Please help. My 6mth old cocker spaniel won't let me groom him. Have tried soft brush, comb, one of those mittens. He gets really angry. Next stop short back and sides!

Have you only just started grooming your puppy, guest? Ideally, pups should be trained to accept grooming from day 1, ie as early as possible. Most resist the idea to begin with but get over this with a patient & persistent owner. Are you trying to groom your pup on the floor? If so, you will find it much easier on a raised surface like a table - you will have greater control & your pup won't fidget as much. When you say he gets angry, do you mean he is mouthing you & trying to bite the brush? This is quite normal for a puppy that isn't used to being groomed but you can get over this stage if you persevere. Try putting him on a table every day for 10 mins or so to brush him - don't give in if he plays up, be firm but fair :-) If you do this every day without fail, you should see an improvement quite quickly. By the way, a slicker brush is probably the most suitable for a Cocker, plus a comb for ears & feathering.

Hi Jane, sorry to butt in to someone elses thread, but I am having the same problem, I have a 12 week old cocker spaniel and I also have great trouble grooming him, I was given a slicker brush from the breeder and try everyday but as soon as he see it he starts to growl and he wriggles about, I can't get him to stay still, I've tried holding on to his collar but he just about strangled himself! :( I have been trying for 4 weeks (started off with two minute sessions) now and he will let me comb him but only when he is lying down resting. Please can you advice me on how best to hold him still without hurting/frightening him. Many thanks.

I would suggest you try T Touch massage to relax your dogs before trying to groom them, my youngest Cavalier was really naughty(the whole litter was :O) but a few days of T Touch & I was able to combine it with grooming & he's now easy to groom & he has very long ear leathers & lots of coat

Mind you he is still very naughty :D

T Touch

Where are you grooming your pup Jax? Are you using a table? Most Cocker owners who are having trouble grooming their pup are chasing their pups round the floor where they are a hiding to nothing as the pup always "wins" :-) You also need to have confidence - if you are worried about hurting or frightening a pup, he/she will sense this. Cocker pups aren't fragile or generally easily upset (unless you have a timid pup) so it's usually just a matter of persevering & not giving in until you are ready to stop the grooming session on your terms. This doesn't mean you have to be rough - just more stubborn than your puppy :-) My approach is to ignore "naughty" behaviour & just carry on regardless (even though you may not achieve much to begin with) & then when I decide to end the grooming session, the pup gets lots of praise & a treat or two. Sessions do not have to be long, just 5-10 mins to begin with. This works for me but obviously others have different approaches, some use bribery (using a chew stick or toy to distract the pup) for example or TT, as another poster has suggested.