HELP... bathing him is getting harder every time.

[deonk1]

I never thought I'd see the day when I'd rather bath a 1200lb nut case horse than bath my 3 lb Yorkie. HELP

Ok so the bath itself isn't horrible. He loves water but hates the tap. But that's ok we survive

So once I get him bathed the fun begins... He hates the blowdryer, he bites me, he runs away, he yelps and screams. I swear this dog has a split personality or something, cause all I see when I bath is demon puppy. Here is what I've tried:
I've tried having help, one hold, one blow dry... well that didn't work he just attacked us both (and I don't have a lot of experienced friends, so I gave up on that strategy).

I tried setting the blow drier on the toilet, turning it on, holding him and slowly moving him into it... worked for a while, but today it didn't

I tried letting him run around and blowing him (i have a VERY small bathroom floor 2x2), but that I quickly discovered became a chase game and stopped.

Today I restrained him and held him in one hand between my legs, the blowdrier in the other and just worked my way through it, there were a few moments when I could cheer praise, but then he'd attack me again the next. Usually when he is good I will blow dry a few more seconds and then give him a break so that he learns being good gets praise and a break... besides I need to brush him while I'm blow drying anyway...

So brushing him is a huge feat as well. the brush always winds up in his mouth, no matter where I'm brushing. he's like a little acrobat sometimes... My boyfriend is the only one who can remotely get him to stay still to brush.

I'm getting to the point that I'm cranky and frustrated and am clearly doing something wrong. I don't have access to helping hands, so I need tips on how to work on this on my own.

I know I'm supposed to praise him, but he hasn't been good enough to warrant getting treats (while blow drying).

HELP. I think I'm losing my authority with him... he doesn't listen all that well, and we have another month until I'm back to school and can take him to obedience class (I'm working full time).

Some more background info: he doesn't bite any other time, just grooming. He has started barking and "sassing me" barks when I leave him in his room, to go to work or go to bed, but he doesn't do that to Matt. He is progressing in some training but not all... I think I'm missing something fundamental, something that gets his respect.

THANKS!

[cathys]

You might want to get a small grooming table, they make them so you could put it on your cupboard. You could also look into a pet dryer with a holder that can be attached to the table, so your hands can be free. I know that my dogs don't like there faces dryed, so I usually start at the back and sides and save the face for last. I also give treats along the way, this helps some too. I hope this helps.

[maybeiloveyou]

My girl doesn't like the blow-dryer either. Right now since it's summer, I usually just let her sit outside on a chair in the sun so she can dry fast!

She will barely tolerate the dryer, but it has to be on the lowest setting which I find doesn't work all that well at drying her! I haven't figured out a good way to get her dry aside from that. We just use lots and lots of towels (literally drying her for around 30min just with those!) and then just let her run around the house.

[deonk1]

it's very frustrating... I love to groom, and I want him to behave...

I have a lot of annoying things going on right now... I can't wait to get back to school, life will be back to normal, maybe then I can work a little harder on training. I think part of the problem is I'm rushing, but things have been so hectic lately that I can't take a lot of time to get everything.... why can't there be more hours in a day.

[lpham]

Not to question how you handle him but maybe something inadvertantly happened when you first blow-dryed him or brushed him that scared him and now he can't forget it. I don't bother blowdrying my yorkie at all anymore and she is about 3.5 lbs. She is very good with brushing and when I brush her out after a bath, she mostly does well but it was all a matter of working up to it. She was exactly how it sounds like your little one is acting when I first started bathing, brushing, and blowdrying.

When I first started bathing her, I started out with a little tiny tub and filled it with water and let her stand in the water so that the sound of the running water wasn't overwhelming for her and would just bathe her like that for her first several baths. I recently purchased a neat little thing called Rapidbath and you can bath dogs this size in under 3 minutes and graduated her up to that. She stands there the whole time I spray her down. Its soap and water all at once.

When i blow-dryed her, I would wrap her in a towel and have her on the counter and hold her against my body and blowdry her and she would mostly stay against me but blow-drying was scary for her and so I don't bother with it nemore since brushing her seems to help her dry off quickly. I can imagine being that tiny and having this loud hot sound blowing all over your delicate skin and hair. What I noticed when blow-drying her was that she would burn really fast since her skin is so thin and so is her hair. I think brushing them out and letting them run around for a few hours is sufficient. I think the heat drys their hair out too much neways.

Brushing her took me a long time to work up to it but I would let her feel out the brush when I first started and gave her treats as I worked. I would make the sessions short since I know she disliked it but now she has fully accepted it 3 months later.

As you said, time is really of the essence to train them to accept grooming. If you start out really young they will learn to accept it if not enjoy it. Make it fun and rewarding and I'm sure he'll grow to like it and its really good bonding time too. It takes patience and gentle hands! Good luck!

[deonk1]

I thought about that. But after talking to my friend Jordan who trained obedience she said that he mostlikely knows he can get away with it with me.

He was bathed bi-weekly at the breeders, like clock-work to get him used to those things, and blow dried after he was a little older. The first bath I did with my friend Jordan, but she didn't help, she told me what to do and supervised me to tell me if I did things wrong, we didn't blow dry, because he wasn't going outside. His second bath with me, the breeder came over and helped me give him a full grooming. Shavers, nails, bath (shampoo, conditioner) and a final coat protect and shine spray, groomed him, and all along he was fine. She blowdried him herself with him in one hand and the blow drier in the other.

So I thought about me doing something wrong, I even always tripple check the blowdrier setting to make sure they are on warm, not hot, and not too cold, and on low.

I started again from scratch with the brushing... the last two nights, I sat on the floor, made him "down" or "sit" and held a treat about 6 inches in front of him... I told him to stay while I took the comb and brushed around his back. After about 10-15 seconds of stillness, if he didn't move, I gave the treat. By the end of each session I've gotten to his forehead, but still can't really get his whiskers with out him forgetting the treat and biting the comb. Does this sound like a good approach? I figure this should eliminate the biting the comb issue.

[IamMiasmom]

Mine doesn't bite, she is absolutely crazy not happy crazy about the bath. I get her in the tub with me and I try to be gentle and then hand her out to someone, currently it is so warm we just wrap her in a towel and let her dry and then brush out. But I need to set a different tone also. I didn't clipper anything, and her ears need a touch up... She becomes nutso yorkie when she sees them, but watches me clipper the horses all of the time and is ok with them then. She just sense when I am using them on her.

[deonk1]

Originally Posted by IamMiasmom

Mine doesn't bite, she is absolutely crazy not happy crazy about the bath. I get her in the tub with me and I try to be gentle and then hand her out to someone, currently it is so warm we just wrap her in a towel and let her dry and then brush out. But I need to set a different tone also. I didn't clipper anything, and her ears need a touch up... She becomes nutso yorkie when she sees them, but watches me clipper the horses all of the time and is ok with them then. She just sense when I am using them on her.

YAY another horsie yorkie mom!

have you tried just rubbing the buzzing clippers all over her without actually clipping. That's how I started with Harley. He doesn't like it, but he's much better to clip than he is to blow dry.

[IamMiasmom]

A little yes I have and I use the ultra quiets with the finisher and anticipate she will handle short spurts of trimming better than a trip to a groomers. Yes I now see why they said she was a handful. But again if I can clip a show horse which will take right at 8 hours to do right for a show with the finish work I can surely handle a 3# yorkie right??? But yes I have 8 horses how about you? And does your furkid like them? Mia is pretty leary but doesn't act nuts and can play while I trim. I have playpens and such set up in the loft apartment at the barn and also out in the grooming area. Kis goes to play with the cats (odd westie girl).

[deonk1]

Originally Posted by IamMiasmom

But yes I have 8 horses how about you? And does your furkid like them?

I don't have any at the momment, which kind of saddens me (that's why I bought Harley). I got in a huge fight with my mom over them when I moved to school. She owns the indoor riding arena that I taught at for 7 years. I gave up trying to fight and signed them all over to mom, good thing I wasn't in the business for money.

She has 7 now, most of them are school horses and two of them are pretty ill. She has my show baby who is now 7, I trained her myself... 16hh Westphalen TB cross, chestnut mare. Boy was she ever a handfull.

But like I said in this post, I'd rather bath and clip her than try and groom Harley. I agree that it seems so simple in your head, that if you can spend hours clipping horses, a 3lb dog should not be a trouble. personally I think I had better luck with the 1000lb kinds... ok with a Chestnut mare you have to play mind games, but a lot of it has to do with physical stuff to, how you handle, etc. I find 100% of training is mental games with Harley, and I'm having a hard time with that.

At this point in time, Harley doesn't like the horses, they don't mind him, but he growls at them, and barks a bit (and he's not a barker). I'm trying to teach him how to behave around them, but I don't go home to often (3 hours away).

Sorry for my rant, it's nice to talk horses every once in a while with someone who isn't from this area. Our barn lost a lot of credibility when I left, because my mom hasn't been able to find a replacement instructor. Thank-God I found Harley. we're going to start Agility when he is older.

[Maddie23]

I found a microfiber pet towel and Beth Bath & Beyond. It is pretty big and nice and thick and does a really good job of drying my Maddie. I still use the blow dryer in the winter months though. I did purchase a dryer with a stand and it has been a big help. I started off turning the dryer on and giving my Maddie treats to get her use to it. She doesn't mind it much now especially since she is almost dry from the towel anyway. To comb out her facial hair, I grab the hair under her chin firmly and tell her "face". Now she knows when I say "face" I am going to comb or brush her face or clean out eye gunkies. My groomer showed me how to hold the chin hair to keep their head still. At first I don't think I was firm enough and she would wretch her face away and I know it pulled her hair. I think the trick is to get a firm hold and "mean it" and now she doesn't even try to pull away. This hold has worked well to be able to appy the Petzlife gel to her teeth as well.

[deonk1]

Originally Posted by Maddie23

I found a microfiber pet towel and Beth Bath & Beyond. It is pretty big and nice and thick and does a really good job of drying my Maddie. I still use the blow dryer in the winter months though. I did purchase a dryer with a stand and it has been a big help. I started off turning the dryer on and giving my Maddie treats to get her use to it. She doesn't mind it much now especially since she is almost dry from the towel anyway. To comb out her facial hair, I grab the hair under her chin firmly and tell her "face". Now she knows when I say "face" I am going to comb or brush her face or clean out eye gunkies. My groomer showed me how to hold the chin hair to keep their head still. At first I don't think I was firm enough and she would wretch her face away and I know it pulled her hair. I think the trick is to get a firm hold and "mean it" and now she doesn't even try to pull away. This hold has worked well to be able to appy the Petzlife gel to her teeth as well.

Is this hold, sort of like the way you hold them if you were stacking them in confirmation, sort of by the jaw bone? I tried that, but he gets out of my hold and bites my hand. I think I "mean it" when I do that, but maybe I'm not "meaning it" enough... that is very possible.

[IamMiasmom]

Kendra, that is too bad. Horses are really a calming factor. Mia is not thrilled with the horses but gets better and better. She actually enjoys a little cousin chase at her brothers place when I am grooming. He has cats and well, 2 of them will come and lay down with her. I keep hoping with each bath she will get better about the concept. She loves how silky she feels when we bath her. Her fur looks silky when it is brushed but towards her hits it just has a fuzzier consistensy does that make sense? Can they have both types in various areas? Sorry my spelling is so off just got back from telling a co-worker goodbye. (Bandit the cat)

[Lizzie07]

You might try teaching him a good "stand" command. I don't know if it would help with grooming his face. Lizzy will stand for me. I try uber hard to be as gentle as possible with Liz. She has silky hair and never seems to get knots in her hair. I also have a brush in my nightstand and wisk it over her every night right before bed and before we go out anywhere.

[IamMiasmom]

I admit I feel blessed Mia doesn't get tangled and knoted. Her fir feels similar to milkweed. Does that help anyone to figure out her coat? Just so comforting to have her on my lap.