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05-16-2013, 07:16 AM | #1 |
and Shelby's too Donating Member Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Millbrook, AL
Posts: 7,842
| My Drama Queen LOL Okay, I am at a complete loss how to make her quit acting this way. It is not that she is inately scared of scissors. I let her sniff them, I rub on her and lovey talk to her while I do. She sniffs them (I guess...I put them at her nose anyway). She doesn't seem the least bit scared of those scissors... Until... I go to cut the hair around her paws while she stands on the table. Then, it is like I am friggin killing her. BEFORE I even cut the hair. As soon as she "feels" the scissors touch one single hair follicle on her leg/foot, she screams Bloody Friggin Murder. I get so frustrated but I can't quit laughing at the same time. Then, it is all I can do to keep her from seriously hurting herself by flailing about while I'm holding scissors. Last night, I just had to let her jump OFF the coffee table (it's no higher than the couch, so she was ok). I didn't want her to jump off though...but I figured that was better than catching her while holding little scissors. Yes, I know...to take the hurting her part out of the equation, I can use blunt nose scissors. But why in the heck is she acting like she has nerve endings in her hair on her legs??? I'm at a complete loss. She lets me cut/trim her hair on her ears..no problem. And, she is not thrilled about the clippers, but she doesn't scream when I use them on her butt. Trim up the hair around her feet so she doesn't end up hurting herself by tripping on it and all HELLLLL breaks loose!! I am telling you - I need it on video. She seriously SCREAMS. LOL Again - I am so frustrated and really do want to know how I should get her to chill out, but it cracks me up just typing about it. I was crying from laughing last night. My silly little Drama Queen ~
__________________ Terri, proud mom to Mandie & Shelby-Dale |
Welcome Guest! | |
05-16-2013, 07:52 AM | #2 |
♥ Love My Tibbe! ♥ Donating Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: D/FW, Texas
Posts: 22,140
| Only way you'll ever get to do it is lay her on your lap and snip one bit of hair from one foot, then instantly let her up to go outside and run off her tension from the fear and give her a fabulous treat and big praise. One hour later, do the same thing. One hour later, repeat. One hour later, again. Keep it up. Only two seconds to snip and she's up. Little snip at a time so short and sweet the dog begins to learn it's just this one little thing - boom - and then I'm up and free, rewarded with this luscious chicken and then I get to run off my fear and nerves. And then very short hourly the repetitions after the 3rd or 4th day begin to be a part of life to the dog. They really do begin to accept and expect it. She'll know it's soon snip, treat, run outside time each hour. It's about the only way to work with a phobic dog unless you are some kind of Dog Whisperer expert - seconds at a time, working up to what you want. And don't despise small beginnings. You won't get anything done really at first and it will take a good long while before you ever do get any real hair cut but she'll begin to little by little realize she can bear that one snip if the treat is juicy enough and she's not made to endure it for but those few seconds. Being fearful and forced to endure something for a long time is anathema to a phobic. But if you go in really short steps and work up so slowly over time, one day you can snip snip snip a bit longer before she's up. And you work up from there slowly.
__________________ Jeanie and Tibbe One must do the best one can. You may get some marks for a very imperfect answer: you will certainly get none for leaving the question alone. C. S. Lewis |
05-16-2013, 07:58 AM | #3 |
Donating YT 500 Club Member | Haha...silly girl. Our big ole shepherd does that when we clip her nails. Before we are even close and she starts. It takes forever Bc we are laughing so hard We love our furbabies that's for sure. Oh do you give a special treat after you're done?
__________________ Steph & Jasper |
05-16-2013, 08:00 AM | #4 |
and Shelby's too Donating Member Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Millbrook, AL
Posts: 7,842
| Great idea!! Okay, this ritual will begin on Saturday so I can have all day on the weekend days to get her going. Thanks, Jeanie!! ETA - Yeah, I mean, she gets treats throughout - hmmm, maybe I am rewarding her for acting that way. Didn't "get" that until I typed it. lol
__________________ Terri, proud mom to Mandie & Shelby-Dale |
05-16-2013, 08:04 AM | #6 |
♥ Maximo and Teddy Donating Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Northern Virginia
Posts: 25,041
| LOL! Nerve endings in her hair. Both of my boys dislike when I trim hair because they they think I'm stealing their mojo. Or, they aren't sure what is going on and they are convinced it can't be good. Or, they think a bath is coming. Max will stand up on me and try to kiss his way out of having his feet trimmed. Jeanie gave great advice. On the other hand, I think of the vet's office and when my boys' have their blood drawn. The techs come in confident and don't wait to build up anticipation. They do their thing and the dogs are fine with it. Maybe the boys are compliant because they are big brown nosers at the vet.
__________________ Kristin, Max and Teddy Last edited by Maximo; 05-16-2013 at 08:06 AM. |
05-16-2013, 08:13 AM | #7 | |
and Shelby's too Donating Member Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Millbrook, AL
Posts: 7,842
| Quote:
It's funny you said that about Mojo. After she jumped off the table, I finally convinced hubby to come hold her while I finished the last 2 legs. I was telling him, "She acts like she's the female version of Samson and this will zap her of all her power." LOL!!
__________________ Terri, proud mom to Mandie & Shelby-Dale | |
05-16-2013, 08:18 AM | #8 |
♥ Love My Tibbe! ♥ Donating Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: D/FW, Texas
Posts: 22,140
| My first Yorkie, Scotty, years and years ago, would scream when you would touch the brush to him. He was my first small dog. Ears back, eyes bulging, screaming & frightened when even touched with the brush. My sister, who was a virtual Dog Whisper at the time, took him in hand, mesmerized him with her hands pressing him, her calm demeanor, locking eyes with him and showing him the brush, began to brush him. He hollered 4 or 5 times and she quietly just kept on brushing him firmly until done. She was aloof, Charles In Charge and he knew it, accepted it. He shut up and lay there and before she was done, he was relaxing!!! He was cool with it all when she was done. The little scamp! Before long, he was back in her lap, curled up and asleep during the rest of the visit. I was able to pull this off myself the next brushing, using her same technique. I learned in a heartbeat watching her what it took to manage one kind of scared dog. Just proceed gently and allow them to work through their fear then and there feeding off your uninvolved calm will. But that just works with some dogs. Beware, this can set back a truly panicked or very nervous or damaged dog for months! And it can get you bitten. Subsequently I had nervous, easily panicked dogs in here from time to time and they were having none of that type gentle flooding, whatever the chore of the moment. With those dogs, it takes a slow drip drip drip type very brief exposure over time to settle them with what must be done. You just read the dog and work with the one you have.
__________________ Jeanie and Tibbe One must do the best one can. You may get some marks for a very imperfect answer: you will certainly get none for leaving the question alone. C. S. Lewis |
05-16-2013, 08:21 AM | #9 | |
♥ Maximo and Teddy Donating Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Northern Virginia
Posts: 25,041
| Quote:
I would think not having wookie feet, not tripping and sliding with long hair, would feel good.
__________________ Kristin, Max and Teddy | |
05-16-2013, 08:35 AM | #10 | |
♥ Maximo and Teddy Donating Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Northern Virginia
Posts: 25,041
| Quote:
I agree with reading the dog. With Max, I know it isn't intense fear. He just wants to get out of doing things. I'm patient, but firm and don't let him play me -- most of the time. Sometimes he fools me with a "I need to go potty" so I let him down and he runs around like he is saying, "Gotcha!" We incorporate a lot of massage into grooming and that helps.
__________________ Kristin, Max and Teddy | |
05-16-2013, 08:45 AM | #11 |
YT 3000 Club Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: NY
Posts: 6,582
| Gracie is good about letting me trim any part of her except on her face. As soon as I come close to her face she starts turning her head and trying to get away. I use blunt tipped scissors and have never hurt her. I have to hold the hair on her chin really snugly in order to trim that little bit of hair at the corner of her eyes. If I can get her to look at someone else so she is not looking at the scissors it seems to help some but I still need to hold her chin hair. I don't get it. Does your little girl have a problem with trimming her nails? All I can think is that maybe she confuses that with your trimming her foot hair? |
05-16-2013, 09:17 AM | #12 |
YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Yorkshire, England
Posts: 783
| One of my Cairns was the exact opposite! She used to be forever trying to lick the blades of the scissors when I was trimming her Once she turned her head, to get a lick in, so quickly that I accidentally just nicked the side of her tongue with the tip of them before I could pull them out of the way. The guilt was horrendous |
05-16-2013, 09:20 AM | #13 | |
and Shelby's too Donating Member Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Millbrook, AL
Posts: 7,842
| Quote:
Dunno.. lol
__________________ Terri, proud mom to Mandie & Shelby-Dale | |
05-16-2013, 09:22 AM | #14 | |
♥ Love My Tibbe! ♥ Donating Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: D/FW, Texas
Posts: 22,140
| Quote:
__________________ Jeanie and Tibbe One must do the best one can. You may get some marks for a very imperfect answer: you will certainly get none for leaving the question alone. C. S. Lewis | |
05-16-2013, 09:45 AM | #15 |
YT Young Pup | Silly girl. Kudos hates when I try to trim his leg and foot hairs!! He doesn't scream bloody murder, but he will keep on moving it away from me and I have to like chase his foot. He hates his legs and feet touched!! LOL
__________________ What's that furry thing by my feet, it's the love of my life. ~Hurley and KC R.I.P Kudos and Cindy~ |
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