Scruff of the neck...!!

[KSNS]

So just having talk with my house mates and they mention something that can't say i have heard of before

I know picking a dog up by scruff of his/her neck they panic because it's what their mother would do and because it is pretty much the only place they can't defend against so they panic and act like it's the end of the world.

But they said/think that if you don't pick a dog up by scruff of the neck the skin tightens over time and to suddenly do it would cause the dog pain where it has tightend.

Can't say I have heard of this befor so I wont say it's true or not what are you're thoughts..!!

[BingBlaze n Skyla]

i have no idea - i havent heard of it before either but then again how many people suddenly grab their dogs scruff?

[Sparks]

thats a weird one!

Never heard of that before

[Mael]

Puppies in general have far looser skin than adult dogs do. Regardless of the variable you mentioned, I would think that the skin will tighten over time anyways.

[BingBlaze n Skyla]

Puppies in general have far looser skin than adult dogs do. Regardless of the variable you mentioned, I would think that the skin will tighten over time anyways.

until they get really old n go all saggy lol

[wolfmyth]

I know picking a dog up by scruff of his/her neck they panic because it's what their mother would do and because it is pretty much the only place they can't defend against so they panic and act like it's the end of the world.

Not sure why they would panic, its how their mother would move them herself naturally. All the pupps the breeder I got Akina from would pick them up this way and they were all relaxed.

[lebe03]

I thought the reason their mothers pick them up by the scruff is because they can't carry them any other way. I wouldn't recommend carry a dog of any age by the scruff of it's neck as it would be like holding a live hand grenade (ie dangerous)

[Tikaani&Aiyana]

Haven't heard of this one before?!

Surely you wouldn't want to pick up an adult dog by the scruff anyway?

[Sid_Wolf]

I often scruff Kira, always have done, it doesnt hurt and she doesnt seem at all fazed by it. If she not wearing a collar and shes got her head in the bin then I'll scruff her to get her out, same as if shes adament about not getting off the sofa, i'll scruff her and pull her off.

I do the same with Grey, he mumbles a bit about it, but he does the same whether you move him by his collar, push him by his bum, however you try and move him he will growl, think he just doesnt wanna move! Mary said he's always growled but never bitten

[Tikaani&Aiyana]

I do the same with mine Sid but i wouldn't pick them up by it

[BingBlaze n Skyla]

im sure you both dont suddenly grab the scruff to move them either - cuz ur not just gonna grab n pull are you - you take hold of their scruff n guide them

[Tikaani&Aiyana]

im sure you both dont suddenly grab the scruff to move them either - cuz ur not just gonna grab n pull are you - you take hold of their scruff n guide them

Yeah

[Removed #2]

I have grabbed mine by the scruff on either side to get their attention at times. It works. They grab each other by the scruff. I can't carry mine anyway, too heavy, so it doesn't matter for me!

[Stevo Smith]

I would say never grab or pull a dog by the scruff.........as puppys thier mother carries them this way as its the only safe way she can and they cannot move themselves....however when a dog is older the extra weight will put more strain on the skin and soft tissue and cause pain....this is my personal opinion and i for one will never grab mine by the scruff even if she had her head in the bin they have powerful chest's which you can get your arm around to pull them away from unwanted place's

On another note grabbing a adult dog by the scruff can be looked upon by the dog as you trying to assert dominance over he/she and then cause a reaction

there are easier ways to assert your dominace without even touching the dog

[BingBlaze n Skyla]

my two rag each other by the scruff

[Stevo Smith]

Thats in play........but when you do it it's diff...........more so if you pull them away from something.....im sorry im going on a little but i do not agree with laying a hand on a dog unless to pet it for good behaviour or stroking....like i have said this is my personal opinion.........look at it this way.....imagine your minding your own buissness looking over a wall and some-one walks up to you and pulls you back by the scruff of the neck?....bet you wouldn't be happy.

[BingBlaze n Skyla]

no i completely agree with you if sum1 grabbed me by the back of the next id be peed off

[Wizadora]

Luna recently got grabbed by her scruff cause she slipped her collar and i had to get hold of her, but shes got a big bit of loose skin there anyway, she doesnt at all mind it being grabbed or pulled, not that i pull it very hard, but her and Aura are always pulling each others necks really HARD, i dont think its bad to do it, as long as you know your dogs not getting upset or hurt by doing it. on the point of their skin gettitng tight with age if not scruffed, i've experienced this with older dogs, it goes tight if their owner or other dogs dont pull at it, so when you go to grab if in an emergency for example you wouldn't be able to cause the skin would be too tight on the neck, now im not saying go around scruffing the dog just to make sure it dont go tight, just an observation.

[Susan]

Only done this with young puppies to mimic what there mother does and done in a gentle manner, they just relax and go all floppy . If they wriggle or make a noise then it has been done wrong. Oly done it until the pups are arounf 10 weeks old.

[Hyshqa]

I don't see a problem with scruffing young puppies. I scruffed my friend's cocker spaniel puppy yesterday because she wasn't wearing a collar and was going absolutely APE around the living room so it was all I could grab a hold of. If I grabbed her round the waist or tried to hold her up with an arm around her chest she would wriggle free, but she couldn't get out of her scruff being gripped so I used it to hold her back and stop her reaching sonic speed There's only a certain amount of time that scruffing and being lifted is natural though, give it a couple of months and they wouldn't naturally be moved like that, so if the dog is old enough to go into its new home I'd say it's too old to be lifted by the scruff. That doesn't mean it can't be used as a handle like the collar would be though, my friend's 10 year old jack russel has SO much skin that she is still scruffed if she gets into things (in fact you could probably lift her up by her skin, this extra skin runs all along her body, she's like a hand bag ).

I think there's only limited truth in saying that over time the skin tightens and causes pain if scruffed. Although the skin does naturally get tighter, as I said my friend's dog still has a substantial amount left on her at 10 years old, and even if it had tightened the only time it would cause pain is if you're trying to raise the animal off the ground which should not be done reguardless of how much skin they have. That's like saying it would cause pain if you tried to lift a dog by its tail or something...of course it does!

[KSNS]

I think that saying laying a hand on a dog and scruffing them is 100% different and to class as the same is just wrong laying a hand on a dog is to physicly hurt them to scruff them is not the same at all.

Also on the note of not to dominate a dog i don't grab mine unless needed but as far as dominating my dogs i am the alpha of both if they fight i stop them both neither of my dogs is above another I am the one in charge of them and there is no 2nd best.

Assertion doe sno have to be physical no but there will always be the odd occasion that may arise where grabbing the scruff is quickest soloution like if they slip their harness. Commen sense would say that i am not on about just doing it for the hell of it.

But all in all interesting reads

[Stevo Smith]

Im not saying not to do it.....im just saying in my opinion i dont agree with it..........if you feel the need to scruff your dog then so be it i just dont do it to mine.....

Agreed about the intresting views people have on this subject though

[Roxy1]

Hi ALl-

The conversation seemed to get off topic as the original comment was about "picking UP the dog by the scruff" not just grabing the scruff.

Everyone who ever has had dogs for any lenght of time would have at one point or another "grabbed" their dog by the scruff when thay had to. (fight, no collar,etc.)

However, Steve had it right. And Steve - it's not just an opinion, it is a fact that picking up an adult dog by the scruff will at best, cause pain, and or cause damage.

An adult dog is not as limber and the additional weght carried is enough to tear skin, ligaments, etc. The puppys skin and lasticity will easily handel its weight without causing damage.

Picking "UP" should never be done.

Grabbing by the scruff does sometimes need to, although should not be a regular thing.

[aronoiiel]

With the original conversation I think it would depend on the age of the pup at around 3 months I think it would be to heavy to pick up by the scruff unless you had your other hand under the pup to help support the weight so it wasn't fully on the skin and fur. I know Kiana weight quite a bit at 3 months and I never would've done that with her at her weight then.

IMO as for the grabbing of the scruff I think it depends on the breed what pain you will cause and what effect it will have physically. Pugs, huskies, bulldogs, and such naturally have looser skin about their necks for play and rough housing with their own breeds. My Kiana and my friend's pug Gabe are constantly going at each others necks because they both have such loos skin around them that it doesn't bother them to grab and yank. Now this is completely different when a human does it true. We normally do it because they are either being naughty or well doing something we don't approve of such as escaping out the front door because some ninny left it open. However, it also depends on the strength behind the grab and pull as well. As Nix stated when I scruff Kiana I will give her a firm something or other (Nah uh, I dont' think so, or WHAT ARE YOU DOING) and then proceed to get her outta whatever thing she's gotten herself into. I also grab her in play on either side and the back as a dog would. She has only once yiped at me and that was because I had mis-stepped and stupid didn't let go of her as my butt fell. Yes it will hurt if you put to much pull into it. But, they are a rough house breed that is very head and face oriented when they horse around thus they are more built to take that kind of thing. Now, I would NOT recommend scruffing a chihuahua or a greyhound or any other tight skinned dog as I'm sure that will cause great pain.

Another good point is to know your dogs personality as far as how they will take that approach and also what context you are doing it in. If you are ticked off and showing it then of course your dog would not be pleased to be grabbed from such a vulnerable spot. If you are obviously playing then that I think would be completely different. . . but I think that's for another topic lol.

[HuskyCouture]

the only time i've ever harshly grabbed Embry by the scruff was when he got into a fight at the dog park, and instigated the whole thing, He calmed down immediately after I did it.