Those of us that have been grooming for many many years have probably noticed that the structure of the average is dog is not what it was 10 or 20 years ago.

The popularity of mixed/designer breeds and of rescue brings about dogs that often have very bad structure and conformation.

Of course as pet dogs and companions, those things do not change the relationship with their owners or their value as wonderful family pets.

What they do change is the mobility of the dog and their range of motion of their joints. That change in mobility and range of motion does effect how they behave on the grooming table and how we must handle them.

In researching for my upcoming classes at the All American Grooming Show, the Kansas City Grooming Conference and Hershey Groom Expo, I found some great images that help to show that limited range of motion.

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A dog with great conformation will likely not have problems with the normal way of handling during grooming. A dog without proper shoulder angulation or with a slightly tilted pelvis is unable to move the same way. If the dog cannot comfortably move in the positions we use for grooming, they will not be cooperative. It is up to us, as professional groomers, to be able to recognize when a dog is telling us they CAN’T physically do something. It is also up to us to find different ways to get it done with their comfort in mind.