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Topic Dog Boards / General / Standing still to groom ?
- By St.Domingo Date 18.06.12 13:29 UTC
When I first got my puppy I would groom her every night and it was part of the going to bed routine. She would bite at the comb but I put it down to being a puppy and getting used to it.
Now grooming has turned into a nightmare where she bites at the comb and my hands, runs around and generally has a fun time. I don't.
How can I make her stand still and accept grooming ?
- By JAY15 [gb] Date 18.06.12 14:07 UTC
I'm sure others on here will be along with good advice. I had never done any before other than a day with an excellent trainer working on my oldest dog--he spent several hours in the salon which left its mark on him so that psychologically he was not comfortable with any of it beyond combing. It made my (grooming) life much easier when I bought a proper table and H frame. I also started by doing very little at a time and have built up so that now I can 'finish' a dog, but I keep on top of their coats now instead of trying to trim them once a month, or whatever. I was really pleased that my young dog, Bean, has grown into a very patient and helpful boy on the table. Although he still hates his nails being done, I have lots of high value treats next to me and whenever we manage to clip one he gets lots of quiet praise, a treat and big hugs. He knows he's achieved something good too and I wait till he is settled again before I tackle another nail.

Although my oldest dog is still very hard work I've got him to the point where he will now accept a few minutes at a time without becoming anxious. I'm teaching him to stretch the time out a bit by swapping jobs--so if he starts to get upset with trimming ears, we go back to the thing he likes (combing his back and stripping out dead undercoat). I also hold him in a hug so he feels secure(ish) rather than hang onto an appendage.

As it happens I have a very young puppy now and I am training her from the outset. She likes to sleep on my lap so I have a baby brush (not a comb) next to me on my desk and a pair of scissors. I stroke her feet so she is used to me holding them. She gets no more than half a dozen licks of the baby brush and I find I can trim her ears and nails while she is dozing.

You don't say what age your girl is or what breed, but are you trying to do too much all at once? I found that expecting any of my dogs to just sit there and let me get on with it was totally unfair and unrealistic, and the more I tried to get through it the more unhappy and pressured they felt--that's when the turning round, hiding paws etc starts. It sounds like you need to get to the basics--no more than a minute or two, make sure she is tired out properly beforehand, have some really impressive treats at hand for good behaviour and lots of praise for being a good girl and be ready to stop doing what YOU want to do to reassure and settle her. Not easy, I know, but if you are stressed she will be buzzing from that.
- By parrysite [gb] Date 18.06.12 14:50 UTC
I find with Nando that having him on a table really calms him down. However the best thing I can say is if your puppy is clicker trained, just click for staying still with the brush touching her, then build from there, touch, click, treat, touch click treat a few times a day, until you can move on to brush, click, treat etc etc. Only click and treat for when they are looking away and not bothering the brush.
- By JeanSW Date 18.06.12 22:16 UTC
I don't know which of the 3 sizes you have.  But with my last toy I would have her on my lap in the evenings, just fanning her lovely mane around her, and combing.  She seemed to have a tired lazy time, and I took advantage of it.  I eventually could trim her mane while she lay there.  I do admit that I was addicted to grooming, and a comb just went through like a dream, because she was groomed so much.  Poor little bugger.
- By Dill [gb] Date 19.06.12 00:00 UTC
I think the problem stems from thinking she was just being a puppy.    Good behaviour, whether on the grooming table or off is learned, it doesn't come naturally ;)  

First of all you need to get her off the ground, if she's not too big, a car mat on a small table is good enough but you will need to secure her so she doesn't fall off.  When I first started I used a car mat on a card table and used a door handle to tie the lead to.  These days I have an H-frame and small grooming table which was a picnic table.   

Your best bet is to start treating her like a baby puppy and have some really high value tiny treats available.   Get her on the table and secure her, ignore any histrionics (turning you back for a minute is good) and try brushing for just a few seconds. Then give her a treat and let her down, don;t let her have these treats at any other time.   Ten times a day for just a few seconds is far better than half an hour of chasing round.    If she really plays up - and she may as it seems to be part of her routine now - try putting her in a different room on her own for a few minutes to calm down before trying again.  

This will take time and patience but it can be done, then you will both enjoy the time spend together :)
- By St.Domingo Date 19.06.12 05:43 UTC
Many thanks for your replies, I will try them out.
- By Bellamia [it] Date 19.06.12 14:59 UTC
I have two standard poodle and start off my pups on the table for five minutes a day . Gradually build up the time and the various procedures,reward well. Nowadays ,my girls sleep on the table during a groom and love the attention. Good luck. keep consistent and dont expect too much at the beginning.
Topic Dog Boards / General / Standing still to groom ?

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