Groom me gently, I am scared!
If your pooch is scared of the grooming brush or the water-filled tub, it’s advisable to go slow and make him comfortable with the grooming tools. Let’s see how.
- Make grooming session a routine. A short 5-10 minutes session would be fine.
- Equip yourself with grooming tools, lots of treats and of course your love.
- Don’t touch your pooch with these tools, just keep them close for the first few days. Let him smell them and touch them himself.
- Keep the session joyous and end on a happy note, with love or treat.
- Once your pooch becomes accustomed to the sight of the grooming tools, touch him with the back of the brush. Praise him with a treat.
- Slowly, start brushing him gently.
- Make it a routine and follow it religiously.
- If your pooch is deeply matted and he is afraid to be brushed, take him down to a professional groomer and if shaving is a solution, go for it. But remember double coat dogs should not be shaved.
- Once he is shaved, follow a regular grooming routine to make him used to the session and avoid matting again.
- You can choose a soft rubber brush for your scared doggy.
- If your dog is afraid of bathing, take him near the tub and give him treats.
- You can even feed him the treats in the tub.
- Keep a non-slip mat at the bottom of the tub.
- Once he gets used to it, fill in a little water into the tub.
- Increase the level of water slowly and then you can bathe your doggy beautiful.
– by Varsha Verma