A bit of something different this week. I have been working
with Charlie Bear since New Year; we have done training, recall, leave its etc.
Now he is getting older we are starting
to up his exercise gradually. Charlie owners had a bad experience with their
previous Schnauzer to the point where he was extremely frightened of the grooming
process and never got better. They told me this and I was certain to make sure
we would make grooming Charlie a pleasant experience for both dog and owner.
From week one I had made time to groom Charlie and get him
used to being touched all over. This was easier because he was only 9 or 10
weeks old at the time so I could make a good impression on him at an early age
that grooming was a normal thing to be enjoyed. So every week or several times
a week we would go through the routine check ears give treat, check other ear
give treat, brush head give treat etc., all things I had learned at my local puppy
class with Sid my puppy.
It went great, regular short session created a positive
association for Charlie and the grooming process and it wasn’t long before I
was able to brush all over with only a small handful of treats to reward him.
Soon we moved onto clipping the scissors around him (without touching his hair!)
and have my electric razor turned on near him and touching him again no
problems at all, short sessions to build up his confidence around something new.
The time came for him to go for a haircut and while the
owners were a little nervous still I was fairly certain we wouldn’t have any
problems. The owner had been recommended a groomer so I went along to meet the
girls at Gorgeous and Handsome in Silksworth. They were really friendly and the
facilities were excellent. I had Charlie in the van so we took him in to meet
them and have a look around, again no problems he was very happy and seemed
very comfortable around the groomers. We
had another visit the following week where everything went really well again,
Charlie was happy and maybe more importantly in this case the owner were very
reassured too.
Grooming day came and we took Charlie for a nice walk and play
before his appointment. I didn’t want him to be shattered but I certainly
wouldn’t want to take him with lots of pent up energy so in my opinion a good
walk beforehand is essential, certainly for the first visit. Anyway all went
well, he went in happily and we left a bag of treats for them to use if need be
and the girls reported he was very well behaved throughout. The owner collected
and they were very happy also.
I have told this story to illustrate a how easily a dog’s behaviour
can be shaped over time to accept and enjoy whatever you want him to do, this is very easy if you start when
they are very young. Also how your dog/walker pet carer should be able to assist
with this process. We will assist and advise on any training issues we feel competent
with. If I don’t know something I will try and find out or if the issue was
something I don’t have knowledge of I wouldn’t hesitate to refer the owner to a
behaviourist or trainer who could help. This was something very easy for us to
help with but in the owner’s eyes with the previous experience they had potentially very hazardous . As you can see below it all worked out very well in the end!
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