He is 11 months old and he doesn’t like it when I touch his paws when I trim his nails or brush his hair. I brush his hair everyday but he still doesn’t like it when I go near his feet. Any solutions to this?
Slow and steady wins with this problem. If you can teach him to shake, or, in our terms willingly give you a paw in exchange for a yummy treat, do it. Every time you touch your dog start on its back, give the dog a little massage even. Hold him on your lap or where ever he is most comfortable, and stroke him until he’s nearly asleep. Gently make your way down his legs with your massaging motion, but don’t try to touch his feet. At this point you’re just getting your dog to relax, and enjoy your touch. After a while of this you can touch his paws during the massage, as long as he doesn’t freak out. Whenever you touch his paw, say "Good Boy" in a soft slow voice, and give him a treat. Keep doing this until you can comfortably mess with his paws.
This same method can be good for brushing your dog as well. You want your dog to be calm and relaxed when you introduce anything that could be something stressful for your dog, and gradually introduce those things to the dog. Don’t push him too hard, and praise him for behaving.
My two larger dogs don’t like it when I trim their nails, clean their ears, or brush their teeth, but they allow me to do it because they know that I’m not going to hurt them, and that they’ll get a tasty treat and lots of praise/lovin after its done. The pros to allowing me to do those things out weigh the cons in the dog’s minds.
You always want to start as early as posssible with dogs and puppies, touching their ears, their muzzle, gums, feet, tail, and any area that may come under inspection at the vet or by yourself at any point. Teach the dog to allow this by being calm, soothing, patient, and rewarding those behaviors.
Anyone can touch my dog’s ears tail feet, etc. becasue I’ve handled them from early on. I still continue to mess with their feet and ears, especially while they sleep. Having your dog comfortable with your touch is an important part of owning a dog. It makes your life easier, and your vet or groomers as well.