Nail clipping

tango

Any advice on cutting a dogs nails. My 6 month old will not let me cut hers ?

I have tried handling her paws more often and this is working,but she still tries to nip when I go to clip her nails ( not sure if she would as I take my hand away and give up )

gettingready

Zara hes her clipped when she goes to groomers, no way I would even try to do it myself ... admire people who can

tango

gettingready wrote: »

Zara hes her clipped when she goes to groomers, no way I would even try to do it myself ... admire people who can

My dog has never been as she is very short haired, trouble is she knows that I am a bit nervous now,:think:

Olokia

Get someone to help? They can hold the dog's head and body away from you

hieveryone

Have you clipped too close to the quik before? My dad did this with my dog and it hurt her and after that she refused to let him near her nails!

DogsBody

tango wrote: »

...but she still tries to nip when I go to clip her nails ( not sure if she would as I take my hand away and give up )

Hehehe, she's getting you well trained

Does she have black nails or can you see the 'pink' bit in the middle?

Have you actually managed to cut any? Or is she just unhappy about you going near them even though you haven't done anything (yet)?

Is she a big girl?

I have to 'counter-condition' this at work for dogs that won't let their owners do it. Often the owners have had a go, and either cut a wee bit short - this hurts!, or not properly supported the nail while cutting - most styles of nail clippers can put a bit of a twist on the nail while cutting, particularly if the dog is big - this hurts!

I use 'bribery';)
- dog lets me hold foot, gets a biccy (or similar, something the dog wants), let go of foot
- dog lets me hold toe, gets a biccy, let go
- dog lets me hold nail, etc (I hold the nail where it joins the toe so that when I come to cut there is no twisty-ness)
- dog lets me hold nail while I hold clippers where they need to be, etc
When the dog is looking for the biccy rather than worrying about what I'm doing to it's foot, then I will cut a very tiny bit off the very end of the nail, big jackpot/many biccies/fuss, and finish for the day.

Obviously this takes time - I can take a week of several sessions every day before i get to the point where i can cut - let the dog dictate the pace. It's not natural for a dog to let you 'hold on' to it's foot (it naturally wants to pull away), and this is the biggest hurdle to get over (if the dog hasn't had a bad experience with the clippers).

If I need to cut before the dog is happy, i will muzzle just in case, and take very tiny slivers of nail.

Make sure the clippers are sharp, don't try to take too much (esp on black nails).

Can't think of anything else at the mo

gettingready

At my vets you can make an appointment with a nurse for nail clipping....perhaps an idea?

tango

DogsBody wrote: »

Hehehe, she's getting you well trained

Does she have black nails or can you see the 'pink' bit in the middle?
Yes she does have black nails

Have you actually managed to cut any? Or is she just unhappy about you going near them even though you haven't done anything (yet)?
I have managed two over 4months !
Is she a big girl?
Pointer pup 6months very strong and lively !

I have to 'counter-condition' this at work for dogs that won't let their owners do it. Often the owners have had a go, and either cut a wee bit short - this hurts!, or not properly supported the nail while cutting - most styles of nail clippers can put a bit of a twist on the nail while cutting, particularly if the dog is big - this hurts!

I use 'bribery';)
- dog lets me hold foot, gets a biccy (or similar, something the dog wants), let go of foot
- dog lets me hold toe, gets a biccy, let go
- dog lets me hold nail, etc (I hold the nail where it joins the toe so that when I come to cut there is no twisty-ness)
- dog lets me hold nail while I hold clippers where they need to be, etc
When the dog is looking for the biccy rather than worrying about what I'm doing to it's foot, then I will cut a very tiny bit off the very end of the nail, big jackpot/many biccies/fuss, and finish for the day.

Will have a go !

Obviously this takes time - I can take a week of several sessions every day before i get to the point where i can cut - let the dog dictate the pace. It's not natural for a dog to let you 'hold on' to it's foot (it naturally wants to pull away), and this is the biggest hurdle to get over (if the dog hasn't had a bad experience with the clippers).

If I need to cut before the dog is happy, i will muzzle just in case, and take very tiny slivers of nail.

Make sure the clippers are sharp, don't try to take too much (esp on black nails).

Can't think of anything else at the mo

.................................

tango

gettingready wrote: »

At my vets you can make an appointment with a nurse for nail clipping....perhaps an idea?

May well do

gettingready

My friend FILES her dog's nails.... seriously.... but I guess if you can not get yours to hold tha paw out for you - this probably is not an option

WeirdoMagnet

We clicker trained Tilly to have hers done - we used this video as inspiration, she was great but I messed up and caught the quick once _pale_ and it has taken us ages to get her back to being ok with it. Funny enough we did hers this morning and it was the best she's been since I caught her. I have a bowl of tiny cubes of cheese as my treats which works wonders.