AGRESSIVE bichon. snaps,bites groomer. Only 3 attempts for 1 yrdog. no one will touch him. what to do?

Question

SMALL bichon frise is 1 1/2 year old male. rarely in public for walks as we have larger property for excersise. He is very highstrung to the point of having peed on strangers. Have tried to have him groomed. Not fancy, just shaved for sake of less visits. Have only tried like 3 or 4 times and he has not grown out of snapping and biting groomer and now we are at a loss at how to get him cut. The cage freaks him out and so do strangers. Any suggestions AT ALL???

Answer 1

Find a groomer that will allow you to remain with your dog. I know these are few and far between, but it would be worth while to stay with your dog and reassure him. I have 2 bichons and when I take them in I stay with them. I even help bathe them. I don't want my dogs to be cage dried. Mady cries the whole time she is being bathed and dried. Bailee could care less. Neither of my dogs show signs of aggressiveness. Mady loves to be brushed and Bailee can't stand it. All dogs are different. I trim my girls up between cuts. Then I don't have to make as many trips to the groomers to be done professionally. I can go every 2 months for the professional look. In the mean time I brush and comb them every 2-3 days. This helps to keep their hair from matting up. I use a large toothed comb and do the dirty deed on them when they are resting, they will actually fall asleep while I am working on them. Bailee will go to her crate when she has had enough. Call all your local groomers until you can find one that will work with your needs. Contact your vet, they can give you a mild sedative to give your dog 3-4 hours before your appointment. I know this, 'cause I have to give one to my lab before we go to the vet. The vet won't work on him unless he is sedated. My lab is agressive.

for more information visit the forum chat group I belong to. It takes a few minutes to sign up. There is a wealth of informative people on this site and they are totally devoted to their bichons. Several of the members are involved in bichon rescues. They might have other suggestions for you that aren't mentioned here in yahoo answers. It is called bichon banter and I included the address. the first site listed has a lot of neat information and links also.

Don't give up on your fluff, I hope you find a solution!!
Don't take the idiots advise to euthanize your baby, what a moron.

Answer 2

As a dog groomer I can tell you from experience that all Bichons are very bad for groomers. Some are so hysterical that we just can't touch them. Others bite. Some just urinate & poop all over themselves. Some move around so much that it is dangerous for them, no matter how many restraints we use.. Try taking scissors to a moving object.

Some never "get over it" no matter how frequently they are groomed. This is a very high strung breed of dog.

What we tell our customers is:
1. Buy some professional clippers & blades (this is expensive, around $200) and try it yourself. A cheap clipper gives poor results. You would need a clipper and at least one blade, I would say a 5F. Wash & dry dog before clipping.
2. Or find a vet that grooms dogs & cats at their office. They are able to sedate the animals. And no matter what you have heard, this is way, way safer for the dog than other methods.

Answer 3

I have been a professional groomer for 21 years. This dog should have been to the groomers every month since he was 6 weeks old. And brushed to the skin by his owners EVERY day. Congrats on getting a dog covered in Persian CAT HAIR. It mats up faster then any other breed.

1. Neuter him ASAP
2. He is a Vet Grooming dog now; needs to be tranquilized for grooming, BY THE VET, not you.
3. If finances make this impossible every 6 to 8 weeks, do him a favor and put him down.

Answer 4

You could try desensitizing him to all the things he dislikes/snaps at. About him peeing on strangers, he's probably not used to them so gets overexcited. Dogs will pee when they are overexcited. A friend's Peekapoo used to do that all the time. Gradually get him used to people. Have a person stand for enough away from you where he's being normal. Slowly bring him closer and closer to the person while giving him treats. Move back if he starts snapping/growling/getting anxious. Do this with a couple different people. Eventually, he should be able to be with other people without getting overexcited.

With the groomer, try getting a groomer who's willing to work with you. Depending on when he starts to show resistance, in the car parked in front of the groomer's, inside the grooming salon, on the grooming table, etc. have him leashed just before he gets there. Like if he starts snapping/growling when he's on the table, but seems fine when you're walking him into the salon, stand in the doorway and feed him treats. Gradually move closer and closer to the table until you're right in front of it. If he starts snapping/growling before then, move back a couple of steps until he stops. Get him to where he'll stand in front of the table quietly. Depending on whether or not he's barking/growling at the grromer even if he's not near the grooming table, try having the groomer stand far enough away from you and your dog that the dog is acting normally. Then gradually move closer to the groomer with your dog, while feeding him treats. Do this until he's standing in front of the groomer quietly. Then have the groomer give him treats. Just drop them at his paws at first, then have the groomer bend down slowly while feeding him treats. When he's ok with the groomer and the table, have him on the table while the groomer is holding the scissors/clippers/etc. Keep feeding him treats. Then have the groomer slowly bring the grooming utensils closer and closer to him. Then turn on any electrical things and repeat. Start grooming him. Only groom a little at first. Gradually increase the time spent grooming until he can stand there through the whole session without snapping/growling/biting.

With the crate, do the same thing. Slowly move him closer and closer to it until he can stand and/or sit next to it. Then throw a favorite treat or toy inside of the crate. Don't force him in all the way at first. Even if he just sniffs the inside or put a paw inside, reward him. Slowly require that he go more and more inside the crate to get the treat/toy. Don't close the door yet, until he's comfortably sitting inside the crate. Even then, only close it for a couple of seconds. Give him treats inside the crate. Gradually start leaving the crate closed longer and longer. Then leave the room for a couple of seconds and come back. Gradually increase that time as well. Eventually, he should be able to stay inside the crate peacefully. My own dog goes into his crate without us even needing to tell him to, and can go into it on cue. (We say "kennel" and point to the door.)

Don't ever force him into doing something he's not comfortable with. That will only cause him to be even more frightened, and won't get you anywhere with his training. Most of all, don't ever hit him in any way. That will cause him to shut down his learning center and refuse to do anything. Don't expect too much too soon either. That will only frustrate you and confuse your dog. Hope you get some luck. :)

Answer 5

We have a Yorky who is the same way. Banned from all groomers in town. We let our vet know and he suggested putting the dog under anestesia & during this time he would shave, do nails, clean teeth, etc... It has worked quite well and is really the only option.

He also suggested aggression training. Here is a site that has a program dedicated to aggressive dogs under behavior training
http://www.dog-training-sites.com

Good Luck!

Answer 6

Try contacting a dog behavior specialist to work with you and the dog. Some dogs have identifiable disorders, and personal dog trainers will address underlying problems with both you and the problem pup. You may consider tranquilizing him, and muzzling him for the groomer/ vet/ trips, but this sounds like a more basic problem. Is he neutered? Unneutered male dogs are more territorial and occasionally neurotic.

Answer 7

Try a mobile groomer but tell them the situation they work with dogs one on one and the dogs dont get as stressed out

Answer 8

It sounds like this dog has not been socialized when young, and now will need the help of a trainer who deals with fear/aggression, which is what this poor dog is experiencing. Pls look at the APDT website for a trainer in your area who uses clicker training and has a speciality in working with fear/aggression.

Answer 9

Either don't go to the groomer (get some trimmers and groom him yourself), or try a muzzle for when you go.

Answer 10

Try to socialize your dog. Go to a dog park or take him around other people and animals. Bring treats to create positive reinforcement.