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Permalink Reply by Priss, Charlie & Kaylee (PK) on April 18, 2013 at 4:46pm

Kaylee didn't chew too much more during teething either. Have you tried giving her things that will numb her gums? Like ice cubes or a frozen wet cloth. It might help if teething is what's causing the face rubbing. It could also be allergies or an irritant. Does she exhibit paw licking behavior?

How do you handle Nellie? Our trainer taught us to hold puppies on their back (belly up) in as comfortable position for them as we could and then touch everything. Squirming wasn't rewarded but if she settled down again, I'd let her go and try again later in the day. I don't remember using much in they way of treats unless we were trying to grind her nails.

She's grown up into a rather submissive dog (she routinely rolls over when greeting other dogs and sometimes people) whether this training influenced that or was simply made easier by a submissive personality, I really can't say.

Nellie might be testing you to see what bad/"fun" behaviors you tolerate. I wouldn't let her get away with it.

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Permalink Reply by Nina & Nellie on April 18, 2013 at 4:59pm

She doesn't lick her paws in an excessive way, and I've only seen her do it once or twice. I have read that face rubbing might be from allergies but she doesn't have any other symptoms. I give her frozen carrots and she actually prefers them to be refrigerated instead of frozen.

Oh my god, Nellie would FREAK OUT if I tried to hold her on her back. I have seen other owners be able to do that with their dog and their dog is totally calm throughout, but Nellie... She does tolerate handling much more when she is already on her back, but if I actually flip her over myself she will mouth and complain and possibly growl and bark. Did your trainer say anything about doing that with dogs like Nellie? Could you should me a picture/video of how you would do that? I would love for Nellie to be more submissive (at least to me), she is one heck of a bully towards both dogs and people. She actually goes after dogs that are exhibiting obvious anxious behavior.

To actually answer your question, I touch/rub her in an area, click, treat with chicken and repeat. In class, the trainer just gives a continuous stream of treats while touching the dog in different areas. Usually everyone else has a partner to feed the dog while the other person touches, but I'm the only person who takes care of Nellie and I don't have people around who are willing to do the exercise with me every day.

The problem with the growling and barking is that some people, like you, say she is testing her limits, while other people are saying she is telling me to back off because she is uncomfortable. I have no way of telling the difference, and I'm afraid to correct her for her bratty behavior (the most I do is leave the pen/time out) in case it escalates, but on the other hand if she's testing, not correcting her would be the wrong thing to do.

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Permalink Reply by Jane on April 18, 2013 at 5:12pm

Does she maybe have something in her eye or nose that is causing the rubbing? Or allergies? That's really the only time I've seen my guys rub their face like that.

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Permalink Reply by Nina & Nellie on April 18, 2013 at 5:17pm

I really don't know. She seems to be scratching at her ear a bit but she rubs both sides of her face and not just the one with the itchy ear. I (tried to) take a look at her ear and didn't see or smell anything bad. She has a vet appt next Wednesday so if it's an actual health issue I'll know then.

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