Neighbour making formal noise complaint.

[bluekarin]

I think I will have to forgo her beautiful long feathers and have her clipped She is getting so full of outdoors every time we got out and she is now growling at me if I try and gently remove the leaves/bits of pine tree/ feathers etc I am a little worried at how she will be with the groomer. No doubt they are trained to deal with nervous dogs, but the vet a few weeks ago put a muzzle on her when giving her the yearly booster and general check up! I would clip her myself, but seeing how she is with a comb, I think it's not the best idea.

[Patricia W]

It took me about 2 years to find a groomer that Holly and I both liked. Ask around for recommendations for groomers for nervous dogs.

[The Dogmother]

You can get her used to it gradually by first showing her the comb and treating with very high value treats (liver cake, frankfurters or cheese), then move on to just touching her with it and treating on a positive response... there's a video somewhere on youtube that shows how to do it; the same reward-based training works for most things..

[quickcluck]

Have you tried when she's relaxed or sleeping?

[bluekarin]

I give her cheese cubes and any left over roast meats every few minutes when she lets me brush her without grumbling. I give gentle praise and keep my voice low. I have tried brushing her when she's a sleep, but she wakes up quicker than anything ( cant think of the expression right now)! I think I need to take the grooming a step back and just do soft brushing and gradually build up to a full grooming session. I will have a look for the video DM, thanks for the info

[The Dogmother]

One of mine didn't enjoy being brushed at all; I had quite a bit of improvement with rewards and also found her to be much better when she'd had her fascia released by LBB (dog sports/injury therapist) as that was causing her a lot of discomfort, so that might be worth looking into.

[kinsk]

Two of mine hated being brushed with a passion. I put a lead on them, have a favourite toy and a treats, have a bit of a play first, brush and easy bit, a treat, a play and slowly progress from there, as soon as they start to look out of their comfort zone, have a play.

 

It takes a lot of patience and it's hard with longer hair and tangles when you really need two hands to stop pulling the hair.

[Chucky Mama]

I think I need to take the grooming a step back and just do soft brushing and gradually build up to a full grooming session.

I agree. Plus you can do it each day for a minute or so before she goes out for her walk or has her meal (or both). You might also want to look at the types of brushes and combs that you are using. Some can be uncomfortable. Is she a cocker?

[bluekarin]

She is a cocker, show type so nice long hair I have a pin comb which I have wrapped a rubber band between the pins to collect the hair, I have a brush which has metal pin and reminds me of a horse paddle brush, I also have a double sided brush given to me with one side bristles and one side pins which I was given and I don't think is all that good, and I have a slicker brush with fine metal bristles with bent over ends which I am very careful with. Can you recommend a specific brush for cockers?

[Chucky Mama]

Some dogs hate the pin type brushes. Sometimes they are a little sensitive to them and perhaps they react a little to the noise when being brushed? I don't know but some just don't like them. I would get a furminator - or imitation like the Moult Spotta (cheaper) - and a zoom groom for the short parts of her coat. The zoom groom is very soft and the furminator teeth do not dig in. I would then use a comb to do her feathers and ears. You can use your pin brush or a 'slicker' on her ears first if you need to to take out some of the tangles. This is just what I would use but others may have other ideas If you are starting from scratch, a change of brush might be a good idea as she may view as more of a new experience

[Lavenders_Blue]

Tango hates being brushed too I use a fake furminator and can usually manage 2-3 minutes of grooming (with lots of treats) before she starts getting really silly and jumping away backwards from the brush

Although she is short coated, she moults like crazy so does need to be brushed to save my carpets and Hoover!

I was looking at the zoom groom and wondered if it was any good?

[The Dogmother]

I reckon Furminators/their look alikes to be the best. Cyrus loves being groomed; anything for a fuss and cuddle.

[bluekarin]

I'd seen those zoom grooms before, but thought they were a gimmick. From the reviews, I see that is not so. Will get one of those. The moult stoppa does look good as well, but they do make me nervous with having a blade in them, and I'd worry about nicking her. Thank you all for your fab suggestions. I always find it hard when faced with the various dog brushes etc as to know what is best to get, so this has been really helpful

[Chucky Mama]

It's not a problem. Is isn't a blade it's just tiny rigid teeth. If you look at the videos online of the furminator (the original design) you will see dogs with mountains of hair coming off them - it is a true reflection of how much hair comes out with very little effort. The zoom groom is like a body massage for a dog with the added bonus of hair removal Great for hair removal but no good for tangled ears, feathers and knickers.

[Lavenders_Blue]

I can second the efficiency of the furminator and it's looky-likeys for removing lots of hair. The amount that comes off Tango is amazing!

I might give the zoom groom a whirl then, if it's more massaging than brushing. Thankfully Tango doesn't have any long hair to detangle so if she tolerates the zoom groom without getting silly (debatable ) then that might be the solution to my permanently clogged up vacuum cleaner!