Puppy Brushing
|
|
| I can't saw what it's like for a pup just yet - but my cats have a similar problem with biting me and the brush.
Try to tire her out during the day. Does she sleep soundly at any point? If you see her sleeping - pull out the brush and brush through her fur gently. If she is a very heavy sleeper you might be able to turn her and brush the other side. If she wakes up and is still drowsy at this point - brush her just a bit more (not much to completely wake her up) and tell her that shes a good girl. Stop and let her fall back asleep and wait for her next nap. I think it might help her to get used to the brush - especially if she is nice and calm when it's happening. You could also try to alternate between petting and brushing. One brushstroke - one hand to smooth and pet. That way she is getting rewarded for every brushstroke! Which makes them like it a lot more. Of course this is very tiring so you might want to brush her in sections rather than all at once. I've tried this with my cats - and I have to brush them every single day mind you. They get sick of that brush comming at them. I've really had a lot of success with the sleep brushing - the petting and brushing is more for when they are awake and about. I hope this helps. |
Thank you!! Gonna give that a try today...will let you know if it works  |
| an update on the brushing issue.....I had my husband try to brush her this weekend...he put a collar on her and held her by the collar and brushed her...she squirmed here and there but he got the job done...I prefer to spend it as quality time with her and brush and praise but she is not into liking the brushing or she just thinks its a game...not sure which but I'll keep working at it...I did try when she was laying down sleeping and she just gets up and does the squirmies She will get it eventually I hope...just wishing I knew the right way to handle it to make it more pleasant and don't really want to start any bad habits...I'm a firm believer in not starting bad habits then we don't have to break them |
| I bathe, brush and blowdry my 15 week old puppy armed with Cheese Whiz. She does find this process rather irritating but, "hey that cheese whiz is good" and it makes a positive associating with grooming. I hold the can in one hand (someone else could do it for you) and let her lick the spout and every once in awhile, I squirt some into her mouth. Not much, just enough to keep her interested. I am not sure if this is good advice nutritionally. I plan on asking my vet this week if she condones this type of behavior. |
| We went through this and this is how our obedience instructor had us start out.
Hold her front legs up like, if you can still pick her up with one hand, with your palm at her sternum. If she's too big you can put her at your shoulder like a baby. Then with your free hand just softly start brushing while you are talking to her. Since you have her front feet off the ground, she will be off balance and less likely to really squirm. You are also supporting her weight so that you don't stress her hips. When we used this method, we started off with the one hand method but they grow so fast that we quickly had to progress to "throwing" him over our shoulder! Carl started to get so relaxed during his groomings that he naturally slid down onto the ground. (Did I say to do this while sitting?  ) We can now groom him while he is laying peacefully on his side. Also, A grooming table is a great thing to have because if you are going to continuously groom on the ground you are going to end up shaped like a question mark |
| I find a grooming table makes the biggest difference. They don't tend to try to go anywhere since they are up off the ground, and it makes grooming easier and faster for both of you. |
| My Charlie only likes to be brushed on certain parts of his body. Otherwise, the best thing I found I could do was give him another brush to put in his mouth. It does become a bit trying when he drops the other brush but for the most part, it works. |
| If you give up when she starts squirming or biting the brush, she'll anticipate you doing this and will squirm each time even more. You don't need to fight her, just continue to brush and don't stop until it's on your terms. Same goes for ear cleaning, nail trimming, etc. Eventually they will get the message that it would better serve them to just be still. |
| I must be lucky but I have no problem brushing Spike as long as there's a toy in his mouth at all times or else my hand or the brush gets attacked. He'll let me brush him for 45 minutes as long as there's something occupying that mouth of his. |
| Clyde too. He also likes to chew one brush while I use another. I bought a second one not because there was anything wrong with the pins, he pretty much made the handle unusable! |
| I agree with the advice given about having 2 brushes. My OES will often take one of the brushes to chew on. She will sometimes bring the brush to me which means it's time to pay attention to her. Just remember not to brush too hard. |
Didn't find exactly what you're looking for? Search again here:
Custom Search
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|