First and most important, tell your pet you're going to groom her. Explain that it will feel good, and it will feel even better as time goes on.
Assemble your grooming tools. You need: a soft bristle brush----please, no wire brushes---a soft white cloth, cotton pads (makeup removers), extra virgin olive oil, a dental scaler and a soft toothbrush. For cleaning teeth, you can use baking soda, or a specialty pet toothpaste. Do teeth last, and have treats handy to take away the taste of the soda.
Nail clipping is a subject for another time.
Let your pet sniff the tools, and explain each one. Many people simply start applying a strange object to an animal's body, then are surprised when they get a negative reaction. How would you feel in your pet's place?
Start by brushing gently on your pet's neck and back, always along the lay of the hair. Brushing against the lay hurts, and serves only to break healthy hair and create more shedding.
Use the brush near her eyes and genitals once she is obviously comfortable with the brush on less sensitive areas. You don't want a sudden movement to poke your pet, and make them reluctant to be groomed. Talk to her, tell her what a good girl she is. You can also tell your pet they will be swallowing less hair from now on when they clean themselves :-D
Finish your brushing session by wiping your pet from head to tail with a soft flannel cloth. I use white, as it shows me anything I may have missed. If for example, you see tiny dark spots (flea poop), you can at least catch the fleas before they become a bigger problem.
To clean ears: dip the cotton pad in extra virgin olive oil. OO is a skin nutrient with no toxic properties. I highly discourage using petroleum-based products such as Vaseline or baby oil. Gently swab inside the ear only as far as you can see. Take a clean pad, dip it in oil, and squeeze a couple of drops into the ear canal. Do not probe. Over the next 2-3 days, excess wax and dirt will float to where you can easily swab it with a pad. Do not use Q-Tips. A sudden head shake (common when cleaning ears) can cause injury to the ear drum.
If there is an obvious excess of dark wax, and particularly if the ear smells bad and/or your pet has been scratching, you may need to see the vet. Ear mites or an infection can cause these symptoms.
Again, keep explaining to your pet what you are doing, and why. Since all animals clean themselves and groom each other naturally, they will understand the concept.
Keep at it, persistently and lovingly. Do not show any impatience. Never restrain and force. If your pet is reactive to certain areas being touched, use it as an opportunity to understand and empathize with their sensitivities. If you are not your pet's first home, you never know what may have happened to them. This is one of the areas Animal Communication can really help.
Eventually, your pet will look forward to being groomed. They simply need to connect the sometimes uncomfortable process with feeling better. As I said in my initial post, grooming is an intense bonding experience.
In my next blog post, I'll discuss dental scaling and brushing. Horse grooming is its own topic. I'm an old "A" circuit show groom, so I may even bore you with tips and tricks :-D
Re: long haired pets. It's really best to have a groomer show you how to groom them. If they've developed mats, for example, this can require expert assistance.
With great love to you and your pet,
Raisa Stone
Animal Communicator
