# My dog hates me right now (nails and ears problems)



## Annamarie (Oct 14, 2007)

It used to be so easy to clip my min pin's nails. I just sat in front of him and held his paw and clipped his nails. He might give out one of those worried wimpers but it was just because he was anxious and unsure. I've only quicked him one time when he was a few months younger, and it was very minor, it was more like fluid than blood, i must have just missed his quick. It's hard to judge on some of his nails because they're all black and some have a larger quick.

I've always been very careful cutting his nails, snipping a tiny bit at a time and have never quicked him since. Still, every time I do his nails he gets a little bit worse. It's to the point now where I have to crouch on my knees and lean over him to hold him down to do his front paws. His back legs he doesn't mind too much. Yesterday I had to actually put his gentle leader on to keep him still. He cries every time I touch him with the nail clippers and sometimes yelps before I've even snipped anything so he's not being hurt. It's worrying me how much he pulls his nails back though because him squirming is going to get him quicked one day. After 15 minutes of this he usually settles down and it goes much faster and easier, in the beginning he used to eventually relax so much he fell asleep. Now it's taking longer for him to settle down. It takes me about 3 to 5 minutes to do the first few nails!

So there's one issue  

The second issue is doing his ears. I have to put ear drops in his ears once a week because his ears are quite waxy. To put the drops in you have to put 8 drops in the ear, rub his ear, then let him shake it out. He's afraid of the bottle because when you squeeze it it blows air in his ear. So I changed to a syringe, and now he's afraid of that too. Last time I did his ears, again, I had to use his gentle leader to keep him still and keep him from biting. He was biting at the syringe (flicking his head back when I got close to his ears.. I was worried he was going to end up with drops in his eyes which would hurt) and being that my hand was holding the syringe, I didn't want to get bit. Normally he's not a biter but his behavior was escalating.

I managed to get the drops in 1 ear and 1/2 the needed drops in the other.

After doing his nails or his ears, he'll go into his crate and sulk for the rest of the day. I always give him treats after I'm done and treats when he gives even a second of relaxation. It seems to work as a domino effect and the more he relaxes, the more praise and treats he gets. He's now a year old and should be getting better, not worse... Yesterday after I was done he wouldn't take treats from me, wouldn't look at me, didn't want to have anything to do with me. normally he'll lay with me on the couch and watch tv after dinner, yesterday he didn't make up until bedtime when he came and snuggled down with me. My SO however, since he's not the evil one who does the nails or ears or any other grooming stuff that he hates (like having flea treatment put on) he was all over, cuddling and wagging his tail and licking his face. I swear he was rubbing it in to make me feel worse lol

I was thinking for the ear drops cleaning them out with the liquid on a cotton swab instead of the syringe, although this won't do nearly as much good as getting all the drops in there. Or if i could find a really tiny syringe that would be easier... are there any tricks of the trade you could share for doing ear drops?

For the nails, I'm thinking maybe I'll do one front and back nail a day instead of doing them once a week. But I don't know if this would make it better or worse?

I also want to get my SO to start doing some grooming stuff with him, because I don't want to be the evil one who does all the bad stuff to the poor guy. Plus he seems to be better at getting him to do stuff because he has always like men better and is more willing to cooperate for my SO than me from day one.


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## Annamarie (Oct 14, 2007)

no suggestions?

someone suggested a dremmel tool in another thread but the only ones i've found made a loud high pitched noise that scares the heck out of him.


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## kobe3001 (Sep 17, 2007)

You might want to have a groomer do his nails... or a friend whom you might trust with your dog. A couple I know do their dog's grooming together. We get Kobe's nails done at the groomers, since we are still just too nervous.

The bottom line is that if you are the one constantly administering something that he seems to despise, he will associate you with the unpleasant experience which happens regularly, so you could ask you SO to take turns with you if possible or take him to someone else at least for the nails.


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## Annamarie (Oct 14, 2007)

ya, that's what i'm afraid of  at this point i don't even think my SO could do his nails because he isn't very good at holding him in place. as soon as he puts up a fuss he babies him and stops doing it. so therefore i have to be the bad guy all the time.

he does have an issue with strangers though... but maybe if i take him to the groomer he'll only hate her  how much does it cost anyway? i think the vet and the pet store do it pretty cheap... my mother in law has to take her husky to the vet to get his nails done because he hates it so much. she even has to park down the street because he won't get out of the car if he sees the vet office lol...


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## Durbkat (Jun 26, 2007)

I would just take him to the groomers to get his nails done as my dog is that way because he hates getting his face cleaned so he thinks I'm the evil person. So I'm taking my dog to the groomers to get his nails trimmed and his face trimmed short so I won't have to clean his face for awhile.


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## TeddieXRuxpin (Sep 11, 2007)

Ever since I brought Teddie home he would bite me if I touched his ears or feet. He had to be sedated once to have his nails clipped and after a bill of $170 just to get his nails clipped I set out to find a brave groomer. 

There is a groomer right next to my sisters ferret vet so we went over and he is the only person that has been able to do anything to him. Teddie lets him pull the hair out of his ears, clip his nails, trim his hair and anything has to be done. 

It cost me $7 every three weeks to have his nails clipped and it's well worth every penny. 

A lot of groomers don't want to touch a dog that is by any means aggressive. This isn't a place I would of even thought of taking him by the looks from outside, but now I go every three weeks and also to get him groomed. 

My first thought is a groomer. I would never be able to keep up with Teddie's nails if I didn't have this groomer.


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## Durbkat (Jun 26, 2007)

Do you know how he does it? I have been rewarding Snoopy with treats he doesn't get often if he lets me touch his face and he lets me do it but when I go to clean his face he fights it. I suppose he can tell the difference between the touching of the face when I want him to get used to it and the touching of the face when I need to clean him.


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## Annamarie (Oct 14, 2007)

I just googled some tips on ear drops and discovered that you have to warm them up before you put them in. I've never had a dog that needed drops so I didn't know this, now I feel terrible! I'll try warming them and see if i can find a smaller syringe as well. that might work...

as far as the nails, at this point a groomer might be the best bet. i'd rather he hate someone else lol


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## TeddieXRuxpin (Sep 11, 2007)

Durbkat said:


> Do you know how he does it? I have been rewarding Snoopy with treats he doesn't get often if he lets me touch his face and he lets me do it but when I go to clean his face he fights it. I suppose he can tell the difference between the touching of the face when I want him to get used to it and the touching of the face when I need to clean him.


He doesn't give up when he starts to fuss. I always get upset or he ends up biting me and I give him that look. I don't hit him, but that look is enough said when i'mangry with him. Then he gets upset and said because I'm mad at him. I'm up on a pedistool in his mind so when I'm mad he gets supper upset! Sad puppy eyes come out.

Eddie(groomer), holds him down(doesn't hurt him) and no matter how much he screams he just keeps going on about what he's doing. Teddie has gone once for a full groom, bath, cut, ears, face etc and twice for his nails. The first time it took him 15 minutes and Teddie screamed the whole time; I though he was killing him. Then this past visit he was done in about five minutes and only a tiny bit of barking from Teddie. The sad part is Eddie has only one eye and can do a better job than I can.  

Before I found him I was worried about having to get Teddie put under again because one I can't afford $170 every three weeks and it's horrible on his health. I nor my sister can stand long nails on animals, we clip the dogs and cats nails at adoptions.. So this period of time was really hard for me. Now there is no more clickity clackety on the hard wood floors lol.


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## Durbkat (Jun 26, 2007)

Well that is what I do, I put my arm over his body to restrain him and then I use my hand to hold his mouth shut as he will try to bite me and then I go to work. He doesn't fight as much, but he still does.


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## TeddieXRuxpin (Sep 11, 2007)

Annamarie said:


> I just googled some tips on ear drops and discovered that you have to warm them up before you put them in. I've never had a dog that needed drops so I didn't know this, now I feel terrible! I'll try warming them and see if i can find a smaller syringe as well. that might work...
> 
> as far as the nails, at this point a groomer might be the best bet. i'd rather he hate someone else lol


I'm not sure what kind of drops, but I've never heard of any kind of dog ear drops to be warmed up. If they're medicated that's just a bad idea all around. 

Don't trust everything you read online.


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## Annamarie (Oct 14, 2007)

i don't mean in the microwave, but just in your hands or some warm water so they're body temperature. apparently it hurts if it's cold which is understandable.

he has an appointment at the vet tomorrow to get his nails done. 1/2 price on tuesdays so only $9 woohoo! he will have to be muzzled though


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## TeddieXRuxpin (Sep 11, 2007)

Annamarie said:


> i don't mean in the microwave, but just in your hands or some warm water so they're body temperature. apparently it hurts if it's cold which is understandable.
> 
> he has an appointment at the vet tomorrow to get his nails done. 1/2 price on tuesdays so only $9 woohoo! he will have to be muzzled though


I was thinking you meant in the microwave.. Sorry. I can understand it hurting when cold too, but my first thought was "microwave? Where did she read that..".


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## Mudra (Nov 1, 2007)

I know how you feel. I clipped my dogs nail last Sunday and boy, was it tough! I did everything, held him down, made him sit, I even gave them kibbles for everytime I clip a nail. They move so much I cant concentrate! I managed to successfully cut their nails without injuring them but it took me two hours to do both.


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## Annamarie (Oct 14, 2007)

well my SO didn't like the idea of the dog being muzzled and going to the vet to be traumatized by having his nails done by strangers, I agree although I'm at the point where I can't do them anymore.

Right now he's sitting with the dog doing his nails. Pup is crying and squirming but being a whole lot more co-operative with my SO than he is with me. I suppose it helps my SO picks him up and holds him and babies him and gives him lots of breaks and cookies. 

My SO just left one cookie on the living room table while they were taking a break, the dog quietly took it off the table and ran down the hallway with his tail wagging to eat it with my SO chasing him going "hey!". I guess he decided "i earned that cookie, it's mine!"

hopefully he can do the nails from now on. considering he doesn't do any of the other work for the dog i'm happy to see him starting to participate.


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## labro (Oct 23, 2007)

The key to nail clipping is to hold the dog leg back to their rib cage instead of pulling it forward. it put the leg in a place where the dog cannot bit you. if you can put a slip lead on the dog, ask it to stand and have someone hold the leash up like a grooming noose, that would be probably make your job much easier. Good luck, i have no advice for ears because I have not had the misfortune of a dog with ear issues. Knock on wood.



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## Love's_Sophie (Sep 23, 2007)

labro said:


> The key to nail clipping is to hold the dog leg back to their rib cage instead of pulling it forward. it put the leg in a place where the dog cannot bit you. if you can put a slip lead on the dog, ask it to stand and have someone hold the leash up like a grooming noose, that would be probably make your job much easier. Good luck, i have no advice for ears because I have not had the misfortune of a dog with ear issues. Knock on wood.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Ditto on holding the legs backward instead of forward as well as tying, or having someone hold the dog in a standing position; make sure the person who holds the dog does not 'let go' or give the dog extra leash while he struggles or you could wind up getting bitten anyway! It is also a good idea to put the dog up against a wall; that way he cannot spin around in endless circles like if you just try to do something in the wide open.


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## Annamarie (Oct 14, 2007)

i tried bending the leg back towards his rib cage but he still struggled and it's hard to keep him still because his legs are so small there's not much to hold onto when it's bent back. 

i'll try it again to see if i can master the technique 

for the eardrops it's come down to warming them up in warm water and putting them in the ears more frequently in smaller amounts with a cotton swab. it seems to be working.


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## Baster84 (Nov 6, 2007)

Tranquilize him, he'd not struggle and ultimately for his own benefit it's less traumatizing. A sleeping tablet from the vet or something similar.


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