Our Puppy Hates Brushing

[Kimberly Daisy Kalli]

Wow - Kalli hates to be brushed.   We have tried a wide tooth comb and the brush the we use with our older doodle.  We pet her, speak calmly, give her treats, lots of praise - nothing works.  She acts like a maniac, tries to bite the brush or comb and even growls at us.  Any suggestions?

 

[Lynda Kamrath]

Keep at it.  She'll get used to it.  Maybe a special place where she gets brushed.  Someplace you can lift her up and just do a couple of strokes the first time.  Talk to her, pet her, and let her see the brush first.  A little at a time.  My puppy was strange about having his eyes and ears cleaned but now he is fine with that.  I still need to try the toothbrush, but that may take a little while.

[Nancy Pyzynski]

Yes, I agree, just keep at it and she'll probably come around to loving it and the attention.  Have you tried when she's calm and sleepy or all worn out from play? She's probably just too busy playing and being a puppy to want to sit still to be brushed.  We started with just touch and massage for Coco and then brushing and she loves it all now.  At first, she would try to bite the brush, was quite playful but has calmed down and seems to really enjoy it all.  Keep trying.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I completely understand.  Murphy was like this too from the time he was a puppy.  He just turned a year, and he still hates being brushed, but at least it isn't a complete "scene" the way it used to be.  I always let him see and smell the brush first.  With him it's really all about trying to keep him really calm while we do it.  I go very slow and am really gentle with him, but I do let him know that it IS going to be done no matter how much of a tantrum he throws.  I used to "give up" when he went into his little "tirade", and I think that just gave him the idea that tantrums are the way to avoid grooming.  I no longer do that, we stay at it until it's done. There are treats and lots of praise throughout for him as long as he's being calm.  Good luck....I know how frustrating it can be.

[Chelsea and Bailey]

There was actually an episode on the dog whisperer on this, try looking up the episode online it was a groomers special. If I remember correctly ceaser said to introduce the brush very slowly, let them smell it lick it etc. Then do small sections at a time. It also had to do with the brush, as a pup they have sensitive skin so he recommended a comb with the ball point ends. Its all about reward. Hope that helps!

[Sandy Aicher and Bailey]

Give her a bully stick to chew while you are brushing..it worked like a charm for me when she was a puppy.  She was happy to chew while I brushed...it gave her something to focus on.  Now Bailey will lay forever while I brush her, she actually likes it.  When I walk up to her with her brush she wags her tail. :)

[Livia Free]

What works for us is to do it in the evening when Misha is tired and less likely to fight the brush. She lets us work with the  metal brush only when she's super sleepy. But I found that just a regular human fine tooth comb will do the job just fine and she loves that thing and lets us do it any time of the day. Hope that helps :-)

[Taylor & Huff]

My doodle used to hate being brushed when he was a puppy too. He used to do the same thing. Now he doesn't mind. It is just a phase and will most likely pass quickly.:)