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My dog is on her first estrus cycle and yesterday she started bleeding. We have a garden so she can go outside, but during the morning she usually comes in and stays with us.

To avoid cleaning the floor every now and then, we bought her some specific underwear, which some recommend. However when we put it on, she stops doing anything: she would just sit and look around, and even if we place a treat in front of her, she wouldn't go and eat it, but she'd start drooling instead without moving.

I know dogs aren't meant to wear underwear, but it's the first time I've seen this situation. What can we do to help her be more comfortable with this?

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  • If let in that state, does she eventually move? What happens if you leave her in that state (assuming the drooling is not too intense). Can you feed her by hand?
    – RSinohara
    Commented Jun 10, 2015 at 11:40
  • We tried to let her in that state for ~10 minutes and she didn't move at all, so we thought we had to remove the underwear because the drooling was too intense: as soon as we did, she started moving and ate the treat almost instantly. She would however eat the treat if fed by hand.
    – Vereos
    Commented Jun 10, 2015 at 17:21
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    I first thought your problem was her removing/scratching it away... Actually posted on it before realizing it wasn't the case. I can think of one thing... have you trained her to stay? If so, you must have a release word (usually 'OK'). Try saying it.
    – RSinohara
    Commented Jun 10, 2015 at 18:26

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Make sure that they fit nicely without being too tight first. Once you have done that, it is probably best to try and ignore it and act like everything is normal. If she senses that you think everything is fine, she will be more likely to be comfortable.

Some dogs are just more sensitive or unsure about novel situations, like wearing underwear.

To speed things along you can try helping her understand that she can move in them by gently lifting her legs one at a time. May help to give her a good massage too... it will relax her and you can help her start moving around in them once you feel her relax a little.

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    For the record, it's smart enough to do this before the undearware is needed, so the dog is used to it when the time comes. We tend to do these things when needed, often adding our stress to the situation. It's too late for the OP in this instance, but a great tip we got here on Pets.
    – RSinohara
    Commented Jun 10, 2015 at 11:41
  • @RSinohara I omitted it in the OP because I thought it was not so relevant, I'm sorry. We actually tried the underwear during the last week, but she did not move even back then.
    – Vereos
    Commented Jun 10, 2015 at 17:27
  • @Veros Nothing to be sorry about, it was indeed irrelevant to your question. I just commented this as I realized I should do it at some point before my puppy is that age... so I shared the tip.
    – RSinohara
    Commented Jun 10, 2015 at 18:23
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Dogs, like humans tend to be uncomfortable with new things and getting them in an underwear will be met with resistance. What I did with my dog is I played a game with her at first, getting it on for a while and giving her treats when she keeps it. Eventually, she got used to wearing it.

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