just had yet another struggling session with our sbt to be able to put his frontline on the back of his neck.... 

Has anyone got any tips for this as he is getting far too strong now and next time we probably won't be able to hold him :rolleyes:

Erm.. when hes asleep? i do all the dogs nails when asleep easy peasy!

put it on whilst hes eating. with his head down in the bowl you can quickly apply it to his neck. dont let him see you open it either as it lets off a scent they can smell. open it whilst hes out of the room and have it ready when you put the food down. and unless you actually see fleas i would only use it about every 3 months.

My animals all hate it too but I do it far less than they suggest on the pack.  I think the last time I treated them (1 dog and two cats) was last summer and they are still flea free. Hopefully when I do them again shortly them might have forgotten abit about it.

Hold a handful of tasty treats in your fist and let him lick away at them while with the other hand you apply the Frontline....

Smear the front of the fridge at dog head height with a tasty substance, such as peanut butter and then apply whilst the dog is busy licking the substance off.

Have one person hold him still and the other apply it. SBTs aren't very big (muscular, but not big), and with one person holding his collar firmly either side of his face holding his head still, it's a two-second job. I've been the holder whilst the vet applies the drops on fiercer animals than that ...

I personally wouldnt do it that way, guess i've had sensitive dogs but i dont see any reason to stress them out more than they should and i would certainly not hold them still! they dont need to associate it with a negative experience, but i guess it depends on the breed you couldnt get away with it in my dogs.

Why does putting frontline on bother your dog? Cant you just sit him on your lap and squeeze it on? I must admit i have never heard of this problem before.... Could there be a reason why he doesnt like it? Could it sting or something?
I am curious to hear you response as like i said i have never heard of or come across this problem with any of my dogs  before.

How does holding a dog stress them?  chasing them trying to apply the frontline would be more stressful.  Here we have one person hold the dog and the other apply.  you just hold the collar and muzzle.  Just like I do when the judge is going over a dog in the ring.  Not at all negative and a treat afterwards aswell.

Failing that why not use the spray?

I agree I think dogs should be used to being slightly restrained. If you don't restrain them at any time they will act badly at the vets if they are really in pain. Both mine have always just been held and frontline applied then treated or played with afterwards. They both just relax now when I hold them in that certain way. Neither has a problem with frontline being applied.

One method I've found very useful over the years is to have a treat pot, or fav. toy and put it just out of reach, so the dog knows it is to get it very soon...my dog stands very still for grooming or whatever, just waiting for the reward...nice and easy for dog and owner :)

I do appreciate some dogs are disturbed by anything slightly unusual, perhaps the smell or the fact that their owner is perhaps a bit nervous or doing something odd to them :P Usually this can be trained away with associating with something pleasant. Often 2 people are helpful, one to treat the dog actually as the thing is being "done" to them, one to actually do the "thing" as calmly and efficiently as possible.

It can even help to rehearse what is going to be done in one's mind (I know it sounds silly but it's actually quite helpful!).

Good luck
Lindsay
x

How is having his collar held by someone he knows and trusts stressful? Surely it's just the same as you hold him when you do his routine ears and teeth check, or clip his nails? How does the vet examine him if you can't hold him still?

YOu put it better than i was trying to JG

Thanks for all your replies maybe it is just the smell as someone mentioned as he is fine having his nails clipped, ears and teeth examined etc....  Will try to open it in another room in future instead of when beside him and see if that helps...

I have trouble too, putting Advantage on the cats.  I think it gives them a little jolt of something cool running down that is unpleasant, and you can't warm it up too much.  For the dog though, maybe you could look into Sentinel chewable tablets?  That's what I use for our Lab.  We do have heartworm here and I do not know if the two products target the same pests.