Grooming has never been Tux’s favorite part of training and when we first started working on the grooming and appearance portion of the Canine Good Citizen test, he’d bolt the second I picked up a brush. To help him feel more comfortable, we started small. I used food lures to keep him close for just a few brush strokes at a time. We’d always kick things off with a fun “touch” game using the brush to make it feel like less of a threat and more of a game. Over time, I slowly faded the treats and started using verbal cues like “Are you ready?” and counting between strokes (“1…2…3…4…5…yes!”) so he’d know what to expect. It gave him some predictability and that made a huge difference. We’re not at “loves grooming” status yet… but he’s not running away anymore. That’s a win in my book. #DogTrainingJourney #caninegoodcitizen #dogtraining