Grooming
 

As some of you know, I adopted a puppy mill rescue two weeks ago. Toby has made leaps and bounds in adjusting to his forever home and he now jumps up in my lap (sometimes) when I want him laying beside me in the recliner. I am trying to get the hair around his face combed but he will have NO part of it! But if I "comb" his body he doesn't seem to mind it. His hair gets stiff on his face (I assume from eating and drinking) and it drives me nuts because he has "bed head" and I want it nice and pretty. How do I train him to let me comb his hair on his cheeks? And I gave him a bath Sunday but it was a fast one and I was soaked! We have a laundry sink and he kept his front paws up on it but never tried to jump out. Needless to say it was a quick bath. And what is a reasonably priced shampoo/conditioner to use? He appears to have a beautiful coat (he's cut really short right now) and his top hat is unbelievably soft. Any suggestions will be appreciated.

Thanks!

I just recommend gentle patience in combing his face. Do you have a wider toothed comb to use? The metal "greyhound" combs seem to glide through the hair more smoothly. There is a shorter one for faces.

I understand about the stiff whiskers from eating, etc. If you comb through them at least once a day they will not become so clumped. He just needs to get used to you handling his face, including his teeth so you can brush them.

Thank you so much for the info. I am going to try combing just a tiny bit here and there whenever he's sitting in the recliner with me. I'm sure it's more of a trust issue than anything. I have a wide toothed comb I'm using but as for the brushing teeth, how do I even start to attempt that and what "tools" do I need...............I don't mean to sound dumb but I've never ever tried to brush any of my dog's teeth.......

I know, until I had yorkies I'd never heard of brushing a dog's teeth. :)

Petco and other stores have tooth brushes and paste or you can get it on-line or at your vets. I use C.E.T. which is available at my vet. I like it because it leaves an enzyme in the mouth that helps kill bacteria that causes plaque. But the main thing is brushing the teeth.

I started with one of those "finger" brushes because I had more control. With a puppy I just put the paste on my finger and rub it on the gums and teeth to get the dog used to me working in its mouth.

I sit my dog on the counter where I bathe him. Let him sniff the paste first, usually they want to lick it. Then I grasp the lip with two fingers (and hold on, but not too tight), lift it up so you can see the teeth on the side. Start with a little brushing on the canine teeth and the front teeth. As you can, move towards the back teeth. If you firmly hold the lip the dog can't move too much and you can at least get started.

Again, just gentle patience and keep working on it. It will really pay off even if you don't brush more than once a week. Of course, every day would be best. If the gums bleed a little, that shows you are stirring up the bacteria so don't worry.

When you are at the vets, ask them to look at the teeth to make sure a more thorough professional cleaning isn't needed.

I'm not surprised that a rescue will have issues with things coming close to his face
I think you might wanna try something that a groomer friend of mine did
Take a comb and put some dog food on it
Let the dog lick the food off
and at the same time just place it close to his face
don't try to brush him yet
keep doing this again and again to get him used to the comb being close to his face and not be afraid of it and see where this gets you

Thanks Joey! I'll give that a try...................he is getting a tiny bit better but am only able to comb through maybe once or twice. I am also rubbing his chin with my hand and at the same time rubbing his cheeks with my fingers and he has let me do that a few times. I'm sure it is just going to take time. And we have lots of that!

Yeah, I'm sure he'll be fine
once he gets used to it

Just as long as he's not snapping at you when you do it
That's a different story

Take care ...

My Bailey is still not a fan of getting brushed but I made it more interesting for her. At the begining i would give her treats often for her to stay on me. And tried to associated brushing with being a good thing. Now i can brush her hole body but as soon as I let go she runs right to the cupboards for a treat. LOL
There is nothing wrong with praising Toby as you get him use to new things and routines to let him know its ok and good!! Good luck with everything :) :)