| Author |
Message |
Naja
Member
06-28-2003
| Wednesday, September 18, 2024 - 7:59 am 
OMG, I can't stop laughing after watching this pug get his nails cut! hahahaha!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9X9xPetX9Ao
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Mak1
Member
08-11-2002
| Wednesday, September 18, 2024 - 8:19 am
Hilarious!!!
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Juju2bigdog
Member
10-26-2000
| Wednesday, September 18, 2024 - 11:55 pm
Bwahahahaha!
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Kappy
Member
06-28-2002
| Thursday, September 19, 2024 - 9:37 am
That was good!
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Dogdoc
Member
09-29-2001
| Tuesday, October 08, 2024 - 5:20 am
I think she would have been better off with a smaller pair of clippers.
Yes, pugs are dramatic about getting their nails trimmed.
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Karuuna
Board Administrator
08-30-2000
| Tuesday, October 08, 2024 - 9:59 am
Not one bit funny. That dog was terrified.
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Grooch
Member
06-16-2006
| Tuesday, October 08, 2024 - 10:17 am
It's a thing with pugs. I don't know why. When I got my pug as a very young puppy, I had heard about it. I tried to regularly touch his paws as a baby to try to desensitize him, but nope, he would not have it. Touch a pug's toe with your finger and they will completely freak out. My vets would always say pugs are dramatic. Me, personally, I am convinced they are reincarnated old men.
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Karuuna
Board Administrator
08-30-2000
| Tuesday, October 08, 2024 - 11:17 am
I have taught 2 rescue pugs to accept their feet being handled. It just takes a lot of patience and a bit of knowledge.
It's not just pugs that freak out over their feet being handled. I've had many other breeds as well. there are evolutionary reasons for all dogs to be very protective about their feet. But I have yet to find one that I wasn't successful with... some just take longer than others... even a lot longer. 
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Karuuna
Board Administrator
08-30-2000
| Tuesday, October 08, 2024 - 11:44 am
A good article from a veterinarian that talks about why this isn't funny:
https://www.drpattykhuly.com/columns-and-posts/2015/10/28/caution-another-veterinary-claw-trimming-rant-in-progress
"“Not so funny. This dog is not being ‘dramatic.’ He's terrified. There are better ways to handle this situation. But as long as people continue to think situations like this are ‘cute,’ dogs like Wallace won't get the careful approach they need. This reaction, common though it might be, is not normal. Thankfully, it can be prevented by teaching puppies that foot handing and toenail trimming is a fun and rewarding activity.” "
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Mak1
Member
08-11-2002
| Tuesday, October 08, 2024 - 5:11 pm
Aww, now I feel mean for thinking it was funny, those sounds coming from the pug. I've learned something new, and when you know better you do better. Thank you for the education, Kar.
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Karuuna
Board Administrator
08-30-2000
| Tuesday, October 08, 2024 - 6:00 pm
You are welcome, Mak. Thank you for taking it in the spirit it was intended. As education.
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Dogdoc
Member
09-29-2001
| Wednesday, October 09, 2024 - 4:10 am
I still think that the pug was being dramatic.
45 years of doing nail trims have made me see pugs are different.
A technician in our hospital had always had pugs.
She loved the breed, but realized that they had one hang up, nail trims.
Those nail trimmers were way too big, however.
They could have caused pain.
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Karuuna
Board Administrator
08-30-2000
| Wednesday, October 09, 2024 - 10:06 am
The dog was terrified. Dogs don't know how to be dramatic -- that's anthropomorphizing them. They are communicating in the only way they know how.
The reason they are afraid is evolutionary. The tops of their paws and in between their toes are more sensitive than any other part of their body. Some breeds are more sensitive than others... it doesn't mean they are "dramatic".
When you ignore a dog telling you that they are uncomfortable, it becomes worse and worse over time. Worst case, the dog starts to shut down, and you do psychological damage.
As science changes, our understanding of these behaviors change.
https://wagwalking.com/behavior/why-dogs-dont-like-their-paws-touched
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Strategist
Member
07-01-2014
| Thursday, October 10, 2024 - 11:56 am
Also, a dog can be traumatized if their nails were cut incorrectly in the past and it cut blood vessels.
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Karuuna
Board Administrator
08-30-2000
| Thursday, October 10, 2024 - 12:18 pm
True also, Strat.
There really are good, patient ways to teach a dog to be more accepting. And if clipping doesn't work, teaching them to use a scratch board, so the only nails that need to be clipped are the dew clues is a great alternative.
Finally, walking a dog on cement sidewalks several times a week can eliminate the need for trimming as well... again, except for the dew clues.
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Jimmer
Board Administrator
08-29-2000
| Thursday, October 10, 2024 - 4:04 pm
Am I anthropomorphizing my dog if I think he loves me?
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Karuuna
Board Administrator
08-30-2000
| Thursday, October 10, 2024 - 6:14 pm
No, dogs can form strong bonds with their owners, we call that love.
Fear is a real emotion. Love is a real emotion. Dogs are capable of both.
Being dramatic is not a real emotion. The definition of being dramatic is over-acting, exaggerating a real feeling.
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Seamonkey
Moderator
09-06-2000
| Thursday, October 10, 2024 - 7:04 pm
I agree about the pug.. Didn't listen. Dew claws are festival vestigal for most breeds (some hounds actually use them to help climb after their prey 😶).. we always had them removed on the tiny pups we bred, but had one lab bred in England and she had her dew claws and they can get caught.. No fun..
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Dogdoc
Member
09-29-2001
| Friday, October 11, 2024 - 2:16 am
I think dogs can be dramatic.
When my collie got too much snow stuck on her paw as we were walking, she would sit down and hold the paw high in the air for me to clean the snow off.
It is not supposed to be an emotion, it is a reaction to get attention..
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Jimmer
Board Administrator
08-29-2000
| Friday, October 11, 2024 - 10:00 am
I think people here may have different definitions of drama and drama queen. I think we can all agree that dogs have feelings and some people refer to expressing strong feelings and emotions as being dramatic, regardless of the sincerity of the emotions or deliberate intent.
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Karuuna
Board Administrator
08-30-2000
| Friday, October 11, 2024 - 10:38 am
Dogdoc, I wouldn't say that your collie was being dramatic. I would say that the dog was saying "this hurts and I can't put it down any more."
It wasn't to get attention, it was to indicate pain.
Jimmer, if you watch the youtube, and noting how many people laughed at it, you get the jist of which definition of dramatic they were indicating.
The dictionary says:
"talking or behaving in a way that makes something seem much worse, more serious, more frightening, etc. than it really is: "I'll never find another job!" "Don't be so dramatic! Of course you will!"
DRAMATIC | definition in the Cambridge English Dictionary"
My point in saying all this was you should NOT continue forcing a nail trim on a dog that is terrified (not just being dramatic -which dogs are not capable of) - making it worse and worse over time.
There are ample better ways of handling this, than teaching your dog not to trust you.
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Dogdoc
Member
09-29-2001
| Friday, October 11, 2024 - 11:41 am
Jimmer, I am not sure what 'regardless of the sincerity of the emotions or deliberate intent' means.
Kar, I have to respectfully disagree with you.
She wanted to get my attention because she knew I could clean the paw for her.
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Karuuna
Board Administrator
08-30-2000
| Friday, October 11, 2024 - 12:30 pm
And she needed paw cleaned because the snow build up is uncomfortable and hurt. Not being dramatic.
My dogs do that all the time, and of course it appears they are looking at me, because I look to see why they stopped walking.
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Jimmer
Board Administrator
08-29-2000
| Friday, October 11, 2024 - 1:33 pm
"talking or behaving in a way that makes something seem much worse, more serious, more frightening, etc. than it really is: "I'll never find another job!" "Don't be so dramatic! Of course you will!"
People know that the pug is reacting to a non-existent threat. He is not being physically harmed. So they use the term drama queen to describe his reaction.
Similarly, in the dictionary example, people think that the person is over-reacting and will be able to find another job at some point. However, we don't know that for certain. The person, like the pug, may sincerely believe that serious harm may come to them.
I guess my point is that it is all too easy to minimize another person's or an animal's fears. We shouldn't do that with dogs or with people.
However, I don't think there is any deliberate malice involved in this situation. Just a lack of understanding.
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Karuuna
Board Administrator
08-30-2000
| Friday, October 11, 2024 - 1:57 pm
The threat is not nonexistant to the pug. The pug is TERRIFIED.
My point is that we should not minimize a dog's very real fear by calling it "dramatic"...so I have no idea why you are arguing.
Ignorance still hurts people and animals. And as I see people defending this, that makes me sad.
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