# Groomy Lumi



## Fluffyspoos (Aug 11, 2009)

What a cutie C: and such a good girl. I wish more of my clients did stuff like this with their puppies.


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## PammiPoodle (Jul 16, 2011)

Tell me about it, Fluffy! I've been thinking about offering "Grooming Training" classes, or sessions, for my clients. Either teaching the clients how to train their dogs, or just having them leave Spot with me for a training session during which we may or may not get any actual grooming done, but will practice behaviors that make the groom easier for both of us. : )

Either way, this *is* going on my website, so maybe it will inspire some at-home training, at least!


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## tokipoke (Sep 3, 2011)

So cute it makes my head explode! Your baby is gonna be SO good on the table!! I wish everyone would train their dogs to love grooming. I just feel so bad for the dogs that hate it, because it's such a bonding experience! I did the same thing with Leroy when he was a pup. I'd shave a spot on his foot, treat - shave around one toe - treat, etc. - Then I shaved his face. He did resist at first but I'd shave a small spot, then give a treat. The first time I did it, it looked decent but he grew to accept the face shaving. Also did that with nail grinding. Grind one nail - get a treat! He got a treat and several more for each toe! I bring him to work sometimes and I was working on a yorkie pup who HATED the blower. It would attack the end and bite! Leroy came up to the table to see what all the fuss was about. I was trying to shoo him away by using the blower in his face. He just stood there right in the blower, his eyes closed, his tongue hanging out, as if he was sticking his head out of a car window lol. Then he walked away and laid down. The yorkie continued to flip out on the table. Leroy went to sleep, probably thinking "I don't see what all the fuss is about with the blower!" I still give him treats when he will put up with the force dryer on his head/face.


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## spoowhisperer (Apr 26, 2010)

Super cute! What a love button!


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## sgeorge (Jul 31, 2011)

I hope my little furbaby (who should be coming along soon) will be just as adorable and easy-going!


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## PammiPoodle (Jul 16, 2011)

Than you, all!

sgeorge, a new puppy? How exciting!! You should know that Lumi is actually not easy-going! Not naturally, at least. Her nickname is Boldylocks. She'll fight anything she doesn't like! Unless I teach her that cooperating gets her a treat. : ) Just fyi in case you do end up with a very strong-willed puppy like Lumi so you don't have to freak out like I did. : P When I first tried grooming her she would struggle to get away and whip around to mouth and bite my hands! I thought "She's going to hate grooming. NNNOOOOOO!!!!!!" Hahaha Clearly, she's learned to see things my way. : )


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## sgeorge (Jul 31, 2011)

Yes a new puppy! :happy: I've been researching, meeting and greeting breeders for a fair few months now and have finally found one. It's still a little way off, but I'm hoping to get a girl out of one of the two litters she has due at the start of November, most likely a gorgeous chocolate brown or red toy. 

I must admit to having watched all of Lumi's videos and stalked all of her photos.... I can't resist! But thank you for the warning, I'll be on holidays when I eventually get my little one, so I'll have plenty of time to spend with her.

But it seems like you have done an amazing 'taming' the feisty one!


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## PammiPoodle (Jul 16, 2011)

Sgeorge, good for you! Such pretty colors!! When you say "all" of Lumi's videos, does that include the ones on my Youtube account? : ) Just fyi, there are more there that aren't here. I also have a video of her second groom that I haven't posted yet, so you'll get to see her antics one of these days!

Spoowhisperer, I love your avatar pic!!

Tokipoke, I agree! Raising Lumi is causing me to reevaluate my handling of my clients. I feel guilty that I'm so resistant to forcing Lumi throgh anything, but then I'll just hold onto a client's paw to trim the nails no matter how much she struggles. (Within reason, obviously. I don't traumatize the poor things!) If I hit something Lumi isn't comfortable with we stop and work on shaping the behavior. Sometimes this means it takes days to trim a certain nail, shave the face evenly, scissor the tail. Obviously, I can't spend that much time with a client so we just "push through", but I hate it! I'm now thinking of offering a free training session for every client and owner, and possibly even adjusting my pricing so I can spend more time with each pet. Also, I don't give treats to clients since I worry about allergies, or otherwise getting a dog sick. I think I may change that and ask clients to bring in their pup's favorite treat so hopefully we can turn around any rough patches. it's just so hard because we can't train a dog when we see them once a month, or once every 8 weeks!! : /


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## CT Girl (Nov 17, 2010)

What a great video. She is going to have fantastic table manners. Now I wish even more you would move to CT and be my groomer. We would definately enroll in your classes. This will help me train Swizzle to be better for grooming. I have done some training but now I see I need to break it into smaller behaviors and treat more frequently. Do you use cooked chicken as your treat? That is what I use for class (or pork tenderloin). You can give them tiny morsels - so we can train our dogs without turning them into butterballs. I just started your vinegar wash but I was not putting the solution on Swizzle as much as you do. Swizzle likes when I wash around the eye area but I really should reward him with a treat. Between you and Fluffyspoos we are going to have dogs that are a dream to groom. Thank you.


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## PammiPoodle (Jul 16, 2011)

CT Girl, buy me a house and your wish is my command. ; )

I'm using a combo of a few freeze dried meats and some other random things that she likes - goldfish crackers, pill pockets, tortilla chips. Mostly in pieces smaller than a BB. : )

I only take so long with the q-tip because she has crusties at the end of her tear tracks, and I just keep wiping them until they soften up and come off. When she's crusty-free it's just *swab, swab, dry, dry* Done, done! : ) I don't always dry it, it really depends on how close I got to the eye and if her eyes are currently watering. If they are I worry the tears will cause the vinegar to wick up. I don't know if that's even possible, but I've never heard of anyone else doing this so I don't want it to hurt her!! I also don't *know* if this is keeping her tear stains away or the yogurt! I'll have to stop one method to see if there's a change. Also, you don't have to use a 50/50 solution, you can use a higher water ratio at first if it seems to work. I know straight vinegar can burn the skin. I started Lumi with 1 part vinegar to 2 parts water, and now we do half and half. I'm sorry, I just like to give a lot of warnings since I totally just made this up and I don't want anyone to hurt their babies because of me!!

Yea, if Swizzle is resisting, then relaxing, then getting a treat, he may learn that "relax, fight, relax" is the pattern that's being rewarded! : P So, if you can reward him *before* he fusses, then he learns that just relaxing is earning the treat. Sometimes I push Lumi too far, and she fights, too. I'm pretty sure you can see it in this video a few times. I just ignore it and wait for calm, then reward. And I learn to reward *sooner* in the future, because she's not ready for what I just asked of her. : ) You can actually see it really clearly at 5:20 when I'm shaving around her ear canal. I ask too much of her twice and she flinches because it tickles, and she doesn't realize that sitting still is what I want. The third time when I reward her I actually don't go all the way to the ear canal, and reward her for being calm as I get close to it. We need to build up to getting right into that ear. : ) You'll also notice that she was sitting very nicely for about 4 seconds the first time before she gave up and shook. I missed my window. The next time I went in, since she thought sitting still wasn't going to get her anything, she shook right away.


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## sgeorge (Jul 31, 2011)

PammiPoodle said:


> Sgeorge, good for you! Such pretty colors!! When you say "all" of Lumi's videos, does that include the ones on my Youtube account? : ) Just fyi, there are more there that aren't here. I also have a video of her second groom that I haven't posted yet, so you'll get to see her antics one of these days!


Yep, I've already looked at the youtube ones. I simply can't resist!


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## Chagall's mom (Jan 9, 2010)

I honestly don't know what's sweeter; the sight of charming little Lumi patiently learning her "table manners," or the beautifully loving way you treat her. You're both too sweet for words. I think the idea of having "preschool" grooming lessons for puppies is fantastic! :thumb:I really like and appreciate the videos you post, thank you!


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## PammiPoodle (Jul 16, 2011)

Aw, Chagall's Mom, *you're* so sweet! : ) Lumi and I definitely bring out the best in each other during grooming. You should see her angry face when she doesn't feel like being picked up, or mine when I catch her chewing the molding for the fifth time in two minutes!! Hahaha


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## CT Girl (Nov 17, 2010)

Swizzle is not really resisting I just always push it a little too far. I need to stop before he is sick and tired of it - he is a puppy after all. Shorter sessions and more treats will make both of us happier. Swizzle's eyes don't tear that much but they do stain (never had a crustie). He loves having his eyes wiped - I think it must remind him of his mommy and the q-tip is the same. It is frustrating to see those little tear stains. I hope the yogurt or the vinegar/water solution works for us - both are so easy. 

Chagall's Mom is right watching your loving interaction with Lumi is heartwarming to see. What a special, bonded pair you are.


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## PammiPoodle (Jul 16, 2011)

Oh, I see what you mean. It's just not fun anymore by the time you stop! In the beginning when I was finished with a grooming session (meaning I could tell Lumi was bored or not focused), I'd call her over to me and get a few kisses before I'd pick her up and set her free. Now Lumi will start turning toward me and try to give me kisses when she wants to stop. And then I grant her wish. : ) I thought it was only fair that she be able to say she's done when she's done. If I do my job right she'll *want* to be up there. But, like any training session, sometimes they've got a full belly and a tired brain and it's over. : ) I find myself constantly explaining to my friends and clients why she's "a mess". Hahaha Everyone usually thinks she looks great, but in a perfect world she'd have a full comb out and freshly tied topknot before greeting any guest, and she'd have her FFT touched up every two to three days. As it is now we rotate between all of those things and get between 5 and 20 minutes of work done a day. : P So she's always "a mess" in at least one department! Hahaha I'm hoping the payoff will be an adult dog who has no grooming hang-ups. : ) Fingers are crossed!

That's so nice that Swizzle enjoys it! I think so much of grooming can be enjoyable if the dog just feels free to enjoy it, not forced through it. : ) Is he eating the yogurt? Lumi hasn't had it in a few days, she's already a picky eater. : ( I'm going to stop offering her yogurt for a week or two and see if the stains come back. It'll be a good way to learn. Do you shave or scissor Swizzle's face yourself? If you do then you'll get quick results if the new hair growing is is stain-free. : )


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## Maura9900 (Mar 31, 2011)

Lumi is precious!


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## phrannie (Jan 8, 2011)

*I guess you can tell that the concencus is.............GAWD SHE IS CUTE CUTE CUTE!!!!  Not to mention....what a goooooood girl!!*


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## CT Girl (Nov 17, 2010)

I am just starting Swizzle on yogurt. We just flew down to Florida with him and so he has had a day with yogurt and two without. Tomorrow he will start yogurt on vacation too. I bought a Laube speed feed and have every intention of touching him up between groomings but so far I keep chickening out. I wont be able to do the vinegar here and will just wash his face with water but if the yogurt alone makes a difference at least I will be able to tell this way. Swizzle is not a picky eater - he gets raw and he is thrilled to eat. Makes feeding him fun.


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## NorthJerseyGirrl (Aug 15, 2011)

This video was great, Pammi. I have a puppy too and she is not taking kindly to the switch from her expert breeder's grooming to my slow, anxious beginner's efforts. Our first session wasn't too awful but the second went downhill fast. Then I watched your video and realized I needed to take a big step backwards. I've started reacclimating her to the clippers one moment at a time with loads of encouragement. Within a minute or two she was willing to let me work on her face without rebelling. I'll continue the slow approach until we're both ready for a more sustained session. Thank you! Great relief here.


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## poodlelover (Oct 19, 2008)

So cute, are her ears shaved or just still short because she is a puppy?


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## PammiPoodle (Jul 16, 2011)

Thanks, all. : )

Poodlelover, they are shaved. : ) I love them short like this! They pop up when she runs or plays and she looks like a little hedgehog!

Northjerseygirrl, how's grooming going with your new baby?

CT Girl, any change with the tear stains? Does Swizzle still like his yogurt? : )


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## CT Girl (Nov 17, 2010)

We are in Florida now and I have not been able to keep up with the yogurt - I keep forgetting. I am glad you asked - hopefully it will help me remember tomorrow.


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## PammiPoodle (Jul 16, 2011)

Thanks for the update. : ) Lumi hasn't had yogurt in over a week and still has no stains. I'm not convinced the yogurt didn't help. Maybe they will come back, it just takes a while for the body chemistry to change? I don't know, just guessing stuff. : P Curious to see how it works for Swizzle!


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## minipoodlelover (Jul 25, 2011)

Pammi, I want to thank you for this video too. I love the way you handle Lumi, read her signals, and take small steps in accomplishing what needs to be done. My clippers are due to arrive this week, and your lessons have given me a good amount of the courage I'll need to get started -- I plan on following your small step/reward and praise method.

Regarding yogurt - Angie's face is very light and shows tearing. I started her on plain yogurt atop her lunchtime kibble last week, and I'm noticing less tearing and crusties. It's too soon to say for sure, but maybe the yogurt is making a difference.


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## flightsoffancy (Nov 9, 2011)

What a cute puppy!! I love the video!!!!
What kinds of treats are you giving her? they are perfectly small and she really loves them!


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## PammiPoodle (Jul 16, 2011)

Flightsoffancy, it's broken up bits of freeze dried beef liver and chicken, and some other goodies like goldfish crackers and pill pockets. I spend my evenings fending off cat-vultures while breaking up treats into a jar for Lumi. : P


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## janet6567 (Mar 11, 2014)

I wish there were some groomers in my area who would give classes to clients on how to prepare their dogs for grooming. It would be SO much better for the dogs . . . and for the groomers too. What do you use for treats?


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## Manxcat (May 6, 2013)

Small (tiny) pieces of boiled chicken for mine, or occasionally liver cake, or if we're running short of stuff some Acana kibble broken in half (hard on the fingernails!). Also good is cheese - we keep a tube of Dairylea processed cheese spread just for the dogs. I squeeze a little tiny bit out and they just lick the end of the tube... don't confuse it with human food in your fridge though (yeuk). Or regular cheese but cut into little tiny pieces. 

Less is more!


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