[baumgartml16]

Hey all,

I have a fear of taking Koda to the groomers. I am very protective of her, if you haven't noticed from previous post, and have a hard time leaving her with other people without my supervision.

She is so fearful of anything grooming related in our house. It takes two of us to give her a bath so one can hold her and the other quickly scrub her down. We feed treats the whole time to keep it happy. She doesn't like to be brushed, we have to put peanut butter on the cupboard so she is occupied and even then sometimes she backs away. We can't brush her teeth, she licks the toothpaste off and runs...we did all these things slowly so I dont know where the fear came from.

My husband wants to take her to the groomers and see if she behaves better. I think this is a bad idea as she is already fearful of these things and now she won't have me or DH with her.

What do you guys think? Should we do take her? If we do we will go visit the place first and let her meet the people and leave so her first experience there is positive!

 

[Megora]

If she doesn't like being groomed, it might be an issue at the groomers... I don't know if they charge more or if they will have to be a little firmer with her.

I think you might need to be firmer with her. Put a collar and leash on her and tell her to settle down and knock off the squirming. Use a soft pin brush or even a wire brush and brush her every night.

Do not put up with her running off. My bet is she's not afraid of being groomed. She's sassing you.

For giving baths, it's the same deal. I usually put on a pair of shorts and sit on the side of the bathtub while I quickly give my guy his baths. Sitting on the side like this alleviated some of the aches and pains associated with bending over and using other muscles to keep my dog in the bathtub.

If you use dog shampoos (vs people ones), they rinse out very fast and allow for quick baths. But even if you have to spend a little extra time with the dog in the bathtub, she has to learn to STAND there and behave herself. It shouldn't require two people keeping her in there.

I would not get angry or rough. Just be firm.

And personally speaking, I would put the treats on the side and she doesn't get them until you are done with the grooming session or done with the bath. She doesn't need to be fed nonstop just to behave. She should behave herself and win those treats.

If you are giving a bath at least every 2 weeks and light grooming every single night, you should see a huge difference.

 

[vcm5]

If you decide to go to the groomers, I would suggest taking her by there a few times before you actually leave her to be groomed if she is scared. Ry hated that kind of thing at first, but we would walk him by and just take him in for a few minutes and the people would give him treats and then when it actually came time to be groomed it was no big deal! Good luck!

 

[baumgartml16]

Thanks guys. I agree with you Megora that she needs to suck it up..I just hate when she is scared. I always feel bad after when she runs and hides and won't come by me for fear I will try something else.

We will try the leash thing instead of pinning her down. I just figured forcing her would make her more scared.

 

[DaisyGolden]

I think that taking her to the groomers a couple of times to get treats before she gets groomed is a good idea. Also you don't have to leave her there alone if you don't want to. I always stayed and waited for my chow mix Sandy to get groomed, If the groomer has a problem with you staying then I would worry about what they are trying to hide.

 

[baumgartml16]

Good point. Maybe I will request to stick around the first time so I can keep her calmer and go from there.

What will I do when I have kids if this is what I am like with my puppers!? O boy..

 

[Florabora22]

Find a great groomer that you're comfortable with. Check the place out before you actually make an appointment. Flora is very squirmy with me (she's better now, but she was a real worm as a pup!) when I groom her/bathe her, but all 3 groomers she's been to in the past have said she's been one of the easiest dogs to groom. I know for a fact that Flora behaves differently when momma's not around - a lot of times it sounds like she behaves better when I'm not around!

Keep working on getting your pup acquainted with grooming tools, and in the meantime do a search for a groomer you like. I'm sure your dog will be fine.

 

[baumgartml16]

My MIL referred us to the one she took all three of her goldens too and said if I request the owner Koda will be happy! This lady is obsessed with Goldens and has dealt with all of her hyper dogs in the past just fine. I am planning to go up on Saturday with Koda and meet her and the facilities. In the meantime I will continue to attempt brushing her at night but not pushing it too much.

It's weird cuz she doesn't mind the furminator as much as a regular brush, maybe the regular brush hurts her? It shouldn't but that thought just crossed my mind...

 

[K9-Design]

I think Koda is being babied by her mommy and daddy and is good at putting on a show
Interview groomers or get a referral from someone you trust, waltz her in, say bye-bye and don't worry about it.
She will be A-OK.
I groom all breeds and trust me a lot of dogs are drama queens with mommy dearest but are angels for me. They act scared to come in when their owners bring them and the second the owner leaves they are normal dogs perfectly happy and comfortable being there. I will groom a dog for the first time and when the owner picks it up they go on and on about how the dog hates to be brushed, is afraid of the hair dryer and don't even go there when it comes to toenails.....and with me the dog was a perfect gentleman and didn't mind a thing I did.
Do NOT go and "supervise" or "help" -- the groomer will think you are a big pest and the dog will behave terribly to try to get you to "save her." The groomer does this for a living, she knows how to handle the dogs, she doesn't need your help or assurance.
Go for it.

 

[baumgartml16]

K9-Design, thanks for the dose of reality..I needed it.

Is it okay that I still go and visit the place with her first to make sure I am comfortable or is that bad too?

 

[K9-Design]

Pre-appointment visits are fine but don't take the dog. It will give you piece of mind to meet the groomer. Client referrals really are the best way to go.

 

[kwhit]

Pre-appointment visits are fine but don't take the dog.

Really? Every groomer I've had work in my store really likes to meet both the dog and the client before the actual grooming. Plus, I think customers like to see how the groomer interacts with the dog before the appointment is set up. They go over what is expected and how the groomer will groom the dog. I always equated it to going to the vets with no intention of having anything done. Just to get the dog used to being there.

We also invited the customers to watch the groomer groom a dog, as long as they were on the other side of the window, (my whole grooming room/area was visible from my store. You could watch start to finish on any grooming). In fact, both of my groomers loved to have people watch. One had been grooming for almost 50 years and my other groomer had been grooming since she was 7 years old, (her mom owned a very well known grooming salon in my area). We also invited people to watch their own dog being groomed from start to finish as long as their dog couldn't see them because it is true that dogs will act up more if they know their owners are there. Usually they left after a few minutes knowing their dog was being treated well.

I guess everyone does things differently, I personally would like my dogs to meet their groomer ahead of time.

 

[K9-Design]

I would say if you are going to a grooming shop it's probably best to not take the dog on an "interview" visit unless the groomer requests it. The dog will probably be squirrely since it's in a new place with lots of weird smells and sights, which in this case will make the owner very anxious about leaving her pet there at all. Groomers have seen it all as far as dogs go so probably don't need a special appointment just to know how to groom it.
If the groomers have a "viewing area" and like it then that is great, I don't have that luxury so any time a grooming client wants to stay and "watch" or "help" I absolutely put the nix on it.

 

[kwhit]

Groomers have seen it all as far as dogs go so probably don't need a special appointment just to know how to groom it.

I don't agree. I feel every new client should have a consultation, whether it being a seperate appt., (preferred), or coming in early to their appt. Every dog should be groomed according to how the client wants it groomed, provided that it can be done. The term "puppy cut" is such a misnomer and is different to every groomer and every client. Having a consultation ahead of time clears up any questions both the groomer and client may have. My last groomer competed internationally, her grooming skills were impeccable, yet she would always request a consultation before the real groom on new clients. Sometimes a customer's expectations were impossible to achieve with their dog's particular coat and she took that time to explain why.

Like I said, everyone does things differently.

 

[MikaTallulah]

My yorkies behave better for the groomer than for me. It is a blood bath if I try to cut their nails sometimes. They wiggle, squirm, cry, and scream. I pay the money and have a groomer cut the nails for me. They never give the groomer trouble about their nails. She says the girls know they can get away with it because I have a bad record with them and nail cutting.

Point being your puppy may behave better for a stranger than you for grooming.

I'm not allowed to watch them be groomed in person because they are brats then but the groomer will webcam if you ask.