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Permalink Reply by Sam on July 7, 2008 at 8:48pm

I would pick a time after he has exercised well and is a bit mellow. As you sit on the floor pet him, massage him and make him very comfortable. Then I would attempt using the brush. I find if you talk to them in a very soothing voice while grooming they seem to relax much more. Also consider the brush you are using. If it is a "slicker" it may be too harsh for him. At 12 weeks a greyhound comb and bristle brush would work just fine. You will need different brushes as he gets his adult coat. Take this time to handle his feet as well. Many corgis dislike their nails done. Good and gentle feet handling early on often is most helpful in the future.

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Permalink Reply by FuzzyButt on July 7, 2008 at 9:59pm

If he is not sure of the brush let him sniff it a lot. It gets them used to the item being around them.

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Permalink Reply by Amanda on July 8, 2008 at 9:55am

Dax does this also, at first I was using a slicker brush, he would growl and try and attack it when I tried to brush him. Finally I just ran it across my arm and it left some serious scratches, even with the lightest strokes. I bought the FURminator after that because I figured I had heard so many great things about it, it has to work. Well it does. It works wonderfully when he lets me use it! He still gets irritated when I brush him but its not nearly as bad, I think he just doesn't want to sit still. That would be a good idea though to wait until he's tired and then try. Maybe he just had such a bad experience the first time that he's nervous. I dunno. I'll stop talking about myself. :) I would recommend trying a different brush though if you are using a slicker. They hurt. :(

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Permalink Reply by Joansie on July 8, 2008 at 10:09am

Yeah I think the slicker brush might be the culprit. I bought a little rake brush and he stands more still now. Still not very much, but baby steps :]

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Permalink Reply by alynne on July 8, 2008 at 8:06pm

i always give her a bone to chew on while im brushing her or i praise her like crazy when she stays still.

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Permalink Reply by Butter on July 8, 2008 at 9:20pm

My corgi LOVES grooming time, anytime, anywhere. He always falls asleep while I am brushing him. I have 4 different brushes, including the Furbuster and he loves them all. I can brush anywhere on his body including tail and ears and face and he just loves it. I usually start with a belly rub and always say loving things about how handsome he is and he just laps it up. I would think the trick is to do it often so he gets used to it and comes to expect it and like Sam says try it after a walk.

As for toe nail clipping, I always do it after a walk and belly rub. He squirms a bit at the beginning but I stay very calm and don't let him get away. I tell him to stay. Eventually he falls asleep during this also. The key is to sit on the floor with your legs in a v-shape. Put him on his back in between so his back legs are face up, closest to you and go from there. Good luck!

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Permalink Reply by Ashley on July 18, 2008 at 9:39pm

We had a similar problem with Lucy. I started with showing her the brush and letting her sniff it, then moved on to brushing her with the non brush side and did that for awhile, and finally we were able to use the actual brush on her. We attempted to use the blow dryer on the cool button, and I would not recommend that for now in retrospect are very obvious reasons. Best of luck.

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Permalink Reply by James on July 20, 2008 at 5:16am

My dog hates it too, what works for me is these chewy-stick things that I guess taste really good (because they smell horrible, seems to be the way with dog foods). Anyway he is so busy chewing at it while I brushed him, he used to chew circles around so I had to move around and brush him but now he is getting to know it's fine. I can even brush him a few strokes without the chew-stick. Eventually he will get it.

I do his nails in the same fashion except I use a frosty-paw ice-cream treat because he likes those more. He is 20 weeks and the first few weeks I just brushed him and did his nails and it was a pain. Bribery is the way to go.

I got the meaty-sticks at Petsupermarket for like 5$ for 75. You have to watch them though because once they are chewed down to 2 inches or so it looks like a choking hazard.

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