[Mahna]

So I found an imperfection in Bogie. He doesn't mind petting his ears, but as soon as I try to clean them, he gets up and walks away. And if I try to approach him again, he'll just continue to walk away from me. I know I am supposed to clean them frequently, but he wont let me clean more than the outer portion of his ears. After the rain the other day, and going out for walks in it, there is dirty just on the bottom of his ears. If anyone has any advice on a different way to approach the ear cleaning, please let me know!

Also, he seems to be afraid of going down stairs. He is okay doing the short staircase that leads up to my front door, but going down any other staircase seems to be an issue. He loves going up the stairs though, and has gone up to the 3rd floor of my building following his nose! He also came to work with me yesterday, and clearly wanted to go outside, but my office is on the second floor, and when we got to the staircase, he would just freeze or back away quickly. I'm not sure what to do about this. Right now he is underweight, so I can lift him alright, but I don't know if I'll be able to carry him when he gets a bit heavier.

Thanks for your help!

PS: I finally heard a howl! Now it is his "Mommy I have to go out RIGHT NOW" signal!

 

[Marcia]

Try having someone feed him treats while you clean his ears. Worked for us.
As far as the stairs go - as he gets heavier, going down stairs will be even more difficult for him. Some advocate no steps at all for bassets. It puts a lot of stress on the joints.

 

[Soundtrack]

Ears: 1) Put dog on leash
2) Secure leash to immovable object
3) Clean ears
4) Reward

Stairs: What's worked for me is to physically take the dog to the top of the stairs. I hold the collar or leash and go down a few steps, then turn around facing him put one hand on each side of the collar and gently pull the resisting dog down so his front feet are on the first step. I give him a short break and tell him how great he is, then pull him down the next step. We repeat this to the bottom. I've never had to do this more than a few times, most dogs get the hang of it on the first trip down. By standing below him and keeping a firm grip on the collar you are making sure he can't accidentally fall down the staris.

 

[Gee]

My dogs like cleaning ears, as soon as i get out the cotton balls they come over and flop down in my lap. and then after i finish they still follow me around.

 

[Stephn]

ears

My Brandy hates to have her ears cleaned also, but she is submissive so she will let me clean them after I catch her. She will come and let me cut her nails no problem but I have to catch her to clean her ears. My Charlie is the opposite he'll gladly get his ears cleaned but has to be restrained to cut his nails.
Stephanie

 

[barblkr]

My husband holds Daisy Jayne while I clean her ears. She gets a treat after each ear, and he scratches her breastbone while we clean her ears--it soothes her.

Toenails are another story--it's worth $7.50 to me to have the vet do it.