Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi, everyone.. I'm a new Miniature Schnauzer owner.. when I first got him, he was matted up to hell.. had fleas.. we're in the process of treating him.. but he's very sweet.. I just had to save him from his original owners.. We spent 3 hours brushing him and untangling his hair.. I shaved his body just fine, but when I try to shave his head, he gets all rowdy and tries to run or bite.. how do I get him used to the clippers on his head? I really want him to get more of a Schnauzer look..

Ohh, and he's 10 months, or at least that's what we were told.. he's real small. Thanks in advance for all the help.

Like anything else, go slow and treat him lavishly for good behavior. It may take a week and your dog will look a bit odd in the intermediate steps, but the effort will be worth it.
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Chelle and the rest of the crew including, but not limited to Kita and Taiko (the shiba inu wrestle maniacs), Adi (reserved and dignified tabby cat), and all 28 reptiles

Thanks for the quick response.. I'm trying to work with him.. slowly having the clippers off and touching his face and his head.. when he gets a bit more comfortable with it, I'll turn it on.. cause right now he'll bite if it's on... how long should I do this a day?

Thanks for the quick response.. I'm trying to work with him.. slowly having the clippers off and touching his face and his head.. when he gets a bit more comfortable with it, I'll turn it on.. cause right now he'll bite if it's on... how long should I do this a day?

Hi,
It sounds like your're approaching the problem the right way....a little at a time. I have a Shih Tzu who has to be trimmed regularly. When she was a pup, I started very slowly...going through the motions with the trimmer off at first. She's very treat orientated so if she was good, she got a very tiny treat and a lot of praise. I then turned the timmer on and continued with the tiny treat. Now, she gets a treat at the end of the trimming session. It didn't take her long but of course she was a pup. It may take a little longer with an adult dog. I don't know where you're trimming your dog but you might want to put the dog on a stable, small TV tray type table. The dog may worry more about the table and not be as aggressive attacking the trimmer. Good luck and let us know how things are going.

Here's a picture of my Katie being trimmed. Of course not everyone does it in the living room but Katie likes to watch TV while being worked on.

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Mary Lou & Katie