# Puppy grooming question



## JuneBud (Feb 17, 2010)

I have a 13-week old puppy who has or will have a long double coat and he will need brushing 2 or 3 times a week unless he is shedding, then daily. He is a mini AED. With me he's squirmy and nippy and I don't have enough hands to brush him. With strangers, he's reserved and shy and does not bite at all. My husband says he bites us because he loves us and that, in a way, is true. Do you think I would be better off taking him to a groomer a few times to get him more comfortable with it or should I just continue doing as good a job as I can for now? I will probably have to get him a grooming arm for my table eventually. I handle him all over, but he's too nippy and squirmy with me to do a really thorough job brushing him. I still have some time to work with him before he gets his adult coat. I tried to get my husband to hold a treat in his hand and let the puppy work a little bit to get at it and then do it over. I had to keep reminding him to get another treat and not give them so fast. Sigh! He's harder to train than the puppy.


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## Binkalette (Dec 16, 2008)

I would keep doing it yourself or he will never be used to you doing it. My girls used to be squirmy.. I just ignored it and kept them in place as much a possible. Eventually they just gave up trying to squirm around and now I have to wonderfully behaved adult dogs who just sit still and wait while I groom them.


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## Tankstar (Dec 30, 2006)

Just keep at it. reward him when he behaves properly. Personally I would also take him toa groomer a few times aswell. IMO its good for a dog to learn that other people will handle them, scary sounds, brushs, poking around ect.


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## JuneBud (Feb 17, 2010)

Tankstar said:


> Just keep at it. reward him when he behaves properly. Personally I would also take him toa groomer a few times aswell. IMO its good for a dog to learn that other people will handle them, scary sounds, brushs, poking around ect.


He doesn't behave properly enough to reward him. The only option is to keep a treat in front of his nose while brushing. Then he concentrates on the treat and doesn't squirm and nip as much, but I need a hand to hold the treat, a hand to hold him, and a hand to hold the brush. I'll keep doing that. I think he would do better with a groomer and be better behaved and maybe get a better job done and get familiar with the groomer.



Binkalett said:


> I would keep doing it yourself or he will never be used to you doing it. My girls used to be squirmy.. I just ignored it and kept them in place as much a possible. Eventually they just gave up trying to squirm around and now I have to wonderfully behaved adult dogs who just sit still and wait while I groom them.


I could have been a bit more clear - I intend to keep doing it myself. I couldn't take him to the groomer 2-3 times a week.  I just wondered about getting him used to going and getting a better job done. His puppy coat is pretty easy to keep up, but it's going to be a lot more work when his full coat comes in.


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## Graco22 (Jul 16, 2007)

Yes, keep working at it at home, but get him to a groomer asap so that he can be managed and shown proper behavior. If you don't get this under control soon, you will have an adult dog, that is terrible for grooming, and possibly even bites. A groomer has the proper restraints and know how to get the job done, and teach him acceptable behavior. When you brush him at home, make sure you correct him when he nips/bites. That behavior (even though he's just a little puppy) is completely UNNACCEPTABLE behavior, and he needs to learn that now, rather than later when hes nipping harder. When he nips, a firm NO, and tug on the leash..then go back to the brushing..keep repeating..he will get it. When you are working with him, put him up on a small table, wash machine, etc. and keep a collar and leash on him. Use one hand to hold his head/collar AWAY from where you are brushing. He is going to struggle and throw a tantrum, just keep using your other hand to brush, even if you aren't being very efficient. Puppies have to be taught correct behavior and it takes time. Don't give up, always keep going until they are being "good" then stop. Never stop on a bad note, as then they learn that you will stop if they throw a fit. Get him to the groomer, and you will see progress.  Stay confidant, you can do it.


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## LazyGRanch713 (Jul 22, 2009)

Graco22 said:


> Yes, keep working at it at home, but get him to a groomer asap so that he can be managed and shown proper behavior. If you don't get this under control soon, you will have an adult dog, that is terrible for grooming, and possibly even bites. A groomer has the proper restraints and know how to get the job done, and teach him acceptable behavior. When you brush him at home, make sure you correct him when he nips/bites. That behavior (even though he's just a little puppy) is completely UNNACCEPTABLE behavior, and he needs to learn that now, rather than later when hes nipping harder. When he nips, a firm NO, and tug on the leash..then go back to the brushing..keep repeating..he will get it. When you are working with him, put him up on a small table, wash machine, etc. and keep a collar and leash on him. Use one hand to hold his head/collar AWAY from where you are brushing. He is going to struggle and throw a tantrum, just keep using your other hand to brush, even if you aren't being very efficient. Puppies have to be taught correct behavior and it takes time. Don't give up, always keep going until they are being "good" then stop. Never stop on a bad note, as then they learn that you will stop if they throw a fit. Get him to the groomer, and you will see progress.  Stay confidant, you can do it.


Tag was horrible at first for brushing/nails (we won't even get started on his behavior when he was getting a bath, because I'm trying to write a post and not a novel, lol). He wasn't nippy, bitey, or anything bad...he wanted to chase the brush, chew on it, chew on the nail trimmers, attack the comb, fling his head back and do his best shark imitation when I worked on his ear fringe, etc. I did what Binkalette did, since he wasn't being snotty or nasty...I ignored it. When he finally settled down and let me do a few brush strokes, the grooming session was over. He figured out pretty quick that it was going to happen whether he liked it or not, and the quickest way to get it over with was to sit still so I could git'r done. 
It also helps, if possible, to get puppies up off the floor when trying to do anything like that with them. I can't count how many times whirlwind puppies are perfect angels on the table, and the owners say "he NEVER sits still for me like that at home!" It seems to draw a very bold line between being on the owners lap vs. being up on a table and expected to sit, stand, and/or lie down.


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## hachna (Jul 31, 2010)

If you plan to groom by yourself, you keep trying. I think previous members' suggestions are very good. One suggestion...I wear an old shirt with a pocket and I keep treats there. My dogs seem to pay attention to them and behave tad better.


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## JuneBud (Feb 17, 2010)

Graco22, His nipping is in play. The brushing seems to get him "worked up" for play as though you were wrestling with him. He also goes for the brush. I'm pretty certain he would be good at the groomers. He's good for the vet and vet techs. I have a kitchen island on wheels and when it has the leaf lowered it is about the same size and height as a grooming table and it has a lip where I hope a grooming table arm could be attached, maybe with a little adjustment to the island. I'm going to get one of those. I already do brush him on that island. I won't have so much trouble when I get the arm. Trying to keep him from falling off the table, keep a treat within smell reach, and brushing is not easy.  

LazyGRanch, I think it has more to do with the owner doing the job rather than where the dog is held, at least in Kodi's case. He is shy around strangers and he doesn't struggle OR bite. When he gets comfortable with you that's when he starts. He doesn't seem to be a fear biter. He's very mouthy when playing and we're working on that and I see some improvement. The first week we had him he hardly bit at all. It started a week later when he realized he was home. That's why my husband says "he only bites us because he loves us."

Hachna, yes I plan on grooming him myself because his coat requires brushing at least a couple of times a week. I also plan on taking him to the groomers periodically especially for baths, as this back of mine is getting too old for leaning over the tub, and the AED's coat takes a llooonnnggg time to dry. I'm also not very comfortable doing his nails until he grows up and settles down a bit. He's my second AED so I know what I'm in for grooming wise.

I think the consensus is to get him to the groomer to help with his grooming training. 

Thank you so much, suggestions much appreciated.


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## LazyGRanch713 (Jul 22, 2009)

JuneBud said:


> Graco22, His nipping is in play. The brushing seems to get him "worked up" for play as though you were wrestling with him. He also goes for the brush. I'm pretty certain he would be good at the groomers. He's good for the vet and vet techs. I have a kitchen island on wheels and when it has the leaf lowered it is about the same size and height as a grooming table and it has a lip where I hope a grooming table arm could be attached, maybe with a little adjustment to the island. I'm going to get one of those. I already do brush him on that island. I won't have so much trouble when I get the arm. Trying to keep him from falling off the table, keep a treat within smell reach, and brushing is not easy.
> 
> LazyGRanch, I think it has more to do with the owner doing the job rather than where the dog is held, at least in Kodi's case. He is shy around strangers and he doesn't struggle OR bite. When he gets comfortable with you that's when he starts. He doesn't seem to be a fear biter. He's very mouthy when playing and we're working on that and I see some improvement. The first week we had him he hardly bit at all. It started a week later when he realized he was home. That's why my husband says "he only bites us because he loves us."
> 
> ...


He sounds like Tag, The Mouthiest Puppy Who Ever Existed. He mouthed ALL the time, in a playful manner. I think if you keep up with working on his mouthing, you'll have a nice little AED to work with, he just needs to grow up a bit  
FTR, Tag is not quite a year and a half old, and still occasionally mouths, very softly. If anything, the constant mouthing taught him good inhibition and jaw control.


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## lil_fuzzy (Aug 16, 2010)

Even if he is not completely 100% good at any time, you can still reward him when he is at his calmest (as calm as he gets at this point). When he gets the idea, demand that he is even more calm before rewarding, and just work your way up to complete calmness.

The reason he is calm with the groomer could also be because they are professional and has so much experience with squirmy dogs that they just know what to do. I have trouble cleaning my dog's face and adminisering ear drops, but the groomer had no trouble at all, despite my dog behaving pretty much the same. The groomer simply has more experience with that sort of thing.


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## JuneBud (Feb 17, 2010)

LazyGRanch713 said:


> He sounds like Tag, The Mouthiest Puppy Who Ever Existed. He mouthed ALL the time, in a playful manner. I think if you keep up with working on his mouthing, you'll have a nice little AED to work with, he just needs to grow up a bit
> FTR, Tag is not quite a year and a half old, and still occasionally mouths, very softly. If anything, the constant mouthing taught him good inhibition and jaw control.


I hope so. Kodi is absolutely gorgeous and I don't want him to get matted. His mouthing is getting a little better and he seems to be thinking more about what he's doing now, at least most of the time.



lil_fuzzy said:


> Even if he is not completely 100% good at any time, you can still reward him when he is at his calmest (as calm as he gets at this point). When he gets the idea, demand that he is even more calm before rewarding, and just work your way up to complete calmness.
> 
> The reason he is calm with the groomer could also be because they are professional and has so much experience with squirmy dogs that they just know what to do. I have trouble cleaning my dog's face and adminisering ear drops, but the groomer had no trouble at all, despite my dog behaving pretty much the same. The groomer simply has more experience with that sort of thing.


I use treats to keep him occupied trying to get at them and every once in a while let him have one. It works well, but if I have to do something where I cannot hold a treat, like lift a leg up and brush, I can't hold a treat at the same time. I'm going to watch him being groomed and see if I can get some ideas about controlling him, although I would bet that he doesn't act up at all with the groomer.


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## LazyGRanch713 (Jul 22, 2009)

I hope so. Kodi is absolutely gorgeous and I don't want him to get matted. His mouthing is getting a little better and he seems to be thinking more about what he's doing now, at least most of the time.

*Yup, if he gets matted it will be even worse. Some of our best dogs to work on are hell if they're matted (can't say that I blame them). What type of brush are you using?*

I use treats to keep him occupied trying to get at them and every once in a while let him have one. It works well, but if I have to do something where I cannot hold a treat, like lift a leg up and brush, I can't hold a treat at the same time. I'm going to watch him being groomed and see if I can get some ideas about controlling him, although I would bet that he doesn't act up at all with the groomer.

*As much and often as I use treats when training new behaviors (agility/rally), I've never used food for teaching my pups to accept grooming...probably because like fuzzy mentioned, I've done this for years and it's not something new to me and I just get it done with no fuss. Tag's biggest issue is he morphs into Gumby in the bathtub. Go to lather his left side and, without moving a foot, he can contort the center of his body about 6 feet farther to the right. Li'l brat *


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## JuneBud (Feb 17, 2010)

Right now I'm using a pin brush and a comb, mostly the pin brush. I have a rake that I used on my last dog, but I haven't used that yet on Kodi. His puppy coat is pretty easy. AED's aren't all that difficult to brush out anyway (if they'll hold still), at least my last one wasn't, and she had a very full coat. She hated her tail brushed and between her rear legs, but, aside from trying to sit down when you did her rear end, she was pretty good. I did her nails with a grinder because she was much better with that than she was with clipping.


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## JoneSmith (Sep 3, 2010)

Well Pet grooming sometime become a bit tedious task,when we don't have proper knowledge how to handle the pet or how to grooming pets.here i am disclosing some of tips which gonna help you lot:-

Trimming of Nailset's nails should be regularly trimmed and especially of cats as they have a scratching habit. When trimming the nails, be careful not to cut them too short and cause bleeding. Cut the nails until you see a dark circle appearing in the center of the nail. 

Brushing:-Before bathing ,the pets need to be brushed out to make sure there are no knots in the furnishings. Knots are big problem in cats and dogs. Brush the beard, legs and underskirt to make sure there are no knots using the Pin Brush. 

Bathing:-Cats need to be bathed not more than once a month. While bathing make sure that the temperature of the water is not too hot. Be careful not to get water and shampoo in the ears, eyes and mouth when bathing the pet.


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## lil_fuzzy (Aug 16, 2010)

JuneBud said:


> I use treats to keep him occupied trying to get at them and every once in a while let him have one. It works well, but if I have to do something where I cannot hold a treat, like lift a leg up and brush, I can't hold a treat at the same time. I'm going to watch him being groomed and see if I can get some ideas about controlling him, although I would bet that he doesn't act up at all with the groomer.


I think what you are doing is rewarding boisterous behaviour, but letting go of the treat at regular intervals. If you're gonna give him treats during grooming, it should only be while he is reasonably calm.


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## JuneBud (Feb 17, 2010)

lil_fuzzy said:


> I think what you are doing is rewarding boisterous behaviour, but letting go of the treat at regular intervals. If you're gonna give him treats during grooming, it should only be while he is reasonably calm.


This is a very mouth puppy. When I hold the treat he stands still and ignores the brushing, trying to get the treat, and IS behaving when he receives it. I don't give him treats when he's squirming and going after the brush or my hand. I only treat him when he's ignoring the brushing, but he only ignores the brushing when he knows I'm holding the treat. He's reserved and not mouthy around other people, so I know he would be a perfect little gentleman at the groomer's, but I'm going to take him in a week or two and see how it goes.


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## lil_fuzzy (Aug 16, 2010)

Right, good The way you said it made it sound like he squirms but giving him treats 'calms him down'. That would have been so bad


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## Pixie416 (Sep 2, 2010)

We have a Yorkie and she would play bite when we groomed her when she was a puppy. We started giving her a dingo bone to chew on and then groomed her and would tell her "good brush" each time we brushed her and eventually started brushing her without letting her have the bone and she stopped chewing but would get excited to be brushed. She gets a small piece of cheese or a cheerio after clipping each nail and a regular treat after her bath. As high maintenance as it seems, the treats seem to make things a LOT easier when training her. We slowly started taking them away as she got older (she's a year and a half now got her when she was 2 months) and now she will do most things on command "brush", "bath", "clip" etc.


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## LazyGRanch713 (Jul 22, 2009)

Pixie416 said:


> We have a Yorkie and she would play bite when we groomed her when she was a puppy. We started giving her a dingo bone to chew on and then groomed her and would tell her "good brush" each time we brushed her and eventually started brushing her without letting her have the bone and she stopped chewing but would get excited to be brushed. She gets a small piece of cheese or a cheerio after clipping each nail and a regular treat after her bath. As high maintenance as it seems, the treats seem to make things a LOT easier when training her. We slowly started taking them away as she got older (she's a year and a half now got her when she was 2 months) and now she will do most things on command "brush", "bath", "clip" etc.


A friend of mine had a yorkie who was routinely bathed and combed (about once a week for bathing, combing nightly). When she would comb her out, she'd say "we're gonna check for fleas" and it was like a "play dead trick"...the dog fell onto her side and let her owner go through her with a fine toothed comb. It was SO cute. Afterwards she would have her fall backwards into her lap so she could check the belly. As far as I know the dog got a treat every single night for this for her entire life


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## Graco22 (Jul 16, 2007)

Lindensay said:


> I recently got my first puppy. How often do I need to (gag) clean his anal glands? (insert vomit noise here). It just dawned on me this morning that I would at some point have to do that. Thanks for your help.


Don't start doing it at all. When left alone, its rare that they have issues. IF there becomes an issue later in life, then your vet can let you know if its something she will need regularly..but I find when left alone, they do just fine. Once you start expressing them, they seem to always need it done, and are more prone to infections, etc. Just leave em be and forget she even has them.


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## RinseAce (Aug 16, 2010)

I'll ditto this one. Practice makes perfect, don't give up! You will both get better at it! Your puppy will get used to the action and you will know where all puppy's sensitive spots are to be extra gentle with.


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