Originally Posted by
Abulafia
Ok, many thanks.
I regularly "groom" her—hands all over, checking her ears, mouth, feet, between the toes, etc.—and she's always fine with that (still is). And we'd been brushing her every few days... she'd never loved it, it's true, but she was fine with it until a week or so ago, when "I'm not liking this much" turned into "no freaking way" and real fear. Not growling or anything, but whale eye and running away. So weird. Yesterday she was really freaked out.
So, maybe just leave the brush out in the open for a few days, let her see it, then just do short sessions w/ high-reward treats. Sound right?
I admit to not having a grooming table, and should probably get one so there is a set "place" for this to happen. What do you use? A formal "grooming table," or... well, I guess that's what you'd want. I surely can't put her on any of the tables we have. Ok, will look for that.
And... another dumb question. The dremel—you use a special "nail grinder" type, right? I have a full Dremel tool that I use for wood working and rocket building (I build high powered rockets as a hobby, this is true), but that seems way too powerful for a dog's claws. So far she's kept hers nice and short just from our walks, but I know I need to do this soon. I just saw you can buy "nail grinders" from some pet sources. Is this what you are using?