I did it!! I conquered the nails!

[Dizzy]

I can now trim Fred's nails stress free!!!

Anyone who has followed the saga will know this was a major thing lol!! I'd started him right from a puppy with the dremel, as Bodhi hates nails doing, so I thought no way two dogs will hate it.

And he one day hated the dremel. And clippers. And we had woe, and torture and stress and major flip outs and panic attacks when nails were being done.

I tried every technique, and clicker, reward, holding him, two people etc.

Well.... You know what works?! Chuck a treat on the floor, tell him to wait and do his effing nails. Hold them like you would a pony's hoof. Do a couple of nails and release him for the treat.

That's it. SO SIMPLE!!!

Oh Frederick.

 

[RBark]

That's a neat trick! I'll have to try it sometime.

 

[halblingefrau]

Totally going to try your trick. I have one girl who tolerates with dramatic shows of suffering and woeful looks, but I have another girl who does NOT let me mess with her feet. I'm not confident the treat idea will work... perhaps if I try the treat and messing with her feet WITHOUT the dremel for awhile.

 

[k9krazee]

Yay!!!!! That's awesome!

Same sort of thing works for Crossbone. I have to put him up an a table and do them holding his foot pony style. Any other way he throws a fit.

 

[Dogdragoness]

I have always wondered why many dogs hate having their nails trimmed or filed so much? I can understand a formally abused or an adult rescue but I have had dogs that I raised from pups that also hate it ... They "take " it, but they don't like it.

 

[Dizzy]

I have no idea.

Bodhi won't tolerate it, and I don't even bother. She doesn't need it, luckily.

Fred I have handled from a puppy, and he was fine as a puppy. Then decided that he wasn't fine and got progressively worse the more I tried. His nails just don't wear, they're really tough, so they need doing regularly.

This seems to distract him enough, and I've done it a couple of times now and he's got better each time

Persistence pays off!! Let's hope it lasts...

Eta, I also now use guillotine clippers. Much quicker and easier than the dremel... Snip snip snip!

 

[Maxy24]

I have always wondered why many dogs hate having their nails trimmed or filed so much? I can understand a formally abused or an adult rescue but I have had dogs that I raised from pups that also hate it ... They "take " it, but they don't like it.

Honestly, I think it hurts, even if only a little. I think unless the blades/clippers are brand new the pressure from clipping causes some level of discomfort. I remember trying to get Phoebe used to having her nails done. I went through all the counter conditioning so she was great with me sliding the clippers over her nail and holding her still. As soon as I clipped one nail we were back to first base, she wouldn't let me touch her foot. With Tucker, he was great having his nails done as a puppy. All of a sudden he started hating it and I had no idea why. I decided to use the clippers on my cats (who are wonderful at having their nails done, but I generally use human toe nail clippers on them) and after I clipped two nails my cat tried to bite me. So I knew the clippers were the problem, they must have been dull. So yeah, sharp clippers are a must, I just wish there were an easy way to know you need new ones.


Tucker actually let me clip all of his nails for the first time in forever just the other day. I put him up on one of those little TV dinner tables and squished little pieces of cheese into the table so he had to lick it off. While he was busy with that I picked up his feet (also like a horse) and clipped off the tippity tips. I'm terrified of quicking him so they'll never be short, but they are at least acceptable now.