How can I teach my dog nail clipping is fine?

Question

Hello, I've just gotten back from the vet after a big demonstration from my little puppy.

He's an 8 month old papillon and needs his nails clipped, when we were going in he was a bit nervous but he was fine last time we went for his jabs. She picked up the nail clippers and he absolutely flipped out, attempting to bite and screaming/growling.

She then tried to put a muzzle on him but he freaked out about that, he's never had one on and so she just said she wasn't going to do it if he acted like that.

I was wondering what is a humane way to get my dog in a place of mental stability so we can take care of him. He doesn't mind me touching his feet, but in the past i've tried snipping a bit of the hairs between his toes and he flipped out about that.

I'm not sure if I should restrain him whilst someone else does it or if there's a better way of doing it. It seems as though giving him treats at the same time doesn't work because he's more worried about his feet.

Any help would be appreciated...sorry the explanation is so long winded

Answer 1

The psycho display your dog presented is pretty normal. Think of it as a child crying for a toy at the store, pitching a huge tantrum. (yes I understand dogs are not childrent...but bare with me). If you give in and allow the child to have the toy, you teach the child if he throws a fit, he gets what he wants. BUT...if you do not give in and endure the tantrum the child will see that the display is fruitless and will eventually stop. So, if you dont give your dog what it wants when it starts spazzing, it will learn that it's pointless and will eventually chillax. lol. You can not let the dog win. handle his paws daily. clip one nail every ten minutes ifyou have to, at least weekly, just shaving the very tip off. When the dog starts to freak, readjust the dog and continue mission. If you relent and let the dog have his way, you are going to lose the war. If you say "no" and continue, he'll learn that you are the decision maker and that his nails are getting trimmed...end of discussion. Good Luck!

Answer 2

take it to the vet to get its nails trimmed and give it atreat when its done also rub its nails sometimes and show it the nail clipper and give it a bone.

Answer 3

Don't hold him down and force him, that will just make him more fearful.

Start by just holding the clippers around him, pet him while you're holding the clippers, playing with his feet, don't clip him yet though.  When he seems comfortable with that, start pretending to clip his nails.  Put the clipper almost in place on his toes and squeeze them, but still, don't clip yet.  Treat him while he lets you pretend to clip his nails.  When he finally seems comfortable with that you can move on to clipping his nails!  Just clip a TEENY TINY BIT from the tip, not enough to really do the job, give a treat for each toe you do, pet and praise.

When he's finally comfortable with this last step, you can move on to actually clipping his toes.

Answer 4

I had similar experiences with my dog, a male Shiba Inu. What ultimately worked best for me, is to associate the grooming experience with something positive, e.g. food. First get him to do a "down", then treat; touch his paw, then treat, and just keep repeating until he is comfortable with you holding his paw.

Let him smell the scissors, then just touch his briefly with the scissors, and treat; keep repeating until he is comfortable with that. Then you can try doing little snips, combined with treats. If he starts feeling stressed, go back and just do the touching again.

This process may take some time but it ultimately worked much better for me than using force. Using force makes the experience unfun and stressful for everyone, and it will only get worse with time. Now my dog lets me trim his paw hairs and lets me do nail grinding and he doesn't whine or struggle.

In terms of the nail clipping, you may want to consider using a nail grinder. I like it a lot more because there is little chance of you getting the quick, and you can shape the nail better. I use a Dremel cordless minimite for grinding.

Answer 5

If you are able to hold him steady while someone clips them, that's how you have to start. Show him clippers often so he isn't afraid of them. Clip your nails in front of him. And give him a special treat every time he gets them clipped, so he knows if he goes through with it, there's something in it for him at the end!