Dog scared to be groomed-

Question
Hi,
We have a 3 year old cocker spaniel, who up until the last year, has had not problems being groomed, bathed, etc,. We dropped him at a groomer last year, and within an hour, she had called and asked us to pick him up. She was unable to groom him due to his behavior. (She had been grooming him since he was a puppy and never had problems) We went to pick him up, and he was in a cage, really aggitated, red eyed, and basically looking like a mad dog. I spoke with the groomer who said she does not know what happened to cause this. Ever since, for the last year, we are having a really difficult time finding a groomer to take him, much less actually having him groomed. My vet suggested sedating him, but no groomers will take him once he is sedated. (Even sedated, he is very fearful and difficult to handle.)We tried it at home as well, and still could not get him done. He is now behaving the same way at the vets office.
Although not sure, I think he was someone hurt at the groomer, which is causing him to act like this now. Is this something that will eventually pass? I dont want to have to completely sedate him each time to get him groomed, as I dont think this will solve any issue he is having with this behavior. (plus I cant find a groomer to take a "knocked out" dog.) His acting this way was totally out of character for him before this, and now affects him everywhere else.Could a behaviorist help? I want to do whats best for him, but dont know what that is anymore......

Answer
I think that a good behaviorist or trainer would be a good idea. You might also check and see if there is a TTouch practitioner in your area, as they can be very good at helping a dog accept handling. The thing about groomers - they may not do anything unkind to a dog, but they are all business, have several dogs to get through in a day, and may not give the dog any options other than to tolerate being restrained. Same thing with some vets
I would also have a complete physical done on him. Get a 6 panel thyroid test done, and a tick-borne disease panel. These things can cause sudden behavior changes. Anti anxiety medications may help and sometimes straight sedatives can have the opposite effect of what is expected, as they make the dog feel even more anxious because they have no ability to control themselves. Sandy Case MEd CPDT www.positivelycanine.com