i can't groom my dog

[pamela1962]

I have a yorkie cross who hates being groomed. He runs off when you try to brush him and gets annoyed if you keep trying. He tries to bit if you try to cut his hair or bath him. I am at my wits end and his fur is getting knotted in places and he really needs a bath. I am scared to take him to a groomer in case he tries to bite them. Any help is appreciated.

[chay]

i would get annoyed if someone kept pulling a spiky brush through my hair, too

what have you done so far to try get him used to grooming? have you tried any clicker training?

if i was you, i'd try make brush time the BEST THING EVER for him, and start slow - get his absolute favourite treat and each time he lets you touch the brush to his fur (don't even try pull the brush through yet) - click/treat! once you can touch the brush to his fur and he's looking at you like "yeah, so what - where's my treat??" - progress on to perhaps moving the brush down his side a little bit - then click/treat.

there's a great video in the clicker training thread (i'm pretty sure?) with a dog who absolutely refused to have his nails trimmed - over the course of the video, using clicker training he's chilling out totally calm having his nails snipped!

also, how often are you wanting to wash him? dogs honestly don't need to be washed as often as we think they do - washing strips away the furs natural oils and can actually make them more messy/smelly as a result. i have a pomeranian with gorgeous long fur, and she will only get a bath maybe twice year... she gets a brush every couple of days and if she gets particular messy with a bone or whatever, i just wipe her over with a towel and warm water then brush her out again and she's pretty as a picture

anyway, have a read through the clicker training thread and come back with any questions, good luck!

[Blappy1215]

I have a 5 month old shih tzu that did not like to be brushed at all. I have to brush him every day with his fur. What I did was everytime he gets brushed or combed I take cheese pieces (which this is the only time he gets it.) I hold them in my hand like I am doing the leave it command he can smell it while he is trying to get the cheese from my hand I brush him when he does not try to eat the brush he gets the cheese. If he goes for the brush I say uh-oh and stop what I am doing. It has taken me about two to three weeks and a lot of string cheese but now he gets excited when he sees the box I keep the grooming stuff in or if he hears me getting the cheese ready. I have gotten him to the point where he will now lay right down and let me brush him and I am using less cheese and replacing it with good boys. Hopefully when he goes for his first hair cut at the groomers he will be a well behaved little man.. My next project is to work on bathing he still hates that and no high value treat has worked...