# Snoopy's first time at the groomers Pt.1



## Durbkat (Jun 26, 2007)

Well I had my grandma drop Snoopy off this morning at the groomers and I picked him up when I got home from school. I asked how he was and they said he was wild and they only cut his face and nails and pads because they said they don't like to do full grooms for a first timer. This mad me mad alittle bit even though they took $10 off the price because I took him in wanting a full groom, not to get his face trimmed. So I had to pay $20 instead of $30 but I think I should have only had to pay $15 since they only did a partial groom and now I have to take him back another time and pay $30 to get the rest of him groomed so I think I will be going someplace else. I asked how he was and she said he was wild and was constantly growling at her and trying to bite her and when I asked if he barked alot when he was in the crate and by the way she said "no, not really" I could tell that he did. lol So here are some before and after pics, I will post more later on when they give him a full hair cut.

*Before*

















*After*

















He is still kinda grouchy as he growled at me when I came to pick him up and just wanted to be put down when we got him because everytime my mom tried to pick him up he growled at her. Now he is taking a nap. lol


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## Inga (Jun 16, 2007)

Hmm, I guess I was expecting to see a much bigger difference. Even in the face. He is still cute little Snoopy but I thought I would see more of a High and Tight hairdo or something.


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## FriendsOfZoe (Aug 7, 2007)

Maybe it would help if you went with him?? I know we're planning to bring Zoe at some point--goldens don't necessarily get groomed really, but just to get her nails clipped/paw fur trimmed and a real good brushing with a shedding blade...just to get her used to being handled by a groomer. We were told to go with her for her first time so that we could be at her side and treat her if necessary to keep her calm since she's not used to it. Maybe this would help with the Snoop?


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## Dakota Spirit (Jul 31, 2007)

Inga said:


> Hmm, I guess I was expecting to see a much bigger difference. Even in the face. He is still cute little Snoopy but I thought I would see more of a High and Tight hairdo or something.


Same for me. 

I can't really see a differance...


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## Durbkat (Jun 26, 2007)

All they did was trim the fur away from his eyes. There was alot of fur in front of his eyes and the fur on his head hung over his face,

















As you can see, you can see his eyes better,









Thats why I feel ripped off because they hardly did anything, plus I don't feel safe going there because they don't require proof of vaccinations. They said they didn't want to "stress him out" by doing a full groom. But they never told me that when I made the appointment or I would have went someplace else because his only problem area was his face.


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## Dakota Spirit (Jul 31, 2007)

Durbkat said:


> Thats why I feel ripped off because they hardly did anything, plus I don't feel safe going there because they don't require proof of vaccinations. They said they didn't want to "stress him out" by doing a full groom. But they never told me that when I made the appointment or I would have went someplace else because his only problem area was his face.


So wait, I'm kind of confused on a few issues. You don't feel safe because of the vaccine issue...yet you still went there for the first appointment?

Also, you said the only problem area was his face. So why'd you order a full groom to begin with? They clipped his face anyhow...isn't that what you wanted?


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## Durbkat (Jun 26, 2007)

I didn't know they didn't require proof of vaccinations till my grandma got there and if we cancelled they would charge us for it since they could have gotten somebody else in. I wanted his whole body trimmed and what I meant by his face being his only problem area, I meant that its the only area where he will start to try and bite you if you mess with his face.


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## Inga (Jun 16, 2007)

Durb, sounds like you really need to start working with Mr. Snoopy on manners. Biting is not allowed under any circumstance. Holy Cow, imagine if my dog didn't like having his face touched and tried to bite me for doing it. Yikes. I could be a few digits short of a full hand. I would not have any tolerance for biting. No matter what size the dog is. Biting Hurts!


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## Durbkat (Jun 26, 2007)

I work with him everyday but its not getting better. I clean his face daily and I don't stop and put him down when he growls and snaps at me, I just stop but still hold him and when he stops I go at it again.


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## Jaylie (Mar 5, 2007)

Just remember, we warned you about that breeder.


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## Durbkat (Jun 26, 2007)

So your saying that every other dog has no problem with their face being touched, that there is not a single dog in the world that has that problem? He lets me touch his face but when I bring the comb out to comb out the hair around his face or when I take a rag to wipe his eyes out is when he gets defensive. But what do you mean by what you said?


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## Jaylie (Mar 5, 2007)

Oh no, that's not what we're saying at all. Alot of dogs have that problem. It is bred into them, they have it from lack of socialization, (Which, from what I've heard, is not your problem...You sound like you're socializing Snoopy alright.) but I am thinking that it might have come from poor breeding.

But you can work through this. Constantly be touching his face, having other people touching his face, just for no apparant reason. Give him treats while you're touching his face, (Actually, not only his face. All over.) praise him, and once again, have OTHER people touch his face. Puppies in Training rarely have a problem with their faces being touched, because when I tell people they can pet, they immediately go for their face.


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## Dogstar (May 11, 2007)

I would be doing 3-4x daily 10 minute sessions on the table and running a clipper with no blade in it (you can pick up a cheap people-clipper for $8 at Walmart or a drug store) over him to get him used to the sound and vibration- and touching his face. Take it slowly, carefully, and with treats- but be firm and very no-nonsense about it. Frankly, if you're not seeing improvement, yes, this could be a temperament issue. But I also think you need to be taking him out and working with him much more than you are.


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## Durbkat (Jun 26, 2007)

I think it was because I never really worked with him on those things but since yesterday I've been doing what Jaylie has said. He only does it if your fingers are getting to close to his eyes and he only ever did it with me when I was cleaning his face and with no one else so I figured he'd be fine with it. The groomer also said that I should have brought him in when he was 2 to 3 months old to get him used to it, which I guess is right but his hair wasn't that long when he was that old.


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## FriendsOfZoe (Aug 7, 2007)

I've heard about the peanut butter on the fridge trick, too. Smear some PB somewhere to try to distract him, especially while you clip around the eyes (sound like it might be hard to work out how he can eat while you're clipping, but you could at least touch him on his face then to try to get him used to it while he's distracted...


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## nlkeple (Sep 24, 2007)

I don't want my post to come across wrong so let me just explain first. My intention is to let you know that of course some dog's behave the same way (Lady used to snap when her rear end was touched). The second intention was to tell you some of the things that I have done that helped with Lady. My intention is not to imply that are not trying to address this issue not am I trying to imply that your way is not right, I am just saying what has worked so far for me with this type of issue. I think that my post is written in a way that makes those intentions clear but just in case I wanted to clarify because sometimes online things don't always come across the way they are intended.

Lady does not like having her rear end touched. She doesn't like her tail or the backs of her legs to be touched at all. When lady first came (only a month ago) I spent a lot of time touching her (still do). I wanted to see how she would react to having her paws messed with and her teeth looked at and her body brushed, etc, etc. When I first tried to brush her tail she tried to snap at me, and I corrected her right away. Since then everyday I sit on the floor and brush her tail. I wait till all is calm and then very matter of factly brush her everywhere. I start to get closer and closer to her tail and when she gets upset I stop, I do not remove the brush, from the area (and I don't let her move) I just pause until she settles in (if it is a battle of willfulness you need to always win). Once she realizes that I am not pulling back (at first it sometimes took a while for her to realize this) she stops and lets me brush her. Now I can roll her over on her back and hold her back foot and extend her leg gently so that I can get the brush into the back of her knee area, and I am even able to trim the long fur near her bottom all without problems. I also pet her on her rear end and touch her tail at least a million times per day. The next thing on my list is getting her used to the clippers because I would like to be able to clip in some of the less than sanitary areas. When we were at the vet last week, I told the vet she doesn't like to have her rear end touched so I will hold her when we get to that point, when it was time, all I had to do was pet her gently and keep a hand on her collar (just in case) she didn't snap or try to get away even when she was getting her temperature taken. I think with small dogs it is sometimes easier to let some things slide, but it is important that they get the same training as a big dog would. Generally speaking if I would not allow a big dog to get away with it, then Lady is also not allowed to do it.


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## Durbkat (Jun 26, 2007)

Thanks! That is what I've been doing, except that I kept going even when he was growling. I didn't pause, so do you think pausing but not removing my hand would work?


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## Inga (Jun 16, 2007)

I think with small dogs it is sometimes easier to let some things slide, but it is important that they get the same training as a big dog would. Generally speaking if I would not allow a big dog to get away with it, then Lady is also not allowed to do it.[/QUOTE]


AMEN!


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## Ella'sMom (Jul 23, 2007)

Inga said:


> I think with small dogs it is sometimes easier to let some things slide, but it is important that they get the same training as a big dog would. Generally speaking if I would not allow a big dog to get away with it, then Lady is also not allowed to do it.



AMEN![/QUOTE]

Very true Inga. I went from a 90 lb. lab to my 8 lb. Ella. Sometimes it's easy to let things slide with her because of her size.
Ella hates when I clean her eyes etc but I really don't tolerate it. I have learned that taking control and not backing off - but talking to her and making her feel safe works. Also sometimes I will give her a treat to distract her and before she knows it, it's over. 
Snoopy looks adorable Durb - I can see where they clipped around her eyes - she looks like she can see much better. Keep taking her - like every 6-8 weeks - and she will get used to it.


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## nlkeple (Sep 24, 2007)

Durbkat - "I didn't pause, so do you think pausing but not removing my hand would work?"

I am in no way an authority and I am sure that there is someone here better to answer that than me but I stop and wait for her to calm down because what I ultimately want her to learn is how to be groomed and have her rear touched in a calm fashion, and so that is why I wait (and at the beginning the wait was long) for her to be calm before I start again, but I don't back down either I just freeze and hold her (as best as I can) so that she can learn that grooming will not end until she lets me do it calmly. That is what has worked so far for me. Just remember to take a deep breath before you work with him and say to yourself 'I am not the only person with this problem....and with work this will be something that we will be able to tell tales and laugh about in the future.'


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## borzoimom (May 21, 2007)

sounds like to me they were too rough with him. Granted first timers are slow and easy, but being that upset when you picked him up, I would have my eyebrows raised for sure!


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## Inga (Jun 16, 2007)

I scale my dogs teeth, saves money on vet scaling. In order to get dogs used to anything I do... I start slow. Start with touching then stop and treat. Come back later, touch for a minute longer, treat and quit Every time you do something treat and quit you can also follow these times with a fun game though I would wait a little so they don't associate any grooming with a hyper activity. I teach my dogs to lie down on their sides and I massage and then treat. Everything is about having them relaxed when I am doing something. Like I said, I scale their teeth, I Dremel their nails, clean ears, brush, pull, poke, sit on. Everything I feel like doing. You just have to work up to it. I would not treat a small dog any different then a big dog. Other then the sitting on, of course. LOL


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## Durbkat (Jun 26, 2007)

Ella'sMom said:


> AMEN!
> 
> Very true Inga. I went from a 90 lb. lab to my 8 lb. Ella. Sometimes it's easy to let things slide with her because of her size.
> Ella hates when I clean her eyes etc but I really don't tolerate it. I have learned that taking control and not backing off - but talking to her and making her feel safe works. Also sometimes I will give her a treat to distract her and before she knows it, it's over.
> Snoopy looks adorable Durb - I can see where they clipped around her eyes - she looks like she can see much better. Keep taking her - like every 6-8 weeks - and she will get used to it.


Snoopy is a boy. 

Thanks for all the tips guys! It seems like he is already getting better! Instead of him going straight to a growl and snap he lets me touch his whiskers a few times then he leans his head back to tell me thats enough and when he lowers it again I give him a treat.


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## nlkeple (Sep 24, 2007)

I don't want to hijack this thread but what is teeth scaling and is it something I am supposed to be doing?


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## Ella'sMom (Jul 23, 2007)

I can't believe I called Snoopy a "she"!! I am so sorry!  I reread my post and was like "whaaat??" I know Snoopys a he - yikes I must have needed coffee or something. Sorry Durb.


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## Durbkat (Jun 26, 2007)

Yep, lack of caffinee can do that to ya.


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## Inga (Jun 16, 2007)

nlkeple said:


> I don't want to hijack this thread but what is teeth scaling and is it something I am supposed to be doing?



When Tarter builds up on the teeth vets will scale the tarter off. It includes putting the dog under for the procedure and I always opt not to do that unless absolutely necessary. Start by brushing your dogs teeth with a very soft brush and paste made for dogs. (no human paste) Keeping your dogs teeth clean is a very large part of their overall health. Go easy on them so as not to hurt their gums. You really only need to brush the outside of the teeth toward the cheeks as the tongue helps to clean the inside. You can also give them toys to help keep the teeth clean. Dental ropes to help floss, and bones to chew. We shouldn't neglect their teeth. LOL Don't try scaling your own dogs teeth unless you have a proper scaler and the vet has shown you how. Also, if your dog does not hold still you could accidentally hurt him/her. Start slow and gradually work your way up.


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## nlkeple (Sep 24, 2007)

I brush Lady's teeth and she is scheduled to have her teeth cleaned at the same time as her spay. I just didn't know it was called scaling, so when you posted I had no clue.


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