Ugh. The new puppy is scooting his butt on the floor

[Recursion]

He's not marking yet so I haven't particularly bothered with paper training other than to move him onto the pad when I actually see him standing there peeing.

Anyways, today he started scooting. I gently cleaned his butt with some soft soap and water (he's a lhasa apso so there's a lot of hair already and there were some... er... Klingons), but he also seems to be kind of constipated. I put some water and olive oil on his food (he will absolutely not touch the wet stuff, but loves the dry, so I'm trying to wet up the dry stuff a little bit); I really hope that clears him out some.

Anyways, here's another picture of the little guy, for the fans...

[Behind the Aegis]

1. Very cute.

The scooting may not just be "Klingons" or constipation, though they are usually the main culprits. In little dogs like him, it may have something to do with his anal glands. Sometimes they need to be "expressed" (not a job you want), and sometimes, they just itch. If he keeps it up, and there are no dingleberries or swelling (anal glands), then it is constipation. Massage the belly, GENTLY, and it helps, but also produces gas...so...yeah...it can nasty.

I have four Chihuahuas, and it usually is just itchy bottom, though one has a constipation problem. Pepto Bismol helps.

[Recursion]

2. Yeah, I used to raise Springer Spaniels

I know expressing all too well. It's just that at 7 weeks he seems a little young for that. I'm hoping it's a side effect of the worming we just did.

[MissDeeds]

3. He is adorable

I hope he's easier to potty train than my little bichon. He would walk across three puppy pads to tinkle on the hardwood floor. After three bichon boys, we're going to have to have the floors refinished, but they're worth it.

[Recursion]

4. Unfortunately Lhasa's are famously hard to potty train.

We'll see how this goes.

[tblue37]

7. The problem with pads or paper is that the pup just learns that it is okay to go

in the house, and that can confuse them.

When I had dogs I just spent their training period on hyperalert, always walking them within 25-30 minutes of eating for poop purposes and watching like a hawk for piddle signals that might occur in between regularly scheduled piddle walks. I also taught them the words "poop" and "pee." Dogs can actually learn some words, and the smarter breeds and individuals can learn quite a few words. It takes time and patience, and it helps if you are not trapped at a job for long hours (as a college instructor I do a lot of my work at home and spend only a few hours at a time on campus).

Once they learned the words, which I reinforced incessantly whenever they peed or pooped, and praised them outrageously for, they would actually develop a conditioned response. Their bodies would learn when they would be taken out to poop or pee, and the encouraging words would trigger the response if they were taking longer than usual.

My daughter's dog has also been conditioned to, ah, "release" on command when on a poop walk, since my daughter doesn't want the pup to go in people's yards. (Even after being picked up, dog poop leaves some damage to grass, just from being there for a moment while the collection bag is being readied.)

The smaller dogs are made small by breding that favors neotony, so they retain a lot of the puppy look and behavioral patterns. That is why small dogs can be harder to potty train. Also, I am sure the smaller brain is less trainable to complex behaviors. But I love all sizes of dogs, and you get so darned much cuddly cuteness from a little guy that it it worth the extra effort it can take to fully train them, not just potty training but other things, like not jumping and licking at faces in a frenzy of excitement when greeting someone. That is a puppy behavior that derives from the way pups in the wild who have just moved to solid food lick their parents' mouths to trigger them to vomit up the food they're bringing back from a hunt for the newly weaned babies.

[pansypoo53219]

5. good poopy!

[tblue37]

6. He is adorable. Maybe smear a bit of vaseline on his tush (for the itchiness).

Yeah, I know, but hands can be washed, and you would do it for a baby with a sore or itchy tush, which is what provokes the scooting--that or else a bit of "leftoover" that he is trying to get rid of.

Also, I trim the long hair on the bottoms of my two long-haired cats. (Thank goodness the other two are short-haired.) Not only does that reduce what you so delicately refer to as Klingons (gotta steal that one, LOL!), but it also makes it less gross if I have to use vaseline on them. That doesn't normally occur, but it has a couple of times.

[PatrickforO]

8. That's his new dance!

[shenmue]

20. :)

Hee hee!

I was going to suggest handi-wipes, but probably a trip to the v-e-t for worm stuff will be better.

[spike91nz]

9. worms

might want to check him for worms.

[Wounded Bear]

13. My first thought...

though I'm no expert on dogs.

[AwakeAtLast]

15. Mine, too

and not an expert, either.

[Recursion]

23. Apparently worms don't actually make dogs' butts itch, despite the popularity of that belief

The vet tech I called suggested his anal glands need to be expressed. Oy.

[Laffy Kat]

33. Indeed. It's gross but I always take my dogs to the vet when they start scooting.

The vet tech expresses the anal glands and it stops the scooting instantly. I wouldn't try it at home, though. Trust me.

[PatrickforO]

35. Yeah, that's THE most disgusting job ever when it comes to your pets. Best let the vet

'handle' draining those glands!

[vlyons]

10. If he's scooting his butt, he might have worms

Being constipated and/or loose or running stools would also make me suspicious of worms. You can either have the vet do a fecal and worm him, or you can worm him yourself. There are good puppy wormers you can just pour on his food.

[avebury]

11. You might want to consider having the butt area on

your dog shaved to make it easier to keep it clean. I used to have a long haired dog that sometimes would end up with some of her poop stuck to her fur. Shaving the area helped to deal with that problem.

[Recursion]

12. Yeah, we're going to the groomer tomorrow

It's very important for Lhasa Apsos, who don't shed.

[orleans]

27. we always got our lhasas a "puppy cut"

or at the start of summer they'd get a summer cut

so even as they grew old they still retained that youthful look! lol.

i love those apsos!

what is this new baby's name?

btw--those flip flops look like they'd feel delicious to sink your teeth into (if one was so inclined to do such a thing!)

[Triana]

14. Trip to the vet in order for the scooting

He likely has worms. If he hasn't yet been dewormed, he should be.

He's a cutie pie!

[Recursion]

21. He's in the middle of his deworming

He has another dose in a week, and then one per month for a while. But contrary to popular belief worms don't actually make dogs' butts itch.

[NightWatcher]

16. He's doing it cause it feels good. Go on, try it

Oh yeah, that's the spot.

[Recursion]

26. Don't lie to me, Brian: you're looking for an ass race

First one to the kitchen wins!

[shenmue]

17. OMG squeeeeeee!

Adorable!!!!!!!!!!

[rug]

18. Can't you train a monkey to wipe his ass?

[Recursion]

19. That's the ticket

I'll get on it.

[Major Nikon]

29. My kids are adults now and I still have to wipe their asses

(metaphorically speaking)

[rug]

32. It's only a matter of time before they return the favor.

[Solly Mack]

22. Small breeds, to include the lhasa apso, often have problems with their anal glands.

They become impacted and will need to be manually manipulated to clear them out.

You should take him to the vet, just in case. The vet can also show you how to do it yourself.

The problem can become serious.

It might not be his anal glands but scooting across the floor is a sign of it.

I learned how to express the anal glands on my mini dachshund.

The vet showed me how.

The anal glands can become infected and even develop abscesses if the dog can't express the glands itself.

[Recursion]

24. Yeah, that's what the vet tech I called said

She suggested it can be a form of bonding between person and dog...

[Solly Mack]

25. Good luck to you both! He's an adorable doggie!

My dachshund was fairly young the first time he went to the vet for his anal glands.

I do it while bathing him. He is more relaxed and less anxious about the procedure.

My other dog gets jealous and actually lines up behind my doxie so he can be next. He'll turn his bottom to my hands wanting me to do him too. Fortunately, he doesn't need it.

[orleans]

28. dogs can be pretty funny sometimes--like your "other dog" who lines up to get his

butt squeezed!

omg!

[Solly Mack]

30. They both think if one dog gets something the other dog should get something too.

Which usually happens. My other dog is what it is known as a Feist. A rat terrier mix known for squirrel hunting. My poor Feist is very frustrated as we don't hunt but we do feed the squirrels. He hates squirrels in his yard.

I do pretend to squeeze his butt so he won't feel left out.

[ReverendDeuce]

31. This is why I stick with cats.

I respect the fact that others like dogs and I won't begrudge the animal at all, but I personally cannot stand dogs. I grew up with dogs. I hated them. They were unruly, undisciplined little balls of stinky breath with empty eyes that stare right through you. The neighbors had large dogs. I hated them, too. When loose they would chase us on our bikes, snarling and barking. When in their fenced back yards, all we would see is Marmaduke-sized paws groping the top of the fences and all we would hear is woofing and the clacking of fence boards on fence frames as the nails struggled to contain the evil behind them. Fleeting glimpses of those empty eyes, drooling and gaping maws, and teeth rounded out the horror.

No, I don't care for dogs. I would never hurt one out of malice, but they can stay hella away from me.

[Callmecrazy]

34. Whoda thunk...

that so many people knew so much about dog butts?