If you have problems
grooming or cleaning around your pet’s tail, you are not alone! The tail is a sensitive extension of the
spinal cord. It also tends to grow
longer hair that tangles more easily on many pets. What can you do when you
need to wash, brush, or comb your pet’s tail?
Read on…
Take It Slow
If your pet is nervous about you messing around with its
back end, try a relaxed approach. Don’t
try to get everything done on the first session. Rather, work on just petting or handling the
tail at first.
Take A Break
Don’t feel that you have to get this done in one
session. If you and your pet have only
limited amounts of tolerance for grooming, don’t push past your or their stress
points.
Take A Walk
After your session, go do something fun with your pet. This both reinforces the positive bond
between you and associates grooming time with a fun activity.
Divide and Conquer
Divide the tail up into sections and make those sections
your goal for the session. This means
your pet spends less time being stressed and you have a small, achievable goal.
Mark The Spot
If you’re familiar with clicker/marker training, you can
utilize it to shape your pet’s behavior.
Mark the behaviors of sitting still or letting you pet the tail. If you feel your pet is ready for it, try
some light brushing and combing. If your
pet gets nervous or upset, back off until they accept your approach.