New Doodle Puppy Owner

[Doodle Grooming]

Hi Everyone.  I just brought my doodle "Gracie" home on Saturday.  She is 10 weeks old, and has been nothing but joy .  Does anyone have advice on how to get her used to being groomed.  Of course at this age trying to get her to sit still is impossible.  I run the brush or comb over her everyday, but have to just get different parts of her coat when I can.  She seems resistant to grooming right now.  My last dogs were Basset Hounds and that is a total different type of grooming.  Any tips would be appreciated. Thanks.

[Michelle & Ruepunzel]

Rue wouldn't sit still for the first few weeks of brushing. I would just try to distract her with a kong filled with treats or a chew toy. She's now 5 months and sits perfectly still when I brush her.

 

Congrats on your new puppy! :)

[Jaime + Oliver]

Congrats on your pup!  At the beginning Oliver needed a distraction - some kibble as treats, a kong etc.  He settled down around 4 months, but now we're back to needing a distraction when we brush (treats hidden in a hand, a kong, a bully stick etc).  Definitely try a kong with her kibble to keep Gracie distracted :)

[Mindy White]

Congrats!  I'm in the same boat, have French Bulldogs, a Mastiff and a short haired mutt and this is my first dog needing groomed.  I adopted him this week and he's seven months old.  I tried brushing him with a dog brush with wires and he didn't like it, so I tried a brush of my own with the balls on the end of the plastic bristles and he's more open to it.  His hair is cut right now so it's not too stressful anyway, I'm just trying to get him used to it for when it counts!  : ) 

[Paul Schumacher]

All of the advice others have given I echo.  Our pup is 4.5 months and has settled in to being brushed.  One thing that helps for us for cleaning paws after being outside and brushing is giving her a sit command, then reward, a down command, reward, then we roll her over and start with brushing her belly.  That relaxes her and then we do the rest.

[Myra Williams]

My Parker and Sophie were not accustomed to being brushed and now they LOVE it!  It's OUR private time.  I just talk and talk and talk and talk some more to them.  I use a soft voice and sometimes I just sing softly which also calms them.  Now they both want to be brushed ALL the time.  Parker will bring me his brush and he has ALL kinds of brushes.  It's like, "PLEEEEEEEEEEZ, Mama!"  BOL  I've never given either one of them treats while brushing.  

[MARY, SCARLETT AND BO]

I don't think anyone has mentioned this yet, but its also important to get them used to the sound and feel of a blow dryer.   I was real good about getting them used to baths and brushes, but was letting him air dry.  apparently Bo was a bit traumatized by the dryers on his first groomer visit.  I took him to a new groomer on the third visit because the first one had not listened to me at all in regards to Bo's cut/style on either visit and was excited because the new groomer actually spoke Doodle-ese (ie coat change, wool/fleece coat, scruffy face, etc). She called me minutes of dropping him off to ask if there had been any problems for Bo in his other groomer visits.   She had given him a quick brushing and was going to blow his coat before a bath (we were beginning to have a coat change matting issue going on around the neck area) and as soon as she turned the dryer on he wet himself.  Long story short, we ended up cutting him short and she took an exta long time with him, used a low powered hand held dryer at short intravals with him.  We are still working with him at home and at the groomers trying to de-sensitize him to the regular pet dryers. 

[Paul Schumacher]

Sometimes I think the noise of a hair dryer is more off-putting than the actual air.  We turned a hairdryer on low once or twice before actually using it on the pup and by the time we used it to dry her, she wasn't afraid of it.  Another note I wish we had thought of-- If you bathe the pup in a room she isn't used to, it might be worth it to take her in there a couple of times before and give lots of treats so she is comfortable with the space as well.  Our first bath wasn't easy, but now that Zoe knows the room, she is much better.  At least, that is how I interpreted it all.  If only they could talk...

PS- Your puppy is adorable

[Linda And Loo]

Keep brushing or combing everyday. My groomer also ask me to play with her feet so she would get use to people handling them while being groomed! It takes time! Enjoy!

[Barb @ Gemstone Labradoodles]

Clicker training works wonders for teaching a dog about brushing. Also I have a wooden pin brush that the dogs love.

I just finished blow drying my 6 wk old puppies. They were not impressed but allowed me to dry them easily. I turn on my dryer when they are in the next room. They have heard it a few times before. Then I open the door so they have sight of the dryer. I have the dryer on when I bring them into the bathing area so there is no sudden noise. Lastly I encase them in a towel, including head and start drying their tails. I work my way up the body and eventually the towel goes and I dry their chest and belly. I hold them the whole time. I towel dry their heads because I don't think the air would be good on their eyes and ears. This is a standing heat dryer, not a high volume forced air one.

[MARY, SCARLETT AND BO]

Thanks for going through these steps with the drying. Has given me a few ideas on how to help Bo.

[Teresa Joyce]

Congratulations on your addition of Gracie.  For a puppy, a good play time can help before the grooming sessions.  Puppies love to play and can think your brushing is so strange kind of play.  A tired pup makes a more accepting pup.  I personally do not treat when grooming - however, I do play with my boys before grooming even at 2 and 3 years of age it helps to run off a little of the excitement before grooming begins.  Lots of praise and it can be a special time that you spend with Gracie where she has all of your attention.  As you brush her, tell her that she is a good girl when she is still and if you can handle her paws to get her use to you touching them, you will be doing her and yourself a favor for when you need to trim her pads and cut her nails.  This early age is the most important time for her to learn that grooming is a good thing and is not painful.  Good luck!

[Deb, Connor & Simon]

DeVon, sometimes it is easier to start the puppy learning with a second pair of hands to help, if possible. One person can click and treat while the other person is brushing.Give it a cue, like "Get brushed." in a positive tone. What Barb said about a pin brush is perfect to start off a puppy. Also, don't brush them for a long period of time. Start off with just a minute or two. When they start doing okay with that, expand it by another minute or two.Making brushing a war of wills, is always to be avoided. If your puppy can associate brushing with a pleasant experience - treats/clicks, feeling like getting petted with a little back scratch thrown in - will help your puppy relax and actually enjoy being brushed. Someone else mentioned this , too - but when your puppy is sleepy or calm, rub their ears, massage their feet in between toes and pads, throw in a tummy rub for good measure. You can give a bully stick to chew on while you're doing this, praising them calmly and softly. Your groomer and vet will love you for this! Great tips about the dryer, too. Just take baby steps on all these things - if you move too fast, you might end up having to start the process all over again.