# Hiding After Grooming



## MayBTheresHope (Feb 25, 2013)

Poor Miley! She always has been a sensitive soul. She gets her feelings hurt easily when we try to groom her, and when she does, under the bed she goes. She hates grooming time, and frankly, so do I. She is very curly coated and mats extremely easily...like immediately after I have brushed her. 

I am trying to do it every night, but she is getting more and more fearful of me. She adores my husband and used to love sitting with him, but one night he thought he would try brushing her while he held her and she jumped off of his lap,ran under the bed and has not sat with him since. He didn't even brush her...he just had the brush in his hand!

Now I brush her on the kitchen counter. I am trying to dissociate that memory with sitting with us and give her treats while sitting her on our laps. She will stay for about a minute and then off she goes. I hate that she hates brushing so much. I feel like I am torturing her. I do give her treats during and after grooming, which she does like, but as soon as I am done and the treats are gone, she hides.

I have resorted to using a tangle tamer brush that I use for my 5 year old daughter. It seems to hurt less and gradually gets the tangles out....but not good enough close to the skin. Try as I might, I cannot get a slicker brush or comb through her hair, even when it is short. I do try to comb out the undercoat as best I can with the tangle tamer. It works okay until she gets to 3/4 inch or so, and then the mats take over VERY quickly and back to the groomer go. 

She hates going to the groomer, too, but at least she doesn't associate that with us. The groomer is very patient with her and gives her frequent breaks. She lets her roam freely during the breaks. She likes the groomer, just not the grooming. She loves me, too, but she is very unforgiving about being brushed. Anyone else ever had a Hav this sensitive to being groomed? Otherwise she is a sweet, happy-go-lucky pup that greets us with vigor and puppy kisses.


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## Pucks104 (Aug 16, 2012)

Your best bet is to gave the groomer keep her quite short. It is a bit concerning tbat you can't get the comb through her coat. She may all ready have some mats that warrant shaving.


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## littlebuddy (May 30, 2007)

My groomer told me to always take my dog to a designated grooming place int he house. That way he knows that we are there to be groomed. I also had a pocket full of treats which I would treat every few seconds as I groomed. Eventually he began to sit while I brushed him. I still have an issue with his ears however. Perhaps the suggestion to keep I'm shorter will help prevent the matting.


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## MayBTheresHope (Feb 25, 2013)

It sounds like I'm on the right path. She is already quite short....is 3/4" considered long for a puppy cut? I don't think she is even THAT long, really...but it is crazy how easily her hair starts to mat. What gets me is the hiding. I feel bad and I really don't think that I am hurting her, really. I stop brushing if it seems like it is going to pull. Should we shut the door to our bedrooms so that can't hide? Maybe then she would realize that we aren't out to torture her. 

She is such a mess...she just came up and licked my foot like she knows that I am talking about her. She is in a great mood today because the weather is nice and we have our door open so that she can go outside. She loves laying on the porch and barking at the birds. It is hilarious! We put her dog bed out there and she is in heaven! She wanders in every once in a while to check on us, but then head's back to the porch to check for trespassing birds. I just love her!


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