Bad case of grooming envy!

[hheldorfer]

You know how we (almost) all have to wrestle with our little Cairn darlings during any type of grooming? How they twist, turn, paw, grumble and generally disagree with the entire process? You're going to hate me for telling you this story, but . . .

DH went to visit a friend of his on Friday - a guy with 2 beautiful Dobermans. It was grooming day at the Doberman house, so DH observed the process while they chatted. When he got home, DH said "You're not going to believe this." First, each dog calmly took his turn in the bathtub, standing quietly while being bathed and rinsed. The dogs exited the tub without the usual shaking/running frenzy that is so familiar to terrier owners, then stood still while being towel-dried (without starting a game of towel tug-o-war). Then the nail clippers came out, at which point DH thought "NOW we're going to see some wrestling!", but the Dobes didn't blink an eye. They politely offered their paws to their master and didn't flinch a bit, even when he trimmed a nail a bit too close. They received a good brushing as their hair dried, then were offered the couch (covered with blankets, of course) to relax for a while. They hopped onto the couch and were napping when DH left. Through the entire process there was nary a whimper or a grumble.

Who among us can say that we could even complete step 1 of the above without having issues? I am soooo jealous . . . but still wouldn't give up my terriers for anything in the world. Just wish they'd hold still for more than 20 seconds!

[Tracy A.]

Who among us can say that we could even complete step 1 of the above without having issues? I am soooo jealous . . . but still wouldn't give up my terriers for anything in the world. Just wish they'd hold still for more than 20 seconds!

Not I!!! I always have to leash my little gremlins and "drag them" flattened out, belly on the hardwood, legs splayed out like a brake into the bathroom... and close the door quickly...LOL

[beccadiane374]

...then stood still while being towel-dried (without starting a game of towel tug-o-war).

Goodness...I can't even dry Tanner's feet off after he goes out to potty in the rain w/o a round of towel tug-o-war!

[Nikki]

I use treats...so mine are pretty tolerant...actually Scotty crazy butt likes it

They really like chicken and bill jack treats so i ll give em a treat, pet them a lil and then groom for a while. And then repeat...lol

[Angieh]

It's like you stepped into an episode of the Twilight Zone...

[winfrey]

Winfrey didn't mind baths at all. She would stand calmly while I bathed her and dried her... but she did think the towel was fair game and it was she felt her reward for being so darn good When it rained out and she was about to come in- she would give us her paws so we could wipe it and let me pick up her back end to reach the back two I will consider my self lucky.

[kjwarnold]

"It's like you stepped into an episode of the Twilight Zone..."

That cracked me up! I can hear the music now...

Not too wild about baths here, but Packy & Kirby will suffer through it. You'd never know that these are the boys who love swimming. Like a bath is worse? Nails are getting better with Packy at 6, but Kirby at just about 2 isn't loving it. Good thing DH always gets a good grip on him. Grooming isn't bad at all and in fact, Packy loves to get groomed because he knows he gets a treat afterward.

[hheldorfer]

I take the dogs downstairs into the basement for grooming. I always take Ziggy (the non-Cairn) first because he's the good one when it comes to grooming. When I come back upstairs to get Buffy, she jumps into daddy's lap and presses herself into him, thinking it will make her invisible. As I carry her downstairs she digs her claws into me as if I'm leading her to certain death. Mind you, I give her treats and praise her every time she holds still for a few seconds, but I could have a vat of treats and a harem of male Cairns worshiping her and it wouldn't matter. At best she tolerates it while protesting with every bone of her little Cairn body!

[kintra]

Zach doesn't always like grooming, but he's usually pretty good for it. Baths are his favorite though He'd be happy if I bathed him every day. He still dislikes nails but he'll wait patiently for a few hours if I'm working on his coat.

[TazTalk]

Sounds like the typical Cairn takes the major resistance route. I sometimes end up wetter than they do!

And for some reason, mine like to roll around in the ivy and ferns right after a bath. So, they stay clean for about 60 seconds ... run into the greenery, hiding, rolling around, laughing ... and come out with dried leaves on them! :ninja:

[Hawkeye]

Mine are very tolerant of the baths and towel drying part, but they have to run through the house like maniacs after and do that wiping/rolling on the rug thing. Then, of course, they want their snack for being good

[Zekey's Mom]

Sounds like your friend had "Stepford" dogs... they were secretly replaced with automatons!

Having well-behaved dogs, like well-behaved children, might seem better, but oh how dull life would be!

[hheldorfer]

Sounds like your friend had "Stepford" dogs... they were secretly replaced with automatons!

Having well-behaved dogs, like well-behaved children, might seem better, but oh how dull life would be!

Isn't that the truth!? What would we talk about if our kids and dogs never did anything wrong?

[Kit'sOwner]

The process is different in our household. Step one: call the groomer for an appointment. Step two: drop Cairn off. Step three: read celebrity gossip magazines and eat chocolate bonbons. Step four: pick pristine Cairn up from groomer and feign shock when she says that my dog was a nightmare to deal with.

The above process was developed after giving my Cairn her first bath a few months ago as she rolled in something disgusting - otherwise I didn't see the need to bathe her. It went so badly, I thought "forget it. I'll let the professionals deal with this".

[josie&holly]

I too take Holly to a professional groomer and get told that she is such a lovely dog to deal with - so good and so calm........ I am sure if I tried to bath her etc then she would not be so good and calm though!

However, she does enjoy being brushed and does not mind me tidying her up but will not let me do anything with paws or clean teeth!! if I try it is wriggle wriggle!

[Laura Schoenheider]

Miley is getting a bath tonite, takes two ppl and the laundry tub- I've learned NEVER use the human tub. She then gets towel dried, shakes and then a game of towel tug of war. Then treats while getting brushed. Then there's a game of wrestle, while getting her collar on

She just doesn't get a collar means she has a loving home

[DyDy]

I guess I should count myself lucky on the towel drying part - so far Brogan loves the towel when coming in from the rain and snow.... perhaps it is because when he came home with us it was January in West Virginia.....nothing but snow so from day one I would "bundle" him in the towel and hold him like a baby and dry him off - he loves it. So much so, that he expects it! Waits patiently while I get the towel-even if it isn't wet or raining! Ha ha! - I need to post one of his "bundling" pictures!

By the way, he is having his first grooming this weekend and my groomer said her hands will just not allow her to 'hand strip' Brogan.... is anyone else having this trouble? Are you guys just having your Cairns bathed and scissor cut? I do not want to do that and am willing to hand strip myself- any thoughts?

Thanks!

[kintra]

I'd definitely say go ahead an dtry handstripping yourself - I do have hand/wrist problems from grooming, but it's still tolerable

[DawnandTuk-tuk]

Tuk-tuk actually loves taking a bath and watches me shower every day hoping I will bathe him! lol! I think he thinks its a form of swimming which he loves! He gets in the tub and lets me wash him, and then mostly rinse him--I have to be very fast, cause when he decides he's rinsed he tries to jump out of the tub. He also loves getting dried off, which he sees as grand fun! He rolls all around getting tangled up in the towel, flopping about like a seal making grunting noises! Then we move to brushing which he loves too--he's only half dry at this point cause I can never get him all dry from all the fuss in the towel. He lays for some brushing and then walks around wagging his tail and comes back and lays down, then walks away wagging, then comes back, then away, then back, etc until he's mostly brushed. So in the end I have a mostly clean, mostly dry, mostly brushed dog. At which point he needs to go outside and pee. And then rolls in the grass, and then comes in and shakes grass all over the house. Actually, I love giving him a bath, it's too funny not to! But since he turns into a yak and I don't strip him, I send him to the groomer a couple times a year. They, like all people who meet Tuk, adore him and say he's a very good boy for them.

[Kit'sOwner]

When I take Kit to the groomer, they do not hand strip, cut, or clip her hair...they just give her a good brush and it's enough to get at all the dead stuff. I have a Furminator at home that I use occasionally but she doesn't particularly like it and you have to be careful with those things - you can easily put a hole in a coat with one if you're overzealous about it.