grooming

[pamela]

my morgan is a "biter" & i'm hesitant about taking him to a groomer...but his fur/hair has gotten so long since i adopted him he's starting to get matted no matter how much/frequently i brush.  i've also been told that he might behave better if he's out of the house (ie: the groomer), anyone have suggestions?

[Dan, Judi, & Timbow]

Timbow is a biter (not in a mean/aggressive way...maybe gnawer would be a better word). He surprisingly does very well at the groomers. Honestly, there is only one way to find out. Find a good groomer in your area (one that's familiar with doodles, otherwise you'll end up with a poodle cut) and see how it goes. Is Morgan aggressively biting?

[pamela]

no, i don't think so, he's really mouthy & i can't seem to break him of it. then when i continue to do something he doesn't want he'll bite. since i adopted him in May there have been a few run-ins with my male corgi (i think they're fighting for ownership over the human... & occasionally the female corgi). the only times Morgan has bitten me is when i've gotten between them & once when we were visiting my mother's last summer & i was trying to work on his food dish behavior with her 5 dogs in & outside the house. (pretty sure that was my stupidity, but i'm not used to a dog caring about food my corgi male is verry NOT food motivated...lol) he didn't break the skin

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

Or you could find a daycare place that does grooming also or get Morgan worn out before getting groomed. Peri gets groomed at Dogtopia, where she goes to daycare. We are fortunate because the groomer knows how to do a doodle cut - there are other doodles at daycare. So, I drop her off for the entire day to hang with friends - they don't even start grooming until 3 (on Peri because she isn't the greatest at staying calm). This gives her a chance to be WORN OUT before getting groomed. They say she is great. I come to pick her up and she is running round with the owner in the front - lookin' mighty cute! Just a suggestion....wear him out first.

[pamela]

thanks, that sounds like a great idea, but i would be really afraid of his behavior at daycare too. wow, just thinking about daycare then grooming i think i need a sedative...lol. i've never taken my dogs to daycare they either come to work with me or stay home together for the 3 days i go to the ofc. is it like people daycare & they call you to pick up your badly behaving "children"...lol?

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

Ha! They don't call you up and say they are being bad. But my doggy daycare will sometimes put Peri in a crate (timeout) for a few minutes if she is getting overly tired. I am totally fine with that.
And most daycares do temperament testing, so they wouldn't let your Morgan come if he was a real threat. He can't be that bad!
Still, you could try running or walking with him before taking him to the groomer. Or dogpark, anything to make him a little less wired. And as others have said, our dogs are sometimes better with the groomer than with us. Peri is an angel with our groomer. But she is also tired by then....

[pamela]

i thought i would let you know i bit the bullet & made a daycare/groomer appt for Morgan tues, i'll be holding my breath he has fun @ daycare, doesn't bite the groomer & hoping he doesn't think i'm abandoning when i leave him like the person who dumped @ the pound. wish me luck it will be a VERY stressful tuesday...:) maybe i'll be able to take a pic & upload it though...:)

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

It could just have a lot to do with the environment in which you are trying to brush. Do you have him up on a table or are you trying to do it on the floor or sofa. The groomer will have a collar (loop) on him to hold him in place up on the table and that will keep him from being able to bite some as well. I also think they probably do behave better at the groomers. If brushing is a problem for you, I would also consider getting him clipped shorter so it will be easier to maintain.

[pamela]

brushing isn't a problem he loves to be brushed. particularly if he can sit on my lap..lol! but his fur/hair (it's more like hair than fur, it's absolutly nothing like the fur on the corgis) has gotten so long i can't seem to brush it enough even though i brush several times a week. i would like to get him clipped a little shorter i just don't want him shaved, can they just cut off a 2-3 inches so he doesn't look so crazy? also, Morgan is only 45lbs yet everyone says he's a "big" dog? what is the deal with that? 45lbs is medium at best, right? i say 75-90 is a "big" dog, but i can't get anyone to agree...lol!

[GBK]

The longer the hair, the bigger your pup looks to other people. 45lbs is a medium size and once you trim a few inches off he will look more his size ;)

[Kathy Spyker]

My groomer lets about 1-1/2 inches on Lilly in the summer and they can muzzle him if your worried about him. Just get a groomer willing to work with you and Morgan.

[Joe R.]

First thing is welcome to doodlekisses Pamela. As for grooming, Gus and Lilly don't like it when I bath and brush them at home, but are perfect angels for our groomer.