# Henry Hates Combing



## Debiepi (Jan 28, 2016)

Henry, now three months, becomes out of control when I try to gently comb him. Today when holding him and attempting to comb him, he bit me and drew blood. I am so concerned about this behavior as I know combing will be a necessity! Help! He actually gets mean. A little scary for a pup so young. Any tips will help.


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## Eveningpiper (Sep 23, 2015)

Debiepi said:


> Henry, now three months, becomes out of control when I try to gently comb him. Today when holding him and attempting to comb him, he bit me and drew blood. I am so concerned about this behavior as I know combing will be a necessity! Help! He actually gets mean. A little scary for a pup so young. Any tips will help.


We had a similar bad start with our Ruby and the 'tough it out' tactics that worked with my terriers clearly were not going to work with her. The trick we found that works well is to give our pup a high value treat that only comes out during grooming. In our case I put out a spoonful of peanut butter and let her lick it while I gentle comb her. As soon as she turns away from the peanut butter I stop the combing. When she turns back to the peanut butter I start combing again. At first I had to stop every few seconds and now a few months later I can groom for 15 min. without her stopping. Keep the grooming sessions very short (5 min.) at first and repeat multiple times a day. Slowly trust builds up and the pup associates grooming with the treat. We groom on top of the washing machine and now every day Ruby sits in front of the washer and whines to be groomed. I say "do you want me to brush your hair?" and she jumps and barks enthusiastically.


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## Laurmann2000 (Sep 12, 2015)

Eveningpiper said:


> We had a similar bad start with our Ruby and the 'tough it out' tactics that worked with my terriers clearly were not going to work with her. The trick we found that works well is to give our pup a high value treat that only comes out during grooming. In our case I put out a spoonful of peanut butter and let her lick it while I gentle comb her. As soon as she turns away from the peanut butter I stop the combing. When she turns back to the peanut butter I start combing again. At first I had to stop every few seconds and now a few months later I can groom for 15 min. without her stopping. Keep the grooming sessions very short (5 min.) at first and repeat multiple times a day. Slowly trust builds up and the pup associates grooming with the treat. We groom on top of the washing machine and now every day Ruby sits in front of the washer and whines to be groomed. I say "do you want me to brush your hair?" and she jumps and barks enthusiastically.


What great advice. I'm going to save this for when I get my puppy. :grin2:


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## Debiepi (Jan 28, 2016)

Thank you for the great advice! We will start tomorrow! It is reassuring to know that We are not alone in the struggle! He is like a toddler who says no to everything and gets into everything!!! Ugh! See the photo below for this mornings antics!!


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## MarinaGirl (Mar 25, 2012)

Too funny!


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## Raffi'sMom (Jan 25, 2016)

Oh my, this picture is too cute.


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## Debiepi (Jan 28, 2016)

Yes, the struggle is real! Lol!!


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## M&J (Mar 1, 2016)

ound: I LOVE IT!!!! The Charmin puppy!!!!


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## PaulineMi (Feb 5, 2016)

That is hilarious.....as long as it's at your house. :bounce:


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## Dee Dee (Jul 24, 2015)

ROTFL!!
I LOVE the pic. Sophie is exactly the same way. A one puppy demolition derby. She totally cracks me up. Glad I'm not alone! 

I agree about the training. Sophie is doing a lot better but still will bite my hands or brush when I hit a spot that pulls a little. I am always very careful not to really hurt her but of course sometimes you will hit a sensitive spot. She would never growl or draw blood, she's trying to tell me to stop but in a playful way. Still not acceptable. What I've done is taught her to "flat"...lay on her side with her head laying on the floor also. I use a clicker and treat and have increasingly lengthened the time she has to lay still before click and treat. Then I just pet her while she is still...then touch a comb to her, now I can get a few brush strokes in (sometimes quite a few) without her fussing. I am super careful to not hurt her as I wouldn't blame her then for trying to get out of the grooming. And I never scold her, although I do gently work with her until I get her to do what I want. Then tons of praise and cookies. I want to make it as positive of a thing as possible.

I also just ordered one of these grooming pillows. Hope it will help keep her still and not able to grab a comb or brush LOL.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/171809056/dog-grooming-top-knot-grooming-pillows


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## Heather's (Jun 18, 2012)

Too cute!!! I had the same problem with Truffles. She would growl and nip when I brushed and combed her. Now she just gives out one growl when I pick her up and place her on the grooming table. No growling or nipping once she is on the table.


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## Dee Dee (Jul 24, 2015)

Sophie tends to try and distract me with play, her funniest move was when I had been blow drying and brushing her after her bath for about an hour. She coped with the boredom and indignity of it all in several different ways it was pretty fascinating and hilarious to watch. (I did give her breaks). Finally you could just see in her face she had really had enough of this so she put her paws up on me (she was on a grooming table), grabbed my hair and yanked on it for all she was worth. 
LOL!! Smart puppy really...even though it didn't work she had gone through her other ideas and thought she'd give this one a try too.


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## Teddy Bear (Apr 11, 2015)

Teddy used to try bite and run away when being groomed...
For some reason, he loves my yoga mat so we got him one for him to sit on as we groom him..
He usually gets a nylabone to chew on during grooming (to keep him distracted).

We had to start slowly (for 2 mins each day) and now manage a 15 min session without trouble from him... provided he has a toy or something to chew as he sits on his grooming yoga mat!!!

Be persistent and it will work. Puppies also struggle to sit still for too long so maybe break up the grooming session to a few sessions with a 1 min break every 2-5 mins for him to run around.

What really helped with teddy was taking him running before grooming! It wore him out and made him less likely to fight the grooming brush! lol !
Also, keep praising him for "Cooperating" so he can associate sitting patiently with you being happy with him.

Hope it helps!


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## Molly120213 (Jan 22, 2014)

There is a tip that I learned on this forum when I joined two years ago. You freeze a jar of baby food (after loosening the cap first). Then you let your dog lick it like a popsicle, which distracts them while you are brushing. This worked especially well when Molly was a wiggly puppy and getting used to grooming. I don't have to use this so much anymore but I still keep a jar in my freezer in case I need it.


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## Jackie from Concrete WA (Mar 23, 2015)

Oh I love the picture with the TP. I've seen that before in my bathroom! LOL! Dee Dee - I don't understand the grooming pillow. Does it go around their neck? Willow also doesn't like to be groomed, but she tolerates it (once I catch her). I try to alter the times of day that I do it. When I was grooming at the same time everyday, she learned to anticipate me and would go hide under the bed or dining room table!


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## Dee Dee (Jul 24, 2015)

Here is a video showing the pillow. The shih tzu puppy in the video is adorable and such a great puppy! So calm and cooperative. I'm jealous lol.
Her snoring KILLS me! Sooo cute.


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## Jackie from Concrete WA (Mar 23, 2015)

Thanks Dee Dee. What a darling puppy and so quiet (except for the snoring :smile2! I wish Willow would be that cooperative too. Willow always will try and hide her head between her legs. Let me know how Sophie does with the pillow.


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## PaulineMi (Feb 5, 2016)

The video was too long for our satellite internet limited data. Does the shihtzu ever get shown awake and moving around after the grooming session? That's one sleepy little doggie.


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## Dee Dee (Jul 24, 2015)

I will let you know if the pillow helps I have visions of pieces of satin pillow all over the room.... 

LOL Pauline I don't think she ever did in this video. She has a series of videos Stassi is an adult now and has a beautiful long coat. She did mention in an earlier video that she does this first thing in the morning when puppy was still very sleepy which I"m sure helps.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Eveningpiper said:


> We had a similar bad start with our Ruby and the 'tough it out' tactics that worked with my terriers clearly were not going to work with her. The trick we found that works well is to give our pup a high value treat that only comes out during grooming. In our case I put out a spoonful of peanut butter and let her lick it while I gentle comb her. As soon as she turns away from the peanut butter I stop the combing. When she turns back to the peanut butter I start combing again. At first I had to stop every few seconds and now a few months later I can groom for 15 min. without her stopping. Keep the grooming sessions very short (5 min.) at first and repeat multiple times a day. Slowly trust builds up and the pup associates grooming with the treat. We groom on top of the washing machine and now every day Ruby sits in front of the washer and whines to be groomed. I say "do you want me to brush your hair?" and she jumps and barks enthusiastically.


This is great advice! If you want something that lasts even longer than peanut butter, and is better nutritionally, get meat baby food and freeze it. take the cover off and let the puppy lick that while you are grooming. Return it to the freezer for the next time when you are done!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Debiepi said:


> Thank you for the great advice! We will start tomorrow! It is reassuring to know that We are not alone in the struggle! He is like a toddler who says no to everything and gets into everything!!! Ugh! See the photo below for this mornings antics!!


Yup! Pixel toilet papered my entire bed room last fall when I was sick in bed one day!!!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Molly120213 said:


> There is a tip that I learned on this forum when I joined two years ago. You freeze a jar of baby food (after loosening the cap first). Then you let your dog lick it like a popsicle, which distracts them while you are brushing. This worked especially well when Molly was a wiggly puppy and getting used to grooming. I don't have to use this so much anymore but I still keep a jar in my freezer in case I need it.


Oops! I have to learn to read the whole thread before responding!!!


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## Molly120213 (Jan 22, 2014)

Karen - did the frozen baby food tip originally come from you? I have shared it before and everyone loves it!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Dee Dee said:


> Here is a video showing the pillow. The shih tzu puppy in the video is adorable and such a great puppy! So calm and cooperative. I'm jealous lol.
> Her snoring KILLS me! Sooo cute.
> 
> DOG GROOMING PILLOW - YouTube


OK, that puppy is COMATOSE!!! I've never met a Havanese puppy like that. I think it's lack of oxygen.


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## Heather's (Jun 18, 2012)

The pillow is a great idea! I'm going to order one. I always struggle with the ponytails. There is never a good position for Truffles head. I usually have her head rest on my knee.


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## Dee Dee (Jul 24, 2015)

LOL I know that puppy is just too good to be true! She did say she does this first thing in the morning while puppy is still sleepy but I don't see Sophie ever doing anything near that ANY time of the day or night. 

I love the frozen baby food tip going to try that.


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## MarinaGirl (Mar 25, 2012)

Dee Dee said:


> Here is a video showing the pillow. The shih tzu puppy in the video is adorable and such a great puppy! So calm and cooperative. I'm jealous lol.
> Her snoring KILLS me! Sooo cute.
> 
> DOG GROOMING PILLOW - YouTube


Here's where to purchase the dog grooming pillow in the video:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/171809056/dog-grooming-top-knot-grooming-pillows


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Heather Glen said:


> The pillow is a great idea! I'm going to order one. I always struggle with the ponytails. There is never a good position for Truffles head. I usually have her head rest on my knee.


It's funny how mine vary. Kodi does best in a grooming loop on the grooming table. (though when we're in a hotel room for a show, I CAN wrestle him into letting me do it with him on a chair and me kneeling on the floor in front of him. Pixel has ALWAYS put her head down on her paws the moment I start grooming her head. I didn't teach her this, she just does it. So she's REALLY easy. Panda? Is still a moving target! :laugh:


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## PaulineMi (Feb 5, 2016)

krandall said:


> It's funny how mine vary. Kodi does best in a grooming loop on the grooming table. (though when we're in a hotel room for a show, I CAN wrestle him into letting me do it with him on a chair and me kneeling on the floor in front of him. Pixel has ALWAYS put her head down on her paws the moment I start grooming her head. I didn't teach her this, she just does it. So she's REALLY easy. Panda? Is still a moving target! :laugh:


Sounds like Kodi's not into the ponytail, man bun stuff. Lol


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

PaulineMi said:


> Sounds like Kodi's not into the ponytail, man bun stuff. Lol


We say it's his Steven Segal look!


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