My double coated dog is shedding, but hates to be brushed

[just_lily]

Oh.. and did I mention he is 100lbs!!

Oi vey.

I am hoping somebody has some advice. My big mixed breed (we guess G.Shep and Malamute, but who knows for sure) is shedding in clumps. All. Over. The. House. But he freaks out about being brushed, or even when I pick the clumps out.

We have a bunch of different kinds of brushes, but it doesn't matter. He runs away.

I don't think that it hurts him, because this is not a dog that ever even feels pain. He ripped a bunch of skin off his paw once running around and I didn't even notice until my other dog was licking it.

So right now we end up have to take two people to hold him and brush him as fast as we can until he completely freaks out to get away. There has to be a better way.

And meanwhile my other dog LOVES being brushed and spends the whole time trying to push his way in for attention. Sigh.

[luv-my-boys]

There are these *mitts* that allow you to pet/groom your dog at one time. I've seen them both at petsmart and petco. They dont have *bristles* but have some type of microfiber fabric that makes the hair cling to it. perhaps that might help. I get my dogs used to grooming from a very early age (german shepherds..so I have to) by offering a little treat when I bring the brush out and give while brushing and grooming slowly graduating to the point that I only offer a treat at the end. Its now at the point that the dogs know to expect something and constantly watch my pocket to see if were done. perhaps working on it with him by getting him desensitized first to the sight of the brush and then slowly working on letting the brush touch (not brushing) him and then work towards a few strokes at a time.

[Ola_]

I have a double-coated dog too and I feel your pain. The hair is all over the place right now! Chaos doesn't like it when I pull out the loose clumps either.

Have you tried a shedding blade? It's not a brush exactly but it does get an amazing amount of hair off. I only use mine outside because the fur just flies. My dogs like being brushed but you could use a similar strategy to what I do. I play fetch with the frisbee and every couple of throws I give her a few brushes. This has the benefit of her shaking off some of the fur I've loosened while she runs. Do you think something like that might work for you?

[gingerstar]

I was just talking with a groomer about our double-coated dog (who, like yours, is lining our house with fur) and she told me to resist the temptation to pull the loose clumps out with my fingers. She said with some dogs, it can cause real irritation to their skin. (She did admit she used to do it too, until she learned better.) No wonder my pup hates it, then.

Ola had a great idea - but you know your dog best - what does he love? Find a way to connect it with brushing. He may never love being brushed, but if you can even get him to tolerate it, you can do it in very short bits - soon this seasonal shed will pass!

[just_lily]

Interesting. I always figured that he wouldn't even notice when I pull at the clumps... be he clearly does.

I don't know why, but I never even thought about behaviour training. We have been just chasing him down and holding him while we do it as fast as we could. We will have to try bribing him with treats.

We have a blade too. It works great, but he doesn't like it either. I find it so weird.... my other dog LOVES being brushed and our biggest issue is keeping him from rolling on his back because he wants me to brush his belly. Silly puppies.

[nd_deadhead]

My dog has very ticklish feet, and didn't like to have his toenails cut. Since we have hardwood floors, I cut his nails at least once a week - as soon as I can hear him clickity-clacking across the floor, I get the clippers.

He is very food-motivated, and ALWAYS gets a treat after I am done with his nails. He now doesn run the other way when he sees the nail clippers - he still doesn't love it, but he tolerates it for his treat.

If your dog has a favorite treat (for our dog it's carrots or cheese), you might brush him for 1 minute, give him a treat, and let him go. Try again in 20 minutes. As he learns to associate the treats with the brushing, he may become more tolerant.

Our dog isn't crazy abuot being brushed either (and is also double-coated), so I usually put a leash on him, so I sit on the leash and keep him near me while I brush him. But my dog only weighs abuot 35 pounds, which makes that more realistic!

Good luck - and hopefully, once he's finished blowing his winter coat, brushing will get easier and less traumatic, so that by the time he has his next major shed (in the fall) you'll both be ready.

[Britishmum]

I save bones for brushing times. (ie I give a great new bone, not one she has had around for a while.) I find that as long as my dog has a good bone to gnaw on, she forgets what I'm doing. It gives her something to do with her jaw rather than grab at the brush, and makes the whole process easier and far more fun for her.