I used to give Molly a bully stick to chew on while I brushed her. Now I give her a very small treat for every minute of brushing. My problem now is with the dremel when I do her nails. She keeps wanting to sniff it and I don't want to accidentally skin her nose!

__________________

I too acclimated our girl similar to what Charliethree stated. At first she was none too fond of the whole grooming thing. The trick I was told by her breeder is to not let her win. I am to decide when and how long the grooming sessions would last. We started this process when we brought her home at 8 weeks with short sessions then worked our way up. This included the blow drier and nail clipping. The nails were the hardest, do one paw then wait a day and do another. The nails are still a bit of a struggle at 10 months but everything else is a breeze now, she actually enjoys it

So two simple steps, make it positive and don't let her win.

Another thing I found that helped is a nice long walk or play session prior to grooming. It helped take some of the wind out of her sails.

Try the "Zoom Groom" by Kong. My vet recommended it to me for my cat a few years ago when she wasn't doing so well (asthma) and wasn't grooming herself very well. She loved being brushed with it - it was more like a massage. And it removed TONS of hair.

So I decided to get the dog "Zoom Groom" for Chance and he loves being brushed/massaged with it as well. Chance will actually fall asleep sometimes. It's very gentle and yet removes a lot of hair and stimulates the skin. Below is a video to see how it's used.

__________________
..... have a Golden day

Every time one of my groomers were told by a customer that their dog hated to be groomed, they would immediately ask, "Is it okay to give your dog some peanut butter"? I don't remember it ever failing. After a few grooming sessions the dogs would no longer need it.

__________________
Karen, Chance, Lucy and Savanah RB



“Everyone needs a dog to adore him, and a cat to bring him back to reality”

I always talk to the dogs when i am grooming them and tell them how good they are being etc, generally sound like a crazy person!
Poppy knows the drill and has learnt that if she just stays still it will be over with quicker.
Jasper just loves grooming as it means that he is getting all the attention so he is generally pretty good at it.
In terms of their clipping their nails that is a tag team event with my husband holding them and me clipping them.
When both dogs were puppies I got them used to be touching their paws and pads etc so dont bat an eyelid at it now.
I think as others have said you just need to perservere and dont let them win, and as always treats are your friend! :-)

__________________

We do the peanut butter trick too. Smear a little on the floor and brush away!

__________________
--Briana--

[QUOTE=goldy1;1847420]Try the "Zoom Groom" by Kong. My vet recommended it to me for my cat a few years ago when she wasn't doing so well (asthma) and wasn't grooming herself very well. She loved being brushed with it - it was more like a massage. And it removed TONS of hair.

So I decided to get the dog "Zoom Groom" for Chance and he loves being brushed/massaged with it as well. Chance will actually fall asleep sometimes. It's very gentle and yet removes a lot of hair and stimulates the skin. Below is a video to see how it's used.

Oh that's the brush I said I use in the tub. Why haven't I thought to use it as a brush too?!?! I'll try it tomorrow and see how it goes! Thanks!

Lilly loves being brushed , when she was younger I would hold something tasty up to her nose and I would brush her a bit , if she didn't try to bite the brush I would give her a treat.

__________________

I started really working on getting my puppy (5 months old now) used to it a month ago even though there's not much to groom yet. At first he thought it was a game and wanted to chew on the clippers/brushes. He wasn't afraid so I was just firm with him if he tried to get mouthy. If he tried to mouth or do something like try to lay down so I couldn't get to his paws, I'd tell him "No" firmly and reposition him then start again. Once he stayed still and let me, I'd praise him a ton while I had my SO give him treats (since I wasn't quick enough alone.) I just never made a big deal out of it and kept my eye on the prize. At first I would also show him the clippers/brush and let him sniff them but not allow him to bite them.

Now I can groom him and clip his nails by myself. He's not 100% yet but he's doing great, clipping his nail only takes about 5 minutes and brushing him is pretty easy.

I also keep a pile of treats on the floor next to me and after clipping 2-3 nails or grooming him for 30 seconds at a time, I'll give him a treat. I'm constantly praising him between treats, too, but not in a way that would get him excited.

I'm not sure if being firm was the 'proper' way to do it.. But he didn't need to be desensitized like a dog that is afraid would need, he just needed to stop being a brat about it.

Also for nail clipping.. I lightly trim the fur around his nails. Not sure if anyone else has this problem but his fur would hang over his nails and it was hard to see the quick unless I kept moving the fur out of the way. I was really paranoid about hurting him and had to be extra careful.. which meant multiple attempts on the same nail. Now I see the quick really easily and can clip once. I'm not sure if it's terribly noticeable that the fur is trimmed there, but it makes my and his life easier.