If a dog is dancing around while being groomed, there is a good chance that an injury will result. Being calm and assertive will let the dog know that this behavior is unacceptable. One way to hold a dog still is to lift her hind legs up from underneath. Place your hand under the belly of the dog or between the back legs. Tell the dog to stand. If the dog moves, repeat the process until she understands she has to stand still. When she is standing still, praise her.

You've probably seen dog shows on television and noted how the dogs were “stacked” — head up, body straight or with hind legs slightly behind, and tail up. Try this with your dog to teach him to stand still. Stack your dog and tell him, “Good boy!” Repeat this as many times as necessary until your dog gets the message to stand. Always praise him when he does as you ask.

Spinners

Just when you have your dog on the table and are beginning to clip or scissor her, the rodeo begins. She spins to the left, then to the right. Then she spins herself tighter and tighter and gasps for air with the grooming loop now tightly around her neck. You spin her in the opposite direction to loosen it up and save her, and then it begins again. You briefly consider super-gluing her feet to the table, but quickly dismiss that as a bad idea.

The solution is to put a second grooming loop around the dog's waist and tether it to a different spot. This is where having two grooming arms helps, one on each end of the table, but that depends on your setup. For instance, if you groom in your laundry room and have cabinets above your washer and dryer, insert an eye hook into the bottom of the cabinet to serve as a place to attach your grooming loop.

Sometimes, putting a hand under the dog, positioning him, and giving him a firm “Stay!” or “No!” helps. If he begins to spin, make a noise they aren't used to hearing. You can make an unfamiliar sound with your voice, sharply clap your hands together, or use any sound just to get his attention. Reposition the dog and do it again until the dog understands you will not give up. Praise him for standing still.

Jerkers

Some dogs are touchy on their front feet. When you pick up a front foot to trim the nails or scissor around the paw, they will jerk the foot out of your hand. This makes it very frustrating for you to try to hold the paw and cut hair or nails without cutting the dog.

Sometimes you can desensitize a dog to having her feet handled by just slowly rubbing her foot and not using any tools, just your hand. When the dog relaxes with your hand touching her, then use something less scary than nail trimmers, maybe a paper towel. Slowly rub the paw with the paper towel until the dog is relaxed, then try several more things: a cotton ball, bottle of shampoo, a clipper that's not turned on. Rub and relax the dog, then rub the nail trimmers — just rub, don't use them on her just yet. Then it's time to try one nail. Take just a teeny bit off the end of the nail. If the dog jerks, you are going too fast and need to back up until she is relaxed again. Usually, once you've tried many different things to touch her paw with and have relaxed her, it's no big deal by the time you get to the nail trimmers. Practice touching the dog on her paws at night when you are relaxing with her in your lap.

Jumpers

The scariest kind of dog is the jumper. This dog looks for every opportunity to leap off the table or surface on which you're grooming him. It is very important for all dogs that you never, ever leave them unattended on the table. If they jump off, they can seriously injure themselves. They can break bones, and long-backed dogs such as Dachshunds are prone to back injuries. A jump off any surface can end up in paralysis or even death. If a dog has a grooming loop around his neck and he jumps off the table, it can result in a hanging death.

Reforming a jumper isn't easy. Your best prevention is to use a strap around her waist as well as a grooming loop, but nothing is foolproof. Some dogs are incredibly agile and can weasel their way out of any contraption. Never take your eyes off them. Correct a dog if he begins to look down and even think about jumping. Touch your hand to his chest and tell him a firm, “No!” Never leave a dog unattended on any table no matter how benign the dog seems. Accidents can happen in the blink of an eye.