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Course Overview

For humans, nail trims are mundane experiences. But for pets, nail care can cause stress by imposing on their personal space, restricting their freedom to move, and sometimes causing discomfort or even pain.

Successful nail care encompasses more than just being able to physically maintain nails. True success is found in gaining calm participation and trust from the animals you’re working with.

This course will teach you to:

  • View nail care from the pet’s perspective and identify several common causes of FAS
  • Understand the uses, benefits and drawbacks of each common nail trim tool: clippers, nail grinders, nail files, and scratch boards
  • Incorporate the Fear Free concepts of Gentle Control, Considerate Approach and touch gradient into nail care
  • Describe how, and just as importantly, when, to use food distractions, desensitization and classical conditioning, or consider medications to achieve Fear Free nail trims

This one-hour course is open to all professionals who are signed up for a Fear Free certification program and is approved for 1 RACE CE hour and one hour of CEUs from CCPDT, IAABC and KPA

This course consists of four lessons:

  • Lesson 1: Nails, from the Pet’s Perspective
  • Lesson 2: Tools of the Trade
  • Lesson 3: Applying Fear Free Core Concepts to Nail Care
  • Lesson 4: Going Beyond Food Distractions

Course Overview

As a Fear Free groomer, you now understand the benefits of grooming this way. But what about explaining it to your clients or your colleagues? If you sometimes meet resistance or questions and would like some quick and handy “sticky scripts” to use for both your peers and your clients, this module is for you!

Created based on feedback from Fear Free Certified Groomers and written exclusively for them, this one-hour module will equip you with short phrases to make explaining different aspects of Fear Free simpler for you.

This module is COMPLIMENTARY to all professionals that are already signed up for the certification program.

Client and Colleague Communication is divided into four lessons:

  • Lesson 1: Defining Fear Free Grooming
  • Lesson 2: Communicating with Colleagues
  • Lesson 3: Addressing Common Challenges
  • Lesson 4: Turning Clients into Teammates

How many times have you seen an animal shy away from the blow dryer or the nail clippers? How about trembling in the bathtub? Many animals don’t necessarily enjoy having their feet handled, getting a haircut, or taking a bath. But there’s a lot that groomers can do to make those things more comfortable (and even fun!) for them.

The Fear Free Groomer Certification Program teaches you how to use Fear Free concepts to ensure that the grooming experience is as enjoyable as possible for every pet, every time. Step-by-step video clips and slides show you how to teach animals to love the grooming table, clippers, the bathtub, the blow dryer, grooming shears, the groomer’s loop, and more.

Whether it is the animal’s very first visit to the salon or they have already developed a fear, you can help them. You’ll learn how to recognize even the most subtle signs of stress, and you’ll be well equipped on how exactly you can help a pet who is feeling stressed.

You’ll learn how to set the salon environment up to help ensure Fear Free grooms, from the moment a pet enters the salon, throughout the groom, and until the moment they leave. This includes shop layout, sights, sounds, smells, entrances and exits, and more.

All this translates into happier pets, more frequent visits, and satisfied pet owners spreading the word about how much fun their dog or cat had at your salon. Decrease stress on you and the animals, and increase your revenue!

The purchase of the Fear Free Groomer Certification Program provides you with an annual membership for the program, which requires an annual renewal fee and completion of additional annual CE to maintain your membership.

This course has been approved by the PACCC for 5 CEU

Fear Free Groomer Client Report

When it comes to creating Fear Free grooming visits, thinking about an animal’s individual needs is critical. Communicating those needs to the pet’s owner is also very important, as many of the pet’s preferences and behavioral tendencies carry over into other aspects of the pet’s life and future grooming visits.

Use this digitally fillable or printable “Groomer Client Report” to help connect with the client and ensure they go home with an understanding of their pet’s needs and emotional health while at the groomer.