When dogs are young, their first time being groomed is a totally new experience for them. The older they get, the more times they will have been groomed and the more familiar they’ll be with their “spa day.”
Do you have a puppy who has yet to visit a groomer for their first “spa day?” Then this article will help you prepare them for that…
Get Them Used to Human Interaction
First things first– start handling your puppy as much as possible so they get used to the touch of human hands and hands-on interaction. Touch everything on your puppy– from the nose to the tail, as well as paws, ears and even their teeth. Be gentle and show them love while doing this by offering them kind words and yummy treats. By the way, it’s a good idea to have other humans handle your puppy too, so they get used to “strangers” touching them. If you can be near them when this happens, it helps them know that the “stranger” is “okay.” Ideally, you want your puppy to become very relaxed while being touched all over by human hands.
Use a Towel
Next, get a towel and rub your puppy with it. You can mimic the things that a groomer would do, like wiping their eyes and ears. If you have a blow dryer, turn it on away from the puppy so they hear the sound. Gradually introduce your puppy to cool blowing air from the blow dryer, streaming it along their back at first. If possible, try brushing, rubbing, scratching, and tickling your dog while the blow dryer is “on” them. Make it fun!
Normalize Brushing
Thirdly, get your puppy used to being brushed by a comb and/or brush. You can do this once a day so it becomes “normal” for them. Start out using the back of the comb or brush at first, so they get used to being stroked, and then introduce the bristled side.
Utilize an Empty Tub
Finally, if you have a tub, place your puppy in the tub while it’s dry. Add some treats in there so they don’t mind being “contained” for a little bit. Eventually turn on the warm water, going slow and gauging how they react. Massage your puppy if they’re scared. Whether or not they like the water, finish that experience in a positive way, offering kind words and a treat.
Tailwaggers Inn offers “spa days” for puppies in the Dallas area– check out this page for details:
1. Forced exercise is under the “5 minutes per month of age rule; free play (chasing your adult dog) is not. Your puppy can stop chasing at will but on a leash, you control when the puppy stops. The puppy controls its own stops and turns etc in free play. 2. Puppies recognize body language differently; some show reaction to “alpha behavior like the human moving into their space; the puppy will automatically move over or will press back or even cuddle in. Both have reacted to “body language. All puppies have different play styles as well; some seem to have no “shut off switch and require a great deal of obedience training and boundary setting (crate training/tethering the puppy to you with a leash) while others settle into a routine of two hours of the crate, two hours into the crate etc. upon simple commands “find your bed or “nap time. Because of these variances between puppies, it is very difficult to write words that can help new families understand what is best for their puppy in every instance. Much of puppy raising is trying several things to see what works and then doing it again at the next stage of growth until suddenly, it all comes together. Patience is the real key.