# Dolce hates "roll over"



## Martin (Feb 21, 2011)

I generally groom Dolce while she's laying on her side. When I'm finished with one side, I typically roll her over onto her other side. The problem is that she hates it when I do that. I thought that I could teach her roll over to make the whole thing less stressful for her.

The way I tried to teach it was to have her lay down and then lure her with her a treat, keeping it close to her head so she rolls over when she tries to eat it. She doesn't like that at all though: her tail is so tucked under that it touches her belly, the whites of her eyes show, and her ears are pinned back.

I don't know what it is about rolling over that bothers her so much. It's not the process of training in general; she typically loves learning things, especially when tasty treats are involved. I tried doing it on a bed in case the hard floors weren't comfy enough, but it didn't help. She lays on her back, scratches her back on the ground, and rolls over to get off the couch frequently on her own. Sometimes she does these things when no one is nearby, but she also does them with people next her and even shows her belly to actively solicit petting, so it's not being on her back or rolling over in-and-of-itself that she dislikes.

Possibly she associates treats and being on her back with nail clipping. My mom always feeds her a treat for every claw I cut, and somehow she always winds up on her back rather than her side. While she likes the treats enough that she comes over and lays down for me whenever she sees that I have the clipper and treats, she has her tail tucked under the entire time. I don't know how to make clipping nails more pleasant, either.

Does anyone have an idea about why she doesn't like rolling over for me and/or a different way of teaching the command that might be less stressful? If not, I guess I'll have to start grooming her while she's standing. That's not going to be as physically comfortable for either of us, but at least it's not going to scare her.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

Some dogs don't like rolling over - there could be some pain or discomfort related. It may also seem too much like an alpha pin/roll to her as well. 

Grooming standing up or sitting is better. The coat will lay better. <- My dogs are usually standing when I clip nails too.


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## SwimDog (Sep 28, 2014)

What if you have her roll the other way?

- She's on one side 
- Lure her back into a down position
- Lure her onto the other side.


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## Susan: w/ Summit we climb (Jun 12, 2014)

*Doesn't Like Rolling Over*

Did you raise her from a puppy, or is she a rescue? If a rescue, something out of her past might have something to do with it.


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## Martin (Feb 21, 2011)

Megora, I always have trouble getting at all the fur on the inside of her thigh if she's standing. Do you have any tips on how to do this?

SwimDog, thanks for the suggestion! I don't know why that never occurred to me. I'll try teaching her to do it that way instead.

Susan, I got Dolce direct from her breeder when she was about one. I think her breeder could have spent more one-on-one time with her and socialized her more after her siblings had gone to their new homes (I think the breeder did fine before that point), but I do not think she was in any way abusive to her. Aside from house training, the breeder did not train Dolce, so I doubt Dolce even experience much positive punishment. She is a sensitive, somewhat anxious dog, though. For instance, she used to pee submissively very frequently. It used to be multiple times a day, now it's down to once a year or so. She is afraid of outdoor markets and of fireworks. I'm planning on buying _Help for Your Fearful Dog_ by Nicole Wilde in the near future because of this.


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## Anon-2130948gsoni (Apr 12, 2014)

I've had good success using an almost-empty jar of peanut butter for nail trims. My dogs are so busy trying to get their tongues in there that they don't focus on the nail trimmers at all.

In a couple of months nail trims went from something everyone hated to having them fuss about who gets to go first.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

Martin said:


> Megora, I always have trouble getting at all the fur on the inside of her thigh if she's standing. Do you have any tips on how to do this?


I wasn't sure how to answer because honestly if you have a slicker brush, it's just a very quick once over and done. I spend a little more time brushing my guys necks/chests - only because it apparently is their favorite spot to be brushed. 

Other thing is I don't really worry about the fur inside of the thighs - especially as the skin can be a little sensitive there and I don't want to scratch the skin. I generally pull the longer hair between the legs forward to brush, and the rest is just my brushing down the sides and brushing the fur on the bellies back towards the front and calling it done. 

It's just a lot quicker doing it that way. 2-5 minutes tops.


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