Teaching your Brussels Griffon to enjoy grooming, is the first step to make sure that every grooming session will go smoothly without any resistance from your dog. The rough-coated Brussels Griffon does not shed on your clothing or furniture, but the price for that convenience is that you must brush him in order to remove dirt and tangles.
The first thing you must teach a puppy is to relax and enjoy his grooming time with you. Puppies know how to chew food, put things in their mouths, and jump on their mother. But no puppy was ever born understanding what it means to be groomed.
Many people seem surprised when the puppy’s reaction to his first few grooming sessions is to jump off the grooming table or crouch in place, trembling.
This is simply his natural response to something that is unfamiliar to him. The solution is to show him that standing on the table while being groomed is good behavior. He doesn’t know that, yet.
Grooming Table Behavior
First, you need a table with a surface that is not slippery; the best is a rubber, non-slip mat, but absent of that, a towel will do if you can make sure it isn’t going to slide.
Place your Brussels Griffon on the table but don’t let him go. Keep your arms around him to make sure he doesn’t jump off and hurt himself. What’s important when you are teaching your puppy anything new is that you act as his confident leader.
If he’s scared when you put him on the table, simply hold him there for a minute and stroke him gently. Then give him a treat (a small piece of hot dog, for example).
If he whimpers or wiggles, or does anything other than stand quietly, do not talk to him in a comforting voice, as people often do, saying things like, “Good boy, you’ll be okay, don’t worry.”
Your Griffon does not understand what you are saying; all he knows is that you are talking sweetly to him, and because what he is doing at that moment is crying or trying to get down, he thinks you are encouraging him in that behavior.
Your aim is to calm and relax your dog, so make sure that, as the leader, you are calm and relaxed yourself. Speak to your dog only in a voice that says “everything is fine.” Do not comfort him; just show him that you are relaxed and that he should be, too.
If he will stand on the table quietly for only a second, praise him, give him a treat, and put him on the floor. He will most likely be surprised and delighted, as if he’s wondering, “Is that all you wanted?”
You can give him another treat. Then pick him up and put him on the table again. Pet him there for a minute, give him a treat, and take him back off the table.
