Vet-led therapeutic courses for animal lovers and professionals who want real skills.
SECURE YOUR PLACE FOR SATURDAY 12 SEPTEMBER 2026
First Pause
No rushing. No force. No fear.
Fix nail day, ear cleaning, and hygiene trims calmly in one 3.5-hour hands-on session, on your own dog.
Next Session: 12th September 2026
First Pause
$295
per dog + handler
YOUR SESSION INCLUDES:
A hands-on, small-group practical session with Amanda
Personal coaching on nail care, ear hygiene, and the sanitary trim
A take-home kit sized to your own dog
A laminated Consent Loop reference card
$295 credited in full toward the professional course if you enrol within 60 days
Booking runs through Systeme. Small-group and hands-on by design, places are genuinely limited.
Who This Is For
This is for anyone who dreads nail day, ear cleaning, or the sanitary trim, and has ended up wrestling their dog instead of grooming them.
If your dog has ever screamed, fought, or shut down at the sight of clippers, this is exactly the room for you. If you've been bitten before and lost your confidence, same. If your dog has ongoing ear issues you've been putting off dealing with, same again.
If your dog already tolerates grooming fine, you're still welcome, you'll just be sharpening skills you've already got.
Not a "just be gentle" workshop. You'll leave with a specific, repeatable method that works.
The Promise
By the end of the session, you'll have personally practiced nail care, ear cleaning, and the sanitary trim, on your own dog, with Amanda coaching you directly. You'll know your dog's Green, Yellow, and Red signals well enough to know when to pause, and when to keep going.
What you'll learn on Saturday, you can use on Sunday.
Most grooming, even well-meaning grooming, focuses on getting the job done. First Pause teaches it the other way around: read the dog first, then groom.
A wagging tail doesn't always mean a happy dog. The calmest-looking, stillest dog in the room can be the one who's shut down, not relaxed. Most owners, and plenty of groomers, are trained to miss that signal entirely.
What Happens in the Session
Arrival
Settle In
Bring your dog, let them sniff around, no rush.
Part 1
Nail Care
Demo first, then you practice on your own dog with direct coaching.
Part 2
Ear Hygiene
The "squish" method, and knowing when to refer instead of clean.
Part 3
Sanitary Trim
The #10 blade rule and comfort over vanity.
What You Take Home
Every attendee leaves with a take-home kit: nail clippers sized to your own dog, comb, slicker brush, ear cleaner, cotton pads, styptic powder, a laminated Consent Loop card, and a slow-intro checklist, so you can keep practicing after today.
Hello!
I'm Amanda
I've worked in professional dog grooming for over 16 years. I've watched the industry default to rushed, hold-them-down grooming for too long, dogs traumatized, owners blamed for a dog being "difficult" when the real issue was fear, not defiance.
One example: a Golden Retriever client used to "turn into a different dog" for nail trims. The real problem was his owner holding his paw too high and trapping him. We changed one thing, floor-paw, no cutting, just presence, for two weeks. By day fifteen, he let her clip all four nails.
That's the method you're learning on Saturday.
If You're Wondering
My dog is really anxious, will this actually help?
That's exactly who this session is built for. If your dog has screamed, fought, or shut down at the sight of clippers before, the slow-introduction method is designed around that starting point, not around a dog who's already comfortable.
I'm not experienced at all, is that a problem?
No. You don't need any grooming background. You need your dog, and a willingness to go slow.
What if my dog's ears are already a known issue?
Amanda will show you how to tell a healthy ear from one that needs a vet instead of a home clean, so you'll know which one you're dealing with.
A SMALL BONUS IF YOU WANT TO GO FURTHER
If today's session works for you and your dog, your $295 is fully credited toward The Calm 'Dog First' Professional Grooming Course ($1,950) if you enrol within 60 days. Full detail is shared at the end of the session, no pressure to think about it beforehand.
Thanks for wanting to do this the calm way.
Saturday 12 September 2026, 3:00pm-6:30pm AEST
Paws 4 Art shed, East Brisbane
Free street parking. Bring your own pre-screened dog.
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