By Heidi Clayton
Left to their own devices, dogs would not care if they were even given a bath, brushed, or had their nails trimmed. Much to the dismay of many dogs, grooming is a necessary evil in life. Grooming and body handling training should start at home, not at the grooming salon. Here is my training routine for teaching a puppy or dog to tolerate being brushed.
I prefer to train my dogs to sit still for being brushed first thing in the morning before they have a chance to get cranky from play and when they are hungry. The first thing I do is give grooming a dedicated spot in the house. I set up a blanket or mat. I also lay out the tools I will be using such as the brush or Dremel tool. Next, I arm myself with the most amazing treat they have ever smelled or tasted that will only be given to them when I train them to get groomed. I used lamb meatballs with my last litter that I was able to break up into little bite-sized chunks for the puppies.
If you are working with a puppy or dog that has never been brushed before, do not expect them to sit perfectly still and enjoy getting brushed the first time you do it. I also think that many of the metal brushes being sold are a bit harsh for puppy skin. Avoid starting them using a metal comb or brush. My grooming tool of choice for dogs is called the Slick n’ Easy Horse Grooming Block. It looks like a pumice stone and does a great job stripping dead hair and dander. You can find them at any Horse supply store or of course on Amazon. When training brushing the first thing I do is reward the puppy or dog for sitting still for a few seconds at a time with a treat. I usually always have the brush in one hand, and the treats in the other. You may have to be super generous with treat dispensing at first to keep a puppy still, but try building time between the rewards before starting to actually touch them with the brush.
Start with maybe one stroke of the brush and immediately feed them after. Touching your dog or puppy with the brush should start to predict that something good is about to happen to them.
If the puppy or dog growls, snarls, or shows their teeth it is very important that you slow down the proceedings. Never correct them with punishment or force them to do it. Those behaviors, while unpleasant or shocking, are the dogs’ way of warning that they are not happy with what is going on. Manhandling them or punishing them will lead to them removing the warning and simply biting you to be heard.
I start my brushing routine at the head and go to the tail. I go with the grain of the hair first and then go against the grain to loosen all of the dead hair and dander. Even if you plan on getting your dog groomed by a professional, it is your job to train your dog or puppy to tolerate, if not enjoy, the brushing process. No groomer is going to tolerate being bit or attacked.
You also should absolutely be brushing your dog in between grooming appointments to avoid matting and keep their skin healthy. That goes for doodles too!
If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at heidi@fouronthefloordogtraining.net.
Heidi Clayton started Four On the Floor Dog Training to provide positive, reward-based dog training in South Jersey. She breeds, trains and shows bull terriers under the SoraBully’s Bull Terriers kennel name. Email questions to heidi@fouronthefloordogtraining.net or learn more at https://fouronthefloordogtraining.net
