# How long do you brush?



## Elisabeth Kazup (Aug 23, 2008)

One of Penny's quirks (she has no *faults* ) is that she hates being brushed. She takes on a demeanor like she's been abandoned at a shelter. 

I never can decide whether, once I start, I should brush until I think I've got it all....like that could ever happen.

Or should I take just a few swipes with the brush but do it more often. 

She's kind of okay with getting her nails clipped...doesn't volunteer paws but doesn't fight either. 

I'm careful to not press too hard and I feed treats. But she's the type that if I want to brush her, I have to get a collar and leash on her BEFORE she sees the grooming kit. Otherwise, I'm dragging her out from behind the toilet. :doh: Hates her bath...another leash and collar first situation. We have hot and cold water piped into the garage so she's never had a cold bath.

Is she just weird?


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## inge (Sep 20, 2009)

One word? No.....


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## brianne (Feb 18, 2012)

No, of course Penny isn't weird, she just knows what she likes 

Chumlee loves to be brushed on his body, but he really hates to have his tail and back leg feathers worked on, so I do lots of brushing on his back/sides/rump and a quick stroke or two over his tail and feathers then immediately back to his favorite spots again. Our daily sessions are generally short to assure that he keeps enjoying them. Lots of treats too.


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## GinnyinPA (Oct 31, 2010)

I do the same as Brianne, focusing on the places he likes to have brushed in between quick swipes at his tail and feathers. I also often do one brush stroke, followed by a hand stroke (petting), then a brush stroke. Ben doesn't fight getting brushed, in fact he gets very submissive, but he also lies down in corners where it is hard to roll him over. He's smart that way. 

As to baths - he hates baths. We do it in the bathtub. Since he usually follows us in when we go in there, it's easy enough to shut the door, but picking him up and keeping him in the tub is a two person job. We usually use a spoonful of peanut butter at the beginning to distract him while we're soaping him. After that he usually will stand still long enough to get him rinsed off.


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## FeatherRiverSam (Aug 7, 2009)

brianne said:


> No, of course Penny isn't weird, she just knows what she likes
> 
> Chumlee loves to be brushed on his body, but he really hates to have his tail and back leg feathers worked on, so I do lots of brushing on his back/sides/rump and a quick stroke or two over his tail and feathers then immediately back to his favorite spots again. Our daily sessions are generally short to assure that he keeps enjoying them. Lots of treats too.


My Woody is the same way and this battle plan seems to work for him.

Pete


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## Elisabeth Kazup (Aug 23, 2008)

So, what I'm getting out of this is that Goldens love water but have issues with cleanliness. :doh:

I just keep keepin' on!


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## Augiedog (Jun 10, 2012)

Hello first time poster...also a groomer. Most dogs don't like being brushed and Penny is not weird nor is she alone. My advice is if you can do it while she is laying down...like at nite on the couch and get her use to it. Also do it often, every couple of days, that way it is less strenuous on you and her since you are not trying to pull all the undercoat out in one shot. If you use the outside of your hand (pinky to palm) and lift up the fur and brush down the dog this will release the most coat and be less annoying to her. It is called line brushing....just start at their spine and go down to in sections. Hope this helps. Also when using a Furminator...never more than 10 minutes a day because you can give your dog brush burn which turns into hot spots.


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## cubbysan (Mar 13, 2007)

Augiedog said:


> Hello first time poster...also a groomer. Most dogs don't like being brushed and Penny is not weird nor is she alone. My advice is if you can do it while she is laying down...like at nite on the couch and get her use to it. Also do it often, every couple of days, that way it is less strenuous on you and her since you are not trying to pull all the undercoat out in one shot. If you use the outside of your hand (pinky to palm) and lift up the fur and brush down the dog this will release the most coat and be less annoying to her. It is called line brushing....just start at their spine and go down to in sections. Hope this helps. Also when using a Furminator...never more than 10 minutes a day because you can give your dog brush burn which turns into hot spots.


Thanks, this is very informative.

Brady hates being brushed most of the time too. I just do a little at a time, but sometimes I can't get to where I really need to - his tail and his pants.


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## newport (Aug 8, 2011)

Penny's Mom said:


> One of Penny's quirks (she has no *faults* ) is that she hates being brushed. She takes on a demeanor like she's been abandoned at a shelter.
> 
> I never can decide whether, once I start, I should brush until I think I've got it all....like that could ever happen.
> 
> ...


Hi Pennysmom! Lola is kind of on the fence about brushing.... She will go lay down on her bed( plop down I should say) and she likes the brush... to a point. The belly is ok.... but the tail is a fight.... Then she gets all overexcited and wiggly. I never get the job done TOTALLY:doh:. Lola tries to eat the hair as I brush it off of her so I have to put it into a bag or something as I brush. I just started to have the vacuum nearby so I can suck up the hair... that is working out really good! Lola does not mind me doing too much --- she just barely lets me clip her nails..... but if I get out the ear cleaning stuff SHE HIDES AS FAST AS SHE CAN FROM ME. Something about the drops she hates... they are so darn smart aren't they? Now how does Penney fit behind the toliet may I ask????


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## kwhit (Apr 7, 2008)

I am very lucky...Chance _loves_ to be brushed. He can hear me get his brush out from anywhere in the house. Then, of course, Lucy has to be brushed, too. Savanah liked to be brushed, but _not_ on her tail. Someone had to be feeding her bread, (her all time favorite food), when I brushed her tail.


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## Elisabeth Kazup (Aug 23, 2008)

Penny *thinks* she's hiding behind the toilet. Actually only her nose is back there. I keep telling her...I can still see you, ya know!

It's much easier to just get out the collar and leash and then ambush her with the brush. She has hated brushing from day ONE!!

We're about 3 days into the ear cleaning/treating routine and when Penny's Dad got the stuff out I thought she was going to climb in my lap! Poor girl...I figured it would get harder as we went along. Of course he just gets the stuff out...no collar/leash, no cookies. :doh: Really? And you thought that was going to work????:doh:


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## Sosoprano (Apr 27, 2011)

I’m lucky with the brushing, too. Pippa likes it, and Watson adores it--he’ll lie there forever. I also hold the brush in my right hand and follow it with a stroke with my left hand, and that seems to help. 

Ear cleaning, though--fugeddaboudit!!! If Pippa sees the bottle, she turns tail and runs, and I have to outsmart her around the coffee table. Can’t say I blame her, and I hate making her go through it. Given that she swims in our pool every day this time of year, we face off a lot. I wish there were an easier way...


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## Elisabeth Kazup (Aug 23, 2008)

I have to laugh at the picture of you two facing off over the coffee table! 

In our house, it's ring around the dining room table and when we double team her, she squirts out underneath the middle!


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## Ivyacres (Jun 3, 2011)

Honey used to hate being brushed but after many short sessions she likes it. Good thing since it is a requirement for her current training class.

For the ears, my new routine is to let her watch me put a fresh bone on the table, throw out an old one and offer a trade. She will sit with almost no fight, eyes glued to the new bone while I do her ears. It has gotten easier every week.


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## vcm5 (Apr 20, 2011)

Riley is okay with being brushed for a few minutes. If it gets longer than five minutes he starts to try to bite the brush so I just put it away and try again later!


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## vcm5 (Apr 20, 2011)

Penny's Mom said:


> Penny *thinks* she's hiding behind the toilet. Actually only her nose is back there. I keep telling her...I can still see you, ya know!


Haha this made me laugh!! They think they are so sneaky, don't they?


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

Penny's Mom said:


> So, what I'm getting out of this is that Goldens love water but have issues with cleanliness.


I meant to say this morning when I saw this thread, but our Sammy's nickname was "Ruby Princess" because he LOVED being fussed over and groomed. When we would be grooming Danny, Sams would come running up and sit in the middle of things to get his turn.  While clipping toenails, he would sit there with his paw up and literally look like he was getting a very nice manicure. :bowl: 

Brushing - Jacks didn't like it when he was a puppy, but it is one of those things he allows because he likes having his chest brushed. 

I always move fast though. And brushing is really just smoothing out the coat, cleaning out stray hairs, and "in theory" moving some of the oil that otherwise would be collecting in spots. 

And I have a routine that we do every night or every other night. 

Chest
Ears
Shoulders (ruff)
Feathering (front legs)
Belly fur (brushed along the rib cage towards the front and from the spine down)
Back fur 
Tail from top to tip (this is very important to prevent stud tail)
Trousers (staight down - trying to get the feathers between his legs)
And the tail feathers I brush it from top to tip, and then pull the tail to the side and brush downward. 

All with slicker brush. 

I brush frequently so he knows the routine. It's usually before bedtime and he's more relaxed. 

I also use that time to check for bugs (ticks) and bumps. 

Takes me 5-10 minutes, if that. Depends on how relaxed and unhurried I am. 

I'm sure you know how to brush or have a well-working system (nose behind the toilet and all) because Penny is 9 (?) and she looks well cared for in her pics.


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## Luccagr (Feb 25, 2011)

Penny's Mom said:


> Penny *thinks* she's hiding behind the toilet. Actually only her nose is back there. I keep telling her...I can still see you, ya know!


Ahaha..this really reminded me of Lucca when he was a puppy. He hid his head under a cloth (don't ask me how he managed to get the cloth to cover his head nicely. It was his chew cloth back then) and chewed the edge of my wooden table. He thinks that if he can't see me, I won't know what he's doing. But goodness gracious, the chewing was so loud I could hear him from the kitchen.

Anyway Lucca hates being brushed too. Gotta use treats. He tries to bite the brush. Same with him getting his nails cut. It was 1 biscuit for every nail that I cut but I've reduced it to 1 biscuit for every 2 nails cut now. Haha. I hope he doesn't think he's shortchanged. Hates cleaning ears and brushing teeth too. But he doesn't mind getting a bath. He jumps into the bathtub willingly.


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## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

Toby is a brush-a-phob as well. We adopted him as a puppy from the rescue, and the first time I brought a brush out he cowered in fear, like he was previously hit with the brush. He's 8 now and I'm just now getting to the point where he lets me brush him everywhere, except the ears and the tail/rear area. Lots of treats must be in his view and then it's only a few seconds grace for me! His reaction was a shock because my other dogs loved being brushed. Barkley ran up to the brush expecting it. He also ran up to the vacuum cleaner wanting to be vacuumed.  

Except for his brush phobia, Toby is probably the cleanest diva dog I've ever seen--he avoids mud/dirt if at all possible. The only exception--if a ball is involved!


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