Grooming - Keeping Still

[Jen21]

Hi, I have a Maltese Poodle X, 5 months old, and he is a gorgeous ball of fluff that can sit, drop, fetch a ball, is toilet trained and walks on a lead pretty well.

My biggest issue is grooming him - brushing his hair, or removing the dirt stains under his eyes, as he struggles like crazy, or tries to bite the brush/scissors, etc

Does anyone have any advice of a good way to train him to keep still and not bite at whatever I'm holding when I come near him.

Thanks heaps

Edited March 31, 2009 by Jen21

[glendabenda]

With my pup I groom her at night when shes very tired so she dos'nt get too bothered by it. I don't know if this is the right way but works for us at the moment.

[Gayle.]

Praise and treat when he does the right thing. Stop what you're doing when he struggles, just wait til he's calm, then start again. Praise and treat even if it's only a second or two of good behaviour.

Keep the grooming sessions short but frequent. Concentrate on one part of the body per session, then let him have a play and a nap, then go back for more. He'll get it eventually, you just need to be consistent.

[MiniMum]

Is your avatar your boy? He is very cute.

Its a hard one, isn't it? 5 months is still very young.

I find having my TD on a table just for grooming helps. I use an old school desk. I have seen where some have a "grooming toy" they can have only when being groomed.

When brushing, scissoring or cleaning around his face, you could try gently holding his muzzle. For the rest of him, It helps to place one hand under the belly. I have found that holding TD this way seems to calm him down and helps gently control him. It also helps with the biting thing.

Hope this helps

[Nekhbet]

from day one you should be handling and manipulating your puppy. Hold him and touch everythin - ears, eyes, paws, mouth, legs etc and change positions so he realises that he has to accept human handling.

If he struggles and carries on just hold him and ignore him until he settles - Then nice calm quiet praise. If he bites you just put your hand over his muzzle to prevent him getting a decent bite into your arm. Dont be rough but at the same time dont take no for an answer.

The little fluffies can be great at this I saw them regularly - never trained to be manipulated and they try and take chunks out.

[Jen21]

With my pup I groom her at night when shes very tired so she dos'nt get too bothered by it. I don't know if this is the right way but works for us at the moment.

Actually I tried that last night and did manage to give him a decent brush, so I'm going to stick to nights now too. Thanks

Is your avatar your boy? He is very cute.

Yes it is, from when he was about 10 weeks. He's a gorgeous boy.

Thanks for the advice Nekhbet, but it's not quite as bad as that. I can handle him everywhere, and even take things out of his mouth, and he never bites at me. I read up online about puppies a bit before I got him, so have done it from day one.

The main issue is really trimming or cleaning the hair around his eyes, as he twists and turns his head away and struggles to get away from me, when something is coming at his eyes. I have tried to hold his nose, but it's rare for him to stop struggling and concede and let me do much.

I will up the praising and treating though - it worked well with the other training stuff, so makes sense. Thanks.

Edited April 1, 2009 by Jen21

[Colliewood]

As other have said, keep it calm and very short. Even if you only last 20 seconds. Always finish on a positive note and not when he is fussing. Only when he is calm. Feed lots of treats for the behaviour you want and ignore the rest. No eye contact, no talking to calm him down, just shutdown and wait, he will stop. Also if he is fussing when you hold his feet for example, do not let go, keep quiet, shut down and praise and treat when he is calm.

If you have to do this 10 times a day for a week thats ok. It won't be forever, as he gets older he will get better.

If he gets away with these things now you and anyone grooming him in the future will have a hard time and most of all he will hate it.

[Dogsfevr]

Okay im not one for grooming whilst tired.If there tired then pups should be sleeping not made to do something that is a teaching exercise.

It doesnt make it any easier long term,just convient now.

Grooming at this age is all about learning the right/wrong behaviour & how you address it moulds its future.

Always groom on a table,make sure the surface is non slip.Place puppy on table with a confidient voice tone & proceed,dont pander,over talk oor turn it into a mummy,s boy exercise .The more you piss fart about the longer it takes & the less the dog learns.

If pup wiggles you must use a be confidient in your voice tone & grasp.Dont be rough but be in charge & above all dont bribe unless the dog has a severe case of abuse or neglect.

The next thing what are you brushing with?The wrong tools can hurt the dog & make the whole process unenjoyable.

Do you have someone who can help if need be.Even in the salon if we have a young dog whos unsure we will assist during the more fragile areas.

Has pup being professionally clipped yet or are you planning to do it??If you arent & its due get it done sooner tha latter,when left to long it can be very overwhelming on the pup greeting the clippers & unless you now who to control the pup & groom it can be a horrid experience.

How is pups manners when not groomed?Would you say it rules the roost or are you in charge in all aspects??

Grooming is about respect.If the pup respects you it will be a breeze,if the pup has no manners at present & no understanding it will be harder.

I have groomed for nearly 25 years & at 5 months our own dogs love it & now all about the clippers,table,bath blow dryer & will happily stay there with the occasional wiggle

[Christina]

All pups wriggle at first. You have had some good advice. Re the face & eyes.

Place your puppy with his back in a corner so he cannot get away, at least backwards

Brush the hair on his head back & move forward with your fingers the bits you need to trim on his face & near the corner of his eyes. Place your left hand over his head & just cover his eyes with it a bit. Try trimming along his nose or near the sides first so he gets used to you having scissors & hands on his face. Don't try eye corners yet as your hand will be in the way.

Do it daily & after a few days he should be still enough for you to try the eyes corners.

Angle the point of the scissors away from the eyes, so if he moves you don't poke him, & cut with the bit nearer where they open.

Hope that helps.

[Jen21]

Always groom on a table,make sure the surface is non slip.Place puppy on table with a confidient voice tone & proceed,dont pander,over talk oor turn it into a mummy,s boy exercise .

The next thing what are you brushing with?The wrong tools can hurt the dog & make the whole process unenjoyable.

Do you have someone who can help if need be.Even in the salon if we have a young dog whos unsure we will assist during the more fragile areas.

Has pup being professionally clipped yet or are you planning to do it??If you arent & its due get it done sooner tha latter,when left to long it can be very overwhelming on the pup greeting the clippers & unless you now who to control the pup & groom it can be a horrid experience.

When you say a table, do you mean something high, so I am standing - like a dining room table or kitchen bench?

I have tried a few different brushes, and the one with the soft bristles (like a human hair brush) seems to be best.

It's just Toby and I, so I need to learn to find a way to do some basic maintenance on my own - cleaning the tear marks, and trimming around his eyes at least.

I did have him professionally washed and clipped at about 4 months, as his hair was long and everything was getting caught in it, but I'll probably only do this every few months. Toby was shaking, but his tail wagged the whole time, and he behaved really well, and the only thing he tried to bite were the scissors when she was trimming around his eyes.

All pups wriggle at first. You have had some good advice. Re the face & eyes.

Place your puppy with his back in a corner so he cannot get away, at least backwards

Brush the hair on his head back & move forward with your fingers the bits you need to trim on his face & near the corner of his eyes. Place your left hand over his head & just cover his eyes with it a bit. Try trimming along his nose or near the sides first so he gets used to you having scissors & hands on his face. Don't try eye corners yet as your hand will be in the way.

Do it daily & after a few days he should be still enough for you to try the eyes corners.

Angle the point of the scissors away from the eyes, so if he moves you don't poke him, & cut with the bit nearer where they open.

Hope that helps.

Thanks for that, will definitely try some of those tips, and up it to daily to try to get him used to it. I guess every little snip with the scissors is a move in the right direction.

I just don't like forcing his head to stay still, it feels cruel, even though I know I'm not hurting him.

Edited April 3, 2009 by Jen21

[becks]

It is much better to hold his head still then risk him trying to move out of the way at the wrong moment.

A firm grasp of beard won't hurt him unless he chooses to pull away but it will give you control over which direction his face is pointing in. You aren't doing it by force as you want him to be relaxed while you have a hold of him.

Yes, groom with you standing up and him on a table - kitchen work bench is a good height and he can't back off the other side, with a car mat or carpet square to stand on so he can't slip. Taking him out of his environment and into the 'grooming spot' sets his mind up to know what to expect and how he should behave. The floor is his zone and that's for playtime after you have finished the grooming session on a good/positive note.

[Dogsfevr]

I just don't like forcing his head to stay still, it feels cruel, even though I know I'm not hurting him

Trust me it aint cruel .As someone who grooms every day & often happy little snap dragons that are 2,3,4 ,5 & older you will wish you where more firm but fair when young than trying to wrestle for many years to come & if your pup is trying to snap now it wont stop until you teach it.

Also if your using scissors around that area one wrong move & there goes an eye ,having said that depending on how you want his face to look long term if you trim the hair around the eyes incorrectly you can make it worse.Many people scissor the wrong parts & it always grows & curls into the eyes & annoys them compared to letting some growth there which will weight it down with age.Many trim the "glasses" look & this look can be high maintance.

Okay so your on your own,That is very easy.Place pup on table of your choice & firmly but fairly give commands,if pup wiggles again a firm "no" or what ever your word is allow to calm with no fuss.Pup will learn very quickly from your cues.

If you still find it hard use your collar & hold the collar under the chin with the spare hand & trim.

As dumb as it sounds place an item (ie stuffed teddy.milk bottle) & pretend to trim & think about what would be easier & where all your hands can be go & how to multi task