to CreatingGreatGroomingDogs.com

For more info on all of my classes etc, go to https://link.content360.io/CreatingGreatGroomingDogs

Want to support the show? Buy Me A Coffee!

 

#dogtrainer #dogtrainers #dogtraining #dogpodcast #dogpodcasters #doggroomer #doggroomers #doggrooming #MasterGroomerBehaviorSpecialist #petstylist #petstyling #ccpdt #iaabc #apdt #cbc...


Where To Start Ep 179
#179
02/19/2023

This week, we'll talk about what you're supposed to do if a dog is worried. If a dog is scared if a dog is being aggressive or acting aggressively, what can we do? 

For more info, go to CreatingGreatGroomingDogs.com

For more info on all of my classes etc, go to https://link.content360.io/CreatingGreatGroomingDogs

Want to support the show? Buy Me A Coffee!

#dogtrainer #dogtrainers #dogtraining #dogpodcast #dogpodcasters #doggroomer #doggroomers #doggrooming #MasterGroomerBehaviorSpecialist #petstylist #petstyling #ccpdt #iaabc #apdt #cbcc #cpdt #fearfree #fearfreecertifiedprofessional #fearfreepets #positivereinforcementtraining


What Keeps Us From Modernizing? Ep178
#178
02/07/2023

Why do we get stuck in our ways? What keeps us from trying new things? We'll talk about it this week.

For more info, go to CreatingGreatGroomingDogs.com

For more info on all of my classes etc, go to https://link.content360.io/CreatingGreatGroomingDogs

Want to support the show? Buy Me A Coffee!

#dogtrainer #dogtrainers #dogtraining #dogpodcast #dogpodcasters #doggroomer  #doggroomers #doggrooming #MasterGroomerBehaviorSpecialist  #petstylist #petstyling #ccpdt #iaabc  #apdt #cbcc #cpdt  #fearfree #fearfreecertifiedprofessional  #fearfreepets #positivereinforcementtraining