# Problems trimming nails



## ejk_klk2007 (Nov 19, 2008)

Hello. I have a 10 month old Chocolate Lab. He has never had a problem with us trimming his nails before although he has gotten quite large over the months. I used to make him lie on the floor in the kitchen (for quick cleanup) and would put him between my legs with him on his back to do it quick and easy. Today, I attempted to do this and he's really really big now and fought me ferociously. I don't mind if he would sit down and put his front paws on my knee to trim them but he refused this and actually tried to bite me when I trimmed the one nail I was able to do. 

I was finally able to trim his back feet this way but he again fought me when I tried to do the front paws. I tried to take my time and soothe him. I rubbed him, patted him and even fed small treats as he laid there. Any time he got a little upset or agitated I stopped and would try to calm him. It didn't work and I really need to cut his nails badly. I don't want to scare him though but at the same time I have no idea why he's suddenly afraid of this. I am the only one who ever cuts his nails and I've had him since he was 7 weeks old. I'm thinking I will end up having my husband help me when he gets home from work, but any ideas on how I can make this less traumatic for my big guy? I love him but this is a pain if I will have to endure this from now on and my husband has less patience than I do... lol. Thanks All!

Katie and Moose


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## SMoore (Nov 9, 2007)

Has he ever been quicked before and started to bleed? That can turn a dog off from having their nails cut.

Also in the grooming shop i've found that sometimes using a dremel is easier on big dogs that are afraid of the clippers and i believe it causes less pressure and therefore less pain for the dog. 

Another thing, make sure you use GOOD clippers that are sharp! That has been one of my main problems. I finally got a good pair of clippers and it makes the job so much easier. It's also easier to be looking at the dogs paw from the bottom so you can see exactly where to cut without hitting their quik.

Just be patient, take it slow, maybe just start with one paw and one nail, if he does well on one nail give a reward if he fusses then try again later one more nail and a treat, etc...


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## ejk_klk2007 (Nov 19, 2008)

I know that he has never been cut in the quick or anything like that. I personally cut his nails every time so I can promise about this. I was starting to think that maybe he was just more nervous about being on his back, but I don't know since he tried to bite me when his paw was on my leg. It's really his front feet that he has more of a problem with. Perhaps because they are closer to his face where he can bite more easily?

I gave him a break for now and haven't messed with him. I may try tonight when my husband is home, or wait until tomorrow. Thanks for your suggestion


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## Graco22 (Jul 16, 2007)

There is a good thread about this from a few weeks or a month ago, if you can check that for alot of good info. 

A few things to keep in mind...He is 10 months old, and learning that he is bigger than you, and that if he struggles, you stop. I am not a fan of giving treats to a dog for nail trims. Afterwards, yes, but during no. Nail trims is something that the dog is going to have to learn to accept, as it needs to be done regularly. You need to teach him to sit, and stay. Tether him to something if you cannot get someone to hold him for you. An eyehook in a garage works well, not a table leg, etc...Once he is sitting, pick up his foot, and hold onto it until he relaxes. DO NOT let go of his foot when he is fighting you..that just teaches him that he has to fight harder, cause he knows you are eventually going to let go of it. When he relaxes, trim a nail. Do not let go of his foot until all the nails on that foot are done, and he is relaxed and not pulling from you. During all this, he will realize you are not hurting him, and there is nothing to be afraid of, and he will continue to get better for nail trims.


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## Westhighlander (Sep 28, 2007)

What if he bites her?


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## Tankstar (Dec 30, 2006)

Gracco has given great advice. 

I dont agree with giving treats either until the job is done. Dont stop if h freaks out, that is just letting him win the war so to say.



Westhighlander said:


> What if he bites her?


... Then he bites her. He may just mouth her to be asking for her to back off. I dont know, working in a grooming shop myself, I have been snapped at by countless dogs, large, small medium. Most just want to act tough by showing teeth.


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## Graco22 (Jul 16, 2007)

He can't bite her if he is tethered closely. He won't be able to physically turn around on her, UNLESS she lets go of his foot. I can't imagine a 10 month old pup that is just starting to act this way biting to really mean it...However, if she doesn't nip this in the bud now, he most certainly will learn to bite...and mean it...I have dogs try to bite me all the time in the salon...I very rarely have to muzzle them. When they are tethered firmly, and you hold the leg away from the mouth..they can't get you, and they learn their antics aren't going to work, and calm down and let the job be done. If she isn't up to the task of taking control over the pup and letting him know what actions are acceptable and what is not, then she should take him to someone that knows what they are doing, to trim the dogs nails, and teach him how to act for it.


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## Don152 (Jan 31, 2008)

Graco22 said:


> There is a good thread about this from a few weeks or a month ago, if you can check that for alot of good info.
> ... An eyehook in a garage works well, not a table leg, etc...Once he is sitting, pick up his foot, and hold onto it until he relaxes. DO NOT let go of his foot when he is fighting you..that just teaches him that he has to fight harder, cause he knows you are eventually going to let go of it. When he relaxes, trim a nail. Do not let go of his foot until all the nails on that foot are done, and he is relaxed and not pulling from you. During all this, he will realize you are not hurting him, and there is nothing to be afraid of, and he will continue to get better for nail trims.


My suggestions in order of importance:
1. I nailed the end of an old leash to the underside edge of my kitchen table with the clip at neck height (an improvised grooming table). The "table" is the floor. That helped A LOT in keeping her still while I did the nails.
2. Use a Dremel / Grinder.. much easier for a dog that has been spooked on the clippers.
3. Do it every day, at least for awhile. Make it a routine. EVEN IF you dont actually remove any nail.
4. I see no problem with using treats.. just sparingly and be sure to phase them out over time (ie, give one treat every other individual nail trim to start, then just one treat per paw.. then one per session, and soon one for every 3, 5, or 10 sessions).
5. If you get bit, or think you will, use a muzzle.

It took me a year to figure this all out and finally it seems to be working pretty well.. Its not her favorite part of her day but it works out well overall.


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## ejk_klk2007 (Nov 19, 2008)

Graco22 said:


> He can't bite her if he is tethered closely. He won't be able to physically turn around on her, UNLESS she lets go of his foot. I can't imagine a 10 month old pup that is just starting to act this way biting to really mean it...However, if she doesn't nip this in the bud now, he most certainly will learn to bite...and mean it...I have dogs try to bite me all the time in the salon...I very rarely have to muzzle them. When they are tethered firmly, and you hold the leg away from the mouth..they can't get you, and they learn their antics aren't going to work, and calm down and let the job be done. If she isn't up to the task of taking control over the pup and letting him know what actions are acceptable and what is not, then she should take him to someone that knows what they are doing, to trim the dogs nails, and teach him how to act for it.


How do i set up a tether? we do have a garage and it's not an issue to do something like this, however i need to know how to do it properly so it IS secure. Also, does a tether mean that it's just a short rope or whatever so that he can't turn his head and MUST stand still? i'm just asking so I understand better. I'm not trying to cause a ruckus  I need to be able to cut his nails and Yes, he does need to learn how to stand and be a properly behaved pup. I'm pregnant too so yes, this is something that needs to be nipped in the bud ASAP. 

I really would prefer to do his nails myself as opposed to taking him somewhere. That would end up being more of an inconvenience for me, IMO. 

I appreciate everyone's help and suggestions. And I believe the tethering idea will be the best and safest bet to get him to behave better and to let him know i mean business.


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## Graco22 (Jul 16, 2007)

To make a tether, go to your local hardware store, and get a large eyescrew. Screw it securely into a 2x4, etc. in your garage. Make sure that you are in the center of the 2x4 so that it doesn't split the wood if he throws a fit. Make sure that it is in an area that is large enough for him to stand parallel with the wall the eyescrew is in. Use a flat nylon buckle collar on him, snugly, so that he doesn't slip out of it. Get a small length of chain and 2 carbeners from the hardware store also, and attach one end of the chain to the eyescrew with a carbener, and the other end to his collar. You can adjust the chain tighter/looser if necessary once you have him tethered. I would probably start with a 2 foot chain. You want him to be able to stand with slack in the chain, but not so much slack that he can turn around and bite, or spin while you are trimming. Make sure he is comfortable being tied before you start doing the nails, in case he has not been tied before. It may take him a minute to realize he is tied, and his movement is restricted. If you choose a dremel, they work wonderfully too, and are easy to use, but do take longer than a single snip of the trimmers if the nails are long. You can always move on to a dremel later, once he is behaving if you choose to as well.

I forgot to say, the eyescrew should be placed about level with where his collar is when he is standing, or a tad bit higher. Not higher than his head, too easy to slip out of the collar, and not lower, as then he could get his head down and bite at you. And if he does bite at you, make sure you let him know IMMEDIATELY that his behavior is unnacceptable! A very loud NO, etc. and make sure he knows you mean it. I have pushed my body into a dog at the same time, as that is how dogs "talk" to each other, and it gets their attention. Let us know how it goes.


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## Westhighlander (Sep 28, 2007)

Thanks for the info, Graco. Very useful.


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## Tarekith (Mar 30, 2008)

Our lab was the same way, great with trimming as a puppy, then around 8-9 months suddenly hated it even thouh he'd never been quicked. We tried the acclimating him to a dremel (didn't work at all), and we did daily work following the youtube video that usually gets posted in these threads (didn;t work either). If we were lucky we could maybe get one nail, after that forget it.

So, a few weeks back we ended up taking him to PetCo and having their groomers do it for us. Well, I had to help by holding him. He struggled something fierce for his first paw, then calmed right down and they were able to get the rest of them with little fuss. I don't know if it was some alpha dog issue, but ever since we did this he knows he's not going to get out of it and lets us do it a lot easier once again. I hated having to hold him down like that and wish we could have gotten him to do it on his own, but they were getting long and needed to be done. Hopefully it stays easier in the future, because the whole nail issue was turning into the msot stressful part of owning a dog


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