[yorkietalkjilly]

I've used a lot of groomers in the past when I had poodles and never had one suggest that. I personally would never drug a dog for regular grooming, much less a puppy. I'd keep looking for groomers and ask about how they handle a wriggly puppy and then you might stick around to observe how the groomers as well as the assistants and handle other dogs. Just sitting and watching for a good while will show you a lot, though they are all very aware there is a client watching. Still, you can observe things you want to know if you sit there long enough since some of their reactions to a dog's actions are instinctive and reactive, done without thinking in the course of time. Personally, after finding skin nicks and such, the dogs coming home and sleeping the rest of the night, etc., I began to do my dogs myself and now I don't have to worry about their well being at the groomers.