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| PLEASE HELP!!!!!!
I have an OES who Hates to get brushed! Every time I try to brush her she bites at the brush and tries to get away. I have talked to my groomer about it and she suggested trying a different brush. I've tried the rake brush, the pin cushion brush, and a soft bristle brush. All of which seem to get the same reaction. We end up having to get her shaved due to too many mats. I feel like a horrible pet owner whose unable to maintain her dogs coat, even though I try and try. Any suggestions PLEASE! | |
| | how old is she? do you brush her a few minutes a day or try to do it all once every few weeks (in which case she is reacting to matts being pulled)? | Set up a reward system. She will get her cookie or to-die-for after you are allowed to brush her once. Then twice, and so on until she associates brushing with reward.
Also are you scraping the skin? That never feels good. Could be you've done it in the past and the dog is now afraid. Together you'll have to get past this.
When you brush a few strokes, give a massage and move to a new area to brush. No, you won't have a groomed dog, you'll still have to shave for awhile, but gradually she will associate grooming with massages and a treat! Yum.
Finally you must remain calm. Your tension is being transmitted to the dog. So you both need to start slow and make a pleasant experience. | | Welcome to the forum and welcome to grooming a sheepie! | i had a hard time at first as well; though I started mine very young with grooming. I now brush them every night; even if just for a few minutes, and I notice that my one who was the worst at fussing relaxes into our "just mom and me" time.
And if we encounter a really bad mat? Theres lots of cooing and praising and "aren't you a brave girl, here have a biscuit!!!" I just got a very large one off of Tonks, and it took several days to do it. I try and judge just how long I can comb them in these situations. And if it hurts, and they instinctively go to bite (its so sweet; they always catch themselves before making contact and then look guilty about it) I don't stop there. The dog doesn't dictate when grooming ends; I do. So if it hurts, and they go to bite, I usually will groom a few minutes more, and end it on MY terms. |
Darth Snuggle wrote:
i had a hard time at first as well; though I started mine very young with grooming. I now brush them every night; even if just for a few minutes, and I notice that my one who was the worst at fussing relaxes into our "just mom and me" time.
And if we encounter a really bad mat? Theres lots of cooing and praising and "aren't you a brave girl, here have a biscuit!!!" I just got a very large one off of Tonks, and it took several days to do it. I try and judge just how long I can comb them in these situations. And if it hurts, and they instinctively go to bite (its so sweet; they always catch themselves before making contact and then look guilty about it) I don't stop there. The dog doesn't dictate when grooming ends; I do. So if it hurts, and they go to bite, I usually will groom a few minutes more, and end it on MY terms. |
you should not be combing or brushing through matts try pulling them apart with your fingers - and use a grooming spray - much easier on everyone. and yes grooming ends when you say so. marley goes into a coma when I groom - she really doesn't like being still but will lay very quietly. all I have to do is whisper the word okay (our release word for all commands) and she is off like a shot - talk about selective hearing  | I have a grooming spray and I use a mat breaker before taking a comb to the mats. I also just ordered several new detangling sprays to try from Cherrybrook.
kerry wrote:
you should not be combing or brushing through matts try pulling them apart with your fingers - and use a grooming spray - much easier on everyone. and yes grooming ends when you say so. marley goes into a coma when I groom - she really doesn't like being still but will lay very quietly. all I have to do is whisper the word okay (our release word for all commands) and she is off like a shot - talk about selective hearing |
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deeds33 wrote:
PLEASE HELP!!!!!!
I have an OES who Hates to get brushed! Every time I try to brush her she bites at the brush and tries to get away. I have talked to my groomer about it and she suggested trying a different brush. I've tried the rake brush, the pin cushion brush, and a soft bristle brush. All of which seem to get the same reaction. We end up having to get her shaved due to too many mats. I feel like a horrible pet owner whose unable to maintain her dogs coat, even though I try and try. Any suggestions PLEASE! |
You are probably going to have to go back to square 1. Use just the basic tools....pin brush, slicker & comb. Do just a small area at a time.....say her left hind quarter or her right front quarter. If she tries to take over, give her a simple correction & put her back in place & continue to groom. NEVER, EVER stop grooming when the dog wants you to stop. Even if it means only taking 3 more brush stokes! Stop only when YOU say it is time to stop. Our puppies are put on the table as soon as their eyes are open. They learn from a very young age to love grooming. Last night I spent 5 hrs. & 20 minutes grooming one of my show dogs. They actually walk past the grooming table, put their front feet up on it & turn their head back to look to see if they are going to get a chance to be groomed that evening. They have 100% of my attention when on the table & that is what they crave. One thing you might also do to help is to make sure you are brushing properly. If your breeder doesn't live nearby to help you with some basic lessons, you may have to go to some shows & watch the people groom.....mostly AFTER they are done showing for that set of shows & brushing out their dogs. If your dog is shaved down due to mats, go ahead & still put her up on the table for a short period of time even if it seems senseless to be runnig a pin brush over her. What you are teaching her is that grooming can be fun (and with a short coat it is great because you aren't dealing with mats & knots) & she will learn to relax on the table. |
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