Nail problems-Help please!

[Taylandra]

I have a five month old dachshund named Sabin (see Dachshund mom's thread for pics). He's still struggling with house training, but I'm not worried about that yet.
The problem is with cutting his nails. The first time, because he's a chocolate dog, I took him to Petco and let the groomer do it. It was only $8, but I bought a nail cutter and decided we would do it next time. The first time we cut his nails, he was fine. The second time (two weeks later) he completely freaked out-he was flailing around and doing everything possible to get away, despite treats and soft words. We tried again tonight, but as soon as he got a treat, he jumped off the couch. This is strange b/c he NEVER jumps on or off the couch. We can't even get one nail clipped.
Does anyone have any advice to help him and us? He's calmed down and follows us, doesn't seem afraid of the clipper itself, and will accept a treat now. I don't want to pay every other week for someone else to do it, but if it calms him back down, then maybe I will. Please help!
-Cassie ;-)

[lbs27]

Hi,

I have a 4 year old miniature pinscher who is a complete handful when it comes to doing her nails. We tried several times at the vet, and finally just gave up and I learned to do it myself. It took a long time. :rolleyes: We started off just doing a couple of nails at a time with a lot of treats, comfort, and "good dogs". Only recently, after about 5 months, are we able to do all four paws at once. One thing I did notice was that if I wait 3 weeks between cuttings, it seems to go better. I was doing every two weeks, and she seemed more bothered by it. So, I would suggest waiting another week and then trying again, you may only be able to do a couple nails at a time. Treats are definitely a big thing when we do nails, and picking really good treats are a must (i.e. maybe something special like cheese, or we give her a doggie cookie broken into a bunch of pieces). I also started out treating after every nail and gradually spaced it out to every three nails or so, depending on how she's acting.

Good luck--it's hard, but it's definitely cut back on our stress level to be able to do it at home!

[Scooter]

I'm having the same problem with my puppy. We got her at 5mos and she wasn't used to her paws being touched. But I'm starting to make some progress, so I thought I'd share it with you. It's a slow thing, but I'm seeing it as a long term investment. This is basically a step by step thing because even if you may know training is like that, maybe someone reading doesn't.

The idea is to let the puppy know that nail trimming is an ok thing, and one of the best ways to get a message like that across quickly is by pairing it with treats, petting, and praise.

So I started slowly: just touch her paw, immediate treat & praise (T&P). Hold her paw, T&P. Handle the paw pads, T&P. Touch the nails, T&P. You get the idea. Bit by bit, and progressing very slowly, after she gets more comfortable with each tiny step. If she pulled her paw away, away went the treat, and we'd try again--letting her have an immediate success after that failure.

Once she was ok with the paw handling, I got the clippers out and started over again, touching the paw with the clippers in my hand, T&P. Holding her paw and touching it with the clipper, T&P. Holding her paw & touching the nail with the clipper, T&P. Finally hold the paw and clip even the littlest bit off, and big T&P! The first day we got to the point where I cut 2 or 3 nails before she hit her threshold and started trying to run away. So we stopped, did lots of playing & treats for a good job. The next time I got 5 nails.

So it's very time consuming but I'm hoping it will continue to get better, when she sees it's not a scary thing.

[HEW?B]

I have a 2 year old dog that is such a love but she hates to have her nails cut. She is a pretty big dog (vizsla) and they can not even do her nails at petsmart. The last time I took her there, they suggested that I take her to the vet for a mild sedative in order to do her nails. I SOOOOOOOO do not want to do this so I try to just do a few nails at a time after I have realllllly worn her out with a long run. It is a battle every time though. She does not bite, she just jerks her foot away and acts like she is terrified. Best of luck to you. I know how tough this is.

[mjfish]

Nails are tough, and I struggle with both of my dogs to do them. Treat and praise like crazy, but DO NOT coddle them! Their life is not in danger, you are not doing something that hurts them, so don't baby them about it. Be efficient and get it done. Be sure to have some Quikstop or flour or something handy in case you catch the quik. If you do catch it, DO NOT make a big deal about that. Just say "oops, ok, let's move on" and don't dwell on it because you'll make the next one that much worse. They're not going to die, as much as they may be trying to convince you that they are. ;) I have a 100# Rottie that I wrestle with (and a 60# GSD mix that is so-so about it), so I know what you're going through, but the biggest thing for me is to not let him get away with being an idiot about it.

Another thing that you could try is using a Dremmel. You will have to get the dog used to the vibration of the motor, and then you only put the dremmel on the nail for like 2 seconds. When I had my lab, I would actually use a nail file, which worked, but the files wore down quickly. I was considering getting a small horse hoof file to see how that works.

[greenbunny]

Can you guys recommend a good nail clipper? My girl allows me to cut her nails but they always splinter and shred when I cut them, even though I bought what I thought was a quality clippers.

[Marie]

Ditto what Scooter said. Also, I left the clippers on the floor in "his area" - they had a catch where you could close and latch them so he couldn't get hurt. They were with his toys and his thing so he didn't get quite so freaked out about them. I did this with my SIL's lab we dog sat for all winter. When we got him he would growl and snip if you came near him with a brush or nail clippers. By the end all I had to do was sit down on the floor with the brush and he would run over and assume the brushing position. It just takes time and patience - and treats don't hurt either. :p

BTW, this exercise is great for all grooming - have them lay on their side, hold (gently) the scruff of the neck and practice petting, touching and examing ears, mouth, teeth, nose, paws, etc etc etc. I also teach them to roll over for brushing - or if you need to get access to the other side. Then when you do have to do something to them they are used to that routine and it isn't scary. Praise them and work up from a few seconds to a few minutes. You'll be glad if you ever have to clean a wound or anything.

[Katie1]

I received a great piece of advice when we first got our dog. Apparantly, most dogs do not like to have their paws touched at all, and this is why there is so much of a problem when it comes time to cut nails. We were advised to make a habit of stroking his paws as often as possible to get him used to it, like when you're just sitting on the couch watching TV. Now he has his paws touched nearly every day, and he doesn't freak out when we go to cut his nails.

Another thing that we do is that I distract him by sort of holding his head and talking to him, and I block his view while my BF does the trimming. If he doesn't see the clippers he just thinks that he's getting another foot rub, and everything is fine.