# He hates to be brushed!!



## FinnTastic (Apr 20, 2009)

Is it weird that my dog hates to be brushed? I try to give him a Kong while I am brushing him. He doesn't always go for it. Does anyone else have this problem? Any good suggestions?


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## Oaklys Dad (Dec 28, 2005)

You didn't say how old you dog was but you may have to start with short sessions with a fine wired slicker with lots of love, play and treat right after. Slowly increase the grooming time. Some dogs have certain places they don't like groomed so give those areas the least amount of time in the beginning.


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## Bob-N-Tash (Feb 24, 2008)

And you didn't say how often you brush (or try to...) him. Initially you have to let the dog adjust to the sensation of being brushed... a short session and very superficial to begin with. Being determined to work out some mat will only make the dog more resistant.

As puppies, both Natasha and Bob wanted to chew the brush rather then be brushed. I solved that problem by having 2 brushes. 

But now, when I pick up the brush the dogs come to me without my having to say a word. And they jockey for position to be the 'first'.


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## BeauShel (May 20, 2007)

It will take time and if you can do it after a big play session when they are tired that will help. Make it a fun experience.


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## amy22 (May 11, 2008)

Misty doesnt like to be brushed either...thanks for asking the question and thanks for the advice!


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## mdoats (Jun 7, 2007)

Rookie disliked being brushed when he was a pup. He's still not that crazy about it, but he comes running every time he sees me take out a brush. That's because he gets a tiny treat every time I brush him. Nothing big, just a little treat. But he's a very food motivated dog. Even at two years old, I still keep the sessions very brief, but I do brush him quite often. I don't do his tail every time though.


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## GoldenOwner12 (Jun 18, 2008)

Einstein hated to brushed when he was a puppy and still hates it at the age of 10. I never could get him to even tolerate being brushed. The only way i can brush him is tie him up then go get the brushes, If he sees the brushes come out he goes straight to his kennel and will not come out. 
Shelley on the other hand loves to be brushed and comes runing when she sees them. When she was a puppy she loved to chew on the brush everytime she did i would tell her No and continue brushing her. When she was a puppy i would only brush her for a few minutes at first adding more time each time i went to brush her. She will only let me brush her for an hour at the most right now as she gets bored and sick of being brushed.


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## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

> Einstein hated to brushed when he was a puppy and still hates it at the age of 10. I never could get him to even tolerate being brushed


I've got one of those, at age 5, but he even gets upset when I brush my other golden as well. Luring him with treats never helped and this dog is food motivated. I suspect he was beaten with a brush before we adopted him (at 6 months) based on his reactions when he sees the brush. He also has very sensitive skin, to touch that is. If we are walking and a leaf blows on his coat he will stop in his tracks and not move until the leaf is removed. We wait to brush him for when he is really tired, which isn't very often.


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## GoldenOwner12 (Jun 18, 2008)

Einstein was never abused or hit with the brush at all i'm not saying your blaming me for it at all. His just a dog that dislikes being brushed always has always will.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

Just as an idea:

Get a partner, a wooden spoon, and some peanut butter. Coat the spoon. Don't just get a spoonful—smear it all over the spoon. Have your partner hold the spoon while the dog licks it, and show the dog the brush. _Don't brush the dog yet._ Keep the brush where he can see it until he loses interest and focuses on the spoon. 

Once he seems uninterested, move the brush towards his body, out of his range of vision. Wait, since he may get interested again and turn to look. Still don't brush the dog or touch him with the brush. Pet him with your free hand and keep the brush motionless until he turns back to the spoon and can't see the brush.

Once he seems fairly comfortable, touch him gently with the _back_ of the brush on his back. Keep petting him. Work up to where you can stroke him gently with the back of the brush and your hand while he's distracted by the peanut butter.

At some point, he'll run out of peanut butter, and you need to end the session for the day. Try again the next day with a fresh spoon coated with peanut butter. Building on previous progress, you should be able to get further each time. Soon you'll get to the stage where you're stroking with the back of the brush and he doesn't care. Once he seems truly comfortable, you can turn the brush over and just barely graze the fur with it. Then, you can work up to brushing harder and harder.

The idea here is to get him used to the brush first, and once he's totally comfortable, get him used to the feeling of the pins. If you don't have a partner, just smear peanut butter at dog eye level on your fridge and work there. Go slowly, and if the dog gets agitated, back up a step. The brush isn't unpleasant, just unfamiliar, so the addition of a special treat (peanut butter) and a chance to get comfortable will make brushing acceptable for the vast majority of dogs.

By the way, this is a great way to introduce puppies to the brush at a very early age. The peanut butter will keep them in place and hold their attention while you get them used to the idea of the brush. Puppy coats don't usually need a slicker brush, but it's important to get them used to the equipment and the feeling right away when they're tiny and open to new experiences (and even more easily distracted by peanut butter).


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## FinnTastic (Apr 20, 2009)

My puppy is almost 7 months now. I have always tried to give him the Kong with treats while I am trying to brush him. He likes to chew the brush. Sometimes the food is a distraction but sometimes he tries to take the Kong and go off somewhere else. As soon as he is finished with the Kong, I stop brushing him. I'll try the peanut butter next time. He loves that. Thanks for all the advice. I will try to start at the beginning and just let him have the brush near him while I am feeding him the peanut butter. We will see how that goes.


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## timberwolf (Apr 1, 2009)

Timber never really liked being brushed. I had to bribe him to stay still long enough and another bribe not to eat the brush!!!
I did the peanut butter on a spoon trick and it worked like a charm.
He is so much better now. He will actually just stand/lay there to be brushed now and doesn't get a treat until he is done


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## Finn's Fan (Dec 22, 2007)

You can also use a special treat that is only for brushing sessions. Soak a nylabone in chicken broth and make this the special "grooming" treat; it only comes out for these occasions. My Finn was beyond brush/comb phobic when I adopted him. he put teeth on me when I tried to groom him; it turned out he had a broken back, courtesy of his previous owners. After his spinal surgery, I gave short daily sessions of brushing, with lots of "no bite" commands and always physically putting the nylabone in his mouth. Now, when the brush comes out, he runs to grab his nylabone (I think to prevent himself from putting teeth on me still)


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

For most dogs (abused rescues aside), gentle brushing is a pleasant sensation once they get over the unfamiliarity of it, so when you break through the initial nervousness (slowly, of course), they tend to like it. The trick to making that work is to avoid having the dog feel forced to submit to it. If you're saying "no" and pushing his face away from the brush every few seconds, or if you have to restrain him forcefully, you'll build negative associations rather than positive ones. That's why the peanut butter is a nice trick.


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## Solas Goldens (Nov 10, 2007)

Bella hated to be bathed brushed and dried. I started out with peanut butter slathered on the bath tub edge, she loved it and gradually I was able to get her in the tub without it, brushing was done in short burst gradually lengthening the time. The blow dryer was used the same way short bursts until she got used to it, and I used my hand to fluff her fur until she got used to the brush. Now when she hears the blow dryer she comes running and stretches out on the floor in front of me.


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