Our dog, Phoebe, is a miniature Schnauzer. She’s an alpha-female with attitude. When I groom her I need her to think it’s fun, a game, and at the same time I have to hold her in a kind of doggy half-Nelson to control her. It’s a bit of a balancing act. I put a treat in my back pocket to give to her when I’m done, but first I rub the smell of it on my fingers so she knows it’s coming, then try to keep it light and playful.