Author Topic: hi all pyr owners  (Read 15626 times)

Offline GoldenPyrs

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Re: hi all pyr owners
« Reply #15 on: November 08, 2008, 09:01:13 pm »
Hi & welcome.  We've been loved by Pyrs for almost 20 years now and they are definitely habit forming!  Cassie & Sammy are our 3rd & 4th now.  There are lots of friendly, helpful people on BPO, so feel free to let us know if you have any questions.   :)
Marie

And my pups:
Daisy a 9 y/o Golden/Lab mix
Sammy a 6-7(?) y/o Great Pyrenees adopted 3/07
Cassie a 3 y/o Pyr/Mystery Snuggle Bunny mix adopted 2/07

My angel girls waiting at the Bridge:
Cara 1989-2001 Great Pyrenees
Sally ? - 1993 Dobie(rescued '92)
Halley 2002-2006 Great Pyrenees

Offline JOEYS MOM

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Help from Pyr owners please
« Reply #16 on: November 13, 2008, 11:52:31 am »
Does anyone have a much trouble as I do trying to trim your Pyr's nails and brush/comb the knots out of their fur?  We adopted Joey from the local shelter 4 years ago.  What a wonderful companion and friend he is to us.  He was 14 months old when he came home with me and had been in a home with toddlers.  We have no children but he did get an instant "sister" when he joined our family.  She is a mixed (shepherd/husky/cattle dog) breed, the same age as Joey but 100 pounds lighter!  They bonded immediately and are inseparable, even though she is so bossy.  When he first came home to us I was able to groom him with very little problems.  I never hurt him.  He seemed to love the attention.  Now he runs from the brush & comb like I am going to kill him!  Help!  He really needs some serious grooming and would never trust a professional groomer.  Joey only sees my husband and me daily, we live in the mountains of Colorado on a couple of acres, so he is only exposed to us and the couple we socialize with.  Any suggestions would be very much appreciated.

Offline patrick

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Re: hi all pyr owners
« Reply #17 on: November 14, 2008, 02:29:43 am »
Make grooming a fun time with lots of praise and treats  Only do a little at a time but also have a second person so he can't run away.  For tangles and mats - cut them out  He is not a show dog and it is far less traumatic.  You also can use a detangler to help get knots out. My dogs will almost fight to be the first one on the grooming table and sometimes will get up 2 at a time- they LOVE being groomed.  And if a table is not handy all I have to do is pick up a comb and I will have a herd around me to get brushed/combed.

Offline JOEYS MOM

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Re: hi all pyr owners
« Reply #18 on: November 14, 2008, 10:27:10 am »
Thanks Patrick.  I will try anything shy of sedation!

Offline GoldenPyrs

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Re: hi all pyr owners
« Reply #19 on: November 14, 2008, 11:02:55 am »
I'm seconding Patrick's suggestion here with our experience.

When we adopted Sammy he was around 3-5 y/o and likely had never been groomed.  :(  He was in such bad shape that he'd been shaved down to the skin by the animal shelter that had seized him due to abuse & neglect.  Anyway, all was easy as long as he had practically no fur & his nails were short.  ;)  :D  But when everything started to grow back in, he wasn't too sure that he liked us so much after all.  We were lucky that he's such a sweet lamb & didn't try to bite, but he looked very scared & stressed.  We dealt with it by having my hubby & I take turns doing the brushing, while the other sat in front of Sam & petted him, praised him & fed him kibble after kibble after kibble!  Honestly, that may just be how he gained his weight back so fast.   :D   He really couldn't think about the brush or mat rake when there was something yummy in his mouth.   ;)

Nails weren't fun either, so my hubby would sit on a chair (without arms) and lift Sam into his lap with Sam's legs hanging down (looked like a fork lift  ;)) and I'd sit on the floor under him & trim his nails while I fed him treats.  This kept him still & the treats kept him happy long enough to get the job done.  We also started out slowly, only 5 minutes or so at first, until Sam began to look forward to the treats & could tolerate longer without seeming too stressed.  In time, it became something that though he probably still doesn't look forward to like Cassie & Daisy do.  He doesn't seem to mind too much either. 

If your boy is food or treat motivated, I'd definitely try this for him.  Good luck & let us know how it's going.  :)
Marie

And my pups:
Daisy a 9 y/o Golden/Lab mix
Sammy a 6-7(?) y/o Great Pyrenees adopted 3/07
Cassie a 3 y/o Pyr/Mystery Snuggle Bunny mix adopted 2/07

My angel girls waiting at the Bridge:
Cara 1989-2001 Great Pyrenees
Sally ? - 1993 Dobie(rescued '92)
Halley 2002-2006 Great Pyrenees