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Help my puppy is scared of being groomed

C

clark67

Well-known member
Harvey is 4 months old and everytime I try to brush him he runs off scared. What can I do? I have tried to let him have the brush to sniff etc and see it's nothing to be scared off. I've even sat there pretending to brush myself so what can I do now. He will soon look a scruff. Luckily his coat is very short but his ears worry me.
 
I got a baby brush set for maile. I let her chew on the comb while I brush her. lately I haven't been able to find the comb and she has been pretty good when I just use the brush. perhaps giving him treats would help
 
Now I'm going back a bit here.........the first time I groomed my Rudee when she was a puppy, I used a cat brush because it was so soft, like a baby brush. Her coat was very short so she didn't need the stiff dog brush. Like others have said.....maybe try a baby brush first while the coat is short. Let us know how you get on.
 
I would use the softest brush you can find and only do a little bit at a time, make a huge point of rewarding the behaviour you want and then finish the session even if you haven't brushed the entire dog!! Always finish on a positive note, don't let him see the brush, tuck it behind your back or under a cushion, then pop him on your lap and gently start with stroking him then gradually bring the brush into play. Do NOT allow him to chew his brush though, what is sweet behaviour in a puppy can become annoying behaviour in an adult dog as well as sending the message that all brushes can be chewed! :lol:

Good Luck, be persistant and you will get there in the end! (y)
 
I found with Cleo, that if you do even a minute every day, brushing becomes routine and the fear of the brush dimishes. I always started when Cleo was on my lap and would just stroke her for a while with my hand before I introduced the brush. As Cathryn said, as soon as she did what I wanted, I would stop and praise her and put the brush away. - I didn't start this in earnest until she was 4 months old. Good luck with it. :flwr:
 
Treats!! Start off with a small goal. If the dog is running away when you go the the brush, start with getting the dog to be near the brush. It helps if you keep the brush in the same place as the treats, so the dog doesn't know what's going to come out of that drawer, cabinet, whatever. Hold the brush in one hand, give a favorite treat with the other.

Once the dog realizes that when the brush comes out, treats come out too, the dog will come running when s/he sees the brush.

At this stage, you can hold a treat in front of the dog's face (without giving it to him) while you give the dog a stroke or two of the brush. Then treat. Stroke stroke treat. Keep adding strokes, and eventually, you can cut back on the number of treats.

With this process, my dogs don't get treats now until after EACH of the three has been fully groomed. And Willow, my puppy mill rescue dog who started off by shrinking away from a hand near her head, tries to sneak back into the grooming line even after she's had her turn. :rolleyes:
 
jadan would always run from the slicker brush and still does but loves his soft brush...until i catch a tangle!! i let him have a good sniff first as otherwise he wont stand still wondering what it is. treat works wonders and like the others eventually only reward after grooming. jadan sometimes falls asleep in the middle and i feel guilty having to move him onto is other side but he doesnt seem that bothered until i finish then he jumps up wide awake ready for that treat!
 
Lucy has a soft cat brush from Pets at home, which is nice and soft, but she tries to eat it everytime we brush her!!!!!

Megan has a glove which we use to brush her and she loves that, think its because she thinks we are just petting her!!:D
 
Moviedust said:
T And Willow, my puppy mill rescue dog who started off by shrinking away from a hand near her head, tries to sneak back into the grooming line even after she's had her turn. :rolleyes:
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I bet that is soo cute to watch, Willow getting back in line:lol:
 
Oh my dogs' pleasure at being brushed verges on the indecent. It sounds like your guy has had a bad brushing experience at some stage.... or at least he thinks he's had a bad experience.

I'd go to square one. Start with a very soft brush and don't make a big deal out of it. Keep it somewhere where you can get at it easily. So maybe when he is laying all relaxed on your lap, you can just do a few very gentle strokes on his back or tummy (somewhere where he likes to be petted) and then just leave it at that. So your brushing session may only be as short as 3 seconds & then you put the brush away. Have a nice treat on hand for him and give it to him when he has calmly accepted the little brushing sesson. You could even offer him a nice little chewy treat to gnaw on while you give him a little brush.
 
merlinsmum said:
I bet that is soo cute to watch, Willow getting back in line:lol:
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Sorta -- sometimes it's just annoying! If I went ahead and groomed her after each of her sisters, it would be like having 5 dogs instead of 3. :rolleyes: So she generally just gets an exasperated "willlllllowwwww!!!" and set on the floor.
 
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