Not for me, for my mom's dog Toy, who's 8 but honestly somehow over the last year we let her "collie/chow" coat get waayy behind and it would have taken months upon months to brush out ourselves plus the vet thought she had something fungal on her stomach so I made the call to have her shaved. What can I say other than - BEST EXPIERENCE EVER!
This dog has some issues, will bite hasn't be around anyone but family members for years and is a wild dog when a vet has to handle her, but was very very well socialised as a pup. We thought and were prepared to have her completely sedated for the groom. Turns out the groomer at our vet's office likes to book apointments for new clients on the vet's lunch hour for the specific reason that she doesn't like sedating dogs and truely has a lot of dog sense and expierence. So we take Toy in, and first off the muzzle is too big, it's one of those circular ones that don't cover the nose and Toy could easily have bitten through the muzzle... I'm doubtful, Toy's fearful, and the groomer asks us to wait a minute. So we get Toy on the table and she does a great impression of a bucking bronco for about 10 secounds, my mom goes and stands by the table at the groomers request and the rest of the time she was perfect! As soon as the groomer went the second pass to take the fur off her back she relaxed and started looking all sleepy, by the time the shaving was finished and she was in the tub we didn't even need the muzzle. there was no shaking, no growling, no snapping or baring of teeth what so ever she was truely enjoying herself, taking treats and giving kisses.
There was one point at the beginning of the bath that I looked over and could see Toy's front teeth and I just about said, "watch out she's gonna lunge!" and then I realised she wasn't growling, she was smiling!
I have a whole new definition of a loving, positive expierence and even though Toy probably won't need it, she's going back at least every 6 months to this groomer for the rest of her life just because of the way she obviously felt about the expierence, when we came out of the grooming room the vet's were all standing around talking in the hall and we had to go by, Toy didn't growl, not a single agressive reaction she was friendly and curious as though she were a completely different dog and she's continued to be very affectionate and upbeat and non agressive since.
I'm wondering if I shouldn't take the min pins just for some socialising? 30$ for a happy dog, well worth it.