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Wollie won't be brushed!


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I've tried numerous times to brush him ever since he was a little puppy, but he doesn't like it and will either bark at it or start whining.... any ideas? He even gets in a few nips! (and he never tries to bite for anything else) The other dogs love having this kind of attention and when I brush them he starts to get upset!! I've even tried different brushes and he goes mad at them all - I'm starting to think someone must've whacked him with one before we got him? (I certainly don't think so, since the breeder was very relaxed and told us not to use that kind of punishment)

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Some dogs are very touch sensitive... baby steps and tasty treats.

Counterconditioning and desensitzation... make it fun and take your time.

Check out what I wrote under the 'Warning nips' thread about counterconditioning/ desensitization

and the recommended book...it does work but it takes time.

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I've tried numerous times to brush him ever since he was a little puppy, but he doesn't like it and will either bark at it or start whining.... any ideas? He even gets in a few nips! (and he never tries to bite for anything else)

 

I also doubt he's been hit with a brush. My guess is that Wollie is throwing a tantrum. What is your response when he barks, whines, or nips? When you say you've "tried numerous times" does that mean you stop when he begans to protest? If you have, then smart Wollie has figured out if he's enough of a pain, you'll foget about your silly idea of brushing him. :rolleyes:

 

How is he about having his nails trimmed and his ears cleaned? Grooming isn't simply so the dog looks better, though of course he does. It is also important for the dog's overall health and comfort. If you can use some sort of grooming table (non slip surface) that can be helpful for both you (not bending over or crawling around on the ground and the dog (a clear signal he is going to be groomed and needs to cooperate). If the nipping is bothering you (it would me!), put on some gloves so you won't become tentative and also make it clear to him that he doesn't get to use his teeth against you. If his nipping is really bad, I'd muzzle him, period.

 

But I'd really hope it didn't come to that because I would want to pair up brushing with treats or even kibble from his dinner. That way he can be periodically rewarded for being a good boy as you brush and otherwise groom him. Eventually he'll see that 1. You are in charge of whether he gets brushed, not him and 2. It isn't so bad because he gets treats when he behaves.

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He wasn't hit with a brush.

 

He's just very clever and has figured out he can get his own way by putting up a fuss.

 

You now have to do two things. First, show him firmly but kindly that he's not going to get away with being a brat. Second, gradually reintroduce the grooming idea until he accepts it.

 

For session number one, you'll need help. Preferably the help of someone who either has a good bit of experience with dogs, or who commits to hanging on no matter what.

 

If he has matts or really bad clumps, have him groomed by a pro to "catch him up."

 

Your helper will sit on the floor beside your dog, take the dog's collar in one hand, and have the other hand on the dog's knee - that's the joint of his rear leg right under the tuck of his belly. The hand on the collar is to prevent upward, and side to side movement (including biting), while the hand on the knee is to prevent forward movement. Your helper should catch on pretty quickly that with their hand there, they can easily prevent the dog from doing almost anything.

 

Now you sit down beside him. You do NOT have any grooming tools.

 

Now your dog is going, "What?" If he's calm, give him something really yummy. Session over.

 

Next time, sit down with a comb in hand (I don't like brushes for Border Collies anyway - get a large sized "greyhound comb", plus an undercoat rake). Don't let him see you bring it, just get it out when you get there. If he's calm, give him something super yummy to eat. Do it with the comb in the treat hand. Session over.

 

Next, touch him with the comb. Treat, session over. The treats should be given while the comb is TOUCHING him, by the way, not when it goes away. Lay the comb all over him, giving him treats for good behavior.

 

Repeat the touching sequence a few times. Watch his tolerance - if he's getting antsy, that's where your helper comes in. Normally for desensitizing you'd back off instantly before you can get a full reaction. But for this, he also needs to learn that acting nasty won't do him any good. So, you'll push the envelope just a little, then give him a treat.

 

Now start touching the teeth to his skin, every so often. Mix it up, start getting in a few swipes with the comb. You've got the idea now, I am sure. Build up to where you can give him an all-over with the comb. You'll actually do a quick pass with the undercoat rake, which has wide-spaced teeth, then do the comb.

 

You'll notice the comb has two sized teeth. The idea is to hold the comb so the coarser teeth come first, followed by the finer teeth. Don't move the comb until the coarse teeth move freely through the hair.

 

Eventually, to fully groom your dog, you'll do one pass from head to rear with the comb sideways, then one pass with teh comb held vertically, grooming brom back to front, combing the hair slightly forward. Your dog will have to be VERY tolerant by that time, but this is what gets out undercoat most effectively.

 

If you don't have a helper, you can also tie him to a deck rail, stair rail, fence - anything that allows you to attach the leash right over his head. I also loop the leash through something that immobilizes the head - in other words, he ends up with only a few inches of leash. Never leave a dog unattended like this. Then you'll have to be the person with the hand on his knee. You have to learn to do this yourself, actually. My dogs all stand for grooming on their own, but I still use my hand on the knee to steady them and remind them not to move when I have to work through a tangle.

 

Good luck!

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Thanks for all the great info!

 

I also doubt he's been hit with a brush. My guess is that Wollie is throwing a tantrum.

Yep, I guessed that too! LOL He'll actually be ending up on his back with his feet in the air kicking me!

I usually stop after a few minutes of him trowing a tantrum... and then I'll rather brush the other dogs - but in front of him so he can see that nothing happens to them while being brushed.... hasn't worked so far :rolleyes:

 

If he has matts or really bad clumps, have him groomed by a pro to "catch him up."

That's just it - his hair is perfect but I would like for it to stay that way and I've read that BCs nead regular grooming... and trust me if you have a Golden you know how to groom! LOL At first I thought it was the kind of brush (thought it scratched him) but even if I try with a soft brush he'll do the same! Someone told me to let him get used to the brush by 'playing' with it with him - will this help (sounds like some of your advice also?)

 

While he's focused on the treats for other training he ignores it when it comes to grooming time! And believe me, he can be VERY focused on treats sometimes, but they don't work here... Will it help to put him in his harnass - this seems to calm him down a bit for most situations...

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I just tried your advice and put him in the harnass and gave him a very hard piece of dried ostrich chewy... while he chewed on that (after he bit my hand real bad before) I could actually hold him down and brush his back towards his butt... but I'm not allowed to brush his neck - this means he's still in control, yes?

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Guest WoobiesMom

That's how I trained Woobie to tolerate nail trimming. First just got him up on an elevated surface (aerobic step) and had him sniff the clippers, click, treat, done. Gradually added a nail at a time and now I can trim 3 or 4 at a time, then click and treat. The darn dew claws are the toughies, can't really get those in the correct position and control him at the same time, I always need an assistant for those or do it when he's really exhausted and lying down.

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"or do it when he's really exhausted and lying down. "

 

This method works for us when we're trimming JJ's feet but it doesn't work with Jake. Just curious...Have you try this method to brush Woobie? Wear him out good and then try brushing? (JJ's a bit quirky. Doesn't care for being brushed if I brush him going with his hair growth but loves it when I brush against the growth.)

 

Becca, love your idea. Going to modify it for trimming Jake's feet. Right now it's a 2 person job with me holding Jake. (Me sitting on the floor, Jake on his back leaning on me, me holding his front legs while holding him around his waist with my legs)

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Guest WoobiesMom
Just curious...Have you try this method to brush Woobie?

 

Oh Woobie doesn't really mind being brushed too much. After a while with the Furminator he got a bit antsy but we'd been at it for a while and they say to be careful not to do it too long at a stretch. I do treat when brushing his butt and tail, he's not really keen on those areas as much.

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OK, if he's not into treats that much, try a slightly different approach. Go in the kitchen with your helper, set it up in front of the refrigerator door, get down on the floor with him and smear peanut butter on the door. Or cheeze whiz. Or one of the Kong fillers in a squeeze cheeze type container. Or cream cheese. Mix it up. Do this about ten times in a row, on different days. Don't mess with the grooming stuff yet.

 

Be patient. Border Collies are not like Goldens, unless you've got a show type with a huge soft fluffy coat. He's not going to need more than a quick comb through once a week or every other week or so. I run my hands over them to check for ticks and tangles and burrs every day, but the comb sits unused for weeks at a time, for some of them.

 

You have time, therefore, to go slow and settle for SMALL steps at a time. No need to aim for the whole enchilada all at once. It's not a battle of wills, it's a communication between you two. He's learning what you want, and you are learning how to show him. If you get him to be calm and accept the touch of a grooming tool, he's GIVING you something. Then it's your turn to give him something, and you do that by putting more confidence in him. then you ask for more next time. If he gives you ANYTHING, accept that and keep going. Eventually he'll learn to look for opportunities to make you happy. :rolleyes:

 

This is fairly fresh because I'm working with a brand new rescue now who is reminding me to take things slooooowly! I forget, once I've got everyone here almost fully trained, what it's like to start from scratch, lol.

 

Yesterday's lesson for Bobby - sit attentively beside me with a loose leash rather than flinging himself around, sniffing, hurling himself at me, spinning, leaping. Fun! I started trying to teach him to WALK on a leash but quickly realized that was too much for him to learn all at once!

 

Today, how to take one step without flinging himself around, sniffing, hurling himself at me, spinning, leaping . . .etc.

 

However, as I said, each time we work together on a new goal, he gets it a bit faster. He's a great dog and it should be fun to work with him.

 

Good luck!

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Will he play with the brush? Ceana hated being brushed when she was little so we made the brush a toy, then when we would want to brushe her I would tel her to sit and stay.... then I would brush her. At the end the brush was her reward. Once she became more tolerant she wasn't allowed to play with the brush without me grooming her first. Now we groom her, which she now loves, and at the end she just holds the brush like a trophy lol. No more brush tug or fetch. I think she hated getting brushed because it was boring and unengaging when we made it a game and something she had to focus on she was all about it.

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