Dog scared of being groomed

[Dobby]

Hi everyone, sounds like a simple question but actually don't know how to start to sort it...

We've got a couple of Irish Wolfhounds and one of them absolutly hates being groomed, to the point where if he sees you approaching with a brush he will completely freak out and get really aggressive, baring his teeth, really tensed up etc. First thoughts when we discovered this was whether he'd had a bad experience when being groomed in the past but we've had him since he was a pup and we've definatly not attacked him with a hairbrush

Anyone who knows wolfhounds will know they're normally just soppy, docile giants and i've never seen one as aggressive as this in any situation, and i'm never, ever nervous of approaching him until recently if i've got a brush in me hand.

So, does anyone have any ideas on how to get him to accept one?

Thanks

ets: he is normally a gentle giant and totally unphased, so his behaviour is totally out of character. thing is, how to gently build him up to it whenn he won't let it anywhere near him?

 

[PucciNPoni]

Hmmm, to be honest, even as a groomer, if I am confronted with a dog that is THAT worried, I would have a good behaviourist on hand to help with stuff like this.

If a dog is somewhat nervous and exhibits signs of nervousness, ie panting excessively, trying to get away etc, I would try to introduce grooming in very small small doses. It's really hard to do this with such a big dog because he's pretty much got control of the situation, and cornering him is only going to make him more tense and aggressive.

Normally with any young dog, nervous dog etc, I tend to start by letting the dog see the brushes/clippers etc, let him sniff them and then very quietly, without actually using the tools, gradually run them along his body to de-sensitise him. It may take several attempts, I try to keep the sessions no more tahn five minutes to start with and end on a good note, give the dog his favorite treat and then the next day, do a little more and continue on.

However, I'm not a behaviorist, just going by what I would do with my own dogs or nervous clients pets (and it soudns like you're trying to do these things already). If I was presented with a client's aggressive dog, I'd really have a heart to heart with the owners about seeking professional training help. It's such a big dog to try to tackle a fear aggression or plain old aggression issue on your own. I know a groomer who had groomed a wolfhound for years that never ever was a problem, good as gold and one day he just decided that he didn't like being groomed, bit her on the arm and she lost the use of her arm for many months due to nerve damage.

 

[Spudlet]

Could there be any chance that he is finding being brushed uncomfortable, perhaps due to a skin condition being hidden by his hair?

 

[CAYLA]

I actually groom alot of aggressive dogs, the worst being a long coated shepherd, who is huge, I must say, I don't pander im firm and show no pity at all, I don't fuss or molly cuddle or show any fear on my behalf, as I think this makes the situation worse.
With correct restraint I can usually and handling (very important) I can usually get over the first 20 mins of struggling by simply not backing away because they jsut give in when they know im simply not going to stop no matter how bad the behaviour becomes, however Im used to handling difficult, nervous or aggressive dogs in their droves and it's easier said than done to keep face when your are dealing with a difficult situation like this.

Try tiring him out before your even begin(long run/walk, a nervous/aggressive dog drained of energy can be a great help, also some good restraint and maybe some help, but the other person also has to be confident, alot of the dogs I do when they come to me the first time, always come with sedation, which I have never had to use up to now, but it may be worth a try to calm him.

 

[FinnishLapphund]

If this behaviour began suddenly (as in going from being okay with grooming one week and the next it was more or less like now), I would first of all recommend a visit to a veterinarian. Otherwise as PucciNPoni suggests, find a good behaviourist and get help, especially considering his size it really sounds safer if you get help from somebody who can see you both together in real life.


It could be that he just started to show that he didn't want to be groomed, understandably you then could begin to feeling a little uncertain when approaching him with a brush, he sensed that and escalated his threatening behaviour and now the situation is what it is. Had I met you and your dog in real life, then in general I would probably suggest that you just try leaving the brush on the floor and go about your normal things as if it wasn't there (and possibly demand that he ignores it too) or maybe begin to carry the brush around like a handbag everywhere and give him a little stroke with it during a walk, hold the brush in one hand while you put down the feed bowl with the other hand and such things.

But we haven't met and after all it is so easy that information isn't mentioned in a reply, f.ex. you say you've had him since he was a puppy but how old he is now? Did this behaviour came suddenly or is it something that have built up gradually? Have you changed brush or do you have both brush and comb and he reacts the same? If others can brush him etc.
Then we have his body language, you say he's really aggressive, baring his teeth, tensed up etc. But f. ex. does he raise the fur over his spine? Is it raised from the neck to where the tail begins? If it is only raised in one end, which one or if it is raised all the way, in which end did he raise it first?


I think you wrote a quite good post and mentioned many important things (I don't know how many times I've seen threads on HHO were, after having x number of replies, the poster answers something like "Oh but that can't be the case because I've had him/her since they were puppies/foals") but as I said in the beginning, especially considering his size, I really think it is better if you see someone face to face about this problem.

 

[CorvusCorax]

I agree with getting him used to a brush, putting it in places he might be and introducing it to him that way. My boy used to hate getting brushed but he got used to it and now enjoys it. I always groomed him with one hand and kept a spare brush in the other hand to 'play' with and that seemed to take his mind off it.

I'm off to bath Dogzilla now....see you in A&E

 

[Dobby]

thanks for the replies everyone, they're a great help.

I'll try putting the brush in his kennel, next to his feed/water bowl so he has to go near it rather than avoid where it is, and hopefully that'll be a strong first step when he starts to accept it's presence at least.

hanandhen - that's a good point actually, hadn't thought of it. I haven't seen anything obvious but i'll give him a good look over (he doesn't mind being touched/stroked/prodded with hands)

hacking_hack - that's what i like, a bit of optimism

Thanks again chaps!

 

[Charmaine18]

Do you have one of those grooming mitts that you put on your hand? Maybe he would accept that, since it would be just like being stroked. I have to say, if my dog really hated grooming that much I would probably just use my bare hand to tease out any knots and get rid of dead fur and stuff - he'd just think you were giving him lots of fuss and cuddles then! Obviously that wouldn't be ideal for a long-haired dog but wolfhounds don't have very long or difficult-to-maintain coats, do they?

 

[FinnishLapphund]

[ QUOTE ]
I actually groom a lot of aggressive dogs, the worst being a long coated shepherd, who is huge, I must say, I don't pander I'm firm and show no pity at all, I don't fuss or molly cuddle or show any fear on my behalf, as I think this makes the situation worse.
With correct restraint I can usually and handling (very important) I can usually get over the first 20 mins of struggling by simply not backing away because they just give in when they know I'm simply not going to stop no matter how bad the behaviour becomes, however I'm used to handling difficult, nervous or aggressive dogs in their droves and it's easier said than done to keep face when your are dealing with a difficult situation like this.

Try tiring him out before your even begin(long run/walk, a nervous/aggressive dog drained of energy can be a great help, also some good restraint and maybe some help, but the other person also has to be confident, a lot of the dogs I do when they come to me the first time, always come with sedation, which I have never had to use up to now, but it may be worth a try to calm him.

[/ QUOTE ]

That is usually what I end up talking about too but today when it was a Wolfhound I somehow felt a little uncertain about mentioning it.

I usually say things like "Always act as if you know what you're doing, whether you do or don't" and I firmly believe that the reason for why "my" veterinarians praises my animals (they sigh happy sighs and says things like "If only all animals was like yours", "Without doubt the easiest cat we've treated this year" and that was in December etc) is because my pets knows that if I have decided to do something it will get done, no matter what and personally I think they simply decide to save on their own energy and get it over with.

But it does depend on the vet too, all the usual vets and nurses knows they can do almost anything with my dogs (big pain can of course make even them act unpredictable) and they approach my dogs with that knowledge but once when a new vet tried to look at my late Humla's teeth, the vet began with carefully trying to lift a lip (as if to see what would happen) and I just saw Humla give the vet one look and then she pulled her lip down! I nearly laughed but I quickly pulled her lips up and told her "Look teeth" and then her lips stayed up. The vet sounded so happy and went to get something to really have a poke around and it was all "Oh", "Ah", "look I can do this too and she's awake"...

As this example shows, even with my dogs, if you approach them as if you're asking them if you're allowed to do this or that, they might decide the answer is "No". When I decide to brush them, trim their claws etc. it's not as if I approach them with an attitude of "Surrender or I'll die trying" but I have been heard more than once to tell them that "Their claws are my claws and I have decided that my claws need a trim".
I have a habit of that sometimes when we're just having a cuddle, I take some strokes with a brush/comb too. Also I can sit and just gently hold on to their toes, while watching TV or something and I don't let go until they stop trying to pull away. Sometimes when I do it, I only do it once, other times I do it a few times, with a minute or so in between.

 

[CAYLA]

Lol FLH, I love reading your posts

they make me smile.
I am definately a, it's going to happen whether u like it or not, and it's easier if u go quietly