and then lay the ear over the cotton ball. Apply pressure to the cotton ball throught the ear and rub in circles vigorously. Cup the whole ear when you do this. Chester fought tooth and nail when I first was just by squirting in (even gently!). He seems to actually almost like it when I do the "rubby rubby". Then I take a face wiping cotton thingy (its a girl thing for removing make-up, don't know what they are called) and wipe the areas I can see in the ear. Since the wiping is done with a dry cotton "thingy" it doesn't bother chester so much. Buy the way, my vet, Dr. Tom Geiselhardt showed me how. He was the vet on the Bulldog Animal Planet episode of Breed All About It that delivered the bully puppies.
-Good Luck
Michael and Chester

Lynn,
Thank you for the tips! Sometimes cutting nails and giving meds can be quite a challange with the rescue dogs. I really hate to "lock them down" to do it because most of the time I do not know what their background is. If they have been abused, I do not want to make them feel like it might happen again.

Jane

I have to sneak up on Jez when I am treating her ears. If she sees me with anything in my hand she bolts under the footon. What I do is the same I do when I have to nebulizer. I have everything within reach. Since she doesn't suspect anything she doesn't run. I lay her down on her belly and straddle her between my knees. All the while scratching the back of her head. Once I have her in a locked position I then put the medication in her ears. I hold her body down with my knees and hold her head down with my arm. She pretty well goes into a submissive nature once I have her locked down.

Kandace,

It just takes time, I wish you patience and a ton of good luck

Have fun

It's kinda like the clicker training, huh? I'll try that.

Went to Bulldog First Aid lecture the other nite and vet recommended heavy towel over muzzle due to bulldog anatomy. Not that I do this, I don't have to. If the dog was ill and I had to do something that it was afraid of, I would do it though.

Kandace,

The problem begins when an owner attempts to do something to their dog that makes the dog uncomfortable, such as nail clipping, ear meds, eye drops etc. The dog resists, the owner becomes anxious, the dog's resistance heightens each time an attempt is made until it can escalate into a bite. Everyone has to relax. My thinking is, if trainers can get a killer whale to jump out of the water, onto a patio so the vets can examine the whales teeth, take blood, urine samples etc, I figure we should be able to do the same with our pet dogs.

When a situation has gotten to the point where the dog is growling/snapping you have to go back to the beginning. It takes time to desensitize a dog. Start by simply showing Lucy the bottle of ear cleaner, praise and treat her for not running away. When she is comfortable at that, put it on the floor, if she approaches it, praise and treat. Then hold it in the hand, praise and treat. Put it close to her ear - you get the point. Go in small increments. Don't make giving the meds a power struggle.

When we first got MiniMe, he hated to have his nails cut. What a nightmare. So, I started from the beginning. He now gets right up on the table and pays no attention to the clipping. We all have a stress free good time.

Good luck, be patient and stay relaxed

Lynn K

when she is sleeping? Gretta is not crazy about having her ears cleaned...so I wait until she is comfy in the char...snoring away...and she sleeps thru it

The only thing I can suggest is bribe her with treats. Whenever we give Madison her meds...which is a lot lately due to seizures....she knows she always gets treats after...this lets her cooperate because she knows she'll get something good in return. Madison hates getting ear drops to...I just hold her in my lap and with my arm I hold her head as best as I can and get the med in as quick as possible...then come the treats and the "you're sucha good girl to take your medicine" now when we say it's medicine time she just lays down, waits while we give it to her because she knows if she is good she'll get food. It did take a while for her to get this..so you might give it a week or two. REMEMBER: positive reinforcement is your best friend!

Good luck,
Kristen & Madison

What about putting a heavy towel around her face and then getting a grip on her body. Do you have a friend who could put it in her ears while you hold her? Flora doesn't love it either, but she tolerates it. Maybe after a few times doing it, you'll get quicker about the squirt into the ear so it will take you less time and maybe she'll have less time to react. Good luck!