My dog goes nuts when we try 2 groom him. sedate him maybe?..?

well my dog is a 7lbb bishon poo and when he was little he had a bad time at a groomers , they shaved his little feet even tho we said not 2.. since then he wont let u near him with a brush, clippers, or scissors.... and as u know bishons have very bushy hair, and we shave him ourselves, but we cant get close 2 him at all 2 do it and his hair is starting 2 tangle and mat up ( fur mats up easily :/ ).. is there maybe a pill or something the vet can give us 2 help either sedate him, or seriously make him drowsy , so that we can trim him? we even bought the dog trimmers so we could cut him fast hoping he would do it better.. no luck :/ thanks for your help

My dog goes nuts when we try 2 groom him. sedate him maybe?..?

You don't need to shave a Bishon X or otherwise unless the coat is very matted (if you can't get near with a brush I guess thats why you shave him) a dog with this type of coat CANNOT and MUST NOT be left to be groomed on visits to a groomer, they need grooming daily.

Does he let you pet him without throwing a hissy fit? (if not enroll immediately at a reputable training class) If so pet him gently and as you do so try using your fingers like a rake, if he accepts this give him a treat, next pet him with the brush in full view (but don't touch it just leave it lying on the floor) if he accepts this give him a treat, go gently gradually etc until you can "stroke" him with the brush, make these training sessions as pleasant as possible, stay calm and relaxed, do this several times a day and withing a couple of weeks you should be brushing him.

Please remember trying to brush out matts in this type of coat can hurt if done roughly so no wonder he takes offence if this has been his past experience.

Ditch the clippers he clearly hates them, and you will only make grooming using this method a stressful experience for you and the dog once he has accepted brushing you can gently scissor his coat (don't do it all at once just build it up as you do with the brushing) - his coat will look better than the "scalped" look of clippers.

Scissor the hair between his pads once he is fully relaxed with being groomed by you. If left untrimmed the hair between his toes will mat and cause his pads to splay which will become painful.

Sedation isn't the answer, if this must be done (ie if this dog WON'T let you pat him and the matted coat is becoming a HEALTH ISSUE) it will have to be done at the vets office where they will clipper him down (don't expect the results to be pretty) this may be acceptable to them as a one off "emergency" treatment but the WON'T do this every time the coat gets out of hand

If you feel more secure when he is muzzled then you must train him to accept a muzzle (simply by letting him run around the house wearing it while you ignore him then remove it WITHOUT grooming him) then build up to getting him to wear the muzzle while you pet him - then remove it WITHOUT grooming him this way he will learn that the muzzle isn't a negative thing (if you have only put it on him whilst grooming him or taking him to the vets he will have already have been stressed and will have associated it with negative experiences - again you can re-train him to see associate it with situations where he wasn't stressed or touched in a negative way)

It is unfortunate that this dog has had a bad experience at and his temperament has been affected by this but with time and patience you will be able to brush and scissor him you will be in this for the long haul but if you stick to the training/ desensetizing routine within 6 months he should be fine.

PS some obedience training classes will also help - even at 7lbs he is still a dog and needs to be PROPERLY trained I know some people with small dogs seem to think because the dog is wee it doesn't need training but believe me small dogs have teeth too and will use them to get their own way(you will notice a MASSIVE improvement in his temperament and personality if you enroll in such classes and he gets properly socailized) he will given time and patience get over his past negative experiences and start sporting a properly groomed coat you can be proud of but as owners you will have to put the work in to reap the rewards of a nice calm well groomed dog

My dog goes nuts when we try 2 groom him. sedate him maybe?..?

ask ur groomer cause it depends

My dog goes nuts when we try 2 groom him. sedate him maybe?..?

Sedate a dog to groom him?? NO, you can't go around sedating everything all the time.. You teach him to accept the grooming.. deal with it, learn to like it... Get him used to it, desensitize him to it. You can't just drug problems away.

My dog goes nuts when we try 2 groom him. sedate him maybe?..?

shaving a dogs feet isnt a bad experience...

they should have their first trip to teh groomer at 12 weeks - then every 8 weeks after - too many people make the mistake of NOT taking their dog to the groomer often enough and this is why the dogs act up...

(sometimes dogs are in bad shape so the groomers HAVE to shave the feet and parts the owners dont want shaved)

he wouldnt be tangling if you were brushing him often enough (2 times daily - think how often do you brush your own hair?)

DO NOT SEDATE a dog without a vets permission... you can kill a dog - they can have allergic reaction to the drugs...

PLUS sedating the dog isnt teaching him anything...

I suggest taking him to a groomer - frequently - so he can be a proper dog - interestingly enough dogs often behave better for groomers than their owners because so many owners dont know what they are doing...

also basic Obedience lessons will help...your dog is clearly NOT properly socialized or trained - I suspect that this is much of the problem...

My dog goes nuts when we try 2 groom him. sedate him maybe?..?

Try leaving the grooming supplies on the floor where he can see them and get uses to them. Then try to brush him and uses treats to reward him when he allows the brush to touch him. Then work your way up with rest of the grooming tools giving treats. You can also praise at the same time.

This may take a long time for him to accept the brush and grooming tools.

If you use sedatives without a vet watching him a reaction may occur. This could cause death if he is giving too much.

My dog goes nuts when we try 2 groom him. sedate him maybe?..?

If you don't think the current groomer does the job. Try other groomer. You should not use sedate just to groom. A good groomer know how to calm the dog and do the job.

My dog goes nuts when we try 2 groom him. sedate him maybe?..?

get him sedated, and have the VET strip him down;

then go to YouTube and watch 'Tucker nail trim'...

just put it in the search-box.

U'll see an Airedale puppy, a very determined little dog,

who was PUNISHED repeatedly,

Alpha-rolled (on the advice of a bad trainer),

and has learned to hate grooming, the table, clippers, nail trims, etc.

he does Not trust ppl, anymore...

and he bites to make them go away, and leave him alone!

U'll see him learn a new way of learning, and OFFER his paw for the clipper!

it's amazing to watch, and done in Real-Time.

U see the whole process (except when he goes for a potty-break).

My dog goes nuts when we try 2 groom him. sedate him maybe?..?

Trimming or shaving of his feet won't cause him to be that way -- it would be that he has just gotten away with behaving badly. Are you grooming him on a daily basis, like you would do for yourself? Hair mats if not brushed well daily and mats become very painful when brushed at -- ever had one in your hair -- it hurts and that is what dogs feel too so he needs to be brushed by you daily and taught to behave properly while on the grooming table being brushed. The trimming is just him becoming used to behaving properly while being groomed. Usually Bishons are scissored but since this is a mix there is no telling what the coat is like and it might be that he needs to be clippered as well. You say you shave him as well... I don't know that this is good or bad since I don't know if you know how to properly do it -- if you aren't doing it properly you could be hurting him a lot so that might be why he doesn't want clippers near him -- if someone came at you with things that hurt you, you wouldn't like it either. Please learn what you are doing or let it be done by a professional and pay extra if they are good and will help retrain him. Having him sedated for a trim won't teach him much but it might make it so that a professional can start helping with him. It really sounds like all you need to be doing is daily brushing (if there are no mats at this time) and allow a professional to do that other. You are making excuses for your dog's bad behavior and likely your inability to properly groom him -- please realize that clippering feet as a puppy didn't do this and your using clippers on him without knowing how to properly do it likely is a big part of the problem.

add: Do not take him to a vet and have him 'stripped down' -- Bishons or Poodles are not breeds that can tolerate stripping and if the person posting meant shave him down, that won't solve the problem. He needs to be trained properly by daily grooming and not having you hurt him by clipping him incorrectly.

My dog goes nuts when we try 2 groom him. sedate him maybe?..?

Start out slow. Just a minute o r two each day. Be calm. Try not to anticipate trouble with him. They can feel you getting ready for the fight and will oblige you. Reward him after a minute and let him go. Just keep at it slow and steady. Don't work on his coat at first, just gently run the brush along him, not pulling. He will eventually come around. He got upset by the groomer and you have allowed this behavior. It will take as long to train him out of it as you have been allowing it. After you can brush him, just lay the clippers next to him. Don't clip the first few times, just put them up to him. He will come around. Don't let him jump down or get away when you are doing this. Make him tolerate being brushed lightly and having the side of the clippers against him.

My dog goes nuts when we try 2 groom him. sedate him maybe?..?

The Vet's can sedate him for grooming (if your Vet offers grooming as a service) If he is over 5, they will probably want to do bloodwork to make sure he is healthy enough for sedation. Or they can try to give him a mild sedative called Acepromazine. If you are current with the Vet (been there within a year) you can ask them to dispense this to you so you can brush him out/groom him at home. My dog hates being shaved down and he is horrible when trying to trim his nails. When I give him the Acepromazine, it really mellows him out. Start off with a small dose (if the directions say 1/2 tablet, only start with 1/4 tablet, you can always give more if needed) It lasts about 4-6 hours and it can really make them groggy. Be sure to keep a close watch on them so they don't fall down steps etc. Good luck!

My dog goes nuts when we try 2 groom him. sedate him maybe?..?

Counter conditioning and desensitization to the grooming supplies. Go slow. There's a great video on youtube of a trainer clicker training a dog in one session to let her clip his nails.

www.fearfuldogs.com

My dog goes nuts when we try 2 groom him. sedate him maybe?..?

The vet can give you pills to give your dog. Who knows, maybe after he's been groomed while sedated a couple of times, he won't be as fussy.