Help Needed Please Advice Grooming

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pinball

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I have a semi long haired gsd who is terrified of having his back end groomed i have had him from 10 months old and we found he was a bit strange about his back not a problem finally after a long time i can stroke his tail without major break down . I contacted his old owners who finally told me after many times of asking that the groomers they used had managed to catch him many times with the scissors while trimming his bloomers they only stopped using them when the turned up early and found they had muzzled him and were just dragging the knot out of him ,hence his complete melt down but he also panics if he as a bit of matted hair if you touch it with the brush he panics so much before now he has even vomited through sheer panic. He has a few knots and i am seriously considering clipping him and starting from scratch to reintroduce him to being groomed . I have been told that his coat colour will not be the same i dont mind i just want him to be comfortable any help please .sorry its so long
 
Please don't clip him you will wreck the coat.

What age is he now? I'd consider a sedative to get the worst of it out and then spend the time conditioning him to being groomed.
Even a brush being near him is rewarded to begin with whatever floats his boat, some food or a ball or a fuss. Leave a brush near his bowl at feeding times even. Don't rush it.
You were able to build up to stroking him and it's the same principal.
If you go through your dogs fur with your hands for ten minutes a day you'll find you'll rarely have to use a brush.
My dog isn't a huge fan of being brushed but for me it's not optional and he can stand with a ball in his mouth or get food rewards while I'm doing it.
 
Thankyou for replying he is now almost 4 i have tryed food even his favourite toy, It has taken 2.5 yrs to get to touching his tail sedative would be great but the vet will only see him with a muzzle on that throws him in to panic he would never bite any one .The vet will only see him muzzled because when he went for his vacs i asked her to be careful around his back end as he was very wary completely ignored me patted him on the head and grabbed his tail to take his temp and he freaked.so its a never ending circle .
 
sorry should have said left his brush by his food bowl he refused to eat even tried putting fresh chicken in his bowl went on hunger strike tried water bowl even tried with his lead wouldn't go near it think i will have to just and trim the knots out ,Put a small child in front of him as they can touch him any where x
 
Thank you Satinblaze i think that will be the way forward.Also going to arrange to go to the vets so he can get used to the place and realise that its really not a scary place. no pressure even if we only get as far as the door without a break down will be a victory. Take things really slowly thank you for your reply
 
Has he had a full vet check to make sure there is no pain increasing his anxiety.
Tail pull injuries can be very painful and can happen surprisingly easily.
Personally I would have sedation and full examination and clipping of rear end then get a good trainer in to help with desensitisation.
Does it really matter if the dogs coat is changed by clipping if it helps the dog and you get through this situation?
All the guard dogs (Gsd) and working collies where I live get their trousers and one also gets tail clipped and they barring one are not groomed other than twice per year, all their coats are fine and manageable.
 
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Thank you Twiggy2
I have made an appointment at the vets for tomorrow explained his problems and they have said just bring him up tonight for some treats and a fuss to see how he reacts,which is great the vet that saw him last time is not there some hopefully he wont put 2 and 2 together. I think his old owner was out of her depth as she had his older sister also and he had only been out for a walk 2 twice as he was to strong for her and she had started to develop early onset dementia so rehomed him. I will update later
 
twiggy2 said:
Has he had a full vet check to make sure there is no pain increasing his anxiety.
Tail pull injuries can be very painful and can happen surprisingly easily.
Personally I would have sedation and full examination and clipping of rear end then get a good trainer in to help with desensitisation.
Does it really matter if the dogs coat is changed by clipping if it helps the dog and you get through this situation?
All the guard dogs (Gsd) and working collies where I live get their trousers and one also gets tail clipped and they barring one are not groomed other than twice per year, all their coats are fine and manageable.
Click to expand...

I agree with this. Getting your dog comfortable is the most important thing here and then start again. His coat may well change but it sounds like your are really in a pickle just now. Whereabouts are you? You could try finding a GSD experienced groomer (the woman who bred my working dog is also a groomer and has a lifetime of experience of GSDs) and talking through the issues with them and seeing if they would be willing to help your dog overcome his fear.

I used to trim the belly and "knickers" of my longcoated GSD bitch as her coat was really difficult to manage after she was spayed and she was forever lying in a bog and harvesting matts!

Good luck.
 
thank you for everyone who replied so i took the hairy one to the vets just for a relaxed visit treats etc .I think he may well be in love with the male vet quite strange as he really prefers females . He let him touch his tail that on its own is a miracle on its own. I have spoken to my uncle who has 2 hairy gsd and his groomer who he has had for years has offered to help slowly over come his problem. She is going to come and meet him. He is still booked in tomorrow for a good check over with the male vet .
 
Hi twiggy2
He has had a complete vet check everything is completely normal. I think i will always stick to the male vet where possible, he has met the groomer he was quite good no break downs , he let her trim the worst matts out of his bloomers so we are starting afresh with his back end .Found out he really enjoys those awful choc drop things so i gently groom for 5mins and he gets a quarter of one of those.I have also found he is much more relaxed lying on his side, Knackers my Knees but slowly slowy and will build it up slowly thank you for asking.
 
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