[Maximo]

Originally Posted by yorkietalkjilly

My first Yorkie, Scotty, years and years ago, would scream when you would touch the brush to him. He was my first small dog. Ears back, eyes bulging, screaming & frightened when even touched with the brush. My sister, who was a virtual Dog Whisper at the time, took him in hand, mesmerized him with her hands pressing him, her calm demeanor, locking eyes with him and showing him the brush, began to brush him. He hollered 4 or 5 times and she quietly just kept on brushing him firmly until done. She was aloof, Charles In Charge and he knew it, accepted it. He shut up and lay there and before she was done, he was relaxing!!! He was cool with it all when she was done. The little scamp! Before long, he was back in her lap, curled up and asleep during the rest of the visit. I was able to pull this off myself the next brushing, using her same technique. I learned in a heartbeat watching her what it took to manage one kind of scared dog. Just proceed gently and allow them to work through their fear then and there feeding off your uninvolved calm will. But that just works with some dogs. Beware, this can set back a truly panicked or very nervous or damaged dog for months! And it can get you bitten.

Subsequently I had nervous, easily panicked dogs in here from time to time and they were having none of that type gentle flooding, whatever the chore of the moment. With those dogs, it takes a slow drip drip drip type very brief exposure over time to settle them with what must be done. You just read the dog and work with the one you have.

I agree with reading the dog. With Max, I know it isn't intense fear. He just wants to get out of doing things. I'm patient, but firm and don't let him play me -- most of the time. Sometimes he fools me with a "I need to go potty" so I let him down and he runs around like he is saying, "Gotcha!"

We incorporate a lot of massage into grooming and that helps.