OMD what a fiasco!

Good grooming practices are essential for maintaining health and happiness for you and your dog. This is a forum to exchange tips and advice for proper care of your dog's hygiene needs.

(Page 1 of 2: Viewing entries 1 to 10)
Page Links: 1 2

Hazel

Noise Police

Barked: Sat Jun 4, '11 12:42pm PST


	Hazel is not an easy bather, but I didn't know it would be this difficult. I decided to do it alone this afternoon because bf is away this weekend and I couldn't take the gross Advantix II residue anymore, especially mixed with the aura of nasty shedding hairs. I got everything prepared and carried her into the tub and poured some soapy shampoo water on her to get started, and she did all kinds of flailing and screaming and I could NOT keep her in the tub. Gripping her collar and harness was useless. So I shampooed her on the bathroom floor, all the while clumps of soapy hair were being shook all over the walls. I carried the now-slippery dog back to the tub to rinse a few times, but it was just impossible to keep a determined mutt in the tub! So I double-leashed her and took her outside to use the neighbor's hose. She was doing everything she could to try to back out of the harness and collar. I finally got her cornered against the apartment so she couldn't back up, and she eventually calmed down enough to let me rinse her well. Thank Dog I got her rinsed and nobody got hurt! Now about that shedding ... once she dries thoroughly, is it okay to furminate again? Edited by author Sat Jun 4, '11 12:42pm PST

my posts | my page | msg me | gift me | become pals

[notify]

Hazel

Noise Police

Barked: Sat Jun 4, '11 12:44pm PST


	Also, would she calm down for a groomer or is she too bad?

my posts | my page | msg me | gift me | become pals

[notify]

Jade- Alexandria

Dont mess with- me, I'm- chihuahua!

Barked: Sat Jun 4, '11 6:37pm PST


	It could go either way at the groomers. Some dogs are so frightened they will seize up, making it a breeze for the grooming to do the job. Others will do exactly what yours just did to you. My advise? Call around a find a groomer that will groom under a mild sedation. You can ask you vet for pills for grooming to help keep her calm, or pick up some melatonin at walmart. Pop a pill into her mouth an hour before. Melatonin is a natural occurrence in dogs and people, so its safe to use and helps keep the stress level down in the pet. Edited by author Tue Jun 7, '11 1:10pm PST

[notify]

ACE

550004

Barked: Sun Jun 5, '11 1:54pm PST


	The ONLY time a dog should be groomed under sedation is if the groomer works at a vet office, and the vet is close neough ot do something if the dog goes into shock or has other adverse affects from the drug (which CAN and DOES happen). Even if your dog is bad enough to need sedation, you should definitely get him groomed by a pro first to see how he is. Some dogs are worse for the owners b/c of many different reasons. The other problem with sedation-your dog may still be freaking out on the inside, but not able to express it through his body like dogs do. so all that frustration they feel builds up and can send a dog into shock, or make them bite when they normally wouldnt. I do many dogs that behave the way you described your dog, and the best way to get them better is to repeat the grooming process routinely. if you wait months to years between grooming, then you cant really expect the dog to get better. the more he gets bathed without anything harmful happening to him, the better he will get. It usually helps to burn energy before the bath for dogs like yours. Take him for a walk somewhere new, so he gets mentally tired by smelling new smells and seeing new things. Most importantly, dont think that its going to be a fight every single time. dogs can sense how your feeling, and if you are anxious about bathing him before anything happens because of how he was last time, he will feed into that and be worse off for it. as far as the furminator goes, i personally cannot stand them, and i do not use it on many dogs. the few dogs i do use it on, i dont use it very much. when being used regularly, 1-2 times a month is enough, and doing more than that can lead to stripping the coat of guard hairs (which the dog needs) and skin irritation. using a comb while the dog is drying, and after, is the best way to ensure there arent any matts. Keep in mind that any matting WILL get worse in during the bath, unless you know how to bath a dog. Edited by moderator Tue Jun 7, '11 1:12pm PST

my posts | my page | msg me | gift me | become pals

Edited by forums moderator

Rexy

I dig in mud- puddles!

Barked: Sun Jun 5, '11 5:11pm PST


	Just gotta say, that unless it is a grooming emergency (severely matted, super skunked etc) then I feel that bringing in a fearful dog to a groomer and having the groomer work on a dog that is so terrified it freezes and shut downs, far from acceptable. Hazel, can you teach her to get in and out of the tub on cue? Then build up to longer duration, having water on, water on her etc? Can you make a game out of playing with the hose outside? This has made bathing Rexy so much easier.

[notify]

Maxwell

I'm triple- superior MAD- now!

Barked: Sun Jun 5, '11 5:56pm PST


	Max recommends cookies and lots of them. I have him on a soft cloth leash and tied to a tree. Not a table, not a chair. Guess why. I use warm water from the kitchen sink by attaching the hose to an adaptor. Start at the back end with just flowing water, no squirting. Do a section at a time dispensing tiny tasty cookies often. If you use a lick of peanut butter or cooked meat for treats it is neater than dehydrated stuff or grainy cookies. Even a rinse with warm water gets a lot of gunk out of the coat and you can bail whenever you need to. Wash the feet or the tail or whatever and quit on a high note. If you are able to do this do it often and increase the length of the 'bath' as tolerated. It has only been recently that I wash the face with running water at all, I used a wet cloth on the eyes and muzzle for years. I always take Max for a nice long sniffy walk after a bath whether he was further groomed so is dry and trimmed or completely wet. Doubles the clean dog zoomies but works for us. If wet I carry a soft brush or comb and comb during the walk to dry him off. Doing this with Sassy removed gobs of shed hair. I did teach the dogs to get in and out of the tub and it helps get them in but didn't much help KEEP them in. I have glass doors so if I was on top of my game they didn't get out early but they can be very tricky.

[notify]

Jade- Alexandria

Dont mess with- me, I'm- chihuahua!

Barked: Sun Jun 5, '11 10:29pm PST


	If vets give out sedation knowing its for grooming, there is no harm for the dog. It calms the dog down, it doesnt put them to sleep. You need a dog this is not stressed, and the pills do just that. And the job gets done. Edited by moderator Tue Jun 7, '11 1:08pm PST

Edited by forums moderator

Hazel

Noise Police

Barked: Mon Jun 6, '11 6:08pm PST


	Why did Jade's post get bathed? I was just coming back here to thank her for suggesting a mild sedative and ask more about melatonin. Anywho - to those who suggest treats and training ... we have tried that in the past, but admittedly not enough. We'll probably have to work on this daily for the next 6 months in prep for the next bathtime. We did some click-n-treating for getting near the tub, then we put the treats in the tub and she reached in. She did take some treats with the water running too. She's not scared of the bathtub itself; actually she tends to go into the bathroom and stare into the tub when we have thunderstorms. (She is also afraid of thunderstorms.) For some reason, most water sounds in the house scares her. As you can see from her profile photo, she did work up the nerve to get into a creek and enjoyed it. But she doesn't like the sound of water draining in the refrigerator or sink (she sporadically barks and puts her hackles up at it, and we have tried to desensitize her by letting the faucet drip and click/treat), and she really freaks out when we try to get her wet for a bath. I guess the place to start would be working on getting her wet with the hose outside (it was just running slowly, no pressurized nozzle), since she eventually did calm down enough to let me rinse her. Then maybe after that is okay we could get a hose type attachment for the bathtub and move into tub work. So ... training, yes. I need to work on training. I'm also seriously considering this melatonin thing to help take the edge off so we can make a little more progress in our training. We have a long list of anxieties - I wish there was something that would come relatively easily to Hazel, BOL.

my posts | my page | msg me | gift me | become pals

[notify]

Rexy

I dig in mud- puddles!

Barked: Mon Jun 6, '11 7:44pm PST


	Okay, so this might sound really weird....but does she like PB or Cheez Whiz? If so, what about smearing some on the inside of the tub for her to lick off? Both licking and lowering the head can be calming, so this might help. Have you tried Rescue Remedy by any chance?

[notify]

Hazel

Noise Police

Barked: Mon Jun 6, '11 7:56pm PST


	She LOVES peanut butter, and that is an excellent idea to let her lick it off the inside of the bathtub! We have tried Rescue Remedy. No luck. DAP diffuser also had no effect. Through A Dog's Ear, not so much either - but at least I enjoy that CD regardless. She conspires against us to be difficult.