Grooming in general can be a very anxious time for your pet. They are away from their parents and in a place with loud barking dogs and strange smells. I want to help you prepare you pooch for this experience, because in my words "A groom will only be as good as the dog allows it to be!"
So many families are now adopting breeds of dogs, not knowing the amount of time that will be needed to care for their dogs coat. In general: dogs need to be bathed at least once a month. Dogs with longer coats (Lhasa Apso, Yorkshire Terrior, Shih Tzu, Maltese, and Poodles just to name a few) need to have a full grooming every 4-6 weeks or more often if needed. They also require frequent brushing and trimming. The heavy shedders (Labrador, Husky, Chow and Golden Retrievers) also need to be groomed. More often in the warmer climates, to control the undercoat and excess shedding. Now that we know that basically ALL dogs require some grooming, lets learn how to get your pet ready.
Training your dog isn't just about the basic commands, and potty training, you also have to train your pet how to behave for grooming. You want to start young, 8-12 weeks of age is best. Most groomers will not except your dog until after they've had the first set of vaccines (about 10 weeks old). But it's never to early to get your pup ready.
I am going to use the Shih Tzu as an example. (The picture is a Shih Tzu mix with Yorkshire Terrier and is about 4 months old). From the picture, he is a mess. The face needs to be trimmed down, paying special attention to get close around the eyes (to prevent eye infections and injury). The body needs work. He isn't matted (where the hair is knotted up and is tight to the skin), so he doesn't have to be shaved, but his owner wants it short (easier to maintain).
In order to groom this dog, I would need to use clippers all over the body and scissors all over the face, legs, and feet. This is where the practice at home pays off. Here are some excellent training tips for you to use at home.
Desensitizing
Exposing the young pup to a certain stimulus and show that it will not cause harm or have any reason to fear. This is done by getting a pair of electric clippers (face trimmers work great, don't use the blade though) and turning them on. Let the pup see them. While holding the pet close to you, rub the clippers all over the body. It is okay if he freaks out (don't turn the clippers off, move the clippers farther away from the head until he relaxes) as you feel the tension ease, move the clippers closer to the head. Run the clippers over the legs and belly too. Once your pup is okay with the noises and vibrations then you can move to the next step.
The Scissors
I will say upfront, groomers scissors are sharp and one wrong move could be potentially dangerous. I always recommend practicing with kids scissors (plastic guard around the blade) because dogs have a tendency to snap at shiny objects in their face. Practice making the dog sit still and hold out it's paw. Use the scissors to comb the hair back and forth. Usually this part is tedious because the dog will want to see what your doing. The ultimate goal is to keep the dogs attention on you, but not on the scissors. Nosey dogs get in the way of your view and make it easier to get cut.
The last part for getting your puppy ready for scissoring is getting the scissors close around the face. In order to have control over where your dog's head goes you have to hold on to it. I prefer to hold the chin hair. You have the best control over the center of the face. Unfortunately most dogs don't like to be held by the chin. But with practice the dog will soon rest his chin on your hand (it makes it SOO much easier). I found if you sit your dog down on the table (so his head is just below your shoulder level) gently hold the chin hair with one hand and hold a treat at his nose with the other hand, they will put the two together. Don't make it into a tug-a-war. The dog feels the pain and pulls harder, thus creating more pain. It may take time, and in some cases the dog will never accept this form of restraint. All groomers do appreciate knowing in advance that the dog doesn't like it too, that way we can try something else.
