If you have a dog with long hair like Timmy, my Shetland Sheepdog, you will be very used to doing a lot of grooming and bathing! When I first saw Timmy’s mum, I knew that the coat would take a lot of looking after. Shelties have a double coat, they have a longer coat on the top and a thicker undercoat, which needs brushing regularly to prevent tangles and matts. It’s an important consideration when choosing a breed of dog or adopting a rescue. If they do need a lot of coat maintenance, can you factor in the time to do it regularly in the week? If you can’t, then a long-haired dog may not be for you.

I thought it might be useful for me to share how I got Tiny Timmy used to being brushed and bathed – I invested a lot of time initially as I knew grooming would need to be very regular!

When he was tiny, I did a lot of gentle handling of Timmy when he was relaxed, smoothing his coat, parting it and gently stroking. We did short sessions, and we didn’t attempt it when he was having a really zoomy moment! I also used a glove/mit to gradually start to stroke him so he could get used to something a little heavier moving on his fur. Once I knew he was comfortable with this, I chose a place that would become his grooming station, there happens to be a small table made out of a tree trunk outside the back door that is just the right size.

It allows me to be comfortable and lets him know where to go when the brush comes out. Now, when he sees the brush he immediately jumps up onto the table! The key thing is that I did a lot of positive association with him being on his station and getting fed while a small amount of grooming was taking place. I only worked in small sessions, literally a few seconds to begin with and then gradually build it up. When I was finished, Timmy was free to go, and we played tug or ball again just to finish the experience off in a positive way.

While the grooming stuff is out, the treats are out, when the grooming stuff goes away, the treats go away. I use a variety of different food items, tasty treats, a Kong filled with tasty peanut butter (dog friendly) or a lickimat which you can spread yoghurt, peanut butter, pate etc on. This will help keep your dog busy and entertained while you are doing a small amount of grooming. Over time, and as Timmy’s coat got fuller and bigger as he matured, I did slightly longer sessions and gradually got him used to different brushes. You have to take your time introducing the harder bristle brushes and always hold the base of the hair when you are tackling a difficult matt. If it helps, make it a two-person task, one to hold the lickimat or deliver the treats while the other does the gentle grooming. If you build it up slowly and positively, you will have a dog that enjoys being brushed.

There is a caveat to this, some dogs are very sensitive to their bodies being touched so you would want to do this very carefully and with the support of a qualified trainer or behaviourist.

With bathing your pup, again you do it in baby steps, I used a sink filled with some warm water that came up to Timmy’s ankles to begin with and the whole time he was standing in the water he was licking a tasty Kong. As I progressed, we had slightly more water and we did practice of gently pouring the water over his legs and gradually his body. Again, these were very short practice sessions, paired with something tasty and we ended on a fun game.

It’s really important that you don’t just put the pup straight in the shower and try and do a full-on shampoo as you could put him off for life. Remember, these first experiences count! Be careful with the water, avoiding the head and ear area when you are getting them used to being bathed and washed. Give them a brief towel down and let them dry off naturally if you can. If your dog is going to need to go to the groomers regularly this first bit of practice will really help with visits to the groomer. Another good tip is to book a first visit with the groomer purely to meet them and let your dog get used to the groomer by playing and exploring and doing fun stuff in the grooming parlour without any grooming taking place. Most groomers are happy to accommodate this as it will really benefit them in the long run.

Where I live is very rural so there is a lot of mud around in the winter, last weekend, he looked like the mud monster! Thankfully, with all the practice, he is very happy to have a bath, wash, trim and towel dry and did I mention, I also find it quite therapeutic grooming Timmy, it’s a quiet, calming bonding time!