Stress-Free Doodle Grooming: Making Brushing and Handling Positive (Part 2)

Does grooming turn into stress, resistance, or shutdown for your Doodle? Stress-free Doodle grooming is possible — and it starts with how brushing, handling, and consent are taught.

In this episode of The Doodle Pro® Podcast, join me, Corinne Gearhart of The Doodle Pro®, for the second half of my conversation with Laura Monaco Torelli — one of the nation’s leading positive-reinforcement experts in humane handling and cooperative care.

Laura’s work is also featured in Your Doodle’s Daily Schedule Blueprint™, where her insights support humane, consent-based handling and care for Doodles.

Since 2004, Laura has helped transform the lives of pets and their people in Chicago, bringing science-based, compassionate techniques from her early work with marine mammals and exotic animals into the world of companion dogs.

In Part 1 (Episode 47) — our most-downloaded episode ever — we explored how empathy and reinforcement-based training can make grooming and handling less stressful. In this follow-up conversation, we go deeper into practical, real-life strategies Doodle parents can start using right away.

💡 In this episode, you’ll learn:
✔️ How to help your Doodle feel more comfortable with brushing and grooming tools
✔️ Step-by-step ways to build positive associations with clippers and handling
✔️ Why giving dogs choice and consent reduces anxiety and builds trust
✔️ How to pace grooming sessions to protect your Doodle’s coat and emotional safety
✔️ How Laura’s cross-species training experience informs humane grooming practices

👉 Next listen: Start with Episode 47: Stress-Free Vet Visits & Grooming for Doodles, where Laura and I lay the foundation for cooperative care and positive handling.

🌿 Supportive tools for calm grooming experiences

My favorite calming tools for sensitive Doodles
👉 https://thedoodlepro.com/shopcalm

🔗 Links mentioned

• Episode 47: Stress-Free Vet Visits & Grooming for Doodles
• Laura’s website: https://lauramonacotorelli.com
  
  
• Follow Laura on Instagram: @LauraMonacoTorelli

🎧 Hit play to make grooming feel safer, calmer, and more cooperative for your Doodle — without force, fear, or pressure.

Corinne Gearhart is the founder of The Doodle Pro®, a science-based training platform helping Doodle parents raise calmer, well-mannered dogs using positive reinforcement. She is the host of The Doodle Pro® Podcast and author of Your Doodle’s Daily Schedule Blueprint™.

📘 Get the Doodle Schedule Blueprint:
https://thedoodlepro.com/doodle-schedule-bonus/

🎧 More episodes:
https://thedoodlepro.com/podcast