grooming

[dab_20]

I am trying to train sammy to be good while I am trying to brush him. He doesn't need to be brushed right now, but I figure he should get used to it for when he does have longer hair. He squirms like a madman and bites my hands and stuff. He chews on the brush, and anything he can do to make me quit, he does it.

The vet told me to play with his ears and paws so it will be easier to cut his nails and clean his ears when he's older, and he doesn't mind it. But when I brush him he is a little poop face. lol

[Toby's my baby]

Leave the brush out so he gets acustom to it. Then slowly, when he is really comfortable and in a nice place, just hold him and slowly brush him, but if he starts to squirm, stop, and let him smell it, and dont continue untill he is comfortable again.

[tz1]

touch him more and more in places he doesnt like so he gets used to it. brush him when he is very sleepy too (he probably wont put up a fight) and if he is good give him treats :D

ur lucky , from what i see from that picture your doggie is little , lol...most of the time zero lets me brush him, but when he doesn't it is a tough battle to wrestle him lol

[dab_20]

lol thanks. if i leave the brush out he thinks it's a toy and will start chewing it.
sam is about 4 or 5 pounds bigger than he is in that pic. lol.. but he is still holdable.

BTW do dogs get dandruff? cuz when i brush his ears, all this white stuff comes off his black fur. i know i am not brushing to hard, because i have the kind of brush that doesn't scrape his skin.

[dab_20]

this is his brush/comb: http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a22/dab_20/618940650225C.jpg

[Corinna]

Yes they can get dandruff , but Ill bet being a cocker it's most likely food ,but spaneils go have lots of skin shedding becouse of the oils in the skin . It's from the days of them being hunting dogs.

[Toby's my baby]

Yes, I am pretty sure dogs get dandruff. You should use a really good shampoo, and the dog food that you feed them makes a difference too. I have a brush like this. . .
http://pics.drugstore.com/prodimg/93009/200.jpg
and it works really well. :) Hope this helps a little. .

[dab_20]

its not food, because his food is brown. lol... are cockers still used as hunting dogs?

ohh yes i do have a brush like that. but it was missy's and it makes me feel guilty when i use it on sammy.

we have a brush for sammy that i dont use on him yet that looks like the spiky side of that brush. and molly has a soft bristle brush that i could use on him also.

[Jessika]

its not food, because his food is brown.

She meant the food you feed directly coorelates to your dog's skin and fur condition. If he has dry skin check to make sure the food you're currently feeding has enough omega-6 and -3 fatty acids.

[dab_20]

OHH lol. i am clueless. ummmm would it say that on the back of the bag?? we feed him iams puppy food.

[Jessika]

Linolec Acid is a good source, as well as sunflower seed oil. Are any of those ingredients on the list?

[dab_20]

i will check in the mornin. the food is in the garage and it is FREEZING.

[Vette]

Where do you brush him?
on the floor?

[dab_20]

well i am sitting on the floor and he is either standin on the floor or sitting in my lap. why?

[Tollers-n-Dobes]

Do you give up when he starts to fight and just do it later again? My opinion is a whole lot different than Toby's my baby's opinion. If he's just putting up a fight because that's what he feels like doing to get his own way, I'd make him sit there while I brushed him. If I want to do something to my dogs learned when we got them that I wasn't going to put up with anything like that for no reason so now they know that they're not going to win if they fight with me so they don't bother trying. If he's afraid, I'd definitely go along with what Toby's my baby said but if he's jsut fighting to get his own way I wouldn't let him win. I hope that all made sense. Also, don't brush him for long periods of time since he's still pretty young and doesn't really even need it at the moment you said.

[Vette]

Try putting him up somewhere high.. like your kitchen counter top and see if that helps any.

like when you take your dogs to the vet.. once they are up on the table they 'freeze' because they know they are up high. or at least my dog does.. and thats how i groom him. :)

[dab_20]

yep that what i do with molli. my mom doesn't let me put him on the table or counter cuz he gets hair all over.

[Giselle]

If your cocker is getting dandruff, chances are his food isn't agreeing with him/not providing him with enough Essential Fatty Acids. To combat this, you should either 1) change his food 2) supplement his diet. Whenever Giselle blows coat, I always add a capsule of Cod Liver Oil into her food once a week. If we have some at hand, I'll also drop a few spoonfuls of Jack Mackerol into her bowl.

Ironically, one of the best ways to combat dandruff is to brush your dog. My personal preferance is to buy a curry comb (you might know what this is if you work with horses) and rub it on your dog in circular motions. This will spread and work her natural skin oils. When Giselle was blowing her track coat, I did this curry comb technique probably once every day.

Though my dogs are not show dogs, I believe in grooming them in that stacked position. It makes it a lot easier and quicker for me to groom them when they're standing like that. A lot of conformation people use Happy Legs (http://happylegs.com) or some kind of version of this. I just use bricks :p I place four bricks on a sturdy table in the position of where my dog's feet should be and place my dog's feet on them. I treat and reward them for standing with all four feet on the bricks. When they try to get off, I gently replace each foot back on the bricks. Because the bricks are elevated, the dog will usually not try to back off because that will throw off his entire balance. Here's a pic:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v474/LSophie/The%20Dogs/IMG_2286.jpg

[Giselle]

Also forgot to add, if you have a friend with you, you can ask him or her to treat the dog while you work. You can even treat your dog with one hand and brush him with the other. He'll probably be too busy trying to keep his balance and eating the treat to notice you're brushing them.

[poofy]

I was having the same problem with yollie , my word talk about a battle, and im the one scared up..lol..but I read where if you put them up on a cabinet or higher place it would help in grooming..wow you woulnt belive the difference, I was finally able to do her nails last night and grooming has taken on a whole new light..she sits and stays still the whole time im grooming her..Its amazing..I dont know what it is but it works like a charm.. :D

[dab_20]

Thanks for the tips. :) I will ask my vet about the dandruff when sammy gets his rabies shot. That sucks, I don't want to change his food because Molli also eats Iams. And she does great on it. That's an interesting position to groom a dog. LOL.... I think I will choose some kind of high spot and groom him there. I groom Molli on the couch because that just her favorite spot to be groomed.

[Jessika]

Well another option instead of switching food is you can just switch formulas (if he is allergic to an ingredient in your current food) without switching brands. OR you can supplement his food with something like, fish oil or vegetable oil (though this isn't suggested if your pup has known allergies to soy).

[dab_20]

What do you mean by formulas? lol.... I don't know alot. ;)

[Jessika]

Formulas as in, the chicken formula versus the lamb and rice or beef.. etc. Different "flavors" are different formulas

[dab_20]

ohhh. I think they have lamb and rice Iams puppy food. Should I switch him to that?