7 Positive Benefits Of Enrolling Your Dog In Doggie Daycare
One of the difficulties many people have concerning dog grooming is not how it should be done but that their dog is uncooperative. This can manifest itself in behaviours that range from them being frisky and seeing the whole scenario as an excuse to play to a dog trembling with fear when it sees its owner approach them with clippers and brushes.
Thankfully, the National Cavoodle Association of Australia say that the vast majority of dogs will sit still and happily let you brush them, as in many cases, they find this soothing. Even when it comes to the point when the trimmers come out, they are still cooperative. However, what do you do if your dog is either uncooperative or, in the worst case, genuinely nervous when you start grooming them?
That latter scenario is the one that pains most dog owners as they hate the thought of anything they have done to cause their dog distress. So, if you have a dog that shows a degree of nervousness all the way up to being frightened, here are some ways you can relax them and help them to realise that being groomed is nothing to be nervous or fearful of.
Take Them For A Long Walk Beforehand
The less nervous energy your dog has, the calmer it will be, so to burn off as much of their energy as possible, you should take them for a long walk with lots of fetch games. By the time you get back and start grooming, they should be less energetic.
Let Them Investigate And Explore Your Grooming Tools
Often, it is not the grooming itself that a dog is nervous about but the tools and equipment that are used to groom them. To help overcome their fear of anything you are going to use, allow them to sniff around them, inspect them, and hopefully realise that these grooming tools are nothing to be scared of.
Have Someone Assist You
Calling in reinforcements in the form of a family member or close friend can help enormously. Whilst you are doing the grooming, they could be sitting next to your dog, holding their attention by talking calmly to them, stroking them, and distracting them from what it was that was making them nervous in the first place.
Overcome One Fear At A Time
Helping your dog to overcome its fears about grooming should not be rushed, as that will stress them even more. Instead, tackle each issue one at a time. For example, getting them used to being brushed and then calm when their fur is being clipped, then it could reduce their fear of the bath.
Stay Calm Yourself
We should have positioned this as the first tip. Dogs often behave as a reaction to what their owner is doing, so if they see you getting flustered, frustrated and even angry because they are not cooperating, it continues that downward spiral as they become more distressed because they feel you are.
Talk To Them Softly And Give Them Lots Of Praise
Your tone of voice when dealing with a dog that is nervous when being groomed is critical to helping them to be calm. Specifically, your voice should be soft and calm, with reassurance and praise for your dog. The more your dog believes you are calm based on your vocal tones, the more likely they are to be calm.
If all else fails, use bribery. Seriously, there are many occasions when all it takes for a dog to realise sitting still, being calm and cooperating is worth it, is to make it an opportunity for it to receive a treat. Further, let them see that continuing to remain calm and cooperate will have treats continuing to come their way.
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