This is the second time I have run into this problem with my 11 week old pup. She was very dirty and I wanted to wipe off her feet, legs and belly before I let her back into the house. I gently rolled her onto her side and started to wipe off her feet. She struggled and fought to get back up. I grabber her rear legs in one hand and her front legs in the other and forced her to lay on her side until she submitted. For the first 20 seconds she was screaming and biting at my hands, I used my forearm to push her neck down. I was not applying much pressure to her, just enough to stop her from moving. After 30 seconds I loosened my grip and started to rub her side. She tried to get up and I grabber her again. After another 30 seconds she let me rub her down and she did not attempt to get up from the ground. I finished cleaning her feet and I let her go. She licked my hand and did not appear to be bothered by the experience.

Am I pushing too far? I want her to lie quietly while I wipe her off, check for ticks, look in her ears, etc. But I don’t want to make her totally submissive.

I understand that I was combining two things that she doesn’t like (confinement and messing with her feet).

are you doing any typ of touch conditioning? if not i would get on it asap, it will make both your lives much easier.

 Quote: Kevin J Tikivik

are you doing any typ of touch conditioning? if not i would get on it asap, it will make both your lives much easier.

A big gigantic ditto to that.

With adopted dogs, that's often my first challenge, and I start on it immediately (but slooooowly).

I do light strokes along the flanks or back, whichever the dog is most receptive to, at first. The head is generally not a good place to start.

I let the dog see me and know I'm about to touch him, but I don't stand over his head.

I touch the feet very briefly at first, and gradually touch them (and the ears and mouth, other areas some dogs are uneasy with having handled) for longer periods, still lightly.

If you can work up to regular exams on your own, including palpating, stroking the joints, sniffing in the ear and mouth, and pretty much checking out the whole dog, you can often find stuff way before the vet can: heat in a joint; yeast in an ear; a cut you didn't see happen; bad breath that's related to dental problems; swelling; cysts and tumors; much more.

This exam can be combined with light massage that I find very beneficial. It can slow the breathing and heart rate and foster calmness (in both of us).

P.S. For now, you might want to try wiping the undercarriage while the dog stands, and lifting each paw to wipe it.

yep, i usually start with good tale, good bum, good feet, good teeth, good... your vet will be extremly happy too. hahahah

 Quote: Kevin J Tikivik

yep, i usually start with good tale, good bum, good feet, good teeth, good... your vet will be extremly happy too. hahahah

It's so true..... vet visits will go *much* better.

Oh definitely, get her used to being held and examined.

GREAT suggestion from Connie!!

I've never dealt with adopting an older dog (I raised all of mine since they were babies), but I teach them to hold still at a young age when I'm holding them.

Does she let you pick her up and carry her around without struggling?
Most pups will struggle at first, but I just force them to be still. They submit pretty quickly and I let them go after they're calm for several seconds. I build up after that.

It's unbelievably useful once they're grown up. When you need to clip their nails (finally got Taro to accept this and hold still for this; it took over 10 months of training and conditioning to achieve this with him!@!!!), or clean feet, or look for injuries and ticks, when being examined by a vet and a million other reasons.

I took my puppy to the vet this morning and she had to be flipped onto her back so the vet could check out her belly. I wasn't anticipating my pup getting sick, but I conditioned her every day since she arrived here to hold still (whether being held in my arms, or on the ground, on her side, on her back etc.).
Puppy was used to this and hardly resisted at all (in fact she was so relaxed that she fell asleep during the exam!). A lot of unnecessary stress (to the puppy) was avoided thanks to the constant conditioning I did with her.

Good luck with your pup.

 Quote: keith larson

I understand that I was combining two things that she doesn’t like (confinement and messing with her feet).

Keith,

Separating these 2 things and working on them individually would be a good start, and I would vote for positive reinforcent over domination. I'd suggest working on touch conditioning, as Kevin suggested, first. We've been doing this with our dog since we got him home as a pup. Now, at 2, because he's so comfortable with me touching him, even the tickly parts, I was able to personally remove about 75 porcupine quills from around his nose and INSIDE his mouth this week, without sedation or any extra hands (he squirmed out of reflex when each one came out, but knew better than to get upset with me for the discomfort). Boy am I glad he trusts me!

All the sensitivity training we did with Oscar was positive, with lots of treats. We trained the command "Be still" in conjunction, so that he knows when we need him to sit tight for examination, cleaning or various treatments. Touch = treat, starting with the very shortest touch. We would systematically work on one area for a while (look in ears, check teeth, lift and feel feet, etc.), then when he was comfortable, we'd start a new one. Routine grooming and care keeps this training fresh, and he always gets a treat when we've made him hold still for something really unbearable (like pulling a splinter or having a bath ). He's still pretty ticklish about the insides of his toes (most dogs are I think), but I don't think he can really help it...

Once your pup is OK with lots of different handling, THEN work on her comfort level lying down. If she doesn't know how, teach her to lay flat on her side, like "play dead", without touching her at all. Slowly add touching once she's got the laying down bit, and start with an area that isn't too sensitive at first, like her head or shoulders. Her comfort zone will expand if you go slowly and patiently.

*We wipe off Oscar's feet while he's standing, like a horse - laying down seemed unnessesary since he's so big, and once he learned to just be still and let us lift each one, it was a piece of cake.

I'm not a trainer, but that's my 2 cents.
Your girl is beautiful! Good luck!

~Natalya

Boy, I must wrote AWFULLY slow!!
When I started there was just one response! Ha!

Well, ditto again to what everyone else has added - love the "good bum"!!

**Just wanted to add, you'll probably want to condition a little SPECIFICALLY for the vet. Oscar is a champ with us, but HATES the vet and won't sit still for a second (no aggression, just STRESS). We should have been taking him to the vet, just to visit, lots more when he was young, but we didn't and now that he's big, it can be a royal pain in the rear (one more reason I DID'T take him straight there with his face full of quills! )

~Natalya

She is not real tough sensitive, just when I am cleaning out sand and watr from her pads. I adopted her at 7 weeks, so she has been with us for a while now. I pick her up several times a day, but at almost 20 pounds that won’t last too much longer. I think her main problem is the confinement.

I’ll work with her some more on just lying down while I pet her and see how that goes.

after a while she should understand that it's rutine for her on wet or muddy days. keep up with the touch conditioning.