Suddenly Snapping at Paws Being Touched
So I need some help with this one. I have a wonderfully sweet 1-year-old (neutered) male corgi named Stanley. We got Stanley when he was 11 weeks old and from day one started training him to be accepting of being handled-- ears, mouth, paws, the whole nine yards. I worked with him on not mouthing and periodically do what I call "refresher trainings" with him on it (essentially seeing if he's going to try to mouth me when we play tug or gets really worked up in a game) and he hasn't actually bitten or mouthed anyone since he was about 14 weeks old.
He's also usually really good about all things having to do with grooming. He gets a little squirmy with getting his ears cleaned and still worries about the nail clippers but if he's sitting in someone's lap, being fed treats, he's usually OK.
Well, suddenly, out of nowhere, Stanley has started snapping whenever people touch his paws. He did come home from doggie daycare with a limp a few weeks back (they didn't know what it was from) and wouldn't let anyone touch it. He wasn't aggressive then; he merely would pull his paw away and then kind of limp away from you. The limp went away after a couple of days of not having him run lots. But now he seems to be very protective of ANY of his paws.
I noticed when I was giving him a bath the other day that he got very protective when I went to touch any of his paws to wash or rinse them. He pulled them away and once started growling at me so I just stopped and finished his bath without touching his paws again. So tonight I was curious so while petting him I tried to gradually work my way to touching his legs and his paws. He immediately snarled at me and snapped at me. Then he got up and went to the other side of the room (in that stubborn corgi huff that they all have). When I tried again later, I couldn't even touch his leg at all without him snapping at me.
I have no idea where this came from. At first I thought we needed to go to the vet because his one paw might still be hurt but I can't imagine that ALL of them are. Thoughts? Ideas? Any clue why he's suddenly doing this? Any suggestions on how to remedy it?
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Geri & Sidney on
-
Wow Natalie, that is strange and scary being snapped at. It does sound like a pain response. Sidney was fine with us touching his paws and clippping his nails, then one day I was trimming a nail and he cried and pulled away. Since then he doesn't want me touching his feet, so I had the vet take care of the nails. You might have the vet check him out and see what might be causing him to hurt. I hate it when they huff off to a corner!
-
Permalink Reply by steve smith on
-
Had the same response with Dino...found out that the vet tried to trim the nail on one foot and got too close to the quick. He pulls back but no snap or growl.
-
Permalink Reply by Sam Tsang on
-
Hi Natalie, sounds like something happened at the daycare, you may want to get a vet's opinion, just to rule out any injury. The only thing you can do from now on is bribing him to touch his feet, have super yummy treats, gradually regain his trust. Good luck!
-
Permalink Reply by Rachael & Waffle on
-
Sudden aggression at touching a certain part of the body usually indicates pain-- mental or physical. Did you cut his nails too short recently, like what happened with Steve and Dino above? That could have left an emotional scar and he's reacting more strongly to it than usual. Or, he may have twisted his foot or is developing arthritis in his feet and is just being overprotective of all of them. To rule out the latter, take him to the vet. In the meantime, or if the vet does not find anything, try what Sam suggested with giving him treats while you touch his feet... obviously, do this very carefully!
-
Permalink Reply by Karen Dadisman on
-
He might have broken a nail up in his foot. Rocky did this as a pup and had quite a limp. I'd have the vet check him out. He might need some pain meds for a bit. Follow Sam's advice and very slowly work back to handling his feet.
Rescue Store
Stay Connected
FDA Recall
Canadian Food Inspection Agency Recall
Groups
We support...
Badge
© 2024 Created by Sam Tsang.
Powered by
