vicious behaviour from loving dog

[B]

My dog is very loving until you try to clip her nails or clean her ears or pick her up when she is tired. Then she snaps, growls and bites without breaking the skin. What can I do to make her be not so afraid?

[Philip]

I have worked with lots of dogs, mostly bigger and many of them don't like to have nails clipped or ears cleaned. I always tell new owners to touch the puppies paws, ears, teeth, tongues, and everything else to desensitize the dogs. In this case, you can still desensitize your dog but it will take longer. First, get some good treats and just touch your dog's paw and then give her a treat. My guess is she will pull the paw away. That is okay. Do this a few times, several times each day and also touch the ears. Once your dog is okay with you touching her paw, then hold a little longer and touch the nail. Give treats and lots of praise. Continue you this until she lets her hold her paw and stroke her nails. Then try touching her paw with the clippers and give treats and lots of praise. When this is okay you can try clipping one nail and give treats and praise. I would most definitely not take much off. The goal is to get her okay with clipping. You do not want to take too much off and have the quick bleed. Then work up to two nails. I find that a good game of chase or tug o war and something after each paw works best for dogs who get so anxious. It will take time.
Philip

[Marisela]

I try clipping my dog's nails but I get scared. He sometimes urinates when I clean his ears.

[Philip]

It pretty clearly sounds like he is so scared of being hurt that he pees. The goal is to let him know that he is okay and won't be hurt. Please read what I wrote above about the nails. The same principles apply to the ears. Touch ear, give treat and praise, then hold ear for a second or two and treat and praise. Keep becoming more invasive and let him build up a tolerance with treats and praise.
Philip

[Kristen Collins, CPDT]

Hi B,

Since your dog is reactive when you handle her, it's true that you do want to focus on helping her overcome that fear. You'll need to use a technique called desensitization and counterconditioning. The idea is to get your dog used to the thing she fears very gradually and help her associate the scary thing with things she loves, like extra-tasty treats. BUT it's very, VERY important to avoid accidentally frightening your dog during your treatment of this problem. If you do accidentally stress or frighten your dog, you can make the problem much worse. Desensitization and counterconditioning can be very tricky for pet parents to carry out on their own, so it's really important that you seek in-person help from a qualified behaviorist as soon as possible---especially since your dog is biting you. Don't try to fix this problem on your own, without the help of a professional. The best kind of expert to find for help with your dog's problem is a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist (CAAB). Go to www.certifiedanimalbehaviorist.com to find one near you. I've also attached an article called Finding Professional Help, which gives detailed advice about how to find and choose a qualified behaviorist.

Good luck. Take heart---treatment for this kind of problem can be very effective if done with the help of a qualified expert.

Kristen

Kristen Collins, CPDT
Animal Trainer
ASPCA Animal Behavior Center