Do it yourself dog grooming

Dogs with long hair and a thick coats need a lot of grooming. Nicky is, I'm told, a Lhasa mixed with maybe a Maltese or terrier. In the winter when I let his coat grow out, I have to brush him just about every day. There are two reasons I groom my dog myself. First, I am the only one he trusts to even pick him up never mind using clippers and scissors on him. Second of all, is the cost of professional grooming. I made an investment in cordless clippers, blades and a good pair of scissors. He may not come out looking like a show dog but he is neat, clean and cool for summer. The only other things you need is some time and patience getting your dog used to being clipped. I groom Nicky on a table on my porch it's easier to clean up the mess out there. An apron is also a good idea. I found clipping Nick's body goes well when he is in a sitting or standing position. For his legs, belly and under his chin, he is more comfortable on his back. I give him a belly rub and massage to relax him.

What a mess. Pick up loose hair and vacumn the rest.

I give Nicky his bath after clipping.

Nicky only eats dog food and dog treats but, on special occassions he gets a special treat of some

cheese, his favorite. After clipping and bathing he gets cheese that gives him a good association.

After bathing he is pretty sleepy.

The Nightly Ritual

The above is a nightly ritual. When I'm ready to go to bed at night, I shut everything off in the living room and head down the hall. On most nights this is what happens, Kitten Little runs ahead of Nicky and lays down in the middle of the hall, effectively blocking Nicky's way.

See him down the end, wondering how he is going to get to me? Nick is not intimidated by much, but Kitten Little makes him nervous. I usually have to shoo Kitten Little into my room so Nicky can safely follow without getting jumped. Some nights it's just a race to see who gets there first. Look at that evil look in Kitten Little's eyes? He knows exactly what he is doing...LOL....Nicky actually loves cats and has several kitty friends. Kitten Little has had a bone to pick with Nicky since the day I brought Nicky home. They are like squabbling siblings at times.

A Forever Home for Nicky

Hard to believe this cute little dog could have fear aggression. I knew when I adopted Nicky he had trust issue's. He was abandoned, severely neglected and judging by his behavior, abused as well. He was curious about humans but if a person moved to fast to pet him, he would lunge at them. Some people he took to right away, more so men than women, and some he didn't like at all. He also has this talking growl that tends to make people nervous. In those cases, I would tell them not to pet him.

Shortly after he came home with me I tried to clean his ears. Karen at animal control had tried but barely avoided getting bit. I did get bit on more than one occasion. Nicky acted like he had never been taken care of in any way. I had to muzzle him to dry him off with a towel when it rained. If I had anything in my hands at all and went near him he would start growling at me, that included food. If I had to pick him up, he growled. Sometimes taking him out before bed was a challenge. He would give me this crazy look and growl at me. As his coat started growing out he wouldn't even let me use a brush on him. One day I got a call at work from my Dad. He was furious, he had stopped at my house and when he went up to Nicky to pet him, Nicky jumped up and bit my Dad on his thumb and drew blood. Oh.. was my Dad pissed. He told me Nicky was dangerous and that he would rip my throat out in the middle of the night. That was dumb, but it planted doubts about Nicky's stability in my mind. Not that I would have ever given him up. By this time in spite of his aggression problems we were bonded and he obviously loved me and I loved him. He had many great qualities. Love just wasn't going to be enough to win him over.

I started doing my research on the internet about his many problems. I bought training books and tried several different things and I didn't seem to get anywhere. I tried that positive training thing but I could not use food because he had food aggression also. I was doing everything wrong, and going in too many different directions.

Then one day I saw a TV commercial for "The Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan" and I thought, well, I'll have to check this out. I started watching the show and the light bulb went on. I was the one who needed the training and Nicky needed to be rehabilitated. Yeah...things were finally making sense to me and I knew there was hope of change. I started seeing things through his eyes.

Today I couldn't ask for a better dog than Nicky. I respect him and he respects me. I not only clean his ears, I bath him and give him his haircuts. He will come right up to me when I need to brush him. I even got him to love it when I use the hair dryer on him. I can even clip his nails. He never growls at me anymore. He still has issue's with stranger's but I have learned to read him and I can tell when he wants to get to know someone and when he doesn't. People who want to pet Nicky have to follow the rules. No look, no touch, no talk. That is what makes Nicky more comfortable. He is such a little guy, who knows how long he had to fend for himself. Of course, he defended himself against anything or anyone who he felt threatened him. By being his leader I have taken a lot of weight off his shoulders and he is a happier pooch. Now I am able to use a lot of training methods with him. He may never be perfect but neither will I. We are both a work in progress. My experiences with Nicky have made me love animals even more than I already did.

It took about a year but my Dad now pets Nicky.