Grooming question

[PinkMartini]

How are you all getting your pups groomed so early? Every place I've called around here won't take them until they've had their complete 4 sets of shots. That won't be for another month or so for Bailey. At that point he'll be like 17 weeks old & then will be able to be taken to a groomer... I had no idea a dog could be done with all of it's shots (minus the rabies of course) that early

[Victri]

When I took Sydnee in to get her butt trimmed, moi is to nervous to get near her precious with clippers. I ask my groomer about getting her grooming and she said that 12 weeks was when she liked to start. She never said anything about her shots, however most puppies have all their shots by then don't they? Sydnee only has one left to go which will next week.

Maybe its just a law or something for your state or your groomer's personal attitude towards what age she wants to handle them and if they have all their shots.

[artie merlino]

Okay, I just shaved my 9 week old female, Abigail this morning! I used a Pet Clipper and I did the insides the outsides and around the edges. Her ears are a little bit too big for her head at the moment. When I got Artie he was 20 weeks old and his ears were already standing, but I did his ears and trim around his foot pads. They both go to the Groomer's every 2 weeks to get a "Sanitary Shave" (their private parts) and their nails clipped. I get too nervous doing those areas.
Both my Breeder's started grooming them at an early age! And if it wasn't for them starting them I would not be able to do it myself? You just have to do it while they are tired and trying to fall asleep, otherwise they will wiggle around, but they do get used to it. Now they both fall asleep while I'm shaving them......buzzing sound in their ears?
I don't have the heart to pluck the inside of their ear canals, so I have that done at the Vets. Clinic they don't charge me for it.

[She-ra's Mama]

I can't get She-Ra's ears to stand or her hair to grow long like others. She has short stringy hair, never even been groomed except when they shaved her ears and cleaned her face up. What can I do!! I really love the ears up, they will stand when she's alert but that's it!! Help somebody!!!

[Victri]

I wish I could help, but Sydnee's ears were standing up at 6 weeks and I just have them trimmed at the groomers. Those of you that trim your Yorkies my hat is off to you. I am just to nervous I will hurt her.

[yorkipower]

I have heard (I honestly don’t know whether it is true or not) that shaving or not shaving doesn’t matter –the ears will either stand up, or they wont.

As for scaring your dog: The answer to that is simply a matter of how it is handled and when it is handled. Dogs go through a fear period between 4 and 6 months, some a little later, Penny actually went through hers around 8 months. Before the fear period starts, however (like your nine week old!) it’s actually a GREAT time to introduce a young dog to new experiences as he is LESS likely to be fearful and develop a bad association (providing the association is handled correctly). You can actually make a wonderfully easy-to-groom dog out of him if you start now by desensitizing him to experiences he will have to deal with when he is older.

I can understand your groomer’s point, from her perspective. Commercial groomers have to work fast and efficiently in order to run a profitable business. What I’d suggest you do with your dog will be too onerous for her to do for you. Quite the opposite of “fast and efficient,” you need to slow down and break down each component of being exposed to clippers into a single element. Your puppy will need to get used to 1) the noise 2) the vibration 3) the sensation against his skin 4) the slight heat from the blade itself 5) standing still on a table ,etc. Even, possibly, the look and shape of the clipper itself! Start by buying a cheppo trimming clipper (they are available for about $20 bucks from pet supply catalogs and most major pet store chains. Wahl makes a pretty good one that comes in an assortment of colors). Leave the clipper near where you puppy sleeps for a night or two. Then, say while you are watching TV on the sofa, put your puppy on your lap, and with the clipper OFF gently stroke the puppy with the clipper. Do this for a few days. I start by strocking his body first. If he seems OK with that, I would work my way up towards his head and then, finally up to where his ear flap is. Next, you will need him to get used to the sound. I would handle this first by turning the clipper on while standing on the other side of the room from the puppy. Just turn it on and go about your business. Do not make a big deal of it. I’d turn it on randomly from there on out, moving closer and closer to the puppy so that the noise becomes louder and louder (over the course of a few days). I’d work up to the point where I could hold the clipper, turned on, and strock the puppy with the turned on clipper with the base of the clipper, and the blade turned away from the puppy. If that works, I’d finally try clipping the puppy for the first time in a place where I felt more comfortable and had better leverage, say, his hind leg (big space). See how he reacts. If your puppy is perfectly calm up to this point, you can try clipping his ears. Remember to use a clipper oil like “Cool Lube” when you are doing this – you do not want the clipper blades to get too hot. Like I said, the last thing you want is a BAD association with those clippers, so be careful about clipper burn!

You can also do the same kind of desensitization with baths, brushing, nail clipping, etc. The more you expose your puppy to at this age, and the more gentle you are with this exposure, the more calm and well adjusted adult dog you will have when he’s all grown up!

[She-ra's Mama]

Originally Posted by Victri

I wish I could help, but Sydnee's ears were standing up at 6 weeks and I just have them trimmed at the groomers. Those of you that trim your Yorkies my hat is off to you. I am just to nervous I will hurt her.

So you think she's destined to have floppies!! It's ok, I love her little "doggie ears"

[Laura]

I have only taken them to groomers twice, both places (my vet and petsmart) I have spoken with want to keep them too long. It seems cruel to me, so I decided to get tough and figure it out. I am clipping their bodies short and leaving their legs and head about 1 - 2 inches. I think it is cute and I dont like that naked look, but we have a pool and a huge yard that they run and play in. Bronx is very energetic and loves to find messes. We want to teach them to swim this year to make sure they know how to get out of the pool when they fall in. (my big fear, they do fall in sometimes.)

[SoCalyorkiLvr]

I have my puppies groomed when the mobile groomer comes to my house every month to groom my westie and my poodle. There is no issue of vaccinations because they are not around iother dogs. I also think it's important to get them used to it as early as possible. You have finda groomer you can trust too because I have heard some really horror stories about abuse. My groomer leave the van door open and I stay nearby and check in a lot so she never knows when I might come check on them. She is there fo most of the day because she does my persian cat also.

[mybirdys2003]

Snoodles will let me brush her back, and her back legs, and her top know, but when I do the front of her, she yells and jumps and screeches like I am killing her. I swear, I don't know what to do, so I just keep fighting her every morning. So, I know what you mean about the brush! CUJO! Pat

[StewiesMom]

I just massaged Stewie's ears every night and they finally stood up at 4 months. I recommend that because it worked for me. You should also make sure that She-Ra doesn't have a small ear infection or anything because that could be making them floppy.

Originally Posted by She-ra's Mama

I can't get She-Ra's ears to stand or her hair to grow long like others. She has short stringy hair, never even been groomed except when they shaved her ears and cleaned her face up. What can I do!! I really love the ears up, they will stand when she's alert but that's it!! Help somebody!!!