Grooming puppy

[yipper143]

My Daisy is 13 weeks old. I've been trying to brush her since 8 weeks old. she is all over the place. I can't seem to keep her from biting the brush. No aggression, just playful biting (She is VERY mouthy) I have some success with keeping a cookie in my left hand to keep her distracted and brushing with my right. I also trim her nails this way, except I need someone else to hold the cookie. I was wondering when she will grow out of this wiggliness. I don't want to make grooming an unpleasant experience but, I guess I'm getting impatient. My last GR, Dixie, was very docile. Daisy is anything but docile. I am having some trouble with the mouthiness. This is mostly because my family won't support me. She knows not to bite me much but she can't keep her mouth off anyone, or anything else. And too often she gets carried away.

Any suggestions? Should I get more assertive about proper grooming behavior or just try to be more patient?

She's really smart. She already has learned to sit, down, come, shake hands, give kisses, sit for meals, walk on a leash (not always loose leash though)

On a side note, I took her to Petsmart today, and, while she got tons of attention, she was a perfect lady. Didn't jump on anyone, and sat for attention! I'm so proud of her.

Jo

[GoldenLover]

Jo:

One of my pups was very mouthy, always nipping. I just wanted to cuddle with her and she would just bite. I would say she stopped at around 5 months or so. When she would nip, I would just say, "NO BITE", sometimes holding her muzzle and then I would give her a toy to chew, and praise her when she chewed on it. Yes, you definitely need to be patient. As far as the grooming goes, Daisy should eventually come to enjoy it. When I get out the brush, they just come running. I wish I had two more hands, because they are tackling each other to get to me first. Brushing their teeth is a similar story. They love that too. LOL....Geesh, they even like to get their ears cleaned. My pampered pups will do just about anything for attention.

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b2ce29b3127cce90ae894aa01b0000002010

[Peg loves her Toby]

Our Toby is now 5 months old & it seems like ages ago that he was going through the biting stage. Believe me, it too shall pass!
Toby also went through the stage when he bit the brush while I groomed him. He now sits like such a gentleman & enjoys it.
Our vet also showed us how to do his nails with a Dremel tool, the kind that has a revolving sandpaper tip. It is much gentler but it takes a few times to get him used to the noise. As my husband trimmed, I kept giving him pieces of cheese or a cut up hot dog. Now he lays down without a fuss when we do it. (we still keep giving him treats, though!)
I use the ear pads to clean his ears. He gets his Saturday groom every week. He is such a pleasure! Can't imagine life without him! Good luck!

[debh]

Jo:
Your Daisy sounds just like my Maggie. Maggie is 14 weeks old. She nips at me all the time but she is getting better. I just started using a spray bottle of water and it is working pretty well. She hates to be sprayed and if she sees me reaching for it, she stops biting. Its funny because she loves water but hates the sprayer. She also bites the brush when I groom her. So I let her play with an old brush whiel I use the good brush on her. She doesn't like being toweled off either. I keep telling her we will have many, many grooming sessions so she better get used to it. They are definitely cute at this age but frustrating too.

[SeaVee]

I am TOTALLY relieved to read about these puppies that are NIPPING and BITING... not just the grooming brush but their owners as well...
Our Bentley is just 11 weeks old and he tests me daily on his biting/chewing/nipping of EVERYTHING in site! The only time his mouth is closed is when he is sleeping... which is right now...
My greatest fear with training/disciplining him is that he will become mean when he gets older... I can't help but yell at him when he bites me 15 times in a row! I have taken to leaving the room and stopping all form of contact with him when he bites me and that is working... phew.
This is my first dog, I had NO idea it would be this much work. wow.

[Casamelia]

:094 I so know what you mean, Hunter is our first dog so we are all trying to get use to puppy behavor. We started Hunter in Obedince classes this past Friday and we learned alot that night. Also the trainer told up to buy "Biter Apple" it helps for him not to bite. We sprayed it on our kids pants legs..and now he won't nip at them..we also put it on our hands so he won't nip at them..it seems to be working great! We love hunter to pieces..but I can't wait for him to get out of this nipping stage. :054

[shammrok]

Getting Rayne ready for her first show was a nightmare,like you guys I have been brushing her since she was eight weeks old. However her brush and comb are the enemy and must be attacked and chewed at any cost. Brushing her out was like trying to brush a spinning top.Solution. Stood her front feet on the step, and with one hand under her chin, and the other brushing her I finally got somewhere.

[mybunnyisfunny1]

One thing that we found helped with grooming is to smear some peanut butter or spreadable cheese on the fridge at Ella's nose height. While we trimmed her nails/brushed her/cleaned her ears she would lick it off and let us do whatever we needed to do.

Hope this helps!

Erin

[lhuemmer]

I am trying to get my Orla (age 3 mo) used to a puppy brush but am not having any luck with it. all she wants to do is bite it. She doesn't need the brushing as she still has her fluffy puppy fur and truthfully I don't want to slick it down until that happens naturally.
Also- anyone have experience with the thing they sell on TV called Peticure?

[Huaya]

he has never tried nibbling the brush nor me. However, the main problem I have with him is that as soon as I call him to me to brush him, he rolls over on his back. Makes it really hard to get his back and sides brushed good. I have one trick, but would like to just be able to sit on the floor and brush him. What I currently do is sit on the couch, call him over. Hold a treat in my hand and let him lick and gnaw on it while I brush. His front paws on the couch, and his hind legs on the floor. Works, but would be much more efficient if he'd just stand or sit ofr me.Any suggestions? I saw the post about the peanut butter on the fridge, I will try that, but if anyone has other suggestions, let me know.

[johnwa]

I've said in several other threads that you really should put the dog at eye level with you, similar to the way the professional groomers do it. This will give you maximum control over the dog. It doesn't necessarily have to be a "grooming table", but it needs to be a sturdy table with a non-slip surface that you would not subsequently use for human purposes, if you get my meaning. The other thing that you really need to work on before grooming are your basic commands, like sit and stand. Again, these will be needed when you groom your dog. :)