Saturday, February 10, 2018

Dog doesn't like new shoes.

Gorgeous dog.



Very funny. Har de har har. 

What are the shoes for? To protect from the cold probably. 

Seeing the dog react in massive confusion, I'd try one shoe at first, then two, and see how it goes. 

))) Anecdote alert (((

My dog didn't like the electric nail trimmer, a Dremel sandpaper wheel. Too noisy. Too scary. Eventually I got a slower battery powered one, but this one was powerful and had an electric cord. So I brought out the kit and extension cord, turned it on. Let her check out new obnoxious noise. Then turned it off and put away the kit.

Then played. 

Next day same thing.

And played.

Next day brought out the kit again, turned it on, sat on the ground, she comes up to me, took her paw in my hand and touched one paw toenail to the wheel. She resisted. Did not trim the whole nail. She pulls away. I let her go. Put the kit away.

Then played.

Next day, brought out the kit again, now ritualized, touched the nail to the wheel and trimmed it all the way down almost to the quick. She resisted. Pulled away. I let her go. Put away the kit.

Then played. 

And so on, day by day, building up to to doing a whole paw worth in one go. My dog is lopsided with one trimmed paw and three paws with long nails. And within a week we do all the nails on all paws in one go. 

Then played. 

Until eventually she'd come running up to the kit and offer her paw as if visiting with a manicurist. She was the most adorable cooperative thing. She liked being center of my attention.

Then play. 

Eventually she became fun to groom in all ways, brushing and trimming away dead hair, and never any fuss. 

The thing is, she was beautiful. They all were. I couldn't take my eyes off them. I'm not exaggerating. They had my attention. They'd just sit in the yard exactly like sphinxes and I'd be inside standing there just staring at them admiring their beauty. It wasn't just paw toenails, it was hair around their paws, dead hair around their ears and tail and tuffs of hair on the legs near the tail. So although they were never shown, I never bothered with point toward their championships, they had to be kept groomed. And those grooming sessions had to be fun. Or none of this having a dog business would be worth it. All three in their time would jump on the grooming table and allow me to groom them because it was fun and good interaction, and nothing at all what you see all the time at confirmation shows where there is only obedience to the handler and submission to rough grooming, and tight scheduling, and no fun. This shoe thing is funny but no fun. 

I can see those shoes protecting from heat as well as from ice. I can see the dog bringing the owners their dog shoes because they know it means comfort on hot or cold surfaces and it means they get to go outside for more fun. 

1 comment:

edutcher said...

Quantum always forgets it's cold.

Then, when she's limping, trying to walk on one hoof, suddenly realizes how cold and wet it is (done this since she was a pup).

So, yeah, I can dig the pawwear.