 Afraid of cloth
GoGo is my five month old Yorkie girl. She is doing so well, we are all crazy about her. Something I've noticed since the first time I gave her a bath is that she doesn't like things like cloths coming near her. She will snarl and snap at me, even biting if I try to use a washcloth to clean her face. Also, to dry her after a bath is difficult because she won't let me dry her with a towel. I can hold her, wrapped in a towel, but if I attempt to rub her fur, she growls and bites. Knowing this about her, I've changed how I do things (washing her in the shower, for one) but there are still times when I have to approach her with a garment. I live in a place with very cold winters and we live in an old, drafty house. If she doesn't wear a sweater she visibly trembles with cold. She has begun snapping when I start to put a sweater on her.
If this is fear and not aggression, do I treat it the same way? I've begun putting her in her crate for short time-outs when she snaps.
Is this a common thing? |