# Training for grooming



## EvaE1izabeth (Nov 14, 2017)

We have a new puppy, and since I learned to cut hair I assumed I would learn to groom him myself. The problem is that I'm slow. There isn't a lot to do for him yet (if it's true I'm supposed to be patient and let the the hair grow away from his eyes instead of trimming it) but today I tried to trim around his feet and pads and he was done by the time I finished one little paw. How do I start training him to be still while trimming? I wanted to trim up his hygiene area, too, but it may be a while before I get to that if I can't increase his patience or my speed. How should I start working on this?


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

EvaE1izabeth said:


> We have a new puppy, and since I learned to cut hair I assumed I would learn to groom him myself. The problem is that I'm slow. There isn't a lot to do for him yet (if it's true I'm supposed to be patient and let the the hair grow away from his eyes instead of trimming it) but today I tried to trim around his feet and pads and he was done by the time I finished one little paw. How do I start training him to be still while trimming? I wanted to trim up his hygiene area, too, but it may be a while before I get to that if I can't increase his patience or my speed. How should I start working on this?


It's WAY easier to have a second person when they are little. To be an extra set of hands and to keep cookies coming while you work. But the trick is to do it in short sessions... even if it means one foot at a time 9or one NAIL at a tim!) until the become more tolerant of it. I can't say that any of mine LIKE grooming (well, maybe Panda does... she certainly is easiest!) but they all tolerate it and let me get the job done. And we reached that stage before their first birthday. In fact, I cut Pixel down for the first time, with scissors, right around her first birthday, and I did it all in one (long!) session.


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## Marni (Apr 1, 2017)

I second that! I do a little at a time. Treating is important.


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## EvaE1izabeth (Nov 14, 2017)

I did plan on it taking more time, and I’m okay with one paw a day! But as far as getting him used to it, so that we both get better over time, does it just happen naturally or should I actively be grooming (or even going through the motions of it if he doesn’t need much) just to get him used to it?

I did use treats throughout, but I’m not sure if I did it the right way. With other training we’ve been working on the treat was always for something very specific, and this felt more like it was just keeping him distracted - which is okay if that’s the point, but am I supposed to be teaching him to do something specific that would make grooming easier?


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## Tom King (Aug 2, 2006)

When he's sleepy, put him in your lap, and very gently handle everything. Hold a foot, and gently spread his toes, and open a lip to rub a tooth, and get him used to being on his back. It doesn't work if they are not worn out after a play session.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

What you are doing with the cookies in this case is not so much a reward, but to put the puppy in a pleasrurable emotional state, so that grooming eventually (hopefully) also becomes pleasureable.

Tom's advice is spot on (what's new)  It is MUCH easier to get the puppy to stay calm and relaxed if they are sleepy to start with. When they are accepting all the handling, then start running a brush and comb GENTLY over their bodies, starting with their back or chest, then moving to more sensitive areas as they tolerate it better


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## Tux's Mom (May 24, 2016)

In addition to the above very sage advice, keep in mind that a puppy has no idea what you are trying to do to him so his first reaction will be to protect himself from the "attack". I think its important to understand that the puppy is not misbehaving but is either thinking this is "play time" or "pain time". All Havanese lose their puppy coat around a year or so, give or take a few months, (they're all different). When that happens your dog will develop mats almost over night. Getting mats out of a squirming dog is nearly impossible. Tux began to rebel when the brush and comb came out, no matter how gentle I was. He would run and hide. The advice on the Forum was it's easier to give them a long "puppy cut" of about two to three inches (shorter on belly and underarms) during that "matting" season, and then begin anew. This worked for us. I began after the mats were gone and his hair was about two inches long to stroke him gently on my lap with a gentle brush (try it on your skin so you know what kind of pressure to use). If you go slow enough, and gentle enough, and tell them how good that feels, then they will get to the point that they actually jump in your lap when the brush appears. Don't go after mats aggressively. Always brush the hair from the ends first so as not to tighten further tangled hair (like you comb your own hair). For a mat, hold the hair so that you are NOT pulling the skin and try to gently pull the mat apart with your fingers. Then work with a comb starting at the ends and work toward the skin. If you brush daily, (after the puppy coat is gone) mats are not really an issue. A clean dog mats less than a dirty one, but the irony is that mats are harder to get out if you bathe them first.

Keeping the puppy in a calm state is key though. If you want a calm dog, stay calm yourself and use a soothing soft calm voice.......no matter how badly you need to scream. LOL It gets better and better with patience and consistency.


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## EvaE1izabeth (Nov 14, 2017)

I was afraid to do it because Havanese are not very popular in our area, but I ended up taking him to the groomer to get everything just cleaned up. I want to keep him in a puppy cut for now anyway, so I decided to take a chance. She did such a great job! It's so much easier to see how short his nails are supposed to be, the edges of his pads, etc. So now every night when I brush him out I try to handle him a lot and go through the motions of trimming his nails and pads. I'm going to add brushing his teeth to this as soon as I figure out what happened to the toothbrush - I brought it home from the store and it disappeared! I think it will be a lot easier the next time I'm ready to work on it, because I have a guide to work from, and even though he still gets bored quickly, he doesn't wiggle as much when I'm handling his paws.


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## Melissa Brill (Feb 22, 2017)

Perry does fine with grooming (I'm the one who isn't good at it!) though I don't really do his face since cutting his face freaks me out (so he gets that done twice a year when we visit the 'real' groomer  ). Well, except that he's afraid of the grooming pole, so he has to always face it (one of the many reasons I can't do his face properly). 

He isn't too bad now with combing, but is not a fan of doing his back legs or his belly, especially if there are any mats, so we are still doing the constant treating - not too many when things are fine, but if there are any bad mats (how in the world do they pop up overnight like that!) he will get lots of treats for lying still (or to encourage lying still) while I try to get them out.


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