Getting your puppy read for their first groom

Grooming is one of the most stressful experiences a dog has to endure, so it’s important to set them up for this as best we can from an early age. Most groomers will offer an introductory groom or two for puppies, in order to help desensitize them to the process, but there a things owners can do at home before they are old enough to visit the groomer that will help set the up for the groomer.

1.     Practice the chin holds!

There are a few ways groomers will restrain a dog’s face in order to keep them still, the main two being the C-hold and the chin hold. In a C-hold, your thumb is on the dog’s chin, and your pointer finger on their snout, forming a ‘C’ shape. A chin hold is where you gently hold a small amount of the dog’s fur underneath their chin.  Practicing these at home using treats to reward stillness means when it comes time to hold still for sharp objects, your puppy will be a pro!

2.     Play with their feet!

Many dogs hate their feet being touched, especially when they are not used to it. Practice holding their feet, playing with their toes and pulling hair back to expose the nail. Start with just touching the foot and reward when they don’t pull away, and slowly progress to holding and playing with the foot for longer periods of time.

3.     Use your toothbrush!

For some puppies, the sounds and vibrations of the clippers can be very scary. Although you may not have clippers on hand to practice with, you can instead use an electric toothbrush, your phone on vibrate or even a small massager to desensitize them. Make sure you place it all over their body and face, to ensure they are used to the clippers everywhere and not just in one spot.

4.     Get them used to scissors!

Another thing that often scares puppies are the scissors, especially around the face. For some dogs, it’s the feel of the cold metal, in which case use the blunt end of a butterknife to place on their skin, especially under the eyes as this is often where they are most sensitive. For other dogs, it’s the sound the scissors make they find scary. For these dogs, grab a pair of kitchen scissors and treat reward them as you make the sound to create a positive connection. Start with the scissors further away and slowly progress to having the scissors right by them. Be very careful not to cut them- if you don’t feel comfortable having the scissors close, then just use them at a distance!

5.     Turn on the hairdryer!

For most dogs, it’s the dryer that is the scariest part of the groom. You can help get them used to the sound and feel of the dryer by using a human hairdryer. Start with it on the lowest setting, not directly facing the dog, and slowly build up to having it on the highest setting close to the puppy. Keep the hairdryer on cool or warm-not hot- to ensure you don’t accidently burn them! Once they are used to the dryer all over their body and face, you can increase the sound by using a leaf blower. For this, it is safer to plug their ears with cotton balls, to protect them from the sounds. Again, start with the blower facing away from the dog at a distance and slowly build from there.

6.     Brush, brush, brush!

Your puppy is going to get brushed a lot during his lifetime, so it’s important to get them used to it as early as possible! Start first with making sure they are comfortable with touch all over their body, then introduce a soft slicker brush. Pair each brush stroke with a treat to help create a positive association, and start in the areas they are most comfortable with touch. Once they are used to the slicker brush, introduce the comb.

7.     Let them on the table!

Some dogs find the grooming table quite scary, especially larger dogs that find the table small compared to a little dog. So, make sure you practice having them on a table, starting with a low table and progressing to a higher table once they feel confident. Make sure you never leave your puppy unattended when table training, as they can easily injure themselves by falling.

8.     Practice restraint

When being groomed, dogs need to be restrained for safety. This is usually done with a grooming loop, which sits around the neck. If a puppy is not familiar with pressure and release, they will often try to choke themselves by leaning into the loop. To avoid this, it’s important to practice pressure and release at home. Use a slip lead, or a flat collar and lead, and gently encourage the dog to you and reward when they come. You can then work on leading them away from a toy, or similar, and again reward when they give into the pressure. Eventually, work up to having them tied to something stationary- again do not leave unattended as they may choke themselves, and only tie using quick release knots. If they are not giving into the pressure, take it back a step or two. Learning to give into pressure can be a very hard and slow process, but it is very important to ensure a comfortable grooming experience, and will also help when it comes time for walk training.

9.     Bath time

The dreaded bath time- some dogs love it and some hate it. Give your puppy the best possible chance to love bath time by beginning early. One way to do this is letting them join you in the bathroom whilst you shower. Start with them just being in the room, and leave an enrichment treat like a bone or treat toy in the room to keep them happy. This helps get them used to the sounds of water. Next, when they are comfortable, you can start getting them used to water. Place them in a bathtub, turn the water on and reward at the same time, but don’t put the water on them. Once they are used to being around the water, you can progress to gently wetting their feet with warm water, and work up to wetting the entire dog.

Doing all this will help set your puppy up for a lifetime of stress-free grooming. When they do start seeing a professional groomer, generally after they are fully vaccinated, they should be much easier to desensitize, and both your puppy and the groomer will thank you! It’s also important to keep in mind that most groomers will still insist on at least one introduction groom, to see where the puppy is at with their training and how they handle the process. We don’t want to overdo it on the first groom, as this not only is exhausting for the puppy, but can also cause them to have a negative association with grooming for life.