The only dog that ever bit me was a Cocker Spaniel.
As for tricks to get the quills out, there really aren't any. Steady pressure, try not to break them, and on a dog, always check the paws, chest and legs. Sometimes if they are in the lips deep enough, we just pull them through the other side. I've seen them almost into the inside of a dog's throat, and it's very common to be lodged in the gums and tongue.
Some dogs are smarter than others, too. We had one client with an Akita that we swear kept going back for revenge every time he saw a porcupine. He never learned. The only thing that stopped him was that they moved away.
Two of our own dogs have come home with just one quill sticking right out of the end of their noses. You could tell that they had just taken that one sniff. They were smart. They learned, and never got close to one again.
As for tricks to get the quills out, there really aren't any. Steady pressure, try not to break them, and on a dog, always check the paws, chest and legs. Sometimes if they are in the lips deep enough, we just pull them through the other side. I've seen them almost into the inside of a dog's throat, and it's very common to be lodged in the gums and tongue.
Some dogs are smarter than others, too. We had one client with an Akita that we swear kept going back for revenge every time he saw a porcupine. He never learned. The only thing that stopped him was that they moved away.
Two of our own dogs have come home with just one quill sticking right out of the end of their noses. You could tell that they had just taken that one sniff. They were smart. They learned, and never got close to one again.
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