How to get your dog to accept grooming
No baby talk while grooming!
If you think you would like to groom your own dog,but He just won't sit still the best advice I can give you as I have been grooming thirty years Is simply this.. Approach it with a business attitude.
You cannot feel sorry for him because he is nervous If you become nervous he is aware of it before you are! So, if you are uncomfortable at any point stop and do something else you are confident about doing.
Baby talk is the worse thing you can do as it gets them excited about mommys voice and they will become playful. You have to say things in a monotone like "you're ok." I normally will just say "stay," and I find you can't pet them too much during this time as that gets them jumping for joy as well..
Have you ever noticed if you are busy and the dog is right with you they are less likely to get into your business at hand if you aren't sweet talking them which gives them permission to interact.
Try this you will find it much easier I assure you..
If you notice if you have a dog scared of thunderstorms and you baby them you are reinforcing the behavior of fear..You are in essence assuring them they should be scared. If you act as if the storm is just an everyday occurrence about the 3rd storm you go thru they will think Gee.. Mommy isn't concerned and they will begin to ignore it also.
So,if you treat the grooming time as nothing out of the ordinary they will accept it as part of their routine.
If you should find the clippers alarm your pet on occasion turn them on and pet the dog as they are running..they got accustomed to the vacuum cleaner because of daily use.Grooming a dog is actually an unnatural process,but if you treat it as if it is an everyday occurrence they will accept it as such. If you will notice your pet will sometimes do something mischevious as they choose to have negative attention verses no attention.
My dogs will jump on the grooming table for me, and walk into the tub.They will also come and sit in the "dog chair" for me to pluck their ears,the ear plucking they are slow to jump in the chair but they comply.While I am grooming one of my dogs more times than not one of the others will come up to me as they are jealous the attention the grooming one is receiving,and I will stop and brush the one that wants attention then go back to grooming the one at hand..They will come to love the attention ,one on one..Of course I groom my dogs quite often ,probably more than most as my dogs are a walking advertisement for my business.lol
Below you will find a link for a very quiet clipper,I find most dogs will accept this clipper when they will not tolerate others.
Jeffers pet supplies
Comments
AUTHORthanks cool dogs for reading I do hope it helps...
LOL I practice what I preach..i find it helps me
jorja
Thanks... Your blog is very informative and it contains good knowledge. It gives me a path to the right direction. I will also share it with my friends.
- AUTHOR
thank you for reading and the comment..
jorja
This was great information, jorja! Thanks for sharing your wisdom. I'll have to work on my little doggie a little more.
- AUTHOR
Thanks for reading and the comment..
Brilliant hub. Thanks for the information about dog grooming, it is big help.
- AUTHOR
hope it helps...
Thanks for the info, jorja. I didn't know that about the foot pads. However, she's my first pet, and I didn't get her until I was 61....I'm still learning!
She's never liked the sound of small motors running. When I bring the vacuum cleaner into a room where she's resting, she jumps up and runs away. I guess it's the same with the clippers. I'll try just letting the clippers run so maybe she will get used to the noise.
She loves her "tummy tickle" and having her back and neck massaged, so I'll try that with her feet starting at the ankle.
Appreciate the advice. Jaye
- AUTHOR
You are a great mother...but contrary to popular belief the pads appear cracked when they are calloused as they must be in order that the dog must walk "barefoot" without injury to its pads..
apparently the groomer can't get her to be still either!!
it is better to leave a few scraggles then to remove necessary body parts!!
It is a good idea to let the clippers run while you are watching tv and perhaps holding her..also a good idea to massage her feet from the "ankle down" and lightly pull and tug so as this is not an alarming touch in grooming...
thanks for reading and the comment..
jorja
Very useful info, jorja. My dog hates the sound of clippers, and also won't let me touch her feet. When I need to scissor-trim some areas, I've found that giving her a "tummy tickle", then using the scissors while she is still lying on her back relaxed, helps. I lay out beside her paper towels on which to drop the pieces of hair. That's what I did recently after her bathtime.
She still doesn't like for me to touch her actual feet, and will pull them out of my hand. I don't want to alarm her or make her become defensive. I wish you lived nearby, because I'm not satisfied with her current groomer, who leaves much hair for me to trim and doesn't get the hair off the bottoms of her feet. (Her exercise is confined to grassy yard, not on concrete, which I've been told would wear off the hair on the bottoms of her feet. Is that true?) She has cracks on the pads of her feet, which I treat using Joshua Tree pet salve for the paw pad. I tie cotton baby socks on her while the salve is on so she won't lick it off, especially since it contains eucalyptus, which I'm not sure is OK for her to ingest). Am I doing the right thing?
Jaye
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