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my 5 mo. old shih Tzu is the most gentle lovable puppy in the world except when trying to clean around his eyes. the minute he sees the cotton ball coming near his face he shows he does not want it. any suggestions
Someone else might have suggestions about specific products to use for eye-area cleanings, but the general method below can be used whether you stick with the cotton ball or go to some other type of wipe:
Regularly pet your puppy's face in a relaxing way to get him comfortable with general handling of that area. As he shows signs of enjoying these "face massages" start to focus a little more on the eye area, gently wiping over his eyes with your hand / fingers. Get your pup used to having every part of his body handled by you. Once a day when he is already pretty calm and relaxed, cradle him in your arms and gently handle his paws, ears, mouth, etc. Make the experience positive and soothing so that he forms a positive association with being handled and examined. (Your vet will thank you!)
1) Show the puppy the cotton ball bag (don't shove it at his face, just hold the bag and let him look at it or sniff it if he chooses) say "good!" and give him a tiny piece (pea size or smaller) of a soft, stinky treat that he loves. Repeat this several times.
2) Open the bag. If puppy observes, he gets another tiny treat.
3) Take out a cotton ball and just let puppy look at it or sniff if he chooses to. Don't approach the pup, let him come to you. Be patient. Say "good!" and reward with a tiny treat any time puppy looks at or moves toward the cotton ball.
4) Move the cotton ball toward the puppy but don't touch him with it. Reward, and then bring the cotton ball back away from puppy. Repeat several times - move cotton ball closer to pup, reward, then bring cotton ball back closer to you away from pup.
5) Only once the puppy is completely comfortable (and even eager) about the above steps, start to touch the pup with a dry cotton ball. Do not touch his face with it, choose another area of his body where he is more comfortable being touched (try his chest, side, or neck). When he's comfortable with momentary touches, start to pet him with the cotton ball basically (use the cotton ball like a brush). Reward often with a tiny treat each time he is calm for this activity. A couple strokes with the cotton ball, then treat.
6) Move the cotton ball closer to his face. Let him sniff it. If he is hesitant to investigate the cotton ball, try holding a treat next to it. Reward any calm or curious behavior.
7) Gently touch his face with a dry cotton ball for a split second. Reward and repeat.
8) Once he is happy to have his face touched with the cotton ball, begin to gently wipe his face with it. Just one wipe at a time and he gets a treat for each wipe.
I think you can see the basic method here. We are breaking the process down into tiny steps and moving through those levels at the dog's pace. We only move on to the next step when the dog shows us he's ready, and we keep the whole process positive and pleasant for the pup.
In order for this method to work, you have to use a treat that the puppy really loves. A lot of trainers use "food rolls" because they can be cut into any size pieces and they have a strong, enticing smell. The industry term for the stuff is "puppy crack". Here are a couple examples: Natural Balance , Pet Botanics You can find those at the big chain pet stores.
Associating any pressure or force with the eye cleaning process will be really counterproductive. Here is a video about the power of choice in animal training (the concepts apply to your situation and training goal):
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