Big Paws Only Dog Forums
BPO Training Forum => Behavior, Housebreaking, Obedience => : my3dogs December 25, 2005, 09:33:34 AM
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I spend a lot of time touching Daisy's feet so that she won't freak out when I do so.
She does NOT like her nails cut.
Last night I clipped a back nail and she growled and spun her head around like she was going to bite me. I was 1% scared and 99% ANGRY. I grabbed her on the top of her muzzle and said, "NO BITE!" and a few other choice words because I was furious.
I touched her feet again and she did it again. I repeated what I did and then I made her leave the room. I was so angry that I'm not sure I handled it in the best way possible. This morning she is letting me touch her feet without issue.
Daisy is almost 1 yr old. Could it be age related?
Advice/suggestions welcome.
-Wendy
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When we got Perdi, she hadn't been made to do anything at all and hadn't been socialized properly to anything really. She hates her feet being touched. Her nails were so long and something needed to be done. When I got her I immediately began softly touching her legs while petting her...then I'd run my hands down to her feet. I'd let my hands rest on her feet and then we progressed to holding the feet for short amounts of time without her pulling away. I'm desensitizing her as I would my horses when I train them. Same concept really: slow, calm, frequent, and always end on a good note-not pulling away or not drawing her leg up to her chest- would be the good note. She is better, though not great (we've only been at it a month), but she's better than she was. We will have to muzzle her again I'm sure for the next clipping this next month since she's still unsure. It takes 3 people to clip her. Poor girl...a lot of her anxieties could have been aleviated if the owners had just worked with her as a pup.
Definitely don't let Daisy think she has the upper hand. I'd just start slow and rubbing her legs and gently running your hands down to her paws. Then start holding her paws for short periods of time, extending the time more and more, then pulling them a little and touching her toe nails while holding them....hopefu llly she'll come around. I hear a lot of people like the dremmels for their dogs nails, but I know that Perdi would jump out of her skin at the sight and sound of that thing coming near her!