How to brush out a puppy with tangles by legs and haunches

[broodizt]

Hi all,

Well, I wasn't looking forward to the bath thing. Milo is extremely squirmy to begin with, but I was left no choice, as he still has giardia, and I don't think any groomer would take him, nor do I blame them. Then I sort of freaked out when I caught him playing with a little bit of his feces in his bed after he had pooped on his potty, but some leftover stuff must have stuck to his butt and fallen into his bed when he jumped in. I don't remember exactly, but I think I caught him licking it or something, I almost fainted LOL (not really, but almost )

I'm not sure if he has been doing this and that is why his giardia is not clearing up, (he might be reinfecting himself) or if this is the first time. This is definitely the first time I saw him do this. I'm hoping this was a one time only thing and he was playing with it and licking it out of curiosity.

Nonetheless, bath time needed to happen and it did not go well. I tried so hard to be very gentle, poured luke warm water gently on him from a cup and talked softly to him, gave him treats, tried to cut out mats that were just too tangled, etc. He screamed the whole time. He would not keep still for one second, tried to jump out of the sink, and screamed as if I were tearing him limb from limb. I tried to stop for a while but he was wet and full of soap, and he was shivering and I didn't want him to catch pneumonia.

To make it short-it was a living nightmare!!! For both of us. I never ever got to his tangled knotted belly hair, and ended up cutting out chunks of mats on his back and front legs and underarms that I probably could have gotten out gently, if he would have held still. I could have teased them out without any trauma whatsoever, but his constant jumping around and wildness made it impossible and ended up making it painful i'm sure- because he was pulling in the other direction.

We stopped for awhile, I gave him treats, but he was not having it. I'm just not sure what I did wrong. It was so traumatic, I never want to bathe or brush him again. The slightest tug or pull on the hair if the brush or comb meets a knot-- he just jumps to high heaven, (and I know many time there was no pain at all, as I never even put any pressure on the brush at all) and I never even pulled on the tangle, the comb or slicker just meets the tangle and it's over for him! I can't hold it at the root to brush out with the slicker or pin brush because he won't hold still. We are both still recovering. I'm worried this is going to be a BIG problem.

[mimimomo]

Oh no so sorry about the ordeal, it sounds like it was very stressful for both of you! It's one thing to try & work out tangles off a puppy, but doing it in a bath even more difficult...if Milo is tangled & matted over 50% of his body, it's best to get him shaved & start over. If he's had several baths, those mats have shrunk & hardened, needs to be cut off.
I have one that is very sensitive, so I suggested to cut the tangles off instead of trying to work them out. Their hair will grow & you can always even it out later. Like you mentioned, since Milo has giardia, groomers might not take him. Maybe a mobile groomer? If I was near you, I would help you out!

[Marhcarter]

[quote]

Originally Posted by broodizt

Hi all,

Nonetheless, bath time needed to happen and it did not go well. I tried so hard to be very gentle, poured luke warm water gently on him from a cup and talked softly to him, gave him treats, tried to cut out mats that were just too tangled, etc. He screamed the whole time. He would not keep still for one second, tried to jump out of the sink, and screamed as if I were tearing him limb from limb. I tried to stop for a while but he was wet and full of soap, and he was shivering and I didn't want him to catch pneumonia.

I have discovered, after YEARS of experimentation, that surprisingly, if I wash and condition and rinse Huey, towel him some, then let him run and roll and act the fool before I try to dry him (without ever brushing or combing his tangly little butt) let him run in circles while I point the dryer at him until he is 2/3 dry, THEN take him to the grooming table and finish drying while combing out tangles, the tangles actually comb out better from dry hair. I used to cover him with conditioner in the tub then comb out tangles before rinsing, but the almost dry method seems to be much better. He still tries to bite me when I pull his hair, but he is much better. Also, Huey freaks during a sink bath, but if I put him in the soaker tub with a few Iinches of h2o, he does much better. I think he is scared of falling and in the tub he feels more secure.

Originally Posted by kjc

And an FYI for new puppy owners and all dog owners who may attempt home grooming:


2. When using a noose on a grooming table, never, ever leave the pup unattended. A safer way to use the noose is to also slip one leg through it, so it's around one side of the neck and behind one elbow, on a diagonal. Protect those tiny tracheas (windpipe).

3. To do feet, a dog can be put in a life vest, then suspended from the grooming table arm. Again, do not leave them unattended

.

Both of these are fantastic ideas. I use a grooming table with a noose, but have always just put it on his neck. I also have several life vests from when we had a boat. I may try that, since the feet are the only thing I use a groomer for.

[kjc]

Shelly, In all honesty, he is still very young, and it sounds to me like he needs more 'taming' than anything.... it all takes time. I had a puppy once who freaked out whenever I tried to just pet her along her back! She just wasn't used to humans touching her all over.

I just spent 5 days brushing mats out of my Biewer. I clipped all the ones that didn't show, and I have 2-3 left, on her legs. I just work on her 2-3 times a day, some times I can go longer on her, others not as long. She's a bit cottony and has a ton of coat. I may clip her this spring to save time. We just always end on a 'good note'.

And I finally clipped her nails. Talk about squirmy... she was impossible. I fixed a plate of scrambled eggs and put a few pieces at a time in her bowl on the table... just enough distraction for me to clip a nail or two between bowls. She had nails like Howard Hugh's.. now they're all trimmed and she wasn't the least bit traumatized. And I didn't get bit!

So don't worry... it will get better!

[WannaBe]

Originally Posted by yorkietalkjilly

My Tibbe's tendency to tangle got way better as he aged and his coat matured. Treats and patience in short sessions as advised above are great ways to work through these things. If one got too bad, I cut into part of it here and there with a tiny snip or cut it off rather than put Tibbe through any discomfort.

What she said. Also, if you use any kind of scissors be sure to cut away from the skin. It is hard to describe, but try to put the point into the middle part of the knot and cut away from the body.

[broodizt]

Originally Posted by mimimomo

Oh no so sorry about the ordeal, it sounds like it was very stressful for both of you! It's one thing to try & work out tangles off a puppy, but doing it in a bath even more difficult...if Milo is tangled & matted over 50% of his body, it's best to get him shaved & start over. If he's had several baths, those mats have shrunk & hardened, needs to be cut off.
I have one that is very sensitive, so I suggested to cut the tangles off instead of trying to work them out. Their hair will grow & you can always even it out later. Like you mentioned, since Milo has giardia, groomers might not take him. Maybe a mobile groomer? If I was near you, I would help you out!

Thanks so much, I so wish you were near me! Just to be clear so there is no misunderstanding, I didn't try to detangle Milo in the bath, all I tried to do was wash him . I tried to detangle him before the bath on a grooming table using the detangle spray, and it did help, but he doesn't even want me to cut out the mat, he won't even sit still for that. I don't believe his hair is tangled in over 50% of his body, just in certain places, under arms and legs, by his hips (Haunches???), and under the belly. The rest of him may not be totally smooth, but could definitely be managed if he would only let me gently tease out the small knot or tangle. I wonder how his groomer bathed him, cause I'm thinking he's been traumatized before I ever got him.

[mimimomo]

Originally Posted by broodizt

Thanks so much, I so wish you were near me! Just to be clear so there is no misunderstanding, I didn't try to detangle Milo in the bath, all I tried to do was wash him . I tried to detangle him before the bath on a grooming table using the detangle spray, and it did help, but he doesn't even want me to cut out the mat, he won't even sit still for that. I don't believe his hair is tangled in over 50% of his body, just in certain places, under arms and legs, by his hips (Haunches???), and under the belly. The rest of him may not be totally smooth, but could definitely be managed if he would only let me gently tease out the small knot or tangle. I wonder how his groomer bathed him, cause I'm thinking he's been traumatized before I ever got him.

Have you tried putting him on your lap & cutting off the mats? Turbo used to climb up my arm if I tried to work out a tangle. He was sooo sensitive, I just had to cut it off. TG he has silky hair that hardly tangles now, but it was bad when he was a puppy.
It's best to cut off or shave the arm pit areas & the underbelly, inner thighs. It's a very sensitive area for them. I think it would be best to cut off the tangles that he has now so he won't associate grooming time as ouch time.

[scrapindee]

I was just going to tell you about putting him on your lap and gentlely working out the mats. While you wait for your brush and high end products to arrive, use a rat tail comb from Sally's and some detangler from Petco or petsmart. Be gentle and make it fun. You are better spending 5 minutes 3-4 times a day than 1 30 minute session.