by Charlotte
(erie,Pa)
Hello Sue,
It is Charlotte yet again…Thank the heavens for your site and the work you do for this breed!!!
As you know i wipe my 2 yr old rottie’s paws everytime he comes in the house, recently I have noticed when I’m wiping the back paws the leg that he has his weight on begins to shake. He has never had problems with his hips I am just concerned that this may be putting to much stress on them.
I have white carpet in my home so wiping his paws is a must! I went out and bought him the boots at pet smart but he hates them! So I only use them when it’s really bad outside. Would it be better for him if I have him lay down to wipe his paws or am I just being a over protective “mamma”? Zues is kinda like my therapy dog he can bring a smile to my face no matter how bad my day has been.. So I want to make sure he is as happy as he makes me..
Thank you in advance for any suggestions you can give me…
****ROTTIES ARE THE BEST DOGS****
P.S. thank you for the pronged collar suggestion working out well!!
Hi Charlotte
I’m glad my suggestions are helping you and Zues, that’s what my site is all about 🙂
It could be that redistribution of his weight when you wipe his paws is causing him to be off-balance and the shaking is simply his muscles trying to compensate. If he hasn’t shown any signs of hip problems (see my Canine Hip Dysplasia – Causes and Prevention page for more on this), then I wouldn’t worry too much about damaging his hips, but obviously it pays to be careful and proactive.
It probably would be a good idea to minimize this strain as much as possible, so having him lie down and roll over so you can clean his paws would be a good idea. Our dogs seem to do that automatically (I think they just want belly rubs really!).
I can imagine he hates his boots, I’ve yet to find a dog who thinks that canine footwear is acceptable under any circumstances :o) Zues is looking wonderful and I’m sure he’ll be enjoying his outings more now that the weather is getting better. Hope this helps, have fun.