dog bites when groomed

Question
QUESTION: My 3 year old Bischon used to let my son and I groom him with ease. Now he starts shaking when he sees any tool associated with grooming. We have never hurt him, but we adopted him at 5 months of age. He usually is docile, but starts growling and snarling and trying to bite when we continue to groom him. What should I do. Our vet even gave us tranquillizers---they do not work. He still bites us.

ANSWER: Do you tell him he's a good boy and everything will be all right when he acts like that? Don't reward bad behavior by coddling them!  Are you working consistently on him? Or do you groom him when the feeling moves you? These dogs are considered HIGH maintenance. They need to be on a regular schedule so they are not matted and don't freak when you run a comb through them. If you are grooming this dog any less that bi-weekly, you caused the problem and will need to let a professional take over until you gain the skills necessary to do it yourself. You need a muzzle until he gets the idea his behavior is unacceptable. Work on him at the same place every time and be sure to stand over him so he knows who the boss is. Don't talk baby talk to him when he acts up. Tell him to knock it off and keep working. He may not like it but then he doesn't have to- he needs it done. Period. Otherwise he will end up being shaved down like a chicken.
Steady and onward - otherwise to the groomers!




---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I sternly tell him no when he snarls. However, he still bit my son who was holding him for me while I was grooming him last week. I tried to work on him every week, but he kept getting more anxious every time I tried to clip him so the times became extended.  

What can the groomers do to hold him down while working on him? He squirms so much I am afraid he will break his leg?
Robin

Answer
First off,  your son should not be holding him. If you can't control him he thinks he is in charge.
Groomers are trained to get a dog on a correct surface with a loop around the neck, to stack them up correctly and get their attention without giving in to such shennanigans. Eventually they learn but not when there are no restrictions and inexperience can worsen the behavior. Use a muzzle. It's safer for you and the dog- who loves you but you are hurting him and he is afraid.
Bichons are not usually biters- don't make it worse. Let a pro work on him for a while and train him so you can at least  do the maintenance in between.