My Dog Hates to Be Brushed

[ChelseaArias]

I have a 9 month old Norwegian Elkhound. He absolutely hates being brushed. I have tried a Kong ZoomGroom (what I use on my cats) which is gentle, but also a Furminator. Neither he enjoys at all. Obviously, for his breed, regular brushing is a must but at the same time I don't want to force him down to brush him. His regular toys he loves do not keep his attention. The only that I have found is to give him a whimzee, he really loves those, and he will chew on it and stay still while I brush him. But once he chews through it, maybe 20 minutes later, its over. I don't mind doing this until he learns to like it but I am very hesitant to give a whimzee everyday, I don't think its something he should be consuming on an everyday basis. Should I just keep trying everyday or is there another method that could help? At the time being, I am only doing it once week when I give him a whimzee, but I would really like to be able to brush him at least every couple of days especially when he is shedding so much. When he was a smaller puppy he actually didn't even like being petted, he just wanted to play so I thought the brushing thing would come later when he appreciated being petted more. He absolutely loves being petted now and I can put him right to sleep just by doing so but he wants nothing to do with a brush. Any advice would be great. Thanks.

Edited April 4, 2018 by ChelseaArias

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Hello ChelseaArias,

Welcome to the forum. I am sorry to hear you are having difficulties in grooming your Norwegian Elkhound. You are on the right track in trying to make the process of brushing him as pleasant as possible by using grooming tools that are gentle and feeding him tasty foods. I feel that your methods can be tweaked a bit by using a clearer desensitization and counterconditioning program using more contingencies. I can offer a few tips that you can try to make the whole process easier.

 

1) Many dogs do better with short and sweet sessions rather than prolonged ones. So you can try to go back a few steps and every day do a few short sessions (like 2-3 minutes at the most the first few days) and gradually increasing them over the course of several days.

2) I am afraid that although the idea of giving him a whimzee keeps him distracted, he is missing the opportunity to create positive associations between the whimzee and being brushed. In other words, he might be missing the important piece of the puzzle which is creating a strong contingency that goodies arrive only when he is being groomed. A day may come where he may want to eat his whimzee without being "bothered" by the brushing. So there is a chance he may learn to move away and start being uncollaborative because he may want to eat his whimzee in peace.

3)I would therefore start by introducing brushing gradually and creating new strong positive associations. So for instance, I would keep the brush in my pocket or behind my back

and would take it out casually every now and then during the day. Every time your dog sees or sniffs the brush, feed him a tasty high-value treat. Look for small, bite-sized treats that make the point without filling your dog too much.

 

Then, put the brush back in your pocket and no more treats. You want to make it clear that treats are contingent on the presentation of the brush. Do this several times for a few days. After a few days, you should ''Pavlov's law'' in effect: your dog may start drooling or looking at the brush happily as it signals treats are coming!

 

Then you can progress, gradually and systematically. Get the brush out of your pocket, pass it quickly on an area you know he likes to be pet, while you give him a treat. Put the brush away, and no more treats. Repeat several times, so it's clear in his mind that passing the brush gives him a treat. Don't overdo it. When the brush is put away, the treats are also put away. Continue progressing for gradually longer and longer times carefully watching his comfort level.

 

Once you progress, you should be able to upgrade to giving the the treat no longer while being groomed but a little after. So while before your were feeding him with one hand, while simultaneously brushing with the other, you should now be able to brush him for a couple of strokes and give the treats right after the 2 strokes. You can build on this by gradually increasing the number of strokes but never make them increasingly predictable. For instance, if you do 2 strokes, then treat, 3 strokes, then treat, 4 strokes then treat, your dog may come to understand that time he is being brushed is getting increasingly longer and he may therefore come to dread it. Instead, go variable. Give 1 stroke, then treat, give 3 strokes then treat, give 2 strokes then treat, give 4 strokes then treat, give 1 stroke then treat. Remember, if at any time he seems uncomfortable, you are going too quick for his comfort, so go back a few steps and start again.

 

Once positive associations have been made, you can then switch from high-value treats to using his kibble if he likes it. That way you can use a portion of his meal for rewarding him for being brushed and don't have to worry about too many calories. There are also treats now that have very low calories if you want to continue using treats.

 

4) And you are right in wanting to brush him more frequently. I have noticed that the longer time goes between brushing, the higher the chances for painful knots to form in the coat, and this is not good in a sensitive dog who doesn't like to be brushed. If there are knots that are easy to districate, you may be better off trying to detangle them very gently while you are petting him and talking to him in a soothing tone rather than attempting to remove them with the brush so to not impact your hard work in creating positive associations. Painful knots are better off just snipped off with a scissor.

5) Another option you may have is to use a glove brush (like the 'grooming glove") and wear it when you are petting him. Chances are, he may come to accept it better because it wears like a glove and makes dogs feel as if they are being petted. Talk to him in a soothing tone and praise him Of course, if he seems to dislike that, I would not use it so to avoid a setback in him pleasure in being petted.

 

I hope this helps! Let me know if you need any further assistance,

Best regards,

Adrienne

Edited April 6, 2018 by Adrienne Farricelli

[ChelseaArias]

Thank you Adrienne! This advice has helped us greatly. It is going well, slowly but surely. One thing he doesn't mind at all is my little hand held vacuum. In fact, he even lays down and wags his tail when I use it on him even rolling on his back and letting me get his tummy. I am still trying to work on the brushing part but at least I can keep his shedding under some control with something he enjoys. I've never really come across a dog that likes a vacuum, they usually bark, run away, or attack it. I think I may try a glove brush after all. Petting him always calms him down so perhaps he won't mind it at all or it may be easier for him to accept. Again, thank you for the advice and we will continue on this path.

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Good to hear! Funny that he likes the handheld vaccum, when many dogs dread noisy things like that! Thank you for the update, keep up the great work!

Adrienne