hunnys looking tatty

[ruth_2_hot]

on the whole she always looks lovely , but she seems to be looking a right tatty thing at the minute , shes in the second week of her season , and not the most tolerent of having her paws and ears trimmed at the best of times , she is pretty sleek apart from her chest and legs , i was going to give her a once over with the clippers but shes petrified of them , poor thing shakes as soon as they are turned on , would i be better just with half an hour sessions and trying to get her resembling a cocker again or bite the bullet and just do it ? shes brushed and groomed twice a day , but is full of knots round the back of her ears again today x thanks love ruth 

[spanielcrazy]

When I'm doing puppies for the first time, or a scared dog, I start out holding the clippers (turned on) near them, and giving lots of praise. Then I rub the body of the clipper--not the blade, slowly around on part of their body, usually the hip, sort of like petting the dog with the clipper body.

I can then start clipping, starting at the back of the dog and working forward, doing the head and ears last. This gives them time to get used to the clippers. Lots of praise! 

Since I work in a grooming shop I have to do it all in one go, but with my own dogs I have the leisure of spreading out the grooming if need be. (But I usually do it all in one go, get it over with for me and the dog  )

I learned a technique from a book called "Calming Signals" by Turid Rugaas (sp?) It's a very small book of signals that dogs use to give reassurance to other dogs. Two of them are lip licking and yawning. I probaby look like a fool at work, but I lick my lips and yawn a lot when I am grooming dogs. The results are amazing, they really respond!