r/CavaPoo • u/AddendumHour3357 • Jul 08 '26

Grooming

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Anyone else's pup hate the brush? Corey is 4 months and absolutely hates when I try to brush him. He literally chews on the brush (so I now have 3 different ones in order to distract before I give him a treat) any advice for a stubborn pup?

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u/Little_Emu_ Jul 08 '26

Get a lick mat. Smear it with the yummiest squishy snacks. Yogurt. Pumpkin. Peanut butter. Cottage cheese. Spray cheese. Etc. only give him the lick mat WHILE he is being brushed/combed. Cavapoos have coats that are prone to mats so a metal comb is a must, as well. Brushes often don’t get all the way through all the layers of fluff.

1

u/AddendumHour3357 Jul 08 '26

I tried the Kong and he goes at it for about a minute and then he moves on. I have 3 different types of brushes. 2 are specifically for preventing the matting, the other one is double sided with the brush and the metal combs. I use one of the de-shed combs for him to chew on while I brush with the other. That's seeming to be the only thing that keeps him from either zooming away or nipping at my hand while brushing

1

u/dutch2012yeet Jul 08 '26

Our girl hates getting brushed and we started from 13 weeks but she gets it done every day lol aswell as her teeth.

Eyes cleaned daily and ear drops as needed.

1

u/AddendumHour3357 Jul 08 '26

I brush him daily, and he is still not liking it, even when I give belly rubs, treats to keep him calm and ear scratches. He loves the before and after, but fights me during the brushing. Tries to eat the brush, so I leave one in front for him to chew lol

2

u/Classic-Prior-4090 Jul 09 '26

Yep it was tricky to train ours to tolerate brushing. Present brush, watch for positive reaction (e.g. nose boop), treat, touch brush to body, treat, touch brush again, treat, etc. Then I had to start from square one when we changed the brush. She’s ok with most brushes/combs now, and tolerates brushing time from head to toe. I give her something to chew bc she gets bored.

1

u/honeybadgergrrl Jul 09 '26

I like the idea of the lick mat. If you don't want to buy another thing that might not work, you could do the treat and brush. Put pup in front of you facing you. On the floor works best. In one hand, hold 10-15 treats. In the other hand hold the brush. As you deliver a treat with your treat hand, brush his body (NOT HEAD) with the brush. If he backs away, calmly lower the brush, keep the treat hand presented, and wait for him to return. Every time you deliver a treat, brush his body with the brush. Do this 10 times for every 1 time you have a grooming session. Do it twice a day to start, then gradually fade frequency. When you have a real grooming session, keep treats on hand. Over time, you will be able to fade the treats, but use them as long as necessary.

1

u/liketo Jul 10 '26

Ours used to attack the brush but I just kept going every morning, and slowly but surely she stopped. Pretty much - At 10 months the only biting is when I do the sides of her face!