Grooming question
 

I called a groomer today about getting my puppies ears shave to help them stand up. Starsky is going on 9 weeks. She said that you should not use any kind of shaver before 12 to 16 weeks because you will scare the dog and make grooming a night mare the rest of it's life.

Besides, she didn't seem sure as to having to shave a yorkies ears to get them to stand up. I'll have to look around for another groomer and get ideas frome them.

I had given up on Tia's ears and shaved them about two weeks ago, one is now standing straight up - the other is still floppy. She did freak a little at the shaver, but my husband held her, wrapped in a towel while I did the dirty work ;)

I didn't shave Lily's ears. I used the blue masking tape that you use for painting. It did stay on her ears, but when it was time to remove it, it came off very easily without any problem.

that is BS............. toby CAME from a breeder who was also a groomer...... when i got him he was WELL groomed and now when I groom him myself he is sooooooooooooooooooooo good, he LOVES the clippers, he LOVES his bath,.He sits still while i clip his nails....... I feel he would probably hate these thingsiif he wasnt started young

That is not true, Bella went to the pet spa this week (she is turning 11 wks) and got her ears trimmed, her butt trimmed, a couple trims on her paws and a bath. The lady at my pet spa said it as good to get her used to the buzzer sound early so when she is ready for a real cut it won't scare her, Oh and they also checked her ears and it was a whole $12

Try another place

How old is Tia? I have been getting the blow dryer out for Starsky to check out and turning it on low and let him get used to it. I had to give him a little butt bath today! He he!!

I totally dont agree. We actually waited to get Rocky groomed until he was about 6 months and it was very traumatizing because he wasnt used to it. I think its better to get them used to being groomed as a puppy. It will make your life SO much easier!! Even if you dont want to take him to the groomer, or you do and they dont do too much, Id definitely get him used to noises, brushes etc. bc Rocky is scared of the vibrating noise that comes from the cutter and its so sad!! We actually have a stuffed animal dog and pretended to groom him with the buzzing noise to show Rocky it was ok, also I turned the noise on and pretended to groom haley. It didnt help lol!

Tia will be five months old TOMORROW! Hard to believe. I started bathing and grooming her as soon as I got her home, I think it really helps to get them used to it!

I starated grooming Snodles right away at 12 weeks. I bought a little clippers for the ears, and she doesn't mind that at all. She still hates to have her nails clipped and still turns into Cujo! She is just a bugger about that! I guess I will just have that forever, as it hasn't gotten any better and she is now 14 months old! Pat

Could anyone recommend a good brush for my little Louie. He HATES it when I brush his coat..just can't stand it...he yelps and cries, you would think I was beating him. Any suggestions would be oh so helpful!

i have one of those combs with rubber teeth..... it works pretty good

I use a soft cat brush on the babies. It works fine as long as you do it every day. They get better all the time. At first they hated baths, now (after 1 year) I bathe them in the bathtub, they stand up on the side looking frightened, but are still and patient and let me soap um up and rinse um down. Zoey shivers when I run the clippers but they love them as much as the bath--not! Sometimes they run and hide when I take their collars off.

Lol! Lucy does that!! You only have to say the word 'bath' and she is behind the sofa! For some reason (we have no idea why) she hates the noise of scissors and clippers so we get a pro in to do it for us just to be safe, whenever Lucy hears her name she runs and hides!!

I have been bathing Sydnee since she came home with me at 6 weeks and was only 10 oz. Not saying she is thrilled with the blow dryer or the bath but she is not scared. She barks and growls at the dryer and that is it. Plus I took her to the groomer's when she was 8 weeks old and had them shave her hiney. They did a full grooming on her yesterday for the first time and she stood at the side of the tub shaking and when they put the dryer on her she did the same thing barked and growled, and I left after that. When I picked her up she was fine, looked great and there wasn't any screw ups and everyone said she did really well after Mom left. Typical child, Mom leaves and they become well behaved. ;)

Wow
 

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 :eek:

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. :confused:

Groom as soon as Possible!
 

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. :confused:
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. :p

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!!!

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. :eek:

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!

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

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.)

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.

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

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.