El Sobrante dog likes to bite during grooming sessions
DEAR JOAN >> I’m having trouble trying to groom my dog. He is a chocolate Labrador and is a little more than a year old. I’ve had him since he was a couple of months old.
WhenItryto brush him, he bites at the brush and once even nipped me. I don’t think he meant to do it, but it was a shocktobothofus.
I want to keep his coat clean and stop the shedding, but I don’t like taking him to the groomers. His coat is short and that seems a waste of money whenIcoulddoitmyself, if he would just let me.
AfriendtoldmethatI should have started when I first got him, but I didn’t, and now she says he’ll never let me brush him because I don’t have enough authority over him. Is that true? Will I always have to pay for grooming?
— Patricia G., El Sobrante
DEAR PATRICIA >> It might have been better had you started the grooming sessions when he was younger. I’d loan you my time machine, but it’s on thefritz,andwhowantsto go back to 2020 anyway?
I had a very similar question about this from Patti Dort, of Dawsonville, Georgia. Her 11-month-old
German shepherd also bites the brush and her hand, and she’s blaming herself for not starting earlier.
The good news forbothofyouis it’s not too late. It will just take some time and patience. Start by taking the dog into a room where there aren’t a lot of things to distract him. Tell him it’s brush time and get him to liedown.
With one hand, start stroking your dog, and with the other, engage the dog with a toy or a treat. When the dog is comfortable with that, pick up the brush in the hand you’ve been using to pet with and brush softly with it. If he starts toward the brush, use the toy or treat to regain his attention and go back to just petting him for a minute.
Occasionally touch his feet and ears to get him used to that, too. Keep the sessions short, but do it whenever you’re able and slowly extend the time. When you’re done, praise him and give him a reward.
Be sure to use a soft brush at first. The point of these sessions is to get him used to being touched with a grooming tool. Once he’s good with that, you can use combs and stiffer brushes.
DEAR JOAN >> I have read in your column about birdbaths and feeders in Contra Costa County being contaminated with salmonella. I live in Benicia and wonder whether the same problem exists here.
I also wonder how to clean a fountain. The reservoir is under a very large, heavy rock fountain, and we can’t see a way to drain it. Birds drink from it and bathe in it a lot.
I’m thinking about putting some bleach in it, and staying out and shooing birds away while it is on, but I’m not sure the bleach would ever rinse out enough to be safe for birds. Any thoughts?
— Christine Stevens,
Benicia
DEAR CHRISTINE >> Don’t use the bleach. It will be harmful to the birds and other creatures that might visit. You could try covering the fountain with a tarp. Otherwise leave it running and carefully wipe away any feces you see along the edges of the fountain. Be sure to wear your mask and gloves.
The salmonella outbreak has been reported throughout the Bay Area, so bring your feeders inside until April.