Monster @ the Groomers!
 

Okay so my yorkie Murphy is now just 5 months old and I decided to take him to the Grommery today for the first time ever. I bought clippers and tried to do his ears and paws but it was just not my thing. So any way when I went to pick him up he looked absolutely adorable they did a fantastic job on him, exactly what i asked. The problem is that they described my puppy as Atrocious! :( . I guess he was so bad for them when they combed him that they had to get two people to do it together so they did not hurt him with the clippers and scissors and such. He would not stop biting at the comb and wiggling around. I was told I need to work on brushing him and controlling him better at home. I believe them because when I brush him he is horrible too but no matter how many times I tell him no or try to calm him down he is just a wild man. Any suggestions??? I do not want my puppy being known as the bad puppy when I am bringing him in plus I want him to be well behaved. It is obvious I am not the alpha dog and I need to fix that i think. :)

I would suggest to just keep working on him and maybe try distracting him with a chew toy or treats, until he gets used to it. Maybe something special that he gets only when you brush him.

If you quit everytime he starts to bit the brush it is just reinforcing his behavior. Let hm know that you will quit when it is your idea and not his.

I don't know anything specifically that you can do. I do agree with Jeanie though just keep working with him. Also her idea about giving him a special treat after grooming, something he only gets then is pretty good too. I knew a family whose dog loved baths because after each bath he would get a hotdog. He would practically knock you down to get in the tub if he heard bath. Maybe do the same thing after taking him to a groomer too, do something extra special so he would start associating the groomer with something really great.

Other than that I think its just about consistently brushing him until he gets used to it. Maybe also turn the clippers on and run the handle over his body, not actually cutting his hair, so he gets used to the sound and vibration as well. Oh and one thing that has helped us. Reagan hates us trimming her nails so we will put some peanut butter on something(usually a greenie). My husband will hold it while she licks it off and I will trim her nails, this usually gives me a little bit of time. Something like this might help until he realizes getting brushed isn't so bad. Maybe try brushing for short periods of time several times a day instead of just one long time once a day. I'm sure that eventually he will find that brushing is pretty good and learn to really like it. Good luck.

The first time I took Ginger they said she wiggled around a lot too but now she gets straight A’s on her grooming report card. It just takes time. Just make sure to at least brush him every day and eventually he won’t make such a fuss. Our Petsmart trainer also suggested giving full body massages to breeds that have to be groomed frequently. That way they’re used to having someone touching them all over.

I give my boys treats when they let me brush them. If I pull out the brush now, they know treats are not far behind if they hang in there for a bit! One of them tolerates it... the other one will lay on my lap upside down and let me brush him for an hour if thats what it took for a treat! HAHAHA

Also I bought a new brush that is very similar to a persons hairbrush, it has wire bristles with softer rubber balls at the end. I think its easier on their skin so they dont mind being brushed now as much. It also does a good job at getting out mats. I need to be more diligent in brushing my pups, but one has straight hair thats never matted, and the other one has curly longer hair that needs brushing more than every 3 days like I do now! :) Good Luck!!!

I keep a human hairbrush right next to my chair so when I sit down for Tv and she's on my lap she gets brushed.

M pom will not let me near her with a brush, nail clippers. even to clean her eyes i have to use a thick cloth so she can't hurt me when she bites , but she goes to the groomer every 5-6 weeks and they say she is fine. So just keep brushing a little here and there.

Chewie used to be bad at being brushed also. I tried a couple of things. First I took him out and we played ball and fetch for a while till he was ready for a nap and he didn't fight me at all while brushing. Then as some have said I used the treats and now he likes brushing cause it means treats. My groomer said he was awesome for her, so I knew I just needed to work on it. just be consistant, it will get better.

I have no advice for you! lol I'm in kinda the same situation...


I've taken Trixie twice to get groomed so far and both at different places. The first place the lady just said she was young and has to get used to it. The second place was a disaster! I was dropping her off and I needed to take her collar off, the lady walked around and was going to hold her for me and Trixie didn't like that she tensed up and snapped her head around and bit my hand thinking it was the lady. Finally when I picked her up 5 hours later, all the lady said was "oh you're here for the feisty dog," lol and then I noticed they didn't clip her nails..iyiyi and besides that THEY BUTCHERED HER. She looks so funny right now...I can't wait for her hair to grow back.

Oliver never liked being brushed- arg so I HAD to have a plan
I bought a bully stick (which he loves) and hold it between my knees for him to knaw on while I brush. It works great- and I keep repeating good boy good boy!
GOODLUCK!! :) :)

Sammy was so bad the first time I took him to the vet and groomer they recommended I get him into puppy classes. My groomer was a trainer and we worked with him together. She was so great in training me hehehe//..//..// Now Sammy loves to be bathed, brushed and groomed. He is just a great pup.

My pup was totally like yours -- I would say that he was "absolutely impossible to brush or comb --- totally impossible!!!"

He's better now - but what really helped him is that his terrible baby hair (that tangled and matted) grew out and was cut off --- and now with better hair, it doesn't hurt him to comb or brush him. So - he is very much improved.....

I wish you the best of luck. I know that if I had taken my pup to a groomer, they would have told me "Please never come back!!!!".

I think you were lucky they were able to get a decent cut. I doubt they could have with my pup. AND - the way my pup behaved - I totally expected to have to pay double whatever they charged to groom a dog.

Good luck!

Carol Jean