Adelle HATES to be brushed!! Advice needed

[PappiLuv]

Hey everyone!

My 10 week old papillon absolutely hates being brushed.. I've tried giving her tons of treats before during and after but she wont even eat them! The second she sees the brush she runs and hides. When I do brush her I brush her very gently and I keep the sessions short - usually only a few seconds - because thats all she'll put up with. As soon as she feels the brush on her she'll wimper and whine. She let's me touch her all over with my hands and her toys... pretty much anything but a brush OR a comb. I've also tried different brushes but that doesn't seem to help either. Please help! I know that grooming is going to be crucial when she grows her long coat. Thanks in advance!

 

[Herschel]

1) Make sure she is sleepy or resting when you get ready to brush her.

2) Use extremely high value treats, such as small pieces of cheese, hot dog, etc.

3) Keep the sessions very short, but make sure she understands that you aren't just restraining her for the sake of hurting her.

4) If she whimpers or whines, don't back off with the brush. Ignore it and continue brushing while feeding her treats. (Use a novel treat, something that she is bound to love but hasn't necessarily tried before)

5) Be consistent! Use the same brush/comb, don't respond to her whining/struggling, and comb her for a few minutes at a time. Once she calms down, treat her and let her go. Don't give up because she cries about it!!

(Be certain that the brush/comb isn't hurting her. Try squeezing a piece of her skin with your hands completely randomly and independent of a brushing session. If she yelps, take her to the vet. If not, then she has nothing to worry about with the brushing)

Herschel would squirm and bite the brush until he was 6 months old or so. Now, he is totally zen about the whole thing and will even nudge my hand when I'm holding the comb!

Good luck! Be consistent and confident and you'll be brushing in no time.

 

[PappiLuv]

Thank you for your great advice I'll try all of those things.

 

[bubbatd]

I really fault the breeder on this ! Good advice ^^^^^ .... You might start off without a brush and groom with your hand as if you were holding a brush . Do this until she is comfortable being touched all over in different positions . Good luck !!

 

[kidsanddogs]

Really good list of advice above. I have a collie who isn't thrilled about brushing. I wait until later in the day, and exercise him as much as possible so he is tired out. Then when he's tired from both the exercise and the day, I lay him down and brush. He also responds really well to intermittent treats while I'm brushing.

 

[bubbatd]

Just be glad you don't have a Golden ..... they don't want you to stop !