Grooming brush advice

[BiteyShark]

I have a cocker spaniel that is clipped short.

He is getting worse at the groomers as he doesn't want to be touched so I plan to start grooming him every day to desensitise him. However all I have is a brush I picked up from a shop and I remember when I looked I hadn't a clue what type to buy.

His body is short but his ears have a bit of a wave to them but still quite short. Tail is longer, about 2 inches. Hair is fine. What's a good brush to use? Any recommendations?

If you're working on desensitising him, I'd probably start off with a super soft bristle brush. I also use tangle teasers for mine.

Just a thought, have you had him checked over by a vet if he's getting worse at being touched- he could be in pain

He has never been great with being touched and ironically he has had so many investigations and operations at the vets he now 'really' hates being touched. It's also my fault because he goes to the groomers regularly and has short hair we don't groom him at home so he doesn't ever get used to it.

I'll have a look at the tangle teasers as they might be useful for his ears and tail.

I use a Kent bristle hairbrush on my patterdale x , he is clipped short and isn’t keen on any actual dog brushes that I’ve used so we swapped to a human hairbrush and he likes that .

Stupid I know but I never thought about using a human hairbrush before .

I've always found clicker training works really well for getting dogs better with grooming. Just start really slow and click and treat and click and treat.

Hahaha we always used mason pearson ones when I was a kid - not the cheapest ;)

I would use the back of a hair brush to start with.

Also can you smear peanut butter(xylene free version) onto the wall in front of where you groom him.He licks the peanut butter and you run the brush over him. Job done.

Then repeat it at another session

These snakes are also good for putting the peanut butter in if you don't want to put it on the wall (understandable really!)

xylitol not xylene!

I am doing the brush and treat and brush and treat. Not sure I could time a clicker and brush at the right time but I'll give it a go.

Yesterday he was reasonably ok with his back but his ears and tail he really doesn't like and they are the ones with longer hair so maybe it's the pulling he hates.

I have 5 weeks to see if I can make a difference when he goes back to the groomers.

Will try some human brushes and treat tips. Thanks everyone.

Hi Bitey, would second the soft brush using it as a massage almost and doing it every night with treats or a treat afterwards works well. Then bring in a half a minute comb on ears and tail with treats. I think regularity is key and a regular time so he comes to expect it. We do cocodog every evening after her tea and have done since she was a small pup. Less brushing if she has been recently clipped and more when she is longer but always every evening.

Tbh with how tangled spaniel ears get I would be inclined to clip them short, so you can desensitise with a soft brush all over. Then as the beachy waves start to grow back introduce a slicker brush on the ears after every walk. Then as the fur gets even longer, so is getting more tangled again start using a ball pin brush, followed by the slicker.

My cockers tail doesn't tangle (well it didn't when he had a tail anyway - he's only got a stump left now) and can be brushed with a soft brush. My cavalier has longer tail fur and needs it doing gently and carefully with a slicker brush which has the little plastic balls on the ends of the bristles to stop them being sharp.

www.petsathome.com/shop/en/pets/dog-grooming/dog-brushes-and-combs/groom-room-dog-hand-slicker

This is the slicker brush I would recommend. It's not scratchy like a lot of slicker brushes. It's also easy to hold/use when brushing ears. The soft bristle brush in the same range is nice too, but I was less impressed by the ball pin brush (the pins come out easy).

I also have a tangle cutting tool, which I don't know the proper name for but basically you hook it under the tangle, pull and it cuts through the tangle - much nicer for the dog if they get a particularly bad tangle.

www.amazon.co.uk/Mikki-Splitter-Small-Matts-Coats/dp/B00N0Y29L6/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_199_lp_img_2?psc=1&_encoding=UTF8&tag=mumsnetforum-21&refRID=NBE6CCB38S3EAE8Q7Y1S

Same sort of thing I've got for cutting through bad tangles. They are called Matt breakers.

I'd go back to basics and start giving him a "health check" by running your hands all over his body, extend to legs, tail and ears when he is ready. Don't forget tummy and inside leg...
Make sure that you keep the session short- little and often is the key.
Once he is used to it, use a soft baby hair brush- just do the same as you did with health check. With time move onto appropriate dog brush.

I got a tangle teaser which seems less harsh than the one I was using. Will browse the links and get a softer brush as well.

It does seem that if he's tired and lying down he lets me brush him but not sure if that's cheating and won't help in the long term iykwim.

No that is great idea BiteyShark. He will begin to connect relaxation with being groomed perfect