# At Home Puppy Grooming



## Abi Lovegood (Jan 6, 2016)

Hi there! I'm very new to this forum and to being a Havanese mom. I brought home Luna at the end of December and she's been an absolute joy to have in our home. 
The one area I'm having trouble with is her grooming. She cries when I bathe her (which I know she will stop doing and will get used to it) but she doesn't want me to comb her, brush her, use the clippers or scissors. Thankfully she doesn't mind a sani-trim too much but everything else she will barely sit still for. Any suggestions? I would really like to do her grooming myself to get good bonding time with her, to assure I get the look I want and to save on money. Any tips or ideas would be extremely helpful!
Thanks! :smile2:


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## MarinaGirl (Mar 25, 2012)

I recommend going SLOW right now. Keep your grooming sessions short and use treats so Luna develops positive associations/reactions. I find that using the right tools makes a huge difference. Many of us on this site are proponents of combs and brushes from Chris Christensen. They're not cheap so I recommend you start with CC Buttercomb #005.

_#005 Buttercomb 7 1/2" Long Tooth Fine/Coarse $50
Fine/Coarse teeth, 7 1/2" long spine 1 5/8" teeth, half spaced 8 per inch & half at 5 per inch
_
I like the CC wood-pin brushes but I only use one on Emmie after I've combed her out well. There are also lots of posts on this forum that you can search on to read more about how to start grooming your furgirl. Good luck!

P.S. Luna is adorable; love your avatar!


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## Pucks104 (Aug 16, 2012)

A vigorous play session to tire her thoroughly prior to beginning the short grooming session should help. Once you begin grooming you need to kindly but firmly insist on compliance. Maybe just comb her back or front legs but finish what you start. Praise "good girl" for cooperation and little treats. She may initially accept stroke, stroke with your hand then stroke with the comb then stroke with hand then stroke stroke with comb then 3 strokes with hand two with comb then praise treats and done. You can do this a few times a day. She'll get use to it. Don't let her free if she gets mouthy, squirmy or whiny. Place your hands firmly (enough to hold not hurt) breathe slowly so you emit calmness and tell her "easy, settle" when she settles then comb at least once or twice before telling her good girl and letting her up preferably for a quick fun play session. Grooming in non-negotiable and for her lifetime. Accepting that will help you find the firm, gentle touch you need to help her accept grooming.


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## boomana (Jul 9, 2015)

Luna is a little cutie!

Both my dogs hate bathing. My Lola is an actress with grooming. She'll let me comb out anything on her top half, even if it's a tangled mess, without objection. As soon as I aim the comb towards her underside or paws, she'll shriek like I'm about to murder her. Treats help, but sometimes you just have to do what you have to do. She's not yet blowing her puppy coat, and I'm not looking forward to when that starts. I, too, use the CC combs linked above, but I recently picked up this shorter CC comb, and it's now my go-to. I still use the 005 on my larger dog, but this 4.5 inch one is so much easier for me on my smaller pup's body. I do prefer the face comb for her face, and I use a slicker brush on her paws most days.


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## Karen Collins (Mar 21, 2013)

Different people like different tools and really whatever works for you is best, but I advise my puppy owners to start out with the CC buttercomb #000. The reason is that not that many people actually make it through the coat transition and end up clipping their dogs. And in that case the #005 is not much use on a short coat. It is designed for a long coat and the teeth are far enough apart that it won't catch the tiny knots and tangles. 

The #000 is a great first and all purpose comb. You can start out with it as your only comb and it will do the job until about 10 months where the coat is finally long enough to need the #005. Then even after you switch to #005, the #000 can still be used for face and feet and a final run through to make sure you don't miss anything.


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