Each month you'll receive...
3 Coaching Sessions (30 minutes each)
1 Video Review Session (30 minutes)
Shared Google Drive folder with your notes, homework tasks, training plan, habit trackers, session replays and resources.
Private Message Support via WhatsApp (Monday - Friday)
Meet Your Coach!
Tara Oster, KPA-CTP
Creator of the Fearless Grooming Program & Tolerant Toenails Program
Tara combines her passion for gentle training, strategic behavior modification, and her knowledge of grooming practices to help dog guardians achieve calmer dog grooming that feels easy.
Video Review; this will get you more results than anything else
I sit down with my private coaching students to review their training footage with them. Filming your sessions and reviewing them is the only way to KNOW if you are making progress along the way. Without this, you will miss important data that shows you to keep going or when to adjust your criteria/expectations. I won't just tell you what I see, I'll ask you more questions than I give answers. This is my opportunity to help you put the education I share into practice. This is your journey with your dog. It is important to me that I keep you in the driver seat, I just have the map until it's time to pass it off to you! See what I mean in the next video.
Trainer & Groomer in ONE!
I won't just teach you how to train your dog with the intent to cooperate for grooming; I actually know what will be necessary in the end behavior thanks to my five years of grooming experience. One idea that I am often UNteaching is the desire to practice duration in coop-care training. This is unnecessary because that doesn't actually happen in real grooming. Groomers are always moving and working around a dog. I teach students how to regularly add appropriate criteria and increase the difficulty when needed to simulate real tasks.
What about real grooming?
Many students struggle with the idea of putting their dog through grooming because they know that their dog currently struggles and feels stressed by it. But it IS NECESSARY. You need to continue grooming throughout the training process. Don't worry about undoing your progress. I will work with you to develop a No Choice Plan that meets you and your dog's specific needs for grooming. By following, evaluating and adjusting this plan each time they need to be groomed, you'll see that your dog is more and more resilient during actual grooming. They will recover quicker. You will feel more confident before, during and after these events too.
Your next No Choice Event could be easier.
Grooming is necessary. You probably understand the results of skipping it too much. Your dog gets matted. They are stinky. Their nails are so long they scratch you. Training them to cooperate feels like a lost cause because you are trying to use cooperation in every grooming event. You need a plan for No Choice Events that are as positive as possible and as productive as possible so that you can keep training them to cooperate between actual grooming. This is how my students have easier grooming so early despite the training plan taking time as they gradually increase their sense of safety and ability to cooperate willingly!
4 x $275.00
“I worry for weeks before her grooming. I feel anxious and guilty for putting her through the stress."
Karen was told over and over that the results would come, that she needed to be patient and keep doing what they said, except it was NOT working. She hired trainers and found a fear free groomer. Karen did everything they recommended. She was patient for so long. Bailey is literally a senior; 12 years old at the time. She was starting to wonder if all her efforts to help were just making Bailey’s life more stressful because that is exactly how it seemed. She was led to believe that if Bailey wasn’t getting better, that it was somehow Karen’s fault. That she wasn’t doing the training right or she was causing Bailey to feel anxious with her own anxiety.
Team Bailey says "This has been the best year yet thanks to your help!"
Hearing Karen on this recent call made me so proud of her. Karen trusted me even though she had been let down before. We discovered underlying causes of her behavior, uncovered some deep down emotions that were holding her back, and found a routine that worked for them both. Now training feels productive for Karen and actual grooming doesn’t cause stress to her like it used to. She also says Bailey recovers after grooming much faster than she ever has in the past.
Team Emma
Rebecca asked for help because Emma was afraid of the groomer and would not go into the salon easily. Rebecca had to force her in or pull her which she felt terrible about. This made her feel like Emma was not enjoying the groomer but she trusted that her groomer was as kind and as gentle as possible. Rebecca also knew that Emma didn’t like brushing at home and bathing her was a struggle because Emma wanted out of the tub the whole time even though she used treats. When her groomer got injured and needed to cancel appointments for a few months, Rebecca and I made a plan together so Rebecca could groom Emma at home. It went so well for Rebecca that she now does all Emma’s grooming and won’t need to take her to a groomer anymore! Emma is cooperative for brushing and bathing. She can now touch Emma’s feet while she lays on the floor which is something that used to cause Emma to avoid Rebecca and wouldn’t allow any touching or trimming. Rebecca is doing One Nail A Day with Emma so that she can compound this task to do more and more nails at once!
Team Leilani
Even though Katie was used to training Leilani, she could not get Leilani to allow brushing or nail trimming. Leilani would “alligator roll” and squirm around if she was being held/restrained. The only time she got nails, ears or teeth done was at the vet under medication. Leilani would pant excessively during a bath and try to get away. During our time together, Katie could finally help Leilani to lay down and allow handling of her body and legs, something she hated before! Katie was brushing Leilani and handling her feet as she worked toward nail trimming. Katie’s biggest win was knowing that Leilani trusted her and felt safe around her even though she was afraid. In the past, Leilani would hide when she was scared. Now Leilani allows Katie to comfort her and pet her if something had scared her.
Team Bailey
Karen had spent years trying to help her little dog Bailey feel comfortable with grooming. Bailey would shut down and refuse to eat even meals for a couple days after she was groomed or needed a bath. She was so stressed by grooming. Through my deep understanding of trauma and obsession with patterns, I recognized her behavior as a sign of pain. Despite being dismissed over the years by vets or told “she’s just like this” by trainers who failed them, Karen pressed on with this new knowledge. They finally discovered the underlying cause of Bailey’s struggles and were given a diagnosis. Once Karen was moving forward with this understanding, we were able to work on Bailey’s behavior modification in our training sessions. Karen was able to train Bailey to cooperate now that she would eat during training! Our main focus was developing a plan for No Choice Events that allowed Bailey to recover faster and gave Karen more confidence in herself. Now Karen has skills and strategies to support Bailey through stress and Bailey is recovering much faster afterwards.
Cooperative Care is supposed to feel slow, but it should also feel EASY.
The reason it needs to be slow is because you are not just teaching them to do a trick so you can do stuff, you are helping them REGULATE THEIR NERVOUS SYSTEM. If you tried cooperative care but didn’t find success, I will bet it’s because the approach did not regulate the nervous system and increase their sense of safety. Once they feel safe (because their nervous system is now regulated) then they can consent to grooming tasks, even if it is a bit scary for them.
4 x $275.00