what about my golden retriever who is sweetest dog inthe world but will bite & growl when approached with a brush to groom her

Has your Golden had a bad experience with grooming perhaps??



You need to retrain your dog to accept grooming and maybe even to like it. You need to start out very slowly. Get her used to being touched all over with your hand. Talk to her, reinforce the touch with a reassuring voice. Give her a treat if she is good. After she accepts this (or if she already does), then move onto a grooming glove. You can find these in pet stores. They are a glove which have small plastic "nobs" which massage and groom at the same time. Use this glove all over her, again reassuring her with a gentle voice. If she doesn't like the feel, only do a small area of her body at a time. Don't make these sessions long--the first session may only last a minute or so. Work up to the point where she accepts this completely. Next, try a very soft bristle brush--made for pets. Show her this. Give her a treat if she doesn't react. Try touching her with it. Give her another treat, or talk gently while doing this. If she starts to act nervous, back off and don't reward her. The trick is to take everything in very small steps. Gradually you should be able to work up to a slicker brush. It may take a month or so--but never ever reinforce bad behaviour.



Good luck

drphilvegasvet

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what about my golden retriever who is sweetest dog inthe world but will bite & growl when approached with a brush to groom her