# Training/Grooming



## puppymom (Jun 13, 2005)

I have read so many posts from people with the same problem, their pups hate to be groomed. SInce grooming is such an important daily routine for these guys I am wondering if anyone has any tips on training our youngsters to tolerate it better. 

Ty does pretty well with brushing and cutting toe nails. Every night he lays in my lap and whether he needs it or not we brush and play with his feet. I clip his nails frequently so that he doesn't mind having it done. The big problem is his face and head. His hair is now long enough to be put in a band or clip but he will not hold still for me to comb and fuss with it. 

If I can teach him to sit, lay stay and come why can't I teach him to hold still while I put his hair in a clip


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## saltymalty (Sep 14, 2004)

When my pup was little (she's almost a year old now) someone here gave me the best advice ever. I groom her on top of the dryer. Since the first day atop the dryer, she has laid down beautifully to allow me to put in whatever bow and rubber band I wish. If I try to adjust her bow while she's off of the grooming station, she won't let me touch her. I don't know why, but this works for us. Good luck.


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## Guest (Aug 15, 2005)

Our "tucker" and "fritzy" both do not like to be brushed or slightly groomed by either my wife or I ,but the groomer (God bless her heart) can work miracles with both of them. We watch her through a glass window, and she is stern, but gentle, and for some reason the dogs sit as if thet were in a trance!!


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## hambys97 (Feb 25, 2005)

Not a whole lot of help here. Frosty will tolerate being brushed, and let me get mats out. She will even let me brush around her face and eyes. Trying to put a band in, forget it. But my MAJOR problem is her feet. I can pet/hold her feet anytime I want. But if I try to trim her nails or hair, she goes ballistic. What to do?


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## jellybn1 (Mar 16, 2005)

Your Baby Is Adorable!!!
Jellybn1


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## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

I think the problem is instead of training the behavior of holding still and then increasing the criteria to include grooming, people jump right to the grooming. I train the behaviors of laying on the table, holding the head still, laying on the back, etc. separately from grooming....TREATS, TREATS, TREATS!!!


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## Puddles Mom (Jun 20, 2004)

I have no problems with Puddles while bathing, brushing or clipping. He will even stand still on the counter for his face to be washed. But let me try to put a bow in, forget it. Hubby says, well he's a boy and don't want them....grrrrrrr So I gave up.


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## puppymom (Jun 13, 2005)

Jmm; do you think that would be something appropriate to use clicker training for? Clicking for behaviors such as laying still on the grooming area, holding head still etc? I think it's hard not to "jump in" because grooming is something that needs to be done from the "get go". I know with Ty the brushing was easy because we were able to gradually work into it as his hair grew(and continues to grow). But I didn't stop to think that all of a sudden one morning I was going to wake up and have to do something with his bangs







well maybe not all of a sudden but I didn't prepare him for needing to have that hair fussed with.


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## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

> _Originally posted by puppymom_@Aug 15 2005, 07:49 PM
> *Jmm; do you think that would be something appropriate to use clicker training for? Clicking for behaviors such as laying still on the grooming area, holding head still etc?  I think it's hard not to "jump in" because grooming is something that needs to be done from the "get go".  I know with Ty the brushing was easy because we were able to gradually work into it as his hair grew(and continues to grow).  But I didn't stop to think that all of a sudden one morning I was going to wake up and have to do something with his bangs
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Absolutely you can use the clicker to work on these behaviors. What I do is brush sleepy puppies on my bed until they learn the behaviors.


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## dolcevita (Aug 3, 2005)

Dolce hates any and all grooming activities--brushing, bathing, drying, toenail clipping, tooth brushing--the works. She struggles and tries to get away the entire time. I tried brushing her on the kitchen counter, but she tried to jump off, so I won't be doing that again.

I agree that it would probably be easier to train her on the behaviors ahead of time, but she does have to be groomed, so I don't see a way around it. Plus, she has so much energy that it's very hard to train her to lie still, even if I wait until she's tired and sleepy.

I've started to dread grooming time as much as Dolce does. I hope she gets used to it eventually.


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## puppymom (Jun 13, 2005)

We groom in small sessions every day. Last night we tried a bit different approach. Puppydad  helped, he held and praised (and clicked and treated) while I goomed. We were working on getting his hair in a clip. We made it short (5 min) and Ty did pretty well. We'll do it again tonight.


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## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

> _Originally posted by dolcevita_@Aug 16 2005, 08:49 AM
> *Dolce hates any and all grooming activities--brushing, bathing, drying, toenail clipping, tooth brushing--the works.  She struggles and tries to get away the entire time.  I tried brushing her on the kitchen counter, but she tried to jump off, so I won't be doing that again.
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> I agree that it would probably be easier to train her on the behaviors ahead of time, but she does have to be groomed, so I don't see a way around it.  Plus, she has so much energy that it's very hard to train her to lie still, even if I wait until she's tired and sleepy.
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I don't understand why people insist on all or nothing. Brush her someplace else for now and start training appropriate grooming behaviors on a rubber mat on the dryer. When my dogs first come home they don't get the best grooming, but they get a short brushing session daily on the bed and a comb over them to make sure there are no knots. I usually comb the face in a separate session just to keep things really short at first. 

I work with a lot of herding dogs who are very high energy and none of them have ever had a problem learning to do a down stay for a few minutes. It is a matter of them understanding what I want and what is in it for them (treats, game of tug). If you are having a problem communicating what behaviors you want and her understanding that, I highly recommend you get into a basic obedience class that focuses on positive methods (like clicker training). Once you grasp how dogs learn and methods you can use to clarify what you want, things will go much more smoothly.


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## Chilly dog (Aug 16, 2005)

My Chilly doesn't so much mind being groomed, my main problem is that he's always trying to bite the brush! To get him used to being groomed, I started brushing him while he was sleeping (partly for my sake, getting used to it and all!). Now I'm easing him out of that routine by grooming him when he's starting to get lazy, so hopefully he'll be used to being groomed when he's fully awake soon!

Hope this helps, the only negative point is that it's kinda hard to do on a grooming table!

Mallory & Chilly


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## puppymom (Jun 13, 2005)

That seems to be our biggest challenge at themoment, Ty doesn't mind being brushed he just wants to chew on the brush......


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## Chelsey (Dec 17, 2004)

> _Originally posted by puppymom_@Aug 25 2005, 12:49 PM
> *That seems to be our biggest challenge at themoment, Ty doesn't mind being brushed he just wants to chew on the brush......
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Have you tried giving him a greenie or one of his special treat to distract him while you brush him. Give him somthing more yummy then the brush to chew on.


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## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

> _Originally posted by Chelsey+Aug 25 2005, 01:00 PM-->
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Have you tried giving him a greenie or one of his special treat to distract him while you brush him. Give him somthing more yummy then the brush to chew on.
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Or put some peanut butter on a plate or the table for him to lick while you brush


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## puppymom (Jun 13, 2005)

> _Originally posted by Chelsey+Aug 25 2005, 01:00 PM-->
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Have you tried giving him a greenie or one of his special treat to distract him while you brush him. Give him somthing more yummy then the brush to chew on.
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Tonight was bath night, we went through quite a pile of treats during the comb out :new_Eyecrazy: But he does look purty


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