Grooming and puppy coat.

Two questions from a newbie Cavalier owner!

1. When I try to brush Reuben, (12 weeks) is obviously grabs the brush and comb in his teeth, like he does everything else while he is playing.

Will he always do this while grooming (like my labrador, who ended up growling at the brushes and combs during grooming) or should I try while he is sleepy a tiny bit at a time and get him used to it. Do all puppies start off like this?

2. His hair is pretty wavy/curly. At this age is it likely that his adult coat might come in smoother (how I like it) or is he destined to stay wavy/curly for ever? Some of the hair on his side actually tips back and goes in the opposite direction!

Thanks in advance, any help gratefully received.

Janice

I always walk Holly before grooming, especially when she was younger. As reuben is so young maybe you could even just play with him to tire him out a bit first. Holly loves to be groomed now but she did start out trying to nip the brush playfully. If you get in the habit of doing it when they're tired they come to associate it with chill out time.
I don't know about the coat. Holly is 14mths, her coat is really straight and quite short. It hasn't changed a huge amount since I got her.

Max has quite short hair so far. Since we got him I try to comb him a little bit each day even though he rarely needs it. I'll admit that I have been slacking off though. When he was very tiny I might just touch him with the comb a couple of times and praise him. It is easier when he his tired and since neither of my dogs need a lot of grooming I will most often do it when they are asleep on my lap. The exception is if we've been walking in the woods and they have burrs that need to be removed before they dig in. Max is really good at getting his ears combed now (since I do it more often) but will still try and bite the comb when I get to his hind end and his tail.

Always brush him every day, try and be stricted and say no when he tries to play, and good boy if he sits for a minute and lets you brush him. Keep it short and sweet, if he is very naughty leave it for a bit, then try again when he is getting tired out. Lots of lots of praise when you brush.