There is nothing worse than a cream colored puppy suddenly darkened a few shades by the dust, dirt, mud, and grime of everyday life. Puppy playtime normally means running, splashing, and rolling in everything they can find to make our noses crinkle in revulsion. When this happens there is normally only one way to fix it, bath time!!!

It is good to start getting puppies used to the grooming experience when they are young. Everything from a bath, to a good brushing, and of course all the fine points in between. Be sure to set it up as a good experience, because the last thing we want is to traumatize our sweet little furry babies.

Carolina has already started this process of getting used to being groomed. Because she is a golden retriever she needs to be comfortable with having her feet handled for nail trimming, and also, as she gets older, cutting the hair around her paws to avoid the all too well known grinch foot look. Along with this, learning to stand still for her bath, blow drying, and brushing is extremely important.

 

 

Grinch foot look

 

We do this by teaching her that her “spa day” is not that bad after all, using yummy treats to encourage her through the process of getting soaped up and rinsed off. She is learning that the blow dryer isn’t as scary as it seems with all the noise and air blowing on her, we are teaching her that when she feels the air she gets treats! And that’s exciting, and when the air goes away so does the treat. This helps her become desensitized to the noise as well as start to understand that the drier is a good thing and it means a treat is coming!

                                          

Another thing Carolina has been working on since I got her is becoming accustomed to having her feet handled on a regular basis. This is extremely helpful when it comes to having her nails filed down or her paw pads trimmed. We condition her to understand that when the dremel or clippers are near she gets a treat, and when they are not the treat goes away. Soon she starts to look forward to getting her pretty feet done rather than hating it, and squirming nonstop.

 

Last, but not least – for her to keep that gorgeous coat shiny and clean she needs a good daily brushing. Like any puppy Miss Carolina thinks that the brush is a fun chew toy, so using the treats and encouraging her to stand still while getting brushed is a process that we continue daily. Each time we practice this she gets better and better!

 

 

Remember, repetition, being patient, and always ending on a good note is the key to success!

 

 

 

 

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