Petting a dog is usually pleasurable for both you and the dog. In fact studies have shown that just by petting a dog a human’s blood pressure will decrease. This is a great benefit for both you and your dog. Many dogs will come and push their head and nose under your hand in an effort to get you to pet them. Brushing a dog is a very similar action
So why do some dogs hate to be groomed?
Sometimes brushing or combing a dog is not pleasurable, because the dog has mats and knots. This means it hurts when the comb or brush gets stuck and it pulls the skin. I remember as a child I had long hair and my mother would sometime hurt me when she was combing it out. It got to the point that I would not let her pull all the tangles, and started doing it myself. Dogs can pick up burrs and dirt plus other things when walking which can quickly get tangled in the fur.
If these are left not dealt with mats can quickly become tight and close to the skin. This can become very painful and and harbor dirt and insects. Keeping a dogs coat free of tangles is one of the things you need to do to keep your dog healthy. Brush and combing needs to be done frequently and gently to ensure your dog coat is kept in tip top condition.
Tools for grooming vary for the different coat types. Very short coats can do well with just a grooming glove. The longer the coat the more care you need to take. Dog with coats that grow constantly like poodles or poodle mixes need to go to a professional groomer about every 6weeks to 2 months. It takes specialized equipment to deal with this kind of constantly growing fur
Get your grooming tools here
Also even being every so careful it is easy to cut a dogs nails too close and make them bleed. This also hurts. So it is understandable when the dog resists grooming and even bites when you try.
So how do you to get a reactive dog to accept grooming?
A very simple solution works very well. Give it food while grooming. You will need two people one to groom and one to give the food. Start slow and work up to a full groom
