[Spoons]

A dog appeared at our house a month ago, and after extensive searching (posters, numerous alerts to a dozen surrounding animal hospitals/spca/animal control, and scanning for chip. there was none.) we decided to keep him.
He appears to be part husky, part collie, and maybe a few other breeds. He's great with other dogs, new people, etc. but when we brought him to be groomed, it was a different story. He was with the groomer all day, and was a sweetheart, but once they put him in the bath, he lost it. He barked, snapped, and got really aggressive. But once they stopped grooming him he was fine again.
Does anyone have any advice for how to handle this? When my husband brushes the dog, he is totally fine, but he has some serious matting that we don't think we can clear up ourselves. I know we could take him to the vet, and they would medicate him, but I am more concerned about the root of this issue. As he is a stray, we have no knowledge of his history.
Any advice would be helpful, as we do want to keep him, but need to know if this will be a recurring thing.

[gambler-girl]

Try a different groomer?

GG

[Todd]

Does he just get aggressive when the groomer gives him a bath? If so it is possible he just doesn't like water of to be bathed which isn't too uncommon with certain dogs. So is it just bathing or other grooming practices?

[Spoons]

Todd:
He has jumped into the pond near our house a couple of times, so I don't think it's the water. The bath tub the groomer used had pretty tall walls, though. So we are thinking it's more likely that he didn't like the confined space.
There is a local groomer that specialises in 'difficult' dogs, so it's not as if he will never be able to be groomed. I was just concerned this could be an indication of a more serious issue. But after some research I have discovered that there are lots of dogs who just hate being groomed, so perhaps ours is just that type.
In any case, I am going to remain cautious with him for a while to see if anything else triggers this aggressive behaviour. Hopefully this is the only incident!

[Todd]

Originally Posted by Spoons

Todd:
He has jumped into the pond near our house a couple of times, so I don't think it's the water. The bath tub the groomer used had pretty tall walls, though. So we are thinking it's more likely that he didn't like the confined space.
There is a local groomer that specialises in 'difficult' dogs, so it's not as if he will never be able to be groomed. I was just concerned this could be an indication of a more serious issue. But after some research I have discovered that there are lots of dogs who just hate being groomed, so perhaps ours is just that type.
In any case, I am going to remain cautious with him for a while to see if anything else triggers this aggressive behaviour. Hopefully this is the only incident!

All I can suggest is that either you or the groomer give him plenty of positive reinforcement/praise as well as treats while bathing him and getting him into the tub. As you said, sounds more like an issue with small spaces such as the unfarmiliar tub than the water itself. I might even try to desensitize him with the tub at your home. It's probably similar to the tub at the groomers so it would be a good think to work on for 5-10 minutes per day or so. Just have him enter the tube and praise him for doing so and give him treats. Another idea would be to place his food bowel in the tub and have him eat there just until the issue is solved. One thing to remember though is never force him into the tub. You want him to go in on his own will. You do not want him to feel as if you are forcing him in or this could make matters worse. What you want to do is prompt him to do so by using hand motions and treats/food as the lure or even a toy. If all else fais, which it shouldn't if you stay patient and consistent, you could bathe him yourself outside with a hose, but then what about in the winter? Not going to be as easy. This is an issue that is probably going to have to be solved. Good luck and keep us updated on your progress!

[adoptpaws4love]

Hi, My guess is he will always be like that unless you are able to slowly reduce the stress he faces about the water and whatever else triggered his dis like. My suggestion is that you get a wading pool, put an inch or so of water in it do not force him in it, just help him understand it will not hurt him by placing a great toy, floating much liked treats and let him have the option to "rescue" what he likes from the pool. If he will do this add water gradually so as not to frighten him until he eventually steps in on his own to get his beloved toys or treats that you can float on say a Frisbee or something.
Also, clippers can be very scary so let im in with an adult who say shaves or uses clippers on beard or just turn on clippers you may have and treat him but do not force him, eventually the sound will not make him crazy, at that time put them next to him and then let it go..build his tolerance for those things.
Get him to learn to shake hands or do touch by high fiving your hand for something of value eventually holding his paw a greater period of time, then tap his toes touch his pads and so forth until you can hold his foot with little reaction so he can learn to have nails clipped.
Meantime if he will let you take scissors carefully cut through mats so they can be brushed out more easily.