Won't let us comb his face or any other knots!

[Dana6]

Hi everyone! I don't know if anyone remembers me but I have Wrigley, a.k.a. Smores. TammyJM was his breeder. He is a wonderful little dog with a great personality except when you try to comb out any tangles in his fur or try and comb his beard at all. He bury's his face in the ground or cries out like he is dying when there is any tension on the comb whatsoever! He has to take a tranquilizer before he goes to the groomer or she won't take him. Then she has to shave his body down every time because there are too many knots. I don't mind that so much but I like to have his face and beard a little longer, but, it is always is a crispy, greasy mess, except right after bath time. For those of you with guys or girls like this, what do you do to keep their face looking nice? He never bites us, but no one wants to comb him because you can't imagine the fit he throws each time we try! He gets a bath once a week and we try and comb his face at least once in between times. Below is a photo of the little bugger! The first is the way he usually looks and the second is after grooming.

[lovespandp]

Aw what a little stinker! Can you try working with him to brush his face, like any other training exercise… start small- baby steps when he shows the littlest acceptance give him a super yummy reward!! Little by little each day..? Training is always a good thing! Peanut was deathly scared of extensions cords- not sure why, but we are doing lots of construction in our house and I think it is because they are heavy and make a loud noise on the hardwood- well I started working with him every day and now he isn't scared of them- he will walk right over them!

[kamax60]

I have certainly seen my share of pic #1. Bribery is what has worked for me - treats. I'm lucky that he now tolerates me brushing, combing and picking out eye boogies. Still working on the clippers on the paw pads and trimming up the ears - looks like I should go back to my own suggestion!

He's adorable!! Good luck

[Maximo]

Such an adorable boy! What kind of tools are you using? A good comb can help make a difference. My favorite is the Chris Christensen face and leg buttercomb. There is also a Madan one that Mimimomo, Jenny, sells on her site toplinepet.com

Use treats, cheerful encouragement, some massage, and lots of patience. Try working when he tired and relaxed, or tie grooming to a favorite activity. My boys know that they have to be combed before they go walking.

Hold the hair with one hand to prevent skin and whisker tugging, and use the other hand to comb. Be careful not to catch whiskers in the narrowly set teeth of the comb.

One of the members here with a Grand Champion show Yorkie has written that her boy isn't enthusiastic about having his mustache combed, so take heart.

[Mistymillar]

Yep, that first picture is the spitting image of my darling scruff bucket Alfie. Tolerates combing but will not let you near his face.

[nanahas3]

Oh my that first picture is hilarious. I have no advice but had to wish you luck with this cutie.

[yorkietalkjilly]

So much of getting something by a dog's fear or worry about something we must do to them is attitude. Just go into "teacher" mode, take a deep breath, calm yourself - I mean really calm yourself down and realize you are helping your dog by combing him and helping him overcome his fears and keeping his coat neat and healthy. He's got you dancing to his tune and his fear is winning and that's not good for him or anybody. Just as recommended by Deanna, go right on ahead and comb/brush but take it in little steps with a treat each time he's silent. It's just that basic. Brush/comb about 4 or 5 times and if he is quiet, treat him. Just barely brush/comb at first, almost just going through the motions and hardly touching his hair. If he whines out, just ignore it and brush again but keep going, just being certain you are not hurting him. Do not talk to him during the session - only good, positive words when he's done with his little short 30-second-to-start sessions but during the part he doesn't like - you stay silent and don't reinforce his negative fears with words from you - just ignore and go on. Just be silent until the little celebration part of the session starts. He'll learn to wait for that eagerly! He will!

The key here is going to be doing this very, very frequently until you desensitize him. I would brush/comb him once an hour all day long and keep the sessions no longer than a 30 seconds at first and very, very slowly working up to longer brushing/combing and in a few days, brush/combing more deeply, more intensely as he tolerates it. If he starts to whine or cry out, cut back to less time and intensity.

After each session, really, really, really praise and love, kiss him, give a couple more treats, give him a good tugowar session, chase him/let him chase you or throw a ball to chase - some form of very rough but fun play to get his mind off the session and work off his tension from the session - and then outside to potty. In time, your dog will come to understand that the brushing/combing sessions are very short and there are treats, loving praise from mommie and a fun and rousing play session afterward to work out his nerves and then a good turn outside. He'll begin to associate the grooming sessions with praise, celebration, fun play and treats and begin to think of these sessions positively.

It is so important that you do not feel sorry for your little guy and don't let his fear of being brushed/combed win. Just ignore his pitiful whines and cries and keep going as you very slowly work on him and he will learn that, hey, it doesn't really hurt, I'm getting ignored anyway and I get treats every so often and when the session is done, more treats, mommie praises, smiles and loves me a lot and then I get a good play session and then outdoors!

Some dogs actually do better when their eyes are covered during grooming. A dog blanket or small towel over his head can really help a dog not to see the grooming articles and just helps them when working with tools on them. Even when brushing the face, just let the edge of the blanket/towel lie over the eyes as you do the beard. Ignore this if it doesn't help you dog but things like this work with some dogs when clipping nails and grooming if they are fearful.

The biggest key is your attitude, ignoring the fuss he makes, tiny, short and barely-touching sessions that in time become longer and more intense as you work up to desensitizing him hourly to a bit of grooming with treats and rousing play after the sessions and treats even after a few strokes. If you work up slowly enough, you can teach a dog to grow to accept almost anything. This is one of the truisms of teaching a dog to accept something he doesn't like. Just work up to it very, very slowly and he will go with it in time.

If you can, get your dog's coat cut back as short as possible through this desensitization training so there is no matted hair to deal with. It will help him learn that there is just no pain associated with combing/brushing during this training session.

[gracielove]

Grooming needs to start on day one with these little dogs. A quick run through the fur with a good metal grooming comb is a good way to teach the pup that grooming is not that bad. Doing the combing before there are tangles makes it much easier for everyone. Daily combing is really necessary even if they don't look like they need it because it is really all about training the dog to accept the grooming. Training a dog to do any behavior takes time, patience and repetition.

Since your little guy already has a problem with grooming you are going to need to try to deal with the issues that have built up over many months. It probably would help you both to do this after he has gone to the groomer and is all smooth and silky. Make sure you have a good metal grooming comb. Just pick him up and hold him in your lap and run the comb through his hair. It should not take more than 2 minutes. Just speak to him calmly and softly then give him a couple of training treats when you are done. If he knows the word "treat" you can remind him that he will get his treat when you are done.

Sounds like he needs his face washed at least once a day. You can use some baby wipes to do that or a warm wet wash cloth. That will prevent any build up of sticky things in his face or around his eyes.

It is really helpful to use a good spray detangler when doing your daily grooming. It keeps the coat moist and it makes it much easier to comb through the hair without having to tug. While you are training or re-training him you should probably do it at least twice a day for just a couple of minutes each time. If he has a bad knot then cut it out if you cannot get it out without having to do a lot of tugging. Try to make the session as quick and easy on him as possible. The treat at the end will help with his attitude quite a bit. Weekly bathing will help keep his coat conditioned. Using a good all natural brand of shampoo and a rinse conditioner will help make his coat more manageable. I hope you can get him to the point that he does not need to be medicated to go to the groomer. Maybe check into a groomer that does not insist on the medication?

[Ldyrev1]

Great advice already given. We have an almost 4 month old puppy and she does bite me when I try to comb her out and it isn't some little nibble. The only saving grace is that when I tell her "no bite" or "ouch" it really gets her attention and she stops for a while. Sometimes I need to take a little break but I'm the boss when it comes to combing. Since her first grooming session earlier this week, she's been much easier to comb as I didn't realize that before that I wasn't really combing her well. I was doing more brushing than combing and found out quickly that I had it backwards. LOL I'm new to the Yorkie world.

I know you can do it. Don't let that scrappy little pup get the better of you, remember you are doing something good and necessary for your baby!!

[Dana6]

OK you guys have me motivated! Wrigley is already 3 years old and I agree he does have us trained. Its just that when he cries out he makes a sound like someone has stepped on his paw and then it scares me and I back off. My 13 year old daughter is the best at staying calm and sticking with it.

I'm going to get him groomed, buy some detangling spray, and start with the really short sessions every day. Also, that was a good idea someone had to wash his face every day, and then I'll have to go through the torture of combing him! I know I have a bad attitude but it drives me crazy. When you brush his back you can see in his stance that he is on high alert for the smallest amount of tension, then he shrieks out. But I'll stop whining now and work on it. Thank you everyone for your replies!

[yorkietalkjilly]

Another thing I would do is make that brush/comb part of his everyday life. Keep it by his bowl, put it by the door before he does outside, put it by his bed and eventually even in one end for a short time. You can smear some canned dogfood or peanut butter on the back of the brush or comb and let the dog lick it off. Let him live with it in the floor with his toys. Use it when he is outside, on walks - stop and brush a time or two and go on walking, brush when in the car and any other activities he likes. Just a swipe or two of brushing all day long as he goes about his life with soon accommodate his sensibilities to the act of being brushed. It is amazing how fast a dog can come to accept something they don't like when they are exposed to it in very, very short bursts all during the day.

[Hrossen11]

Teddy hated brushing especially his beard so I begin training him to love it. Every time I ran the comb along his body I would give him a tiny piece of boiled chicken. Gradually over the next few weeks, I worked my over other parts of his body, finally getting to his beard. Two months, teddy now lays down while brush his whole body. He loves getting groomed now. It takes time and go slow but treat training works wonders.

[BabyGirl Rosie]

I love my Madan comb and brush. Plus using a good detangler is a must! Yorkie Sheen or the Madan grooming spray would be good. I brush my girls twice a day everyday. Once in the morning and once in the evening. This keeps them from getting so many tangles as I keep their coat long. Use a good shampoo and conditioner too. I am now adding argon oil to ours. If you have a routine I think it helps. Maybe start with once a day and add as needed. Reward if he is good.

[yorkietalkjilly]

P. S. This boy sure is a cutiepie! Even his messy little face is precious.

[navillusc]

Boy do I see pic # 1 here often enough. lol But pix # 2 is so 'perfect'...what a cutie he is! I am not sure I could improve on the advice already given, but I understand your frustration. Some of the trouble may be your 'mental attitude'...your 'guilt level'...and he 'senses' it and plays it up...big time, from the sounds of it. Your mental approach being 'flat'...matter-of-fact...and the repetition everyone else has said may just be what is needed. Good luck!