🐾What If We Stopped Calling Them “Difficult Dogs”?

Changing Our Words to Change Our Perspective

In the grooming world, some phrases have become routine:👉 “He’s really difficult.”👉 “This one is such a handful.”👉 “She never cooperates, like always…”

These expressions, often said without bad intent, reflect a focus on how the animal inconveniences us, rather than on what the animal is experiencing.

But what if the way we talk about dogs influences the way we treat them?

💬 Words shape our mindset

Calling a dog “difficult” means:

• Locking them into a behavior label

• Implying they’re acting against us

• Moving away from understanding what they’re communicating

A dog that growls, resists, or refuses a handling isn't being "difficult."They're expressing something:

• Fear

• Confusion

• A traumatic memory

• Physical discomfort

• Or simply… a need to be seen differently

🔄 Replace judgment with observation

What if instead of saying:

“This dog is impossible, I can’t get anything done,”we said:“This dog is on high alert. I’ll slow down, breathe, and see what’s bothering him.”

Changing our language doesn’t mean denying the challenge—it means refocusing on the animal as a communicating being, not an obstacle.

👂 From labeling to listening

✅ A “difficult” dog becomes:→ a “sensitive,” “reactive,” or “hypervigilant” dog

✅ An “aggressive” dog becomes:→ a dog in “defensive mode,” or “emotionally distant”

✅ A “stubborn” dog becomes:→ a dog who is “not understood,” or “not engaged by what we offer”

Each word points us in a direction:

• Toward confrontation, or

• Toward cooperation

🎓 Why it changes everything in practice

Shifting your perspective also means:

• Reacting less, and teaching more

• Improving safety for both the pet and the groomer

• Making the session a better experience

• Avoiding escalation into restraint or learned helplessness

Most importantly, it gives us back tools for action.

Labeling a dog as “difficult” shuts down creativity.Recognizing a dog as “stressed,” “underprepared,” or “not ready” invites us to adapt, learn, and adjust.

🧘‍♀️ A more mindful approach to grooming

In wellness grooming, we don’t talk about “dominance” or “making the dog obey.”

We aim to reconnect, to create safety, and to respect the animal’s pace.And it all starts… with how we talk about them.

💡 Want to go further?

This reflection is at the heart of the DAATA method, and will be explored in depth in our upcoming online course on stress management in grooming.

👉 Sign up for updates here:www.daatacertification.com