Prepping a Puppy for Grooming

 

Do you have a new puppy, or planning on getting a new puppy soon? Set them up for success by getting them used to the grooming and bath process at a young age. The most critical learning period of a dog's life is in the first 6 months. By positively introducing the process of grooming to your puppy, you will help your puppy have a nice association with brushes, combs, nail clippers and handling. At all times, this process should be done gently, with positive reward. This is a process of gentle guidance with no resistance. 

1. Handling your puppy-- In this first step, you will be helping your puppy get used to being touched in areas that a dog is naturally uncomfortable with being handled-- the face, top of the head, feet, bottom and tail. When the puppy is cuddling and sleeping next to you, start with belly rubs in a slow, gentle circular movement. If the puppy is ok with this, you can slowly start to pet other parts of the body starting with the legs in slow, downward strokes and move onto the feet. Gradually, introduce petting other parts of the body-- the ears, under the chin, the back... etc. If at anytime, the dog pulls away, respect your dog's boundaries and back off. You are either introducing too much too fast or that particular area of the dog is a sore spot. 
2. Holding your puppy-- Dogs naturally do not like being contained and not all puppies like to be held. While sitting next to the puppy, barely place each hand on the sides of the ribcage. You should be barely touching the dog. The goal is to gradually increase the number of seconds your dog will tolerate your hands on the ribcage. Always reward your dog with a special treat before they move away. If you reward them after they move away, you are teaching them to move away instead of being held! Pay special attention to your dog's language. If you notice that the dog is getting upset, back off. You may need professional help for this dog to learn handling. 
3. Restraint-- On this step, you will be teaching your dog how to be restrained. It is similar to the last step, but instead of barely placing your hands on the ribcage, you will be barely holding the puppy-- beside you or on your lap. Remember, we do not want any negative association with this process, so you will want to be patient with gentle movements to guide your puppy. The goal is to increase the amount of time your puppy will tolerate being held. You will want some tasty reward treats for this step. As you are holding your puppy, wait until your puppy relaxes their muscles and either licks the lips, yawns or sighs. Then, give your puppy the tasty treat and let go. You may be rewarding for being held for one or two seconds at first. Remember--we are building a positive association between the treat and being held. Do not give your puppy the treat AFTER you let go. Otherwise, you are rewarding the puppy for being free! If at any point, the puppy bites, cries or struggles, release the puppy immediately. If this is a continual issue, please consult a professional. 
4. Movement-- We are now going to move onto teaching the puppy that having someone move their limbs and body will not cause stress. Starting this step is best done while the dog is laying in prone position after sleeping. Similar to step one of handling your puppy, you will slowly introduce your dog to being comfortable with you moving parts of their body-- the head, tail, ears, feet, etc-- like a veterinarian examination . As you introduce moving different parts of the body, you will reward your dog after each movement. Examples of movements include: looking inside the ears, moving each nail, examining pads and toes and cupping the head with the first three fingers of your hand to move the head up and down and side to side. If you get a negative reaction of your dog pulling away, you will need to back off. If at any time during any of these steps, your dog shows aggressive behavior to any types of bonding, you will need to consult a professional 
5. Equipment-- On this last step, you will be introducing your dog to combs, brushes and nail clippers. Always check to make sure your grooming equipment is appropriate for your puppy's breed. To begin, you will simply introduce the brush to your dog. Show it to them, let them smell it and then give them a treat. Next, you will try a few short strokes on their coat and reward. Gradually, you will progress to actually brushing your dog. You will want to use this same process with the combs and nail clippers. 

As always, with training a canine, you should keep training sessions short and pleasant in order to avoid mental fatigue in your dog and a negative experience. Training sessions should also be frequent to reinforce the learning process. If you have a breed that needs to go to a professional groomer or you would just prefer to have a professional groom your dog, start having your puppy visit the professional as soon as possible in order to allow the puppy to get used to the person and the place. Professional groomers can also help train the puppy to get used to the clippers and dryers that they use.