They do get stressed and that's why I groom them myself. We go outside in the back and sit on the sidewalk in the shade. In the summer, I like to even wash them outside, because
they love to run around in soapy suds, but I only do that if the temp is in the upper 90's so the water is warm. In the winter, grooming just happens inside. Champy is great to groom, Snowey likes to growl...lol. Every dog is different, so I have always just worked with it. Sometimes I can't finish with Snowey and I'll come back to it the next day or so. Gidget is so delicate, sometimes I'll cut a claw or two at a time and come back to do the rest over a few days. It just depends, she's so tiny, I have to be really careful and she's like a little mongoose when it comes to grooming.
Aren't the lion cuts and teddy bear cuts amazing? Each Pom will look different depending on their hair. Usually, the Pom's with lighter hair, like the white one, will have a silkier texture hair, almost like rabbit hair and teddy bear cuts won't look too good on them. If you have a Pom with more course hair, like Boo above, then you get that solid almost "is it a real dog" look to the texture.
Nice that you have some pliers and pincers from your dad. Those are meaningful treasures and good memories.