How to prepare your dog for grooming
Baths can be scary for many reasons. A few may be because of the water, the new sounds, the texture or enclosure of the tub, etc. At home, there are a few things you can do to help your dog adjust to bath time.
Begin creating a positive experience in the bathroom. You can do this by engaging with your dog physically, having playtime, giving treats and puzzles, or any form of positive reinforcement your dog may enjoy.
Start giving meals in the bathtub. If you have your dog on a feeding schedule this is much easier.
Once your dog is excited to go in the tub, begin letting the water run. Dogs can be afraid of the noise that the water creates so you may want to start very slowly by just creating a drip.
Work your way up to letting the faucet run and allowing your dogs’ feet to get wet.
If you bathe your dog at home, you may do that at this point using positive reinforcement otherwise the groomer can help with the process from where you left off.
Some alternatives to meal time may be hand-feeding your dog treats, puzzles, lick mats, or anything that excites your dog.
The blow dryer is often the scariest part of the grooming experience so working on this at home is going to be the best way to help your dog adjust to the sound and feel.
Begin by wrapping your pets’ ears with a towel or a happy hoodie. This may take some time and practice by itself. The same method used for helping your dog adjust to bath time with be used for this but may do it anywhere. The goal is to get your dog used to being comfortable with a towel or happy hoodie covering their ears.
With the hair dryer off, let your dog explore the item, giving treats whenever they make eye contact or come into contact with the dryer.
Next, turn the dryer on the lowest setting and point it away from your dog, use positive reinforcement as they adjust to the sound.
Slowly turn the setting up, building up to the highest setting.
The vibrations from the clippers can make your dog nervous, especially around the head, ears, and neck. Typically they can adjust to the sensation fairly easily.
Begin with an electric toothbrush turned on near your dog. When they make eye contact or come into contact with the item, reward them.
Work your way up to using the toothbrush on your dogs’ back, rewarding them as they adjust to the sensations.
*If they are too nervous, take a step back and begin with the item off and away, building your way up to touching them with the item off.
Work your way up to using it on the legs, feet, head, neck, ears, and tummy by using positive reinforcement.
It is really important that you go slowly and use positive reinforcement.
