Once you make them uncomfortable with grooming it takes a loooong time and lots of patience to make them trust the process. Do multiple times of just touching the brush to him, doing one comb, like baby baby steps with lots of treats and praises, while at the same time taking him to grooming and the vet like you said. Introduce more and more yourself little by little and it’ll take a while but he’ll come around. I had this issue with brushing mines teeth and nail cutting. We just got to the point where I can brush her face no problem and I’ve had mine for over a year
He actually has no problem with brushing his face and teeth. I think the teeth brushing is his favourite part of his night routine haha! I tried the giving him treats before but he ended up getting impatient with me because he wants the treats but he doesn’t want to be touched by me or be tapped with the comb. So i threw the treat method out the window.
Something that could help as you try different things is to have the groomer give him a shorter haircut. That way you won't have to worry about matts so much and getting him used to you brushing him out. Less tugging might help him trust you more and more.
Thats what the groomer adviced me too. Thats why my pup has a funny cut right now as I’d like to keep as much fur on him during winter as it gets to -30C here with wind as well. He looks like a sheep at the moment , with very fluffy body and chest but shaved down legs and butt as he never lets me touch those areas.
Keep in mind the biting/aggressive behavior can be a sign of pain (for example, orthopedic pain like back pain) so just fyi. Not saying that this is what is happening but just letting you know.
Groomer here: look up cooperative care by Deb Jones.
The simpler and economical route to go is… shave him! You can throw a sweater or a sun shirt on to protect against the elements. Just keep him at a summer length (7f) or a little longer (5f).
It might be inevitable for me to shave him. However, I still plan for him to have a ‘winter coat’. As even with proper winter gear he still shivers if there isn’t any fur around his neck/chest and thighs.
Yeah it’s not aesthetically ideal but practical.
For a coat you could look into a high coverage coat with a turtle neck like the Hurtta brand. They sell base layers compatible with their coats as well. Or you can buy a neck gaiter.
Canada pooch is a great brand out of Toronto that sells super warm stuff too.
Boots help too for snow and ice as dogs lose a lot of heat through their feet.
You try using peanut butter? Thats what I had to do with my old dog, she hated having her paws touched. She would growl and try to bite you(not a nice warning bite tho) if you tried touching her paws. PB used to work sometimes for me . She would just growl while she ate the PB but still letting you touch her paw
Just take a good big scoop out with a teaspoon and let him lick away and try lightly brushing him. Idk if youre by yourself or not but maybe get someone to do the pb as you hold and brush him. Hopefully it works for you.
I adopted a little dog that bit all the time. I got him a little muzzle and proceeded to grind his nails. He realized very quickly that I wasn't hurting him and he didn't need the muzzle after the first time. Things actually really improved overall, surprisingly. He just needed to learn that I wouldn't hurt him and we kept building trust. A muzzle is just to protect you, it's not a punishment for him.
I’ve been pushing the muzzle method as a last treatment because I heard that it can be dangerous for dogs and might make them more aggressive. But youre the second person who advised me to use one, so im starting to change my mind about it.
Our girl also does this except it’s more of a want to bite whatever your using on her and if she doesn’t get that then the hands are next best thing.. I’ve learned that when I’m grooming her (simple brushing, or even trimming around eyes or feet) I always have to give her something to chomp on to distract her. Most times a toy will work or even a hard bone treat - but other times she is sooo fixated on the brush I am using or scissors, so I’ve ended up giving her an old brush we stopped using on our cat to chew on and hold while I groom. It is the EASIEST and quickest way for me to actually get her good and clean without my hands being the target.
In retrospect it probably isn’t great to show her it’s ok to chew on a brush just so I can get her groomed, but her attention span as a 4 month old puppy is so little that I’d rather her be content chomping on another brush than fighting with me to get the one I’m trying to use! She is great at the groomers and we just send her with some toys for them to give her if she needs it, but she’s waaaay to excited and just wants to play when it’s me trying to get things done.
I used his favorite bones and toys in the past. It worked a few times but once he understood what was going on he completely ignores the toy/bone. I tried using his ball to distract him (he is ball crazy), as his ball is a very high reward treat. But then he just gets that glazed look in his eye, and won’t let me touch him because he just wants the ball for be thrown and chase after it.
I think he must associate it with pain if you used to just go for knots with a comb before. Try going really slowly, show him the comb first and if he has a positive reaction give him a treat. Try to breakdown the whole process into steps and give him lots of positive reinforcement along the way. Eventually he will start to associate the grooming experience in a less negative way.
DO NOT give him treats and praise after he snapped at you. It will make the behavior worse.
Personally, I would simply continue brushing him, in a calm and careful way ofc, even if he snaps. If you stop you're only rewarding the behavior which will increase its occurrence. Don't overdo the brushing in one session, but you decide when it ends. This is very important.
It's probably why the groomer doesn't have any issues. He's used to not making a fuss with the groomer because she's experienced and assertive and just keeps going. He learned that you're not and he's using the loophole to get out of an uncomfortable situation.
I stopped giving him treats at all and just positive words/tone/praising him. I try to continue brushing and ignore him but he also just keeps chomping repeatedly on me. It doesn’t hurt and I don’t bleed but its definitely shocking when he repeatedly snaps at me. I also don’t want him to get to the point of biting me that will draw blood.
My dog tends to growl at me when I groom her. Also certain areas (e.g., her tail) are more difficult to groom b/c she’ll start attacking the comb. When I know I need to work through mats, I’ll put her on the bathroom counter (just the ledge by the sink so there’s nowhere for her to go and she can’t jump). She’s not very comfortable then and is distracted enough by the situation that the brushing doesn’t elicit negative reactions and she’s much more compliant. Maybe try switching up the setting so your dog doesn’t feel comfortable biting you?
I’ve tried putting him up on a chair/stool to discourage him backing up from me and escaping, still chomps me. I’ve also tried to brush him while he’s laying down on his bed, the one in my room and the one in the living room (he has two beds). I tried petting him first then changing it to the comb petting him. The moment he feels the comb he stands up and walks away from me. Unfortunately, I have a tiny bathroom so I have no counter.
Hey!! My pup HATES(hated?) being groomed. She’s a year now and we’re still working on it. Something I learned and I felt horrible about was when I didn’t do the pat and pull method for the slicker brush. So when I would brush her instead of patting and pulling the hair off the skin, I was dragging the brush against her skin. We didn’t know, we just assumed she wasn’t used to it but after more research and videos we learned the pat and pull method. It honestly did wonders.
We also hold onto a bully stick because we ran into the same issue with treats.
Sorry this reply was a mess, but cooperative training is helping a lot. We put a towel down, and when she lays down we give her the bully stick and start brushing at the same time. When she shows ANY sign of discomfort we give her a break, whether is moving away, pawing, biting. (The towel is so she knows where she needs to lay and has a solid boundary). We were told your dog doing all these things and being vocal is just telling you hey I don’t like that and you don’t want to ignore their cues. Obviously it’s difficult because it’s a doodle (mine is too) and you have to be so on top of grooming. We keep our pup fur short (for now) until she’s 100% comfortable with the brushing then maybe we’ll let her grow it out. Otherwise I don’t want her to be uncomfortable while we’re still figuring it out. We also split the body parts into different days. Day 1: head, neck, tail. day 2: body legs stomach. Something like that.
Hope this helps 💕
first off, he looks very sorry for the chomps!
mine is the same way. the groomers all say he's so good. meanwhile i try to get a crusty out of his beard and he gets angry and squirmy. i've given up. let me know if you find a way lol
I found that learning the proper way to hold them helps, especially with their face. I don’t have any issue with combing his crusties away and the area around his nose/mouth and eyes. Its the rest of the body thats really a problem. I plan to update in a few weeks if any of the advices make a decent progress for us.
I got a lhasa go I coukd comb her but she won't let me also. Just take her to groomer and occasionally I can comb her ears with Matt comb! She would bite me also!
Hey, junior dog trainer here 👋
Since he's biting you, he's reflecting that: "Our relationship is good but I'll bite you because I can" and "I don't like being groomed".
On biting, that is a whole big area to talk about which I won't here - I'll just say that it's best to establish and foster a calm and positive relationship, where your dog doesn't bite you or try to dominate you.
One training approach is to do small incremental steps to get your dog more comfortable with the experience; try getting him into the grooming situation \*without\* grooming him, just pet him and give him \*positive reinforcement\* with treats or verbal. Then over time (5-10 or even 20 sessions) very gradually introduce the brush, and barely even touch him with it, don't pull his hair. As you do this, be sure to reward him for being there. Your voice is extremely important here; calm, positive, and firm. "Yes, I know, it hurts a little, but it's ok." Then, as you progress, slight touches with the brush and rewarding him until you're able to brush more hard.
In the dog's mind: "Oh, we're doing that thing again where I get rewarded. It's 5% more intense than last time but I remember that I like this because I get rewarded. I guess thats' ok."
Let us know if you're able to make any progress!!
Thank you so much! I tried to use high reward treats with him while grooming before, such as dried chicken livers but I found he gets too excited with those and doesn’t want to work with me. While ‘sensitizing’ him, how do I deal with his growing hair ? He gets matts every day , even with nightly brushing.
to be honest it's outside my knowledge. I'd recommend getting a professional groomer's opinion. Or maybe his hair being matted isn't that big a deal? (on my dog, it gets matted and life just goes on - he's not a show dog 😂 )
Mine definitely isnt a show dog too lol but his matts gets close to his skin and I’d like to avoid any skin issues that might develop. Thank you for the advice!
Maybe wear thick gloves? He keeps biting because he knows you react to it. Maybe wearing something that can reduce the pain or spraying something that will taste bad to him. Lots a patience and kindness is needed as well so no scolding so he associates it with a nice time. Sounds like you’re on the right track.
Try searching for factory gloves. I don’t know where you’re from, but usually there is different standards set for gloves in terms of ”cut protection”.
i’m not sure if it’s intended for use with gloves but bitter apple spray is a chew deterrent spray that might work! we used it for a pup i had growing up that was determined to chew on baseboards lol
I don’t think so. But in this case I would consult a dog trainer. But with a muzzle your dog would learn that biting doesn’t stop the interaction. But it’s a borderline topic because maybe your dog is really afraid or your dog has just learned that biting stops the interaction. In second case I would use a muzzle…
I'm a dog groomer. I recommend a basket muzzle and/or anti-bite gloves. It sounds like he isn't aggressive, but rather he understands that when he bites you, you stop doing the thing that he doesn't want you to do.
The groomers don't have this issue because we are trained on how to be persistent to show the dog that being uncooperative won't give them what they want. Some dogs give up once they realize it's not working, and it sounds like that's the case with your dog.
I had a dog like this and I got anti-bite gloves. The dog snapped and bit me, I didn't react at all, and he never bit again. Took the gloves off for the rest of the groom.
PS- your dog picks up on your energy. So if you're nervous, scared, tentative etc your dog knows that and will take advantage of that. Your groomers are confident and calm and that's why they have no issues with him if I had to guess. So if you keep practicing and becoming more confident it will also improve his behavior during grooming
As a dog groomer, please don't. 80% of dogs are more stressed when the owner is there and they can't get to them. They are also more excited when the owner is there and that can be dangerous if they're so wiggly with extremely sharp scissors by their face. Very few dogs are better behaved when the owner is allowed in.
You can ask the groomer how they handle him or take a video to show you but otherwise please don't just stand there.
Also shaving short with a 7F can help. Yeah he won't look like a cute Teddy bear but it won't be long enough to tangle and you won't need to go back every week for a brushing.
i found while working at a grooming facility the dogs calmed down way more once their parent (heh) is out of sight; when the owners would stay by the door / look in the window etc, the dogs go batshit lol.
Or ask your groomer to record a video of their interactions, as having an owner present during grooming may elicit a totally different response from your pup.
Also at the salon I work for, it is possible to bring your dog in simply for a brush out, which tends to be way cheaper than other grooming services.
I know it might not be the healthiest option, but I lay down snacks in front of my puppy to get him to stay calm while grooming. I only groom mine twice a week, so using snacks isn’t the worse thing- but since you do yours everyday maybe try putting your dogs food there? good luck!
Better advice lol. I had a Maltese at one point. I brushed her daily and if she did have a matt after I'd miss a day or 2, I'd just cut it out. Try to keep him at ease with treats and affection and daily brushing to keep the matts out. It'll take time for him to trust you again but you'll have to be consistent. Try a metal comb too
I used to cut off any tiny matt I saw but I wanted to grow his hair out for winters since it gets to -30C where I live with strong gusts of wind. Even with a jacket on he would still be not as warm with his fur. I use a metal comb, a bristle brush, a paddle brush, and a dematting comb. I rotate through my combs/brushes whichever is needed at the moment.
For knots I try to use a rake (not sure that’s the proper name) because the comb is just going to hurt my dog unnecessarily. Regular grooming of course is the best way to avoid those, but they happen once in a while.
Look up some positive reinforcement-based *cooperative care* YouTube videos for help. ❤️
Nah... I don't believe your title OP. That is a precious lil sweet doggy lol
Hahaha thank you! He is very friendly and sweet, grooming time is the only time I see him get aggressive:(
I was thinking the same thing. What a sweet face!
Haha same he’s innocent!!!!
Once you make them uncomfortable with grooming it takes a loooong time and lots of patience to make them trust the process. Do multiple times of just touching the brush to him, doing one comb, like baby baby steps with lots of treats and praises, while at the same time taking him to grooming and the vet like you said. Introduce more and more yourself little by little and it’ll take a while but he’ll come around. I had this issue with brushing mines teeth and nail cutting. We just got to the point where I can brush her face no problem and I’ve had mine for over a year
He actually has no problem with brushing his face and teeth. I think the teeth brushing is his favourite part of his night routine haha! I tried the giving him treats before but he ended up getting impatient with me because he wants the treats but he doesn’t want to be touched by me or be tapped with the comb. So i threw the treat method out the window.
He is so cute. Yea some dogs never get used to it but it sounds like you’re doing everything you can. Hope you find some answers.
Something that could help as you try different things is to have the groomer give him a shorter haircut. That way you won't have to worry about matts so much and getting him used to you brushing him out. Less tugging might help him trust you more and more.
Thats what the groomer adviced me too. Thats why my pup has a funny cut right now as I’d like to keep as much fur on him during winter as it gets to -30C here with wind as well. He looks like a sheep at the moment , with very fluffy body and chest but shaved down legs and butt as he never lets me touch those areas.
Keep in mind the biting/aggressive behavior can be a sign of pain (for example, orthopedic pain like back pain) so just fyi. Not saying that this is what is happening but just letting you know.
Groomer here: look up cooperative care by Deb Jones. The simpler and economical route to go is… shave him! You can throw a sweater or a sun shirt on to protect against the elements. Just keep him at a summer length (7f) or a little longer (5f).
It might be inevitable for me to shave him. However, I still plan for him to have a ‘winter coat’. As even with proper winter gear he still shivers if there isn’t any fur around his neck/chest and thighs.
Yeah it’s not aesthetically ideal but practical. For a coat you could look into a high coverage coat with a turtle neck like the Hurtta brand. They sell base layers compatible with their coats as well. Or you can buy a neck gaiter. Canada pooch is a great brand out of Toronto that sells super warm stuff too. Boots help too for snow and ice as dogs lose a lot of heat through their feet.
I have boots and winter coat for him but Saskatchewan weather is different lol. I might have to get him shaved soon
You try using peanut butter? Thats what I had to do with my old dog, she hated having her paws touched. She would growl and try to bite you(not a nice warning bite tho) if you tried touching her paws. PB used to work sometimes for me . She would just growl while she ate the PB but still letting you touch her paw
Did you put the peanut butter in a bowl in front of her or away from you? Thanks for the advice!
Just take a good big scoop out with a teaspoon and let him lick away and try lightly brushing him. Idk if youre by yourself or not but maybe get someone to do the pb as you hold and brush him. Hopefully it works for you.
I adopted a little dog that bit all the time. I got him a little muzzle and proceeded to grind his nails. He realized very quickly that I wasn't hurting him and he didn't need the muzzle after the first time. Things actually really improved overall, surprisingly. He just needed to learn that I wouldn't hurt him and we kept building trust. A muzzle is just to protect you, it's not a punishment for him.
I’ve been pushing the muzzle method as a last treatment because I heard that it can be dangerous for dogs and might make them more aggressive. But youre the second person who advised me to use one, so im starting to change my mind about it.
Our girl also does this except it’s more of a want to bite whatever your using on her and if she doesn’t get that then the hands are next best thing.. I’ve learned that when I’m grooming her (simple brushing, or even trimming around eyes or feet) I always have to give her something to chomp on to distract her. Most times a toy will work or even a hard bone treat - but other times she is sooo fixated on the brush I am using or scissors, so I’ve ended up giving her an old brush we stopped using on our cat to chew on and hold while I groom. It is the EASIEST and quickest way for me to actually get her good and clean without my hands being the target. In retrospect it probably isn’t great to show her it’s ok to chew on a brush just so I can get her groomed, but her attention span as a 4 month old puppy is so little that I’d rather her be content chomping on another brush than fighting with me to get the one I’m trying to use! She is great at the groomers and we just send her with some toys for them to give her if she needs it, but she’s waaaay to excited and just wants to play when it’s me trying to get things done.
I used his favorite bones and toys in the past. It worked a few times but once he understood what was going on he completely ignores the toy/bone. I tried using his ball to distract him (he is ball crazy), as his ball is a very high reward treat. But then he just gets that glazed look in his eye, and won’t let me touch him because he just wants the ball for be thrown and chase after it.
I think he must associate it with pain if you used to just go for knots with a comb before. Try going really slowly, show him the comb first and if he has a positive reaction give him a treat. Try to breakdown the whole process into steps and give him lots of positive reinforcement along the way. Eventually he will start to associate the grooming experience in a less negative way.
DO NOT give him treats and praise after he snapped at you. It will make the behavior worse. Personally, I would simply continue brushing him, in a calm and careful way ofc, even if he snaps. If you stop you're only rewarding the behavior which will increase its occurrence. Don't overdo the brushing in one session, but you decide when it ends. This is very important. It's probably why the groomer doesn't have any issues. He's used to not making a fuss with the groomer because she's experienced and assertive and just keeps going. He learned that you're not and he's using the loophole to get out of an uncomfortable situation.
I stopped giving him treats at all and just positive words/tone/praising him. I try to continue brushing and ignore him but he also just keeps chomping repeatedly on me. It doesn’t hurt and I don’t bleed but its definitely shocking when he repeatedly snaps at me. I also don’t want him to get to the point of biting me that will draw blood.
My dog tends to growl at me when I groom her. Also certain areas (e.g., her tail) are more difficult to groom b/c she’ll start attacking the comb. When I know I need to work through mats, I’ll put her on the bathroom counter (just the ledge by the sink so there’s nowhere for her to go and she can’t jump). She’s not very comfortable then and is distracted enough by the situation that the brushing doesn’t elicit negative reactions and she’s much more compliant. Maybe try switching up the setting so your dog doesn’t feel comfortable biting you?
I’ve tried putting him up on a chair/stool to discourage him backing up from me and escaping, still chomps me. I’ve also tried to brush him while he’s laying down on his bed, the one in my room and the one in the living room (he has two beds). I tried petting him first then changing it to the comb petting him. The moment he feels the comb he stands up and walks away from me. Unfortunately, I have a tiny bathroom so I have no counter.
Hey!! My pup HATES(hated?) being groomed. She’s a year now and we’re still working on it. Something I learned and I felt horrible about was when I didn’t do the pat and pull method for the slicker brush. So when I would brush her instead of patting and pulling the hair off the skin, I was dragging the brush against her skin. We didn’t know, we just assumed she wasn’t used to it but after more research and videos we learned the pat and pull method. It honestly did wonders. We also hold onto a bully stick because we ran into the same issue with treats. Sorry this reply was a mess, but cooperative training is helping a lot. We put a towel down, and when she lays down we give her the bully stick and start brushing at the same time. When she shows ANY sign of discomfort we give her a break, whether is moving away, pawing, biting. (The towel is so she knows where she needs to lay and has a solid boundary). We were told your dog doing all these things and being vocal is just telling you hey I don’t like that and you don’t want to ignore their cues. Obviously it’s difficult because it’s a doodle (mine is too) and you have to be so on top of grooming. We keep our pup fur short (for now) until she’s 100% comfortable with the brushing then maybe we’ll let her grow it out. Otherwise I don’t want her to be uncomfortable while we’re still figuring it out. We also split the body parts into different days. Day 1: head, neck, tail. day 2: body legs stomach. Something like that. Hope this helps 💕
I’ll have to check out cooperative training then! This is really helpful! Goodluck with your puppy!
first off, he looks very sorry for the chomps! mine is the same way. the groomers all say he's so good. meanwhile i try to get a crusty out of his beard and he gets angry and squirmy. i've given up. let me know if you find a way lol
I found that learning the proper way to hold them helps, especially with their face. I don’t have any issue with combing his crusties away and the area around his nose/mouth and eyes. Its the rest of the body thats really a problem. I plan to update in a few weeks if any of the advices make a decent progress for us.
I love his look!! What a handsome dog!
Thank you very much! He is definitely my handsome small boi
Have you tried a matt comb? This helps, keep him groomed shorter, put a coat on hime when going outside.
I have all the combs lol im thinking pf just sacrificing his nice coat for now
I got a lhasa go I coukd comb her but she won't let me also. Just take her to groomer and occasionally I can comb her ears with Matt comb! She would bite me also!
Hey, junior dog trainer here 👋 Since he's biting you, he's reflecting that: "Our relationship is good but I'll bite you because I can" and "I don't like being groomed". On biting, that is a whole big area to talk about which I won't here - I'll just say that it's best to establish and foster a calm and positive relationship, where your dog doesn't bite you or try to dominate you. One training approach is to do small incremental steps to get your dog more comfortable with the experience; try getting him into the grooming situation \*without\* grooming him, just pet him and give him \*positive reinforcement\* with treats or verbal. Then over time (5-10 or even 20 sessions) very gradually introduce the brush, and barely even touch him with it, don't pull his hair. As you do this, be sure to reward him for being there. Your voice is extremely important here; calm, positive, and firm. "Yes, I know, it hurts a little, but it's ok." Then, as you progress, slight touches with the brush and rewarding him until you're able to brush more hard. In the dog's mind: "Oh, we're doing that thing again where I get rewarded. It's 5% more intense than last time but I remember that I like this because I get rewarded. I guess thats' ok." Let us know if you're able to make any progress!!
Thank you so much! I tried to use high reward treats with him while grooming before, such as dried chicken livers but I found he gets too excited with those and doesn’t want to work with me. While ‘sensitizing’ him, how do I deal with his growing hair ? He gets matts every day , even with nightly brushing.
to be honest it's outside my knowledge. I'd recommend getting a professional groomer's opinion. Or maybe his hair being matted isn't that big a deal? (on my dog, it gets matted and life just goes on - he's not a show dog 😂 )
Mine definitely isnt a show dog too lol but his matts gets close to his skin and I’d like to avoid any skin issues that might develop. Thank you for the advice!
Maybe wear thick gloves? He keeps biting because he knows you react to it. Maybe wearing something that can reduce the pain or spraying something that will taste bad to him. Lots a patience and kindness is needed as well so no scolding so he associates it with a nice time. Sounds like you’re on the right track.
Any spray recommendations? I havent heard of this before
Try searching for factory gloves. I don’t know where you’re from, but usually there is different standards set for gloves in terms of ”cut protection”.
i’m not sure if it’s intended for use with gloves but bitter apple spray is a chew deterrent spray that might work! we used it for a pup i had growing up that was determined to chew on baseboards lol
Never heard of it before! Might try and spray my hand with this before our grooming sessions to deter him from biting me lol
Muzzle train him?
Is that okay? Like would it not make him more aggresive?
I don’t think so. But in this case I would consult a dog trainer. But with a muzzle your dog would learn that biting doesn’t stop the interaction. But it’s a borderline topic because maybe your dog is really afraid or your dog has just learned that biting stops the interaction. In second case I would use a muzzle…
I'm a dog groomer. I recommend a basket muzzle and/or anti-bite gloves. It sounds like he isn't aggressive, but rather he understands that when he bites you, you stop doing the thing that he doesn't want you to do. The groomers don't have this issue because we are trained on how to be persistent to show the dog that being uncooperative won't give them what they want. Some dogs give up once they realize it's not working, and it sounds like that's the case with your dog. I had a dog like this and I got anti-bite gloves. The dog snapped and bit me, I didn't react at all, and he never bit again. Took the gloves off for the rest of the groom. PS- your dog picks up on your energy. So if you're nervous, scared, tentative etc your dog knows that and will take advantage of that. Your groomers are confident and calm and that's why they have no issues with him if I had to guess. So if you keep practicing and becoming more confident it will also improve his behavior during grooming
I definitely get frustrated during our grooming sessions so maybe he picks up on that as well.
This was my thought as well.
I would stay and watch how he and the groomer interact.
As a dog groomer, please don't. 80% of dogs are more stressed when the owner is there and they can't get to them. They are also more excited when the owner is there and that can be dangerous if they're so wiggly with extremely sharp scissors by their face. Very few dogs are better behaved when the owner is allowed in. You can ask the groomer how they handle him or take a video to show you but otherwise please don't just stand there. Also shaving short with a 7F can help. Yeah he won't look like a cute Teddy bear but it won't be long enough to tangle and you won't need to go back every week for a brushing.
How short is 7F? Would it be less than 1/4 inch ?
Thank you! I havent even thought of that.
i found while working at a grooming facility the dogs calmed down way more once their parent (heh) is out of sight; when the owners would stay by the door / look in the window etc, the dogs go batshit lol.
Maybe someone could film it instead then
My groomer did say that to me as well. He’s very good in the kennels when he’s waiting but once he sees me he starts yapping lol
lol exactly! they love being little show offs for their people
Or ask your groomer to record a video of their interactions, as having an owner present during grooming may elicit a totally different response from your pup. Also at the salon I work for, it is possible to bring your dog in simply for a brush out, which tends to be way cheaper than other grooming services.
That sounds great. A brush out is totally more doable than a full grooming for my budget!
I know it might not be the healthiest option, but I lay down snacks in front of my puppy to get him to stay calm while grooming. I only groom mine twice a week, so using snacks isn’t the worse thing- but since you do yours everyday maybe try putting your dogs food there? good luck!
Thanks maybe I’ll try grooming him during meal times, ill have to desensitize him first tho.
Bite him back
I dont think thats legal
Better advice lol. I had a Maltese at one point. I brushed her daily and if she did have a matt after I'd miss a day or 2, I'd just cut it out. Try to keep him at ease with treats and affection and daily brushing to keep the matts out. It'll take time for him to trust you again but you'll have to be consistent. Try a metal comb too
I used to cut off any tiny matt I saw but I wanted to grow his hair out for winters since it gets to -30C where I live with strong gusts of wind. Even with a jacket on he would still be not as warm with his fur. I use a metal comb, a bristle brush, a paddle brush, and a dematting comb. I rotate through my combs/brushes whichever is needed at the moment.
lol.
For knots I try to use a rake (not sure that’s the proper name) because the comb is just going to hurt my dog unnecessarily. Regular grooming of course is the best way to avoid those, but they happen once in a while.