Having a Battle When Grooming ? Dog Games Might be The Answer

Any dog needs to be groomed regularly, no matter what breed. Long haired dogs just need to be groomed even more regularly. It’s essential for the animal’s own wellbeing to get used to it as early on as possible. Unfortunately, though, some dogs have a natural aversion to being groomed. Dog games might provide an option to take the bite (pun intended) out of grooming.

Different types of dog coats call for different treatment. There are, however, some basic elements, such as bathing, brushing, cleaning the ears and teeth, and trimming nails, which hold true for all dogs. Long-haired dogs tend to require more attention, yet due to the extra effort needed to brush they tend to dislike it more. If you can introduce it regularly early on, it will make your life so much easier as it grows up. The younger the dog when introduced to it, the easier it will be as well.

Grooming dog games is the easiest way to have the dog accept the treatment, and settle down. The simplest way would be to use a small treat, rewarding the animal for “allowing you” to touch it. It becomes a game of behavior and reward. If the reward is considered good enough, the dog will endure the attention, and eventually associate it with a pleasant experience, and actually start enjoying it. The big trick is to introduce every item one by one, letting it get used to everything gradually.

Let the dog sniff whatever you will be using. At the same time, let it have a whiff of the reward in store for accepting being handled. You will probably start off with a reward for every stroke of the brush. In the beginning, you will obviously need more treats and less grooming. Dog games become interesting when you have to see it from the dog’s point of view, and adapt to it. As you progress, and your dog becomes used to your actions, it will have less and less resistance to it, and you will be needing less rewards.

The big idea is to do it regularly, from an early age. In the beginning you will be teaching it to accept one part of the grooming before moving on to the next. Later on it will be a matter of alternating your actions, letting the animal get used to accepting different treatments at any given time. By the time your dog has become used to grooming, dog games will be a memory firmly associated with it, and it will enjoy the activity for the rest of its life.