By Margaret H.Bonham
Getting your dog up on the grooming table is an important part of dog grooming. After all, you can’t use the grooming table to groom your dog if you can’t get your dog on it.
If you have a small- to medium-sized dog, picking her up and putting her on the grooming table isn’t such a big chore. But if you have a large- or supersized pooch, you’re likely to schedule visits to your chiropractor after grooming sessions if you use that approach.
The two ways to coax your dog onto the table without hurting your back require training and may depend on whether your dog is capable. You can show your dog how to jump up on the table or provide accommodations that enable your dog to climb up on the table. Either way, after you show your dog how to get up on the table, you still need to make her stay there.
If your dog is arthritic, young, or just not athletic, a ramp or steps can be a handy solution. Several different kinds of steps and ramps are available.
Although most dogs love to hop onto the grooming table because they think they’re getting away with climbing on the furniture, a few may be apprehensive. If you’re trying to convince your dog to hop up onto the table and she just won’t do it — even for the yummiest of treats try using:
_ A lower table. A shorter table, such as an old coffee table or other sturdy piece of furniture, can make hopping up easier for your dog. You then try working up to higher surfaces. Four cinder blocks and a heavy board or piece of plywood or adjustable agility equipment also work. After a little practice at lower heights, you can try the grooming table again.
_ A different surface. Look at the surface of your grooming table. If it’s slick, try putting a piece of rubber-backed carpet on it. The carpet won’t slide, and neither will your dog when she jumps on it.
_ A sturdier grooming table. Dogs hate wobbly things, and if your grooming table wobbles in any way, fix it or get a sturdier one. You don’t want the table to wobble or (worse yet!) collapse while you’re working on your dog.
Never force a puppy or an injured, old, arthritic, or small dog to jump onto the table. Doing so can cause the dog serious injury.
Regardless of whether your dog is capable of jumping onto the table or whether stature, age, or infirmity prohibit her from doing so, you can find a way to train your dog to get up on the table and stay there. All you need to do is choose a time when your dog is more attentive and maybe a little hungry, have plenty of treats on hand, and follow these steps:
1. Bring your dog to the table.
Let her sniff it and become comfortable with it.
2. Show your dog a treat and say “Table.”
Use the treat to lure her up onto the table or the ramp or steps, depending on which method you’re using. You may not get her full compliance, but that’s okay. Reward your dog for any positive behavior toward getting onto the table, such as putting her front eet on the table or moving to the next step or farther up the ramp.
3. When your dog hops up or climbs onto the table, give her a treat and plenty of praise.
4. Lengthen the time your dog is on the table by telling her to “Stay” and holding her there with a treat.
Start with only a few seconds and then gradually increase the time.
5. Release your dog with the word “Okay,” which means she can jump off (or walk back down the ramp or steps).
Some dogs can injure themselves jumping off a table, even one as low as a grooming table. If you can, support the dog or carry her off so she doesn’t get hurt.
Sources: Dog Grooming For Dummies
If you have a small- to medium-sized dog, picking her up and putting her on the grooming table isn’t such a big chore. But if you have a large- or supersized pooch, you’re likely to schedule visits to your chiropractor after grooming sessions if you use that approach.
The two ways to coax your dog onto the table without hurting your back require training and may depend on whether your dog is capable. You can show your dog how to jump up on the table or provide accommodations that enable your dog to climb up on the table. Either way, after you show your dog how to get up on the table, you still need to make her stay there.
If your dog is arthritic, young, or just not athletic, a ramp or steps can be a handy solution. Several different kinds of steps and ramps are available.
Although most dogs love to hop onto the grooming table because they think they’re getting away with climbing on the furniture, a few may be apprehensive. If you’re trying to convince your dog to hop up onto the table and she just won’t do it — even for the yummiest of treats try using:
_ A lower table. A shorter table, such as an old coffee table or other sturdy piece of furniture, can make hopping up easier for your dog. You then try working up to higher surfaces. Four cinder blocks and a heavy board or piece of plywood or adjustable agility equipment also work. After a little practice at lower heights, you can try the grooming table again.
_ A different surface. Look at the surface of your grooming table. If it’s slick, try putting a piece of rubber-backed carpet on it. The carpet won’t slide, and neither will your dog when she jumps on it.
_ A sturdier grooming table. Dogs hate wobbly things, and if your grooming table wobbles in any way, fix it or get a sturdier one. You don’t want the table to wobble or (worse yet!) collapse while you’re working on your dog.
Never force a puppy or an injured, old, arthritic, or small dog to jump onto the table. Doing so can cause the dog serious injury.
Regardless of whether your dog is capable of jumping onto the table or whether stature, age, or infirmity prohibit her from doing so, you can find a way to train your dog to get up on the table and stay there. All you need to do is choose a time when your dog is more attentive and maybe a little hungry, have plenty of treats on hand, and follow these steps:
1. Bring your dog to the table.
Let her sniff it and become comfortable with it.
2. Show your dog a treat and say “Table.”
Use the treat to lure her up onto the table or the ramp or steps, depending on which method you’re using. You may not get her full compliance, but that’s okay. Reward your dog for any positive behavior toward getting onto the table, such as putting her front eet on the table or moving to the next step or farther up the ramp.
3. When your dog hops up or climbs onto the table, give her a treat and plenty of praise.
4. Lengthen the time your dog is on the table by telling her to “Stay” and holding her there with a treat.
Start with only a few seconds and then gradually increase the time.
5. Release your dog with the word “Okay,” which means she can jump off (or walk back down the ramp or steps).
Some dogs can injure themselves jumping off a table, even one as low as a grooming table. If you can, support the dog or carry her off so she doesn’t get hurt.
Sources: Dog Grooming For Dummies
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