When grooming small animals it is usually easiest to work on them when they are up on a grooming table. This eliminates a lot of bending as well as the clumsiness associated with trying to hold onto the animal while working on it at the same time. Since brushing, combing and clipping small animals typically requires two hands, a grooming table also has a sturdy grooming arm that is used to hold the pet in place while it is being worked on.
In most cases a grooming arm is made of sturdy metal that is shaped like an upside-down letter “L.” The straight part of the arm either fits through a hole in the grooming table or clamps to the side of it, depending on the table and arm styles. The height of the grooming arm can be adjusted by loosening the clamp, sliding the arm up or down and then tightening the clamp again. This allows the height of the arm to be suited to the size of the animal being groomed.
When grooming very large dogs such as Newfoundlands and Great Pyrenees, the grooming table is typically over-sized but on very short legs. This makes it easier for the dog to get on and off of the table. The grooming arm that goes with a giant breed grooming table should be very sturdy, so that it won’t bend if the dog pulls against it. Such arms are also extra long so that they can be raised high enough to accommodate very large dogs.
At the end of the grooming arm that is parallel to the table, is a collar that holds the pet in place while it is being brushed, trimmed or dried. For animals that are used to being groomed, this is usually just a simple nylon noose that is slipped over the pet’s head to discourage the animal from jumping off of the table. Some grooming arms are made so that the top bar folds out of the way, making it easier to work on animals that are comfortable with being groomed and don’t require being held.
For pets that are resistant to the process of grooming, the grooming arm can also be used with a double noose. This attachment has one noose that goes around the animal’s neck and another around its middle, to make is harder for it to get away. Smaller dogs and cats can also be placed in slings attached to the grooming arm that support the animal’s entire body, allowing the groomer to work on one section at a time.