Brushing/Combing

[Debbie and Thomas]

Tonight I tried to comb out my fluffy little 17 week old goldendoodles hair. He did not like this at all. He was rolling around and tried to bite me. I dodged his teeth, held him down and tried to continue. I only covered 1/8 of his body and gave up because I was exhausted and he was too upset. Up until now I was just using a brush but I am told this will not get into their hair deep enough to prevent matting. So I tried it with a dog comb. He is going to the groomers on Tuesday morning and I am worried. I don't want them to have to shave him down. He is just a puppy. Any advice on how to keep him calm while he gets brushed?

[Debbie and Thomas]

Yes, there are times when Thomas is calm(when he is asleep!!) Just kidding. Honestly though-they are good aren't they-havn't chewed up the couch yet or anything. My brothers beautiful yellow lab, Tyler destroyed every shoe in the house, hats, cable TV wires,, TV converters, table legs etc etc until he was 1 1/2 years old. He turned out to be the most gentle calm dog I have ever seen. Then at only 2 1/2 yrs old, he tragically died of leukemia. It came on very fast and after thousands of dollars in treatment, he had to be put down. This happened 3 weeks after our dog Buddy died who was only 11 yrs old. Well, needless to say, our family was in a deep mourning process. When we got Thomas on November 25/08, I knew that I would be devoted to this dog. He made us smile again. However-he is trying my patience now, but when I look at the big picture-I know he is going to be a loving. devoted, good boy. (even though I had to spray the Bitter Apple tonight on all of our pant legs so he would stop attacking us!!!) H

[Leslie and Halas]

I used to give Halas a chew toy, and that kept him busy while I brushed him. Now I put him up on a table, and he doesn't care about the chew toy anymore, but he does stay pretty still.

[Adina P]

I second the table idea. It helped us too!

[JIM MCCORMICK]

Yes, brushing on a table has been very effective with our 11 month old Doodle named Truman. He bites when he is being brushed and a kong filled with some treat helps alot. However, there is much anxiety about the brushing even with all these measures. I will try using a different brush when he bites the one I use.

Do you use a special brush and where did you purchase it?

Jim

[Leslie and Halas]

I use a Les Poochs brush. It's expensive, but totally worth it. If you search discussions and/or blogs for Les Poochs, you'll find some info. I ordered mine from Doodlecountry.com. If you check out their site, you can e-mail Kemp with a description and picture of Truman, and he'll recommend the right Les Poochs brush. He's a member here on DK. There are other places to get the brushes, but I liked that Kemp would recommend the right one.

[Leslie, Dexter & Kirby]

My advice is like the others - just keep at it, do it regularly and give lots of treats :) Dexter is now 2.5 yrs old and sits almost totally still while I brush him all over (he fights his front legs a bit still). For the longest time my husband would distract with a treat while I brushed. We're using that technique still with Kirby - he still doesn' t like it, but will be good for a treat :)

[Debbie and Thomas]

Thks Debi, I will surely try this. I was brushing out his puppy coat because he is going to be groomed for the first time on Tuesday morning. Thank goodness there are no mats. I do not wnat them to cut off all of his cute puppy hair. Just a trim. Aftet this I have heard that a different type of hair grows in that easily mats. Have you had this experience?

[Debbie and Thomas]

Thanks, I was just worried because he was going to the groomers-I could not feel any matting-but just wanted to give him a good brushing before we went. I read so many stories on this site re shaving the dog and how upset people were when they picked up their dog. He has really fluffy hair-not curly or wavy yet-but I think that must be his puppycoat. Anyway-the grooming was a success!!! I was so adament that they DO NOT CUT him short, that I think I scared them. They evened out his coat, clipped his nails etc, and he still looks like a puppy.

[Debbie and Thomas]

Thanks-I do not want this guy to be shaved ever. Once , a groomer shaved our Wheaton terrior and I was pretty upset. (We did not go there again) We finally found a great groomer who listens and will tell us before what they can and cannot do for our Wheaton. Unfortunately, he has now passed away. I took our doodle Thomas there on Tuesday and they did an awesome job. Re the coat change-he is only about 18 weeks old-so I will watch for this- in the mean time he is going to have to get used to being brushed. As dog groomer, I would like to ask you this question. should I use a brush or a comb to keep his coat in shape? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[jamiegirl]

I notice that our 12 week old GD sheds quite a bit more after brushing. Is it her age or the brushing that is making this happen. Also, I am quite surprised at the amount of shedding she does, thought GDs are supposed to shed a lot less. We've also bathed her about once a week for the past 3 weeks; potty accidents, you see. Is that making the shedding worse? How often should we be bathing her if she is accident-free?

[Nancy Cullen]

So far the only thing that works is to have three different brushes - BeeGee will always want the brush I start to use after about 3-4 minutes - so I just let her have it - while I use another of the brushes until she wants that one. The handles are what she loves to chew - and luckily they are as tough as a nylabone, so she doesn't do much damage. She loves it when I get the brushes out - and it's not perfect - probably breaking all rules - but it's my solution. And she lets me brush her for a long time.

[Debbie and Thomas]

That is a great idea-our doodle Thomas just wants to bite the brush as I am using it. So if I let him have it-I can continue on with the next one. Thank you!!