Oh, I just remembered something that helped Rowdy with brushing. He never was bitey when I brushed him, but he was squirmy and tried to get away. I discovered that he loved to have his back scratched - so I would sit with him on my lap and he would sit on his hauches facing away from me (so that his back was towards me) and I would curve my fingers so that my fingernails raked down his back. I would just scratch and scratch his back like that. He absoultely loves it and will sit motionless on my lap till I quit doing it. So.......I decided to see if I could transfer that positive experience to brushing. My brush has long metal prongs with a little ball at the end of each prong on one side and the other side is just like a hair brush. So, I thought maybe I could replicate fingernail scratching experience with the metal side of his brush and sure enough I did it. He loves to be brushed by that side of the brush as long as I rake it down his back over and over and over. Of course, if I hit a knot or tangle, then he gets squirmy, but if that happens, I just revert to the "back scratching" with the brush and then he calms down, I praise him, and then I can eventually go back to working on the knot. I just do lots of "back scratching" as I move from his back to his sides to legs to tummy, etc. I have to stop periodically and go into the "back scratching" so that he will be still and I can praise him. It takes time and patience, but he is sooooo much better with brushing now than he used to be.
__________________  Rex & Rowdy's Mom  |