MY OSCAR has given some great advice. It just takes a lot of patience. Puppies have short attention spans and can only put up with something for about 10-15 minutes before they throw a fit. I have a 10 1/2 week old right now and here is how I've been working on grooming with her.
I approach her with the brush when she is sleeping on her bed on the floor. I start by talking to her and petting her, and she might roll over on her back. I let her smell the brush and its bristles and she usually tries to chew on them. Then I move the brush away and go back to petting her.
I get a bone that she likes to chew and hold it for her in one hand while I brush her back slowly with the other. She calmly chews her bone and is relaxed, as if I am petting her. I work my way down her legs with the brush. If she stops chewing and looks at the brush. I stop brushing and move the brush away. I want to send her the message that I respect her space, but that protesting with biting the brush or me won't get her the reward of me stopping the action she dislikes or is fearful of. (If your dog does do fear-biting, do stop what your doing and wait about 30 seconds before slowly trying again from the start). I wait a few seconds for her to go back to her bone then I start brushing her back and try to work to her legs again.
The brushing makes her feel good, so she starts to get riled up. So after a few minutes I just stop and leave the playpen area she's in. She'll learn that she only gets the reward (brushing) when she is calm and still.
As a separate exercise you should get your puppy used to having his/her legs, paws, and face held and handled. When the puppy is calm or sleeping, sit with the puppy and pet it and talk to it calmly. While petting normally with one hand, begin stroking a leg or paw. Once the dog has accepted that for a few minutes, continue petting and try loosely holding the leg or paw with the other hand. Do this for a few seconds at a time and try to let go before the puppy protests so the puppy doesn't learn that protesting gets them the reward (you letting go).
For getting the puppy used to having its face handled, start with petting the head. If the puppy doesn't like this, maybe start with the tummy-->chest-->neck and chin. Then slowly rub or scratch the sides of the face below the ears, sort of cupping their head. Keep doing this and work towards the dog allowing your thumbs to stroke the muzzle, above and beside the eyes and between the eyes.
Make handling the sensitive areas like the face, legs and paws separate from grooming at first. Teach them that it is a loving gesture paired with gentle speech and praise from you, and concluded with treats. Stay very patient and don't get frustrated or angry because the dog will sense your emotions and mimic them. Set the example for your dog. If you remain calm and confident, so will your dog.
This is how we trained my Mom's 10 year old Yorkie female and now she LOVES being groomed. If you get out the brush she comes running and rolls over. She stays perfectly still and submissive and never wants us to stop! She didn't want to chew on a bone or toy while brushing though; all she wanted to chew on was the brush. So we bought an identical brush and let her chew on one while we brushed her with the other! Technically this isn't a good idea because you could teach the dog that brushes are okay to chew. But, she doesn't try to chew on brushes now and it was a good solution. If your desperate you could also try that.
Sorry for the long post but I thought I'd give you all the advice I could on the subject because I know it can be difficult and frustrating to teach a dog to be groomed. |