About Jules Cloud MGBS

I’m Jules, Master Groomer Behavior Specialist, Fear Free Certified Professional and Author of The Cloud Grooming Guide.

Dogs have been a huge part of my life. I competed in AKC dog shows throughout my teens and early 20’s. I started professionally grooming when I was 17 and entered my first dog grooming competition when I was 18. 

Being so involved in so many ways, I had learned a lot about grooming and care for dogs. Throughout the different dog communities I was involved in, there was always one topic that I never felt satisfied with the answers I got: behavior. For the most part, if we needed or wanted a dog to do something, the dog had to do it. I was taught to use aversive methods and tools like choke chains with the show dogs. The grooming dogs were a game of distance and restraint. If you could get them secure enough to not bite you and could get the job done, that was what you did. That’s what our dogs owners expected of us, too.

I was never satisfied with the answers provided when I asked why dogs are misbehaving in the first place. I would get a lot of “They’re just a bad dog” or “They don’t have enough structure” or “They want to be the boss and you can’t let them”. Those answers still didn’t tell me why the behavior was happening in the first place. I knew there was science involved in dog behavior, but I didn’t know where to access it. What we did was working, we were able to get haircuts done, but it never felt good to force dogs who were biting to get their haircuts. 

I had a big wake up call in 2019 when a giant breed dog I was grooming sent me to the ER. I was so lucky to not suffer any nerve damage and make a full recovery, but I needed to know why this happened. I became a fear free certified groomer in 2020 and kept learning from there. I was able to find podcasts and books after many hours of sifting through information to make sure what was being said was backed by science and good animal welfare practices. 

Since then, I opened Cloud Mobile Grooming and Cloudberry Pet Salon in Seattle, WA. I ended up closing these businesses after 5 years due to some personal life changes, but we did some amazing things! We were fully cooperative care based and prioritized all aspects of welfare, not just their grooming needs. We were able to communicate more clearly with clients and other pet professionals. We became not just a dogs groomer, but part of their care team. We would collaborate with trainers and vets to get dogs the resources they needed, instead of owners feeling stuck. We didn’t put ourselves in dangerous situations. We knew how to observe stress levels and respond appropriately.

At my salon, groomers, dogs and clients all knew they would be heard. It was so different from the extreme stress I had experienced working at other grooming shops. Dogs were able to get better care because we knew what care they needed. We knew how to watch for how they communicated those needs.

I didn’t realize at the time, but this change in approach would impact my life for the better in an unexpected way. The relationship with my personal dogs was what I always wanted it to be. My dogs knew they had choice and that I would listen to them when they communicated. I came from a place of understanding instead of trying to make them obey. I was able to see their motivations and react accordingly or better yet, set them up for success knowing what their reactions would be in certain situations. It was the relationship I dreamed of when I thought of getting my first dog. One that I wasn’t able to have until I had a deeper understanding of who they are.

I became a Master Groomer Behavior Specialist (MGBS) in 2023 and obtained a CARE-TC, a cooperative care trainer certificate from Deb Jones Ph.D in 2025. I’m an IAABC supporting member and will be working on becoming an IAABC Certified Dog Behavior Consultant over the next year.