I think this is very normal behaveour . Animals do not have the same understanding as us and even in a life threatening situation and you were helping them im sure they would bear teeth or even bite if they were scared enough xx

I'm a groomer and sometimes dogs which have lovely temperaments can snap and show teeth etc. when put in a scary position (nail clipping, ear cleaning etc.) It is no reflection on the temperament or training level of the dog. Sometimes I can have a dog at work for an hour and a half being bathed, dried, brushed and trimmed and everything's fine, but I have to use a muzzle for two minutes whilst I do the nails if they are uncomfortable with it. I do think a lot of vets lack 'bedside manner' with dogs. One of my customers was upset when a vet pinned his dog (Bullmastiff x Staffie) to the floor to put drops in her ears and told the owner 'you have to dominate this kind of dog'. Needless to say, he's changed vets (and so have I, coz that was MY vet too!)

It is a pain in the neck for both owner and vets (etc) when dogs have not been taught to accept inspections etc.

THere is absolutely no excuse for this sort of behaviour if you have had the dog from a pup, as of course it is entirely preventable through habituation training.

For rescue dogs etc then you have to manage some situations whilst training or accept that a very few dogs will be uncooperative and for everyone's sake be muzzled and/or sedated.

I have only had one dog that could be a bit "iffy" but because he trusted me, he never did anything.

All my dogs (including the GSD who is bite trained) can be handled by anyone anywhere etc, because he has been TRAINED to.

The answer to your question is unfortunately it is NOT that unusual due to failure of many owners to address it.

i agree.
... altho im sure dex's ear is sore...imo its all connected..his training,his behavior at the vets and out and about etc...i do not want to sound rude but methinks dex calls all the shots...i know u are trying hard with him tho

Must admit I would be shocked if my dog behaved like this but then they have always been used to being groomed regularly, ears inspected, teeth cleaned and are pretty bomb-proof.

Cherry has her own "difficult" areas (ie dog-reactivity) but over the last year she has been back and forwards to Newmarket animal health trust re her various eye operations and problems and she was the favourite patient as the staff can do anything with her with only one person handling her as normally they need two.

Cherry seems to be like Marmite-love her or hate her but I am so proud of her temperament whenever we go back there as she dances into the waiting room and greets all the vets and nurses with a few Kerry smiles and "woo-woos" even though they pull her about examining her each time we go.

Having a solid temperament to be handled was good when we met a man with a little girl of about 3 in the city one day. He asked if my dog was friendly and I said yes and his child proceeded to gently lift each of Cherry's feet, look into her ears and touch her tail! Never expected that but Cherry just stood their wagging her tail patiently. Obviously if she had been rough I would have moved Cherry but she was so gentle but thorough in her examination of my dog I think she will grow up to be a show judge or a vet!

One of my dogs, Barney, is fantastic at the vets, never shown any sign of aggression & they can do just about anything with him ~ except shove an instrument down his ear!!

When he had a couple of hot spots a few years ago, both on the same side of his head near the ear, the vet thought it might be connected to an ear infection so she wanted to examine the inside of his ears. Barney, bless him, didn't show any sign of aggression at all but, boy, could he wriggle with the all strength of a strong wriggly thing! In the end the vet just gave up & said that if he needed an ear exam in future he'd have to be sedated. Luckily this hasn't been necessary.

But it was a warning to me (& to my pocket having to fork out for possibly unnecessary sedation) that Barney needs some help. So for the last year or so, I've been touching, examining, poking, cleaning & doing all sorts to his ears (gently I might add) & he's been absolutely fine. I'm hoping that this will stand him in good stead should he need an ear exam in future.

Jessie & Wukee hate having their feet & legs touched-a throw back to their breeders who cut their nails way too short & manhandled them rather than being patient.

Jessie has to have a muzzle on for anything to do with her feet, legs & stitch removal at the vets. She's now fine with me. She isn't an aggressive dog, just very scared of being hurt again & wearing a muzzle doesn't faze her at all. It doesn't stop her protesting, but it means that she cannot nip.

Yes I do. When a previous vet insisted she was muzzled and he gave me one of those cage things, it made matters worse quite honestly, and although she didn't snap and snarl with it on, it did stress her out tremendously. I bought this soft, fabric one, which we've practiced on at home, coz she can eat treats through it, and for some strange reason, it actually calms her at the vets now, she can't open her gob wide (unlike in the cage type one), and she's very accommodating for the vet now, instead of turning into a quiverring mess like she used to be. We're alright with the female vets, just that I can't always get one of those, and I'd never forgive myself if she ever did take a chunk out of him lol! I only ever put it on just before I go in, and after he's finished his poking and prodding it comes off immediately, just so that she can sit and wait and see that he's not going to pounce on her again! Oh it's a nightmare, so whatever you can do to make things better keep at it.

Maybe it's just the ears with your boy and he'll be fine with anything else perhaps? It's not fair putting a vet in the firing line and that's why I muzzle my dog coz she has very large teeth and I don't want her pts, that is why I do it myself.

I've tried the vet visits on and off, getting treats off the nurses and then leaving again, and it all worked out fine, they can all give her a pat on the head as they pass or a treat, but then I tell them that's because they're not vets! when she has to go into that small consulting room with a tall, strange man in there it's a totally different story for us! One day I might cure it, if I keep seeing the females which she's fine with, you never know, but until that day, it's much better to be safe than sorry imo.

Don't feel bad, coz the lady who was waiting to go in after me the other day had THE worst snappy, snarly little monster ever, it tried to take a chunk out of Zena from the other side of the room, and when I asked her what he's like with the vets, she just said "worse"!!!

Tilly had her health check & annual jabs today which the vet performed from behind whilst Tilly had her head between hubs legs looking at me so she couldn't see him! She was stiff & he wasn't able to lift her back legs as she tucked them tight underneath herself. But she didn't move whilst he poked & prodded elsewhere, including her front paw which I was worried about & yet when we first went in, it was when he began to approach her that she launched herself at him as if she was being cornered.
Had she not have had a basket muzzle on she would have bitten him. I always put the muzzle on before we go in & it has to be a basket one as they can still bite through the fabric ones.

My dog is a rescue, and from day one has hated anyone touching his ears. It's taken nine months to train any form of recall and loose lead walking, let alone addressing his hatred of having his ears examined.

I'll be totally honest and say I don't even know how to 'train' for this. He will let me stroke his ears, but even if I try to turn one of his ears over, he will leap up and run away.