trimming a dogs nails

need some help
not asking how to trim a black or white nail, it's more about how to introduce your dog to it so theire not scared . My house dog seems not to like it (maybe the sound of it, or the feeling?) and keeps moving as I start holding a toe. Sure I could force her to get nail trimmed by holding her firmly... would it be the right solution? should i try to introduce her slowly to the nail clipper til shes confident? it needs to b done and noway i'm going to a vet for that

thanx

 

Walk your dog on the concrete for a good block or 2. Daily walks will naturally trim the nails..

 

Walking on concrete is good. We start handling our dogs feet when they are puppies. If you start early with the trimming usually they don't mind it later on. If your dog is really bad about it, have someone else hold him and you do the trimming. But make it a positive exerience. Belly rubbing, for the dog, not you, and treats when you are done if he acts good. If you only do a couple of nails at the time, it would be a good introduction. He will associate it with good things.

 

Oh yeah and the type of nail clipper you use seems to be a factor. The Guillatine (sp?) type my dogs don't like. I have the big ones with the orange handles and I try and keep them sharp. Also have a dremel to use.

 

Dremmel, now thats a good idea....dont slip though.

 

Pedi-paws sucks!

 

Best results are always starting them young, although that is not 100% effective either. Two of my dogs will sit still for it but Otis my male fights me every step of the way. He has gotten better and doesn't squirm as much but he still ain't too coopertive. If he even sees the clippers out he disapears like a ninja, first you see him now you don't. I just use positive tones and bribe his ass with cookies and rub his chest and belly.....he likes the cookie part but still hates the trimming.

 

I dont have the B*lls to cut Hemi's. We have to go for a walk, like cutt said on the concrete....

 

I have been trimming Rocky's nails regularly since he was a pup but he hates it. You can tell he gets pissed when I hold him and my wife cuts them and he doesn't know how to express the emotion (I know that sounds all Dr. Phil) so runs grabs his tug rope and swings the shit out of it.

 

I'd have to put him in a breedind stand complete with duct tape!!!!lmao..


He was sooo cute what happend

 

Why not the balls? What does he do then? I also walk my dogs on concrete but my Beagle Max has a Hubertus toe(dutch name). An extra 6th toe on the backfeet which does not touch the ground. Sometimes he resists realy hard and the next time he's just chilling and i come by with the clippers and he lets it happen crazy dog

 

He do like me touching his paws. Never did even as a puppy. I tried that pedi paws thingy that was a joke. It might work for some but not for me. A nice 2-3 mile walk will do him just fine...

 

Great advice from all. Start young handlin paws, staying calm, walks daily on concrete surfaces, dremel, making the experience positive with treats, or physical attention. Used them all and changed it up throughout the years. Unfortunately, you do get the ones that just refuse to comply, no matter what you do. Save yourself the stress and bring them to a professional and let them take care of it if the nails are extremely long. Good luck!

 

A lot of being able to trim your dogs nails without any problems has to do with the hardware you use. The guillotine style clippers are plain and simply garbage. 9 chances out of 10 they don't actually cut the nails but rather squat them which will lead the nails to crack and split. If you are having trouble trimming your dogs nails with a simple pair of clippers I wouldn't even try a dremel, chances are that the noise of the tool and the sensation on their nails will freak them out even more.
In my opinion one of the best tools for the job is a scissor style pair of clippers. They come in a variety of sizes and it is always wise to go with a size bigger than you actually need. That way they stay sharp longer and it will make cutting the nails a breeze.
If you haven't trimmed a dogs nails before don't worry, it is easier than it looks. With a fidgety dog it is wise to cut the nails only a little bit at first and not cut them very short. That way you don't have to apply too much pressure as you are only taking the tips off which will speed up the process and will help get the dog used to it.
I start my dogs out when they are pups as well but that doesn't mean you won't be able to get an adult dog used to getting his/her nails trimmed.
Here is a little "walk through" how to get started:

Arm yourself with the clippers and a few high value treats. When I am talking high value I am not talking about some dry milkbone treats but something exciting and tasty for the dog, such as a piece of hot dog or beef jerky or even cheese. It should be soft, moist and chewy and not dry and tasteless.
Take the dog into a quite and relaxed area with little to no distractions, trying to cut a dogs nails on a chainspot is not going to work well.
So you have the dog in your bedroom, living room, basement, wherever it is quite, you have your clippers ready and a boatload of treats. Sit down on the floor and offer the dog a few of the treats and let it relax a little. Start giving the dog a bit of a massage or a rubdown (doing stuff like that is always better AFTER exercise when the dog has most of its energy burned up already) and slowly work your way towards the legs and eventually the paws. While you are touching the paws offer a few more treats with the other hand. Take out the clippers, show them to the dog and explain (yeah, I am not kidding either) to the dog what you are planning to do with them. Explaining to the dog what you are about to do will further calm the dog down as it will help you relax as well (the dog might not understand what you are saying but the tone in your voice will be reassuring). Show the clippers and let the dog smell them. Use the clippers and softly stroke the dog with them, offering treats throughout the process.
It will help the dog associate the clippers with something comfortable.
Now some dogs might get a bit excited and will want to investigate the clippers, that's fine and let the dog check them out but offer a treat afterwards.
Eventually you will be able to rub the dogs paws with the clippers and that's where you stop for the first session. Come back the next day and repeat the process. Only this time you will probably be able to cut at least one nails tip. As I mentioned before, at this point you are not going for a full blown dog manicure here but rather get the dog used to the process and if you are able to cut the tip of one nail you will eventually be able to cut all nails fairly short without any fuss.
Either have the dog sit or lie down, either way will work. I prefer my dogs sitting and I always start at the hind legs. They feel more comfortable sitting and you don't even have to lift the hind leg up in any way. Just place your hand around the paw but don't grab it too hard, just firm enough so that it won't slip out of your hand. Clip the tip of one nail, give tons of praise and a bunch of treats and that's it for the day. Repeat this over the next few days until you have all the nails clipped.
It will only take a few of these sessions to have your dog comfortable enough to allow you to cut all the nails. Just take it slow and take small steps. If at any time throughout this process you feel like you are getting frustrated, STOP and come back at a later time. Hope this helps.

 

One thing I also do is start desensitizing them to me touching their feet. One of mine used to scream when I would try and hold her feet, so several times a day I would just take a few treats and sit next to her while she was lying down and work my hand from her shoulder down slowly, in a petting motion. Then give her a treat, I wouldn't even get to the paw the first few treats.

If she went to move away from me (like physically get up and walk away) I would hold the treat in the middle of my fingers so she couldn't get to it but could smell it and would want to get it and held it to her nose as sort of a tease so I didn't have to hold her there and she didn't feel confined. As IBM said, you definitely need high value treats for this activity, I used chicken but if your dog isn't food motivated and would rather a tug toy ect. then use that as your reward. It differs to each dog.

I did this usually twice a day for maybe 1-2 minutes each time, no pressure, nothing happening, no clippers. Took me about a wk and she was fine, then I started adding clippers for her to investigate. Definitely make sure that the clippers are sharp and cutting easily otherwise it can be pretty painful and that for sure will undo all your work.

For those of you that have dogs that run when they see the clippers you know they associate them as something negative, so start making it at least a nice experience for them. By desensitizing them to something as simple as you touching their feet, they learn that you touching their feet doesn't always mean the clippers are coming out, and when you bring the clippers out a few times and nothing happens and the treats keep coming, that the clippers aren't such a bad thing either! It's just all about making it positive and you'll have less of a fight in the end.

In the summer walking is fine around here but in the winter they don't get enough walks on cement to do the trimming but summer time is taken care of!

 

Oh yeah, my daughter is a pro. groomer and she can do all the nails in the time it takes me to get one done, and cheap too. It might be worth going to your local groomer, some will do the nails while you wait. Of course they have to be apbt friendly.

 

she doesn't get to walk on concrete that much, ain't possible where I live. I used to trim them rather easily with a guillotine type nail clipper when she was a young pup, but it seems like she has developped an aversion for it in the last few months.

thank you all for the advice.

 

Dremel is what i use on one of my females, but walking on the concrete is the easiest i find!

Cause it is a pain in the @ss to trim them, major pain, my dogs are like Hemi , you might need a breeding stand. lol

I have trimmed too close to the quick while they squirmed, too many times!!!!:o they are not okay with the nails being done. They some times chip a nail or two running next to the quad. also and i have to super glue the end closed the odd time for the chained dogs.

 

My one dog usually doesn't need them done because we walk on concrete but in the winter when we don't do out as much and the ground is covered in ice or snow they do get a little long but luckily she will chew on her nails and trim them herself.

 

HAHAHA I love Hemi man!