Hi guys, Sasha has been diagnosed with minor conjuctivitis and I've been given some ointment to put in her eye 3 times a day for 7 days.

I didn't want to put the tube near her eye in case she moved to quickly and I ended up jabbing it into her eye so after carefully washing my hands, I put a little ointment on my finger and pretended I was just wiping out her eye and figured I could sneak it in that way and she'd never know.

She seemed to know I was up to something and I ended up missing her eye a few times and wasting some of the ointment.

What is the best/quickest way to marker train this as I don't want to do battle with her 3 times a day for a week; she's too big and powerful. Also, how contagious is this and should I be putting the ointment in both eyes or just the one with the problem?

Debbie,
Wash your hands well and run a 1/4 inch strip of the med onto your index finger and apply it to your dog's eye.
Repeat for other eye and you're done!

And don't forget to wash your hands well *after* treatment, needless to say.

Put a blob of hamburger or something great on a kitchen chair. Sit the dog in front of the chair, staring at the hamburger. Just a few inches from the hamburger-- STAY! Have her prong on and she's in a heel at your side.
Hold the tube of ointment in your hand,rest your hand with ointment on top of her head. Squeeze a noodle across the globe, from above and behind, while she is staring at the hamburger, then let her eat the hamburger.
If the dog is sassy I'd only do one eye. I'd make it quick. Maybe the first two times you hardly get any in. She will learn it does not hurt and it yields hamburger.
Do not stare into her eyes while doing this if she is challenging and pissed about it.

If she's going to bite I'd use Wills method.

Debbie: Have you ever heard of collodial silver. (I probably missed spelled it) It is a natural purifier and is safe to put into newborn babies eyes. You can get it at a herb store or on line. It really heals quickly and it just takes a drop. Just thought I would mention it.
Sharon

Have you asked the vet if there is a drop available rather than the ointment? I have used both for a dog with a chronic eye condition and personally found the drops easier to apply.

I agree with Mary I've had both the ointment and the drops and I found the drops easier to apply to my difficult one.

I don't know about the drops but if you're stuck with the ointment, I think Will’s advice is excellent. It’s exactly what you want to do in the exact same succinct manner in which it was written – with a huge emphasis on the hygiene.

When I was dealing with this last year, I believe the area that needed the most training was ME and my ability to calmly stick my finger in my dog’s eyes. It’s not painful or uncomfortable to them, just new. Me on the other hand, I found it very uncomfortable and awkward.

Sitting down with my pup and intimately getting to know all areas of face, from the tip of nose to the top of his fore head really helped. I touched his nostrils, the bridge of his nose, eyelashes, cheeks, etc. Spent a lot of time on the inside and outside corners of his eyes.

Relax and play with it. Touch and reward. She does nothing but sits there and looks pretty while allowing YOU to get comfortable touching her eyes. And don’t forget to reward yourself.

This translates beautifully to applying the medication in the calm, quick motion it needs to be done. It’s really easy once you're in a confident headspace. No frustration – a calm, quick, accurate motion.

I know how scary those gunky eye can look. I hope they clear up quickly for you. It took five days with my guy.

Also try working on the handling of her face and being near her eyes at times when you do not have apply the drops. Incorporate treats and make it a training session

My Grace requires lots of stuff like this...she is generally cooperative and knows that as soon as I am done, she can run off and "shake it off" figuratively. Only thing we cannot overcome is getting her to cooperate with getting her vaginal folds cleaned. Who can blame her?

The touch and reward system probably works with a well bred good dog with a trusting and solid mind. My fear biter wouldn't buy it. A finger coming toward the face while I stare at him still says "PROCEDURE ALERT!!!!!" --my guy becomes "spoiled monster chihuahua " + his"I can move a bull side" made him scary. That put ME into a rage, I wanted to bash him, muzzle him, sit on him --I'm sweating just thinking about where we were, then!!! It was terrible.
Sometimes a dog who is sleeping in front of the TV can be medicated with no
drama at all. 3x a day is the goal--but one good application/day will go a long way.
GOOD LUCK!!!