Sutherland groomer goes holistic

Victoria Mackenzie, owner of Ultimuttly Groomed in Dornoch, Sutherland, has become the first groomer in the north of Scotland – and currently one of only seven in the UK – to have achieved a certification in holistic grooming.

The qualification has equipped her with techniques to help reduce fear, stress, and anxiety in the salon.

Mackenzie trained at the Holistic Grooming Academy – a distance-learning college whose courses are accredited through the Complementary Medical Association and certified through CPDUK.

The diploma requires a year of self-study covering topics, such as canine behaviour, body language, and communication, the ‘force-free’ approach, and positive training techniques.

Mackenzie told The Northern Times: “I could see that lots of dogs were quite scared of the grooming process and really didn’t want to be in the salon.

“That’s quite upsetting when you love working with dogs, as you don’t want to be the cause of their stress and fear. I didn’t want them to be so stressed, but I didn’t know how to help them.”

In addition, her salon is cage and crate-free, so dogs have free run of the space and the one-to-one environment means her attention is always on the dog.

“While it’s unrealistic to expect dogs to eventually love all aspects of their groom, through working with the dog you can help them learn to tolerate these things, which in turn leads to a better experience for us both,” she told The Northern Times.

“I’m really proud of myself for completing the diploma. I’m confident that I’m now able to do my very best for each and every dog who comes through my door.”

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