Nail trimming for a nervous dog

mojesius

The wee fella is turning into a werewolf with his long nails so time to get them cut. He gets out for an hour walk a day but that's not wearing them down, unlike the other two dogs we have.

I'm reluctant to try it myself in case I hurt him. He's a rescue dog and while he is incredibly friendly to all he meets, he is extremely nervous of people doing anything to him (e.g when we first got him he had ear mites and it used to take my OH a half hour of coaxing, calming tonout a muzzle on him to put ear drops in). The first time I took him to the vet, he snapped at her straight away without a warning growl.

I'm thinking a groomer is our best bet but worried that he'll find the experience traumatic. We'll have to muzzle him for it (PS I know a calm owner = a calm dog). Any advice appreciated on how to make sure he's relaxed

Cheers

Nody

Only thing coming to mind is to desensitive the touching of paws beforehand; so for example work on the trick of him giving you paw and you holding it. Then once he's comfortable with that work on exposing the claws with the usual treat and cheering on for doing something good etc. Problem is that is not going to give you a fix directly but will take a while.

VonVix

What colour are his nails? Breed?

White nails are easier to clip because the quick is more apparent.

Get him used to you handling his feet and toes, give high value rewards like small pieces of chicken or hotdogs for good, calm behaviour, where he is not fidgeting and pulling away from your hand, keep it brief and don't push him too far too fast. Introduce the clipper by simply touching it to his toe nail, don't clip yet! Get him comfy and excited about the process. When is calm and showing relaxed/happy behaviour, offer heaps of praise and treats!

If you're nervous about clipping his nails and hurting him, just tip the ends rather than try to take as much off as possible, in fact I'd suggest you do this anyway as you say his nails are quite long. Tip them once a week or so to let the quick recede and get him used to having his nails clipped. My little lads were super fidgety when I started clipping their nails, now I can do it no problem, and even my GSD!

Here's a little diagram that may help you.
https://www.lovethatpet.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Nail-Trimming-Diagram.png

Knine

I would do exactly as Vonvix mentions & just take the tips off. Make it a nice experience & follow with a game or treats. Some breeds of dogs have well padded feet which means their nails don't wear down as quick as others. Next week you could take off a bit more.

In my house nail cutting starts at a week old. The adults don't mind their's being done at all.

mojesius

Thanks for the tips (no pun intended).

He's a terrier mix, we reckon part ayredale with a yorkie in there somewhere. He has black nails. He's well used to giving the paw as you can see from the pic so we'll start touching his nails a bit more and ensure we're using chicken as treats. I guess it would be easier on him if we did it ourselves rather than a stranger in a strange place.

Knine

Yes he would find it easier with you. He is lovely. I don't see Airedale in him. They are much bigger with a long muzzle. Could be Lakeland/Border or Glen as he has a good strong muzzle on him. I have to cut my Borders nails every couple of weeks.

mojesius

Now that you say it, he does look more like a Lakeland terrier. Definitely size wize anyway (he's about the height of an adult beagle) . Cheers!

VonVix

Terriers are notorious for being finicky about their feet. Try and teach him to give you the other paw as well, prolong the duration of giving the paw too . Rear feet can be more difficult, rewarding him for you gently touching the top of his foot without him pulling away would be another thing to work on, be sure to consistently use a 'marker' word, such as "yes" or "good" for whenever he does something you like, the moment before you give him a treat, this will help him learn what you want him to do.

aonb

I would also say having the right tool for the job is very important - preferably a strong/sharp clippers - blunt or not sharp enough causes havoc, and you want to be able to do the job quickly and cleanly rather than putting a dog off by having a bad tool.

He is seriously cute! LOVE the hairy terriers!

DBB

Knine wrote: »

I don't see Airedale in him. They are much bigger with a long muzzle. Could be Lakeland/Border or Glen as he has a good strong muzzle on him.

I'm not seeing Airedale at all in him either.... Yorkie yes... but aren't those eyes very Glen-ish?

aonb wrote: »

I would also say having the right tool for the job is very important - preferably a strong/sharp clippers - blunt or not sharp enough causes havoc, and you want to be able to do the job quickly and cleanly rather than putting a dog off by having a bad tool.

Absolutely vital! Your nail clippers must be able to cut in one go, rather than you having to hack, or wrestle with the thing!
These nail clippers are brilliant... they're more aimed at rabbits and small furries, and you'll find them in their section of pet shops, but they're great for terriers and small dogs too!
http://www.zooplus.ie/shop/rodents/care_grooming/nail_clippers/126862

VonVix

DBB wrote: »

Absolutely vital! Your nail clippers must be able to cut in one go, rather than you having to hack, or wrestle with the thing!
These nail clippers are brilliant... they're more aimed at rabbits and small furries, and you'll find them in their section of pet shops, but they're great for terriers and small dogs too!
http://www.zooplus.ie/shop/rodents/care_grooming/nail_clippers/126862

Yeah, nice sharp clippers that can do it in one go are the best.

But sorry, I'm gonna have to counter this recommendation! :P I got those exact clippers and they were awful! I could have gotten a bogey pair, but I thought it worth mentioning...

I found this type the best, very snippy and gets the job done quickly and easily: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Professional-Clippers-Stainless-Ergonomically-Guarantee/dp/B00CP0OZYA/ref=sr_1_34?ie=UTF8&qid=1455836911&sr=8-34-spons&keywords=heavy+duty+dog+nail+clippers&psc=1

DBB

VonVix wrote: »

But sorry, I'm gonna have to counter this recommendation! :P I got those exact clippers and they were awful! I could have gotten a bogey pair, but I thought it worth mentioning...

Oh feck, really? The pair I have are deadly!

I found this type the best, very snippy and gets the job done quickly and easily: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Professional-Clippers-Stainless-Ergonomically-Guarantee/dp/B00CP0OZYA/ref=sr_1_34?ie=UTF8&qid=1455836911&sr=8-34-spons&keywords=heavy+duty+dog+nail+clippers&psc=1

A word of caution about these, and the pair I recommended to a lesser extent.. Be careful not to cut the nail with the points of the clippers pointing into the toes, as you'll unwittingly catch the pad between the points... So, keep the points aimed away from any skin!

Knine

DBB wrote: »

I'm not seeing Airedale at all in him either.... Yorkie yes... but aren't those eyes very Glen-ish?

I'm not seeing yorkie either as he looks like quite a strong terrier. I agree though Glen or Border which both have those strong jaws & moderately broad skull. The expression is more Glen then Border! He is really lovely whatever he is.

VonVix

DBB wrote: »

Oh feck, really? The pair I have are deadly!

A word of caution about these, and the pair I recommended to a lesser extent.. Be careful not to cut the nail with the points of the clippers pointing into the toes, as you'll unwittingly catch the pad between the points... So, keep the points aimed away from any skin!

I thought they looked great, nice and small for my little guys' feet, but they turned out ridiculously blunt and only dented their nails, I gave up on them quickly so there would be no lasting trauma with me trying to use all my strength just to tip their nails lol.

DBB

VonVix wrote: »

I thought they looked great, nice and small for my little guys' feet, but they turned out ridiculously blunt and only dented their nails, I gave up on them quickly so there would be no lasting trauma with me trying to use all my strength just to tip their nails lol.

I wonder were they a dud pair... Mine have cut my GSD's nails! (Tho I wouldn't use them routinely on big nails, the ones you linked to are far better for that, though I've had a few dud pairs of those too!)
The small ones were recommended to me by a groomer!

DBB

Knine wrote: »

I'm not seeing yorkie either as he looks like quite a strong terrier.

The silkiness of his ears made me think there's yorkie in there, but he's certainly more influenced by a bigger ancestor size-wise.
He's damn cute, whatever he is.... Love his eyeliner!

tk123

Bailey does NOT like his nails clipped with a clippers but is happy for me to go a them with a dremel lol! :rolleyes: