Shawna b asked:
I made arrangements to adopt a pair of pups, but the owners friend asked for one and she agreed. The owner offered me the mother of my pup and since i wanted two anyway (so my new babies would have playmates and not be lonely). Well the owner brought them and the pup looked fine but the momma was in sad shape. She is a shih tzu and most of her fur had been trimmed down but the fur on her but, legs, paws and belly was matted, her nails are super long and she has fleas and sores where the mats and fleas irritated her. Well I instantly fell in love with the poor mom and decided I would do what i could to make her happy and comfortable. The first thing I did was jump online and find out what I needed to do about the mats and nails, then i went out and bought scissors, clippers, 4 in 1 oatmeal shampoo, conditioner, de-tangler and skin soother, nail clippers, doggie deodorant, treats (this is all after I had prepped for getting the pups, food collars leashes crate dewormer, flea meds etc etc.) I had watched several hours of dog grooming vids and I have cut human hair for years. I did like the vids said and held and petted the dog while i held the buzzing clippers, getting her used to the sound, she didn’t like them so I just scissor cut the mats off (not lifting the mats, just running the scissors along the skin very gently) . She squirmed a lot but never seemed super scared just antsy. I clipped some of the nails (only clipping a tiny bit off, the vids said the quick will recede and then i can trim more). like I said I stayed very calm and baby talked her, but now she hides behind the couch and under my bed and it’s breaking my heart. I wanted to help her, not terrify her. I know that with lots of bribes and time she will begin to trust me, what I want to know is how can I make the grooming less traumatic, I know her nails have to be painfull and I want to clean up her paws, are there any groomers tricks for dogs with sensative feet? I know that many people will just say take them to the groomers, but I am on a fixed income and I saved up to get the dogs and the items I need to care for them, I know I will have to spend money vetting them because I can’t do that at home, but a person can and should know how to take care of their pets basic needs. I know this is long and rambling, I just want people to know that getting dogs wasn’t a spur of the moment thing, and that I am a responsible pet owner not looking to be yelled at or insulted, just informed and helped. Thank you for taking the time to read this. Any help or info is appreciated.
Im not sure If she was just a”puppy mill” mom, she is VERY social, loves (loved to untill i groomed her) to snuggle and be petted, plays a bit of fetch, I think she was a companion animal for the most part. I don’t have a vehicle, I use public transportation, so when i decided to get pets I used craigslist, I put an ad in that i was looking for small dogs because i live in a small home, the owner answered my ad. I wasn’t charged an outragous breeder fee, just 50 dollars . and they transported the dogs 30 miles to bring them to me. Her nails weren’t folded over into the skin, they just seem very long. She walks fine, no limping her feet (paws) don’t seem tender to walk on, they aren’t discolored as if they may have been ******** on alot, she just doesn’t want them messed with. I live in the boonies so no petsmart or petcos locally. Thanks for the suggestions.
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I made arrangements to adopt a pair of pups, but the owners friend asked for one and she agreed. The owner offered me the mother of my pup and since i wanted two anyway (so my new babies would have playmates and not be lonely). Well the owner brought them and the pup looked fine but the momma was in sad shape. She is a shih tzu and most of her fur had been trimmed down but the fur on her but, legs, paws and belly was matted, her nails are super long and she has fleas and sores where the mats and fleas irritated her. Well I instantly fell in love with the poor mom and decided I would do what i could to make her happy and comfortable. The first thing I did was jump online and find out what I needed to do about the mats and nails, then i went out and bought scissors, clippers, 4 in 1 oatmeal shampoo, conditioner, de-tangler and skin soother, nail clippers, doggie deodorant, treats (this is all after I had prepped for getting the pups, food collars leashes crate dewormer, flea meds etc etc.) I had watched several hours of dog grooming vids and I have cut human hair for years. I did like the vids said and held and petted the dog while i held the buzzing clippers, getting her used to the sound, she didn’t like them so I just scissor cut the mats off (not lifting the mats, just running the scissors along the skin very gently) . She squirmed a lot but never seemed super scared just antsy. I clipped some of the nails (only clipping a tiny bit off, the vids said the quick will recede and then i can trim more). like I said I stayed very calm and baby talked her, but now she hides behind the couch and under my bed and it’s breaking my heart. I wanted to help her, not terrify her. I know that with lots of bribes and time she will begin to trust me, what I want to know is how can I make the grooming less traumatic, I know her nails have to be painfull and I want to clean up her paws, are there any groomers tricks for dogs with sensative feet? I know that many people will just say take them to the groomers, but I am on a fixed income and I saved up to get the dogs and the items I need to care for them, I know I will have to spend money vetting them because I can’t do that at home, but a person can and should know how to take care of their pets basic needs. I know this is long and rambling, I just want people to know that getting dogs wasn’t a spur of the moment thing, and that I am a responsible pet owner not looking to be yelled at or insulted, just informed and helped. Thank you for taking the time to read this. Any help or info is appreciated.
Im not sure If she was just a”puppy mill” mom, she is VERY social, loves (loved to untill i groomed her) to snuggle and be petted, plays a bit of fetch, I think she was a companion animal for the most part. I don’t have a vehicle, I use public transportation, so when i decided to get pets I used craigslist, I put an ad in that i was looking for small dogs because i live in a small home, the owner answered my ad. I wasn’t charged an outragous breeder fee, just 50 dollars . and they transported the dogs 30 miles to bring them to me. Her nails weren’t folded over into the skin, they just seem very long. She walks fine, no limping her feet (paws) don’t seem tender to walk on, they aren’t discolored as if they may have been ******** on alot, she just doesn’t want them messed with. I live in the boonies so no petsmart or petcos locally. Thanks for the suggestions.
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{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
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I would like to tell you not to ever buy from such a horrendous breeder again. Research Back Yard Breeders.
For the next time or two, I would suggest taking her to a groomer. That should only cost maybe $10..at least for the nails.
Let her have her little fit, and ignore her. She’ll get over it.
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I can tell you right now that her behavior is likely to be the result of years of neglect – you should have reported her condition to the SPCA or local police as soon as you had her.
But what’s done is done.
What she needs NOW is to be groomed by someone who has experience handling frightened, poorly socialized animals. You could end up doing more harm than good by grooming her yourself using videos – i can tell you right now that you’re sweet talking and treating her while she was scared/nervous is part of the issue. You NEVER talk to, pet, or treat a frightened dog (even if you believe that you’re calm) because that is seen as encouragement. What you do is shut up and hold on, work calmly and confidently – once the dog sees you’re not upset yourself (which can also be the result of the sweet talking and treating) they will calm down.
I would look around and compare-price a few grooming salons (not petsmart or petco but an honest to god salon) and see what they’ll do to help you out – it shouldn’t be more than $60 for a shave and nail trim. That would be the BEST option for her at this point so she can be comfortably and PROPERLY groomed.
Once she’s been done over a few times by a pro and gets used to things being done, YOU can take over her grooming work to save some money.
Add – there are ways to get nail cutting done super quick without cutting the vein or ***** footing around the trimming itself. I don’t know what video you watched but i have NEVER heard of the nail vein “receding”…. ever. And i’m four weeks into a grooming course at a grooming academy.
As for dogs with sensitive feet… an actual groomer would be able to trim pads and nails super quick without much fuss on the part of the dog. A lot of the handling comes with practice and experience that you may not have – again, might be best for the DOG if you where to dish out the money to have a professional do it.
I would just ignore her for the time being and let her get over everything. Dogs don’t hold grudges, per say, so eventually she will find her way out. If you bombard her with anything right now, even “love”, then she could just shut down further. Again with the “babying is praise to a dog” thing.
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When a dogs fur is matted like that, it can cause a lot of pain and sensitivity to the skin. When you clip, you’re pulling away at those which causes pain, no matter how careful you are. Her skin will get better now that you keep it clean and dry. Being from a backyard breeder, they usually keep the moms in horrendous shape and out of sight, showing people only the cute puppies. When these breeding moms can no longer have pups, many breeders just give them away, as they are useless. They are usually kept in poor caging with wire floors which can do some serious damage to the feet. Sores develop, and nails can become imbedded in footpads. If you take her to the vet, they can scrub with clorhex or another clensing agent to help prevent infection. I would not be suprised if this dog was kept in a wire-bottom crate. Urine scalds are another huge problem with these sort of conditions. Take her to the vet and have them see her and do what they can and then just let her feet toughen up. Take her for short walks on sidewalks to help build callouses, but keep them short as long walks will just cause sore feet. Gradually increase your walking time and she should heal. Also, brushing her a little bit daily will get her used to the idea of grooming and will eventually become more tolerant. Also yes, trimming nails back will help reciede the quick. Your vet can also sedate her and do a trim back if they are really bad, but the animal does have to be sedated to do this, as it is painful. You can also file a little bit on each nail everyday to help reciede the quick, if she tolerates it. Just be patient with her.
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Well she is probably scared because she is not used to being groomed and taken care of. Just lure her in with some treats and let her get your scent. She will get your scent by doing this:
1. Show her the bone and lure her in with it 2. When she stars nibbling the treat, make sure she sniffs your fingers. Let her sniff your fingers for as long as you want, because when she is sniffing you she is getting your scent. 3. Keep this routine for a week or so, and once she finally gets your scent on a daily basis, and she shouldnt be scared of you anymore. Hope i helped!
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it is very possible that they used to miss treat her and hurt her when she got groomed.it is also possible that she hasn’t ever been groomed so it was very scary for her. the best thing to do is let her get used to it on her own time and not force her. also do as little as possible to cause her any more stress. best of luck
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When we got our peke at the dog shelter she was matted and I took her directly to the groomers to get her cleaned up. I think you are right that her nails must hurt and who knows what else is wrong with her. I like the pedipaw very much better than the nail trimmers, our dog practically puts out her paw to have her nails done. I am sure your’s wasn’t treated so well at that home you got her from, based on her condition. You need a vet evaluation pronto. You need not to feel sorry for her, dogs live in the moment and let it be a happy one now.
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Well done for taking her and trying to help. The previous owner had not been looking after the dog, probably breeding her for money, or just stupid. Either way, make sure you tell people who might otherwise be tempted to get puppies from her.
The only advice I can offer is to put a leash on her and bring her out to spend more time with you. Keep upbeat and happy when you talk to her, don’t baby her too much. You need to show her that you think everything is fine, that will give her more confidence. Then as you said, give her treats ad attention. She probably hasn’t been given any training, so teach her to Sit and Lie Down. The experience of learning from you will help build the relationship!
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You may have just thrown too much at her at one time.
New home, new person, grooming with a scary noise, nail clipping – thats a lot for a dog that is not used to being handled.
I would probably would have just bathed her, cut out the mats and let her alone for a couple of days before taking on any more.
Just let her alone now, give her some time to settle in, and toss treats to her if she will take them.
When she is more relaxed you can try to work on her nails (its not unusual for a dog to dislike having its feet messed with….most of my fosters hated it when I first got them.)
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