Need creative ideas for my dog''s face-rubbing habit

[mia1181]

As some of you might already know
<------- This little guy is partially paralyzed and doesn''t have a whole lot of control/coordination in his hind legs.

One thing he can''t do anymore is scratch himself with his hind legs like dogs usually do. So instead he has adapted to rubbing his face, ears, neck on protruding corners of walls, or more recently, our new couch

. We try scratching for him but it doesn''t cut it for him. The problem is that it leaves dirt on everything he rubs, and he rubs so hard the paint chips off the wall. We just moved into a new apartment and we''d like to keep it nice for as long as possible.

So does anyone have any suggestions for some type of a replacement behavior we can give him? I''m thinking something like a cat scratching post but I am hoping for something a little less conspicuous. I''d love something that is washable. Any ideas?

I realize this is an unusual question but I know PSers are so creative.

 

[Haven]

Oh, he is just the sweetest little thing ever! His name is Oliver, right? Oh, that face just slays me!

I was going to suggest a cat scratching post, but I see that you'd prefer something else.

Hmmm . . . Do you have any furniture or posts that you could wrap with sisal rope? For example, our dining room table has very thick legs, we could totally wrap that with sisal and train our pup to rub her face on that. It's not ideal, but it would definitely be less conspicuous than a cat post. And sisal is inexpensive, you can replace it whenever it gets dirty enough. You can buy sisal from Home Depot type stores.

What about the legs to your bed? Or some other such furniture that is out of the way? I bet it would be easy to train him to use it once you set it all up. Poor itchy guy!

 

[mia1181]

Aw how sweet you remembered his name! He''s snoring on my lap right now. He''s definitely a special dog. We love him.

Great idea about the rope! I have never heard of it but I will look it up. A scratching post would probably work fine but I know they are expensive and I don''t think they can be cleaned. But the rope.... that would work.... we don''t have many pieces of furniture with tall legs but we have barstools and we will be getting a diningroom table soon.

Okay I am off to google the rope now! I just know he''ll be easy to train, he''s such a people-pleaser!
Thanks so much!

 

[honey22]

Double sided tape. Several soft-medium bristle brushes. Scatter them around the house. Removable and washable

 

[lulu]

I can''t do a link but try this-http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2754436&utm_source=googleproduct&utm_campaign=5020069&utm_medium=cse&mr:trackingCode=BBDA2C64-C881-DE11-B712-001422107090&mr:referralID=NA

He''ll be able to scratch himself all over.

 

[fleur-de-lis]

Aw, I just adore your little guy-- such a cute face! I remember your earlier posts about him, and am glad to hear he's doing well enough to, well, get around and dirty the new sofa.

After reading your post, a story Isabella Rossellini told from her childhood came to mind. They had a beloved and well-behaved family dog growing up, but shortly after moving to a new home the dog decided that he *loved* the new silk drapes so much that he had to make them his own... in the way that dogs mark territory. Repeatedly. Simple discipline just could not get the dog to stop, so her highly practical mother (Ingrid Bergman, mind you) simply measured the dog's height, made some calculations, and... personally hemmed every single silk drape in the house to end exactly "one-dog-leg-height" above the ground. Problem solved. Dog resumed being the great family dog and peace resumed.

Anyhow, considering Oliver's history, there might be a valid argument for taking a deep breath and not panicking about the stuff. An ugly kitty post isn't the end of the world. Mr. Clean Magic Erasers work wonders on wall smudges. Buy a little pot of matching paint for touch-ups. If he were a 100% healthy puppy just learning right from wrong, my advice would be different, but this isn't just a discipline issue-- there's a health concession underlying the behavior of a generally very good dog. If having an ugly kitty post makes him feel better, really, embrace the fug.

While trying to find the lasting solution, don't lose sight of the fact that if the building were on fire, you wouldn't be running in to save the sofa or the walls-- you'd be running in to save Oliver, you know?

In essence, just get whatever works. Of course, it could just be that your pup's cute little face is hypnotizing me into verbalizing the sentiment, "Give him everything he wants!"

 

[tyty333]

Date: 10/10/2009 10:17:22 AM
Author: lulu
I can't do a link but try this-http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2754436&utm_source=googleproduct&utm_campaign=5020069&utm_medium=cse&mr:trackingCode=BBDA2C64-C881-DE11-B712-001422107090&mr:referralID=NA

He'll be able to scratch himself all over.

This looks like a great idea for the walls...well minus the cat nip

!

You might try looking into this for your furniture...
http://www.amazon.com/Sticky-Paws-Furniture-strips-package/dp/B0006NE4QC/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1255196837&sr=1-3
http://www.amazon.com/Sticky-Paws-On-a-Roll/dp/B00106Z2C4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1255196837&sr=1-1

 

[exoticisabella]

something like this might work

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=2027