touch me not
- Thread starter icebucket
- Start date
I would say it is a normal i had a beagle named Bonnie (same name different spelling lol) and as she matured she would much rather be on the ground picking and choosing where she went rather then me carrying her around. She still liked to sit in our laps though. Their pretty high energy and with those noses there are constant distractions.
Have you had her checked over for any physical problems...perhaps joint problems, ear infection, etc. There are many problems that can make a dog uncomfortable when being touched.
How does she signal that she no longer wants to be made of? does she get snappy? I would work on desensitizing her by a reward system if there are no phyical aches and pains.
How does she signal that she no longer wants to be made of? does she get snappy? I would work on desensitizing her by a reward system if there are no phyical aches and pains.
Of course she doesn't want to be held. Being cuddled on a lap would mean that she'd have to stay STILL! At 8 months old she probably isn't going to want to spend her time sitting around and being petted, she wants to do her own thing! Like Mordy said.. She's a squirmy, busy puppy.
She will mellow a little as she gets older. My Papillon is almost two years old and he's just now starting to grow up mentally, even though he's been physically mature for over a year. He'll always be independent, but he now is learning that it's not a horrible thing to be petted and cuddled.
At 8 months old she probably isn't going to want to spend her time sitting around and being petted, she wants to do her own thing! Like Mordy said.. She's a squirmy, busy puppy. She will mellow a little as she gets older. My Papillon is almost two years old and he's just now starting to grow up mentally, even though he's been physically mature for over a year. He'll always be independent, but he now is learning that it's not a horrible thing to be petted and cuddled.
Although she doesn't like to be held, you should still practice handling/restraint excercises with her. What if she got out and someone had to hold her still? What if she was seriously injured and a vet had to hold her and do uncomfortable things to her?
My puppy Azlan was (still is to a degree) VERY independent. He disliked being touched, never came to me for pats or attention, and actively disliked being picked up. He would freeze and arch his back if I ever tried.
Getting a dog used to handling is very important, so I would recommend a simple handling excercise called "gotcha!".
Sit in a chair or on the floor with your puppy in front of (on a leash if she wants to walk away)
Have some treats and gently stroke her (ear/tail/feet/chest) whilst saying gotcha! Everytime you say it, give her a yummy treat and praise her. You can move from gentle stroking to more invasive things, such as grabbing and reaching over her head (dogs instinctively dislike this).
Focus on areas the vet needs to look at, like the ears,feet,tail and mouth.
My puppy Azlan was (still is to a degree) VERY independent. He disliked being touched, never came to me for pats or attention, and actively disliked being picked up. He would freeze and arch his back if I ever tried.
Getting a dog used to handling is very important, so I would recommend a simple handling excercise called "gotcha!".
Sit in a chair or on the floor with your puppy in front of (on a leash if she wants to walk away)
Have some treats and gently stroke her (ear/tail/feet/chest) whilst saying gotcha! Everytime you say it, give her a yummy treat and praise her. You can move from gentle stroking to more invasive things, such as grabbing and reaching over her head (dogs instinctively dislike this).
Focus on areas the vet needs to look at, like the ears,feet,tail and mouth.
I never even thought of your dog being a pup
Even with the Newfoundland pups they are busy little pups and squirm when held . As bridey_01 already suggested try to get the pup used to being handled. My favorite exercise with a pup is to sit beside the pup when sleeping or resting and start rubbing the belly, there are not too many pups/dogs that don't like their belly rubbed while rubbing the belly, massage lightly down the legs until puppy resists, then go a little further the next day. Then start massaging the paws to get the pup used to being handled...there is nothing worse than trying to clip a dogs nails that are not used to having their paws handled. I had to desensitize my rescue Dobe and rescue Rottie to being handled when I rescued them. They literally had no previous affection before I took them in, my Dobe was running at large and very bad for being handled. Now, they are cuddlers and love having their belly's scratched and paws massaged.
Even with the Newfoundland pups they are busy little pups and squirm when held . As bridey_01 already suggested try to get the pup used to being handled. My favorite exercise with a pup is to sit beside the pup when sleeping or resting and start rubbing the belly, there are not too many pups/dogs that don't like their belly rubbed
while rubbing the belly, massage lightly down the legs until puppy resists, then go a little further the next day. Then start massaging the paws to get the pup used to being handled...there is nothing worse than trying to clip a dogs nails that are not used to having their paws handled. I had to desensitize my rescue Dobe and rescue Rottie to being handled when I rescued them. They literally had no previous affection before I took them in, my Dobe was running at large and very bad for being handled. Now, they are cuddlers and love having their belly's scratched and paws massaged.