Hyper puppy

[pumpkins mom]

Hi everyone,

I have a nearly 6-month old Pom who is a regular wiggle worm when I try to groom her. With that coat she needs nearly daily brushing but it is so hard b/c she's always trying to bite the comb or lick my hands or generally try to escape. Same thing applies with toe-nail clipping? I find that if I give her a little treat she'll chew on that for awhile, but not long.

Any suggestions for wiggle-free brushing?

 

[bubbatd]

Wish I could help !!! This should have been started at the breeders . Why oh why don't breeders realize that if they breed they need to do the proper thing from day one !!!

 

[LilyoftheValley]

tranquilizer? No i'm kidding... Um.. Maybe go outside and throw her toy around to wear her out or take her for a long walk so she's nice and tired before you start clipping? Works for me..

 

[IcyHound]

First: Do you have a grooming table?

Second: Grooming is like any other form of training, keep it short and often

A few good moments of attention and a few strokes of the brush will do better then allowing bad behavior such as biting the brush and not standing. Standing still is hard for puppies so you have to be fast and efficient. Break the puppy up into pieces (not literally) and get one area done, such as a flank, or the front shoulder, or her chest.

What tools are you using? A slicker will probably give you max coverage for the time you have with the puppy. Are you giving rewards for good behavior as well?

Teaching commands such as stand and turn are wonderious tools on the table.

 

[MysticRealm]

sounds to me like you need to be more firm with her. not rough of course but firm. Tell her 'that's enough' in a stern voice and put her back the way you want her. don't give her a treat unless she is doing what you want or you could be accidentally rewarding her bad behavior

 

[pumpkins mom]

Thanks guys. I tried both actually. I just ran her tired playing in the back yard (do you know how hard that is to do with a Pom??) and then combed her. While firmly telling her not to bite the comb or chew on my pants.

I think this will just be a process.

 

[duncan15]

Thanks guys. I tried both actually. I just ran her tired playing in the back yard (do you know how hard that is to do with a Pom??) and then combed her. While firmly telling her not to bite the comb or chew on my pants.

I think this will just be a process.

are you trying to do her on your lap? im just trying to figure out how shes able to bite your pants. if your doing her in your lap, then she will probably never listen. she probably thinks it is play time, like any other time she would be in your lap. you need to put her on some sort of table, and tie her from her neck (like a grooming arm)this will limit her movements. if that still doesnt work, you can also tie them from their hips, or put a bar up so they cant sit.

like someone upthread said, this is something that should be started on puppies as soon as possible. currently my boss has standard poodle puppies (8 weeks old) and she started clipping nails and brushing them at 2 weeks, and they got their first professional grooming at 4 weeks. any puppy started as late as you are is going to be more difficult. it isnt impossible but it will take a lot of patience and time on your part. have you gotten the dog in for professional grooming yet? if you plan on ever taking her in, i highly suggest doing it now, before she is too old to accept it as a rhoutine. poms have a think coat and usually need a deshedding process a couple times a year. if you wait to long, you may have huge problems finding a groomer that can handle the dog.

 

[chanda]

i also have the same problem with you... my dog is a bites and wants to play rough whenever we try to groom her... so we wait for her to sleep and then just start brushing her... till she starts biting again...