biting when grooming
My almost 7 month old sheepie has begun to bite me while I am trying to groom him. This is not a seemingly playful bite, it hurts, and the is no warning growl. Most recently this weekend when he had some poo on his heiney fur, and as I was trying to get it out. He just turned and bit me. I cannot get to his underbelly, his ears, or cut his nails without getting a bite. These bites seem more than just play, I know he is still teething, but it's only when I groom him. I am afraid he is going to start biting all of the time!! Any suggestions? |
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| It must be hurting him when you pull. Is it only in the knots or mats? Soemtime it is best to just cut them out, small, if it is too tight together. Keep his butt area trimmed neat and clean, and you won't have any clingons.
As for the general grooming, what I would do is each time you take a stroke give him a tiny, tasty treat., but ONLY as you brush him gently. When the brush stops, no more treats. Do this fro a few days, a few times a day, so he associates brushing with treats. Do NOT give hima treat if he pulls, or fusses, as that will be rewarding his moving. He gets a treat WHILE he is still. Don't hold him, but HE has to choose to be still. If he will lay down for you it is easier, but do not hold him down. If you can get someone to assist you, get a kong or an empty yogurt cup. Put some peanut butter or cheese whiz or yogurt in it and have your partner hold it so he can lick away while you brush. When you stop brushing the kong is taken away. If he movesd, the kong is taken away. Be gentle, don't restrain him, and he will learn very quickly. I would make these session ver short, 5 to 10 minutes, but a coupel of times a day. Once he gets the idea you can make them longer, and also start to make him wiat a few seconds between treats. Take you time and work him up slowly. My Bolsley lays down very nicely for me during grooming time, and I give him a cheerio every 2 or 3 minutes, and lots of belly rubs in between the harder parts. And I can do ANYTHING to him. So a half hour groomig session costs me 15 cheerioes. Works for me and we both enjoy it. Good luck. |
That's an excellent reply Bosley's mom, very well said.... and lots of great ideas all in one place! 
I've been lucky, both my dogs LOVE to be groomed. Dancer was a wigglebum until I got proper grooming tools, so I just figure they weren't as comfortable and therefore not enjoyable for her. |
| Great answer! Another one of those messages I'd like to flag for follow-up. |
| I have never brought Argos to a professional groomer, so I thought for Christmas, it might me a luxury for him...sort of like a spa treatment for us humans. Needles to say, I dropped him off to the groomers and gave them a warning about his biting tendencies while being groomed on his booty or underbelly. An Hour later I got the call to come pick him up. The groomer told me my dog was "schitzophrenic" and said that I should get rid of him because he is a "liability." The man said he had attempted to pick up Argos and put him on the table, and puppy almost "bit his arm off". I left very much offended, and heartbroken because I am thinking if this guy has been grooming for over 20years he should know a crazy dog if he saw one. I will never give up my boy, nor do I feel he is "schitzophrenic." That very evening I gave my boy a bath, and a full grooming and even lifted him to a table. He let me do everything, from hte hairdryer, to the the clippers, including clipping his heiney fur and the little fur under his paws. I did face a little resistance (nipping not biting) with his pee-pee area, and cutting his nails. Other than that, he was fine. Can someone tell me if my dog is nuts or if the groomer is just a meany or was my puppy just scared? |
| jcak can be bitey when being groomed, i just give him a stern "no" and then hold his mouth if he tries again. |
| most act that way, your puppy is no different. Groomers want perfect dogs or get out. sorry they all can't be that way. My groomer has told ne that mine acted up but nothing she could not handle. The only thing is cinde came out looking like a poodle! LOL oh well she was clean and clipped. |
| He could have been stressed and scared and then to make it worse, the groomer could have been rough or hurt him when he tried to pick him up. All of that combined could have triggered his 'fight or flight" instinct and he freaked out.
Try a new groomer and make a couple of trips before the actual grooming happens. Just stop by, let him sniff around and get acquainted with the surroundings, smells, sounds and most of all the people. Then he won't have so much to contend with all at one time. Also, don't make a big deal about leaving him there. If he senses that you are nervous or upset, he'll pick up on it and it'll snowball from there. Good luck! Make sure you post pics of the results of your at home spa day. |
| I think any groomer that would say that to you most likely would have done nothing to put your dog at ease either. They're all spazzes at 7 months, especially if they aren't used to a stranger doing the grooming. That groomer sounds a lot more like a "liability" and I'd lose him, not the dog. The first time I took Clyde to the groomer was at 5 months and when I went to pick him up, the groomer just laughed and said, wow, that one is something else. I apologized and she just said, they're all like that when they're that age, they get better. Whether or not "all" dogs are like that at that age, our groomer handled it really well and made us feel welcome to come back.
Jumping ahead to now, I just took him in last week and he needed a lot of work. He let them yank and pull and dematt for almost 8 hours. This time the groomer couldn't stop raving about how good he was! Heck, I couldn't sit still for that long! |
| That is great advice!!!!
I'm going to try it with The Gooch....wiggle monster!  He doesn't bite at all...just likes to wiggle all over the place!  |
| Sigh..I didnt get a chance to brush Panda last night and you all know what a difference one day can make...as for biting the brush, she only does that when she lays on her right side...her left side shes an angel...right side is a battle.... |
Barney is fairly good with grooming, but after a little while he starts to try and bite teh brush too. We haven't had any complaints about him when he gets groomed (just that he pees on the grooming table and they have to re-wash him   )
I would just try and be gentle with him. Get him used to it. He is still a puppy and learning things. The first few times you try might not get much grooming done, but it hopefully will get him more used to it. And I agree, treats are a good thing. Also, my dad LOVES his grooming table for their sheep. He does everything but her face on it (for her face he has her lie with her head in his lap and he grooms her like that, the princess!). |
| Sorry about your experience with that groomer. Sounds like he might be tired of being in the business and didn't want to ease your puppy's nerves. I'd suggest definitely trying another groomer. I think there's a bond of trust that needs to happen between pooch and groomer.
I know Annie gives us and her groomer trouble with her paws and snout. She just hates it and pulls away with all her might. She doesn't bite, but doesn't like it either. You have to hold her paws and snout really tightly and talk gently to her. This may sound mean, but some groomers need to put a muzzle on dogs during grooming time. It puts the groomer's mind at ease and decreases the liability. I wouldn't think your pup would need this yet though as its just a pup. Try a few other groomers first. |
| Sounds like the groomer is the one with a problem here, you'll be better off with someone who can bond better with your dog to reduce the anxiety.
Lennon hates to be grommed, so Danita and I team up to brush him. She gives him little bits of ham to distract him while I brush his coat and that reduces his stress, no bites or growls unless I pull hard on a mat or on a sensitive area. |
| Oops...I forgot to mention. I'm told that when Kelly, Annie's groomer, would go to a small room for lunch, Annie would bark or whine until Kelly popped her head back into the grooming room or would yell out that "it's okay, Annie". Apparently, Annie no longer does this as she knows now that Kelly will come back for her...thus the trust and bonding have occurred. This makes me smile every time I convey this story as we went to a horrible groomer before Kelly. I won't get into the whole story, but it was very stressful for all involved. A good groomer makes all the difference in the world! |
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