# Nail Clipping Issues....I need advice



## 8 (Apr 4, 2006)

Okay our Sasha used to be very tolerant of these kinds of things. And for the most part she is tolerant of everything. But suddenly she has decided she doesn't like getting her nails trimmed. We trim our poodles ourself and we have been trimming hers.

Well now its taking the 2 of us to hold her still and another person to attempt to cut them. Yesterday she got so upset she was ready to bite. this dog doesn't have an agressive bone in her body. And she has never tried to bite before in her life. Needless to say she didn't get her nails trimmed.

I'm thinking we are going to have to throw in the towel and have the vets office start trimming them. This little girl has strength on her side when she doesn't want something done.

Now we stopped because we didn't want her to be afraid to have her nails trimmed and we didn't want to push her because she was getting really upset.

Do you think taking her to the vets office to get them trimmed would be best? 

And also any tips for showing her that its okay and to be calm.

She never had this issue until we tried to trim them the other day and she wasn't having any of it. We've been trying for 2 weeks.

I don't know why she is so scared of it now. She has never been hurt getting her nails trimmed. She used to just sit there like a bump on a log when they were trimmed.

We thought about getting one of those trimmers on tv..I can't remember what they are called but they gently file the nails but now it would probably be a waste of money because now she doesn't want us anywhere near her paws

Thanks


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## Annamarie (Oct 14, 2007)

Lately the only way we can manage to trim our min pin's nails is to have him lay down, have one person stradle him and lean over so he can't get up while trimming his nails, and the other person feeding him treats the entire time. I know... it's pathetic that it takes two people to trim a min pin's nails!!


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## 8 (Apr 4, 2006)

Annamarie said:


> Lately the only way we can manage to trim our min pin's nails is to have him lay down, have one person stradle him and lean over so he can't get up while trimming his nails, and the other person feeding him treats the entire time. I know... it's pathetic that it takes two people to trim a min pin's nails!!



We can't even hold her down. She figits and pulls her paws away. She was ready to bite and she has never bitten anyone. We don't want to try if she keeps jerking away because we don't want to hurt her but we also don't want to have to take her to the vet to get them done all the time



Back in training we were taught to touch her paws and her face her ears tail whatever and we have been doing that and from the time she was a little pup she never minded us clipping her nails but now she won't have it. I don't understand why the sudden change


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## Patt (Feb 12, 2008)

The problem is you started to trim her nails and when she became difficult you quit without doing one nail. So now she knows how to stop you. You might try doing just one or two at a time and then give her a reward, you must a least get one done. Wait a few days and do one or two more. 

Possibly someone unknowlingly got to close to the quick and cut it, this would freak her out because of the pain. Since it is now taking 3 of you to do the job I would go to the vets and let them do the trimming, at least for the next couple of trims. Be sure to have them muzzle her just in case she decides to bite.


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## 8 (Apr 4, 2006)

Patt said:


> The problem is you started to trim her nails and when she became difficult you quit without doing one nail. So now she knows how to stop you. You might try doing just one or two at a time and then give her a reward, you must a least get one done. Wait a few days and do one or two more.
> 
> Possibly someone unknowlingly got to close to the quick and cut it, this would freak her out because of the pain. Since it is now taking 3 of you to do the job I would go to the vets and let them do the trimming, at least for the next couple of trims. Be sure to have them muzzle her just in case she decides to bite.


Isn't muzzling cruel. And no we are the only ones who have ever trimmed her nails and she has never had a reaction like this before. I will take her to the vet to do it but I don't see why she decided to act up now. We probably won't do it again ourselves because I don't want to hurt her and if she keeps jerking her paws away I know that I will slip and cut the nail wrong. I don't trust myself doing it anymore

and the point is we weren't able to hold her down

I don't want my dog muzzled though. Muzzling causes agression. And if she is already afraid for some reason I don't want to worsen it by using a muzzle. There has to be other ways


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## French Ring (Mar 29, 2008)

Abbymarie said:


> I don't want my dog muzzled though. Muzzling causes agression. And if she is already afraid for some reason I don't want to worsen it by using a muzzle. There has to be other ways


 Why not? Having your dog muzzled is not cruel, but your dog is being aggressive with trimming nails. If she isn't muzzled, someone is going to get hurt. She is learning that growling and snapping at you and other people will get her what she wants. Later on, she might use that to get what she wants with other things than nails.


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## Curbside Prophet (Apr 28, 2006)




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## 8 (Apr 4, 2006)

French Ring said:


> Why not? Having your dog muzzled is not cruel, but your dog is being aggressive with trimming nails. If she isn't muzzled, someone is going to get hurt. She is learning that growling and snapping at you and other people will get her what she wants. Later on, she might use that to get what she wants with other things than nails.



She isn't snapping she is just showing her teeth and honestly this is the only thing. Those nail clippers come out and she freaks out. For some reason she is afraid of them. She has never growled or bite or anything like that. That is why we went to class to prevent such things.

I feel muzzling just makes the situation worse. I don't have an agressive dog

If they have to muzzle her whatever but I don't approve of muzzling. Heck I'd rather do it myself and get bit which I don't think she will do

*Forget I ever asked*


I don't like people assuming my dog is agressive or will be agressive


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## Patt (Feb 12, 2008)

IMO muzzling for nail trims is not cruel. It is for the safety of the person doing the trimming. I don't know if you have even been bitten by a dog, but if you're bitten it can become infected and quite painful. The muzzle I use is soft and all it does it keep the dog from opening it's mouth to bite. I have never heard of it causing aggression in a dog and it has not done that to my dog. I use a muzzle on one of my Doxies when her nails are trimmed. She is not a biter, but if she doesn't like something being done I can't trust her not to bite. Again it is just for safety reasons. 

Instead of using a muzzle you could give a light tranquilizer, just to relax her a bit. For that you would have to ask your vet. 

If you want, I would go with my other suggestion of trimming one nail a week or every few days just to get her back on track again. Evidently something has really scared her and you are going to have to work hard to get her to trust you again.


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## 8 (Apr 4, 2006)

Patt said:


> IMO muzzling for nail trims is not cruel. It is for the safety of the person doing the trimming. I don't know if you have even been bitten by a dog, but if you're bitten it can become infected and quite painful. The muzzle I use is soft and all it does it keep the dog from opening it's mouth to bite. I have never heard of it causing aggression in a dog and it has not done that to my dog. I use a muzzle on one of my Doxies when her nails are trimmed. She is not a biter, but if she doesn't like something being done I can't trust her not to bite. Again it is just for safety reasons.
> 
> Instead of using a muzzle you could give a light tranquilizer, just to relax her a bit. For that you would have to ask your vet.
> 
> If you want, I would go with my other suggestion of trimming one nail a week or every few days just to get her back on track again. Evidently something has really scared her and you are going to have to work hard to get her to trust you again.



Yes I have been bitten by a dog, but like I said I don't think she would bite. She just likes to break away because she is so strong we worked on this for over and hour and then she got agitated so we gave up

Like I said forget I asked


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## Patt (Feb 12, 2008)

Abbymarie said:


> Yesterday she got so upset she was ready to bite.


*I didn't say this you did. 

*I did not say *your* dog is aggressive or a biter. Dogs can lash out by biting or nipping when they feel they are going to be hurt, it's just kind of a natural reaction, even from very loving dogs. All I am saying is you can use a muzzle so nothing will happen to hurt the person doing the trimming.


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## 8 (Apr 4, 2006)

Patt said:


> I didn't say this you did.
> 
> I did not say *your* dog is aggressive or a biter. Dogs can lash out by biting or nipping when they feel they are going to be hurt, it's just kind of a natural reaction, even from very loving dogs. All I am saying is you can use a muzzle so nothing will happen to hurt the person doing the trimming.


We worked on her for over and hour and then she looked like she might bite....my gosh but you are assuming that she will. My gosh if someone was trying to hold you down for over and hour you might look like your going to lash out too


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## acanoffleas (Jan 15, 2008)

I'd be curious to know how old your dog is. Some dogs go from being fine having their feet handled as puppies to absolutely adamant about not having their feet or legs touched as they approach a year or so old. I've had plenty of puppies in my salon make the change from calm to crazy over a period of months to a year, having no previous "bad experience" with nail trimmings. 

That said, persistence and positive reinforcement training is really key. Conditioning the dog to associate a positive experience with nail trims will help. It's not going to happen overnight, but with consistent reinforcement it'll happen. Some dogs just downright will not tolerate having their feet touched. Depending on their personalities, they'll pull, whine, cry, show teeth, and maybe even bite. As a groomer, it's my job to groom the dog safely and effectively, and muzzles and e-collars are a life saver, both for my extremities and the dog's nerves. 

It would be inaccurate to group muzzles as aggression triggers. In fact, I have seen several dogs who become much calmer once a muzzle is put on. And when I say muzzle, I typically mean a soft, mesh nylon fixture that goes over the snout. The dog can breathe normally. And I don't leave the muzzle on for any longer than 20 minutes. 

Bottom line, I'm just saying that you may have to re-train you dog to associate a different emotion with the nail clippers.


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## Annamarie (Oct 14, 2007)

muzzling is not cruel, and it does not cause aggression. I have to muzzle my min pin when he gets taken to the back at the vet for procedures because he's a fear biter. I even used to walk him with a muzzle when he was a pup because he would try and attack other dogs that approached him. Muzzling him simply takes away his "weapon" and makes it safer for everyone to work with the dog. 

If you're not able to do it then yes, take him to the vet to get it done. It could have been something as simple as you hit a nerve ending without quicking him one time or he simply doesn't like how his nails feel after being clipped. my min pin used to be so good at doing his nails that I simply had to hold them with one hand while he sat in front of me to do them, then he started getting worse too for no reason. the funny thing is, he was only quicked once, by my SO by accident, yet he's better for him than he is for me for nail clipping. but the vets are pretty adept at doing the nails properly and quickly so as much as you think it's traumatizing for him they get it done quick and painlessly.

if you do take him to the vet for nail clipping, make sure you take him twice as often to just sit in the waiting room and be fed treats so he doesn't think it's all bad.


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## 8 (Apr 4, 2006)

acanoffleas said:


> I'd be curious to know how old your dog is. Some dogs go from being fine having their feet handled as puppies to absolutely adamant about not having their feet or legs touched as they approach a year or so old. I've had plenty of puppies in my salon make the change from calm to crazy over a period of months to a year, having no previous "bad experience" with nail trimmings.
> 
> That said, persistence and positive reinforcement training is really key. Conditioning the dog to associate a positive experience with nail trims will help. It's not going to happen overnight, but with consistent reinforcement it'll happen. Some dogs just downright will not tolerate having their feet touched. Depending on their personalities, they'll pull, whine, cry, show teeth, and maybe even bite. As a groomer, it's my job to groom the dog safely and effectively, and muzzles and e-collars are a life saver, both for my extremities and the dog's nerves.
> 
> ...



She is 8 months old and we are doing everything the trainer told us to do. and the trainer was big on positive reinforcement. Though I can't get away from saying No. That is my favorite word


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## Graco22 (Jul 16, 2007)

I know the OP has asked everyone to forget she ever asked, but I do think this thread is helpful for other people, as MANY people go thru the same things. So I am going to add my 2 cents. I completely agree with Patt...the problem got 100xs worse as soon as you tried to trim the nails, she didn't like it, and you stopped. She has continued over the last 2 weeks (I think you said you have been trying for 2 weeks,) and she is just learning to fight more, and now is to the point of showing her teeth...but not biting...Well, that is the next step. I'm sorry, you may not think your dog will bite, but I groom dogs every day, and the owners say, "oh, Fluffy would never bite...." Well, that is NOT always the case..Dogs get scared, dogs learn behavior, and, cornered (as she is when you are holding her down for a nail trim) even a sweet dog can be pushed to fight. What do you think they are going to do at the vets? Do you think that she is going to be perfect for them? If not, they are going to do the same thing you did...they are going to hold her down..and they will add as many people to the mix (and they WILL muzzle her) until they CAN hold her down, and she is going to be even more traumatized, and even worse next time for her nails. You need to retrain her as stated above. If you can't do it yourself, then you need to have someone train her for you, or she will never get better for this and it will be a stressful even for her every time for the rest of her life. The person doing the trimming needs to be CONFIDANT in what they are doing. Dogs can sense very well if someone is not sure/nervous, etc. and that makes them scared. Nail trimming is not a big deal, does not have to hurt, or be stressful for anyone involved. Sometimes dogs go backwards in "training". Since the OP doesn't want any more advice, hopefully this thread will help someone else who may be having the same issues.


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## 8 (Apr 4, 2006)

Graco22 said:


> I know the OP has asked everyone to forget she ever asked, but I do think this thread is helpful for other people, as MANY people go thru the same things. So I am going to add my 2 cents. I completely agree with Patt...the problem got 100xs worse as soon as you tried to trim the nails, she didn't like it, and you stopped. She has continued over the last 2 weeks (I think you said you have been trying for 2 weeks,) and she is just learning to fight more, and now is to the point of showing her teeth...but not biting...Well, that is the next step. I'm sorry, you may not think your dog will bite, but I groom dogs every day, and the owners say, "oh, Fluffy would never bite...." Well, that is NOT always the case..Dogs get scared, dogs learn behavior, and, cornered (as she is when you are holding her down for a nail trim) even a sweet dog can be pushed to fight. What do you think they are going to do at the vets? Do you think that she is going to be perfect for them? If not, they are going to do the same thing you did...they are going to hold her down..and they will add as many people to the mix (and they WILL muzzle her) until they CAN hold her down, and she is going to be even more traumatized, and even worse next time for her nails. You need to retrain her as stated above. If you can't do it yourself, then you need to have someone train her for you, or she will never get better for this and it will be a stressful even for her every time for the rest of her life. The person doing the trimming needs to be CONFIDANT in what they are doing. Dogs can sense very well if someone is not sure/nervous, etc. and that makes them scared. Nail trimming is not a big deal, does not have to hurt, or be stressful for anyone involved. Sometimes dogs go backwards in "training". Since the OP doesn't want any more advice, hopefully this thread will help someone else who may be having the same issues.



I figure they will just sedate her or something. I'm sorry but training is an everyday thing for their whole lives. I'm sorry you think my dog is a monster and agressive. I'm sorry I ever asked and came here.

It not like you have the whole story...you have what I told you. so there for you do not know that my girl is lazy, sweet, and has never even hurt a fly. She hasn't she catches them in her mouth and then lets them go. You don't have the whole story and you don't know my dog. Please don't make horrible assumptions

I have never trimmed dog nails before since all my dogs were dogs that went to the groomers, she is the first that isn't a dog that goes to the groomers. These are our first dogs on our own and we are doing a d*** fine job with them. Don't insinuate that she is agressive because she isn't


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## Criosphynx (May 15, 2008)

Sorry if you feel attacked (i don't know why honestly) but everyone gave good advice.

Critter WILL bite you if you grab her and try to clip her nails. She flails like you would not believe. Its impossible to hold her down because she is so small and there is no where to grab.


What is working for me.... I quit restraining her, and when she laying down I aproach and treat. Clip a nail and treat. Clip a nail and Treat. I don't do it all on one session if she starts to wise up.

Its getting there.


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## Graco22 (Jul 16, 2007)

> I have never trimmed dog nails before since all my dogs were dogs that went to the groomers, she is the first that isn't a dog that goes to the groomers. These are our first dogs on our own and we are doing a d*** fine job with them. Don't insinuate that she is agressive because she isn't



I am not insinuating that she is aggressive. You said she was "ready to bite" then changed it to "showing her teeth. " I'm sorry that you aren't hearing what you wanted to hear? I don't know what you wanted to hear though? There is no magic wand that can be waved to change a dog's behavior in that instant. I do not think your dog is a "monster" as you stated, or anything of the sort. I just stated my opinion on how to get her back to her quiet, calm, self when it comes to nail trims. I just don't think taking her to the vets is going to help AT ALL. I have retrained I don't even know how many dogs that had been getting nails done at the vets..They WILL lay on them with however many people it takes, and forcibly trim the nails. Chances are they will bleed some, and the dog will be more traumatized. If you think sedating her is going to make it better, then yes, if they use general anesthesia..Do you want her to be put under every month for a nail trim? Ace or some other "take the edge off" tranq is not going to make a bit of difference. These drugs have no effect when adrenaline gets pumping.

If all of your other dogs went to the groomer, I would suggest you take her to a groomer for nail trims and then you won't have to deal with it. Best of luck.


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## 8 (Apr 4, 2006)

Graco22 said:


> I am not insinuating that she is aggressive. You said she was "ready to bite" then changed it to "showing her teeth. " I'm sorry that you aren't hearing what you wanted to hear? I don't know what you wanted to hear though? There is no magic wand that can be waved to change a dog's behavior in that instant. I do not think your dog is a "monster" as you stated, or anything of the sort. I just stated my opinion on how to get her back to her quiet, calm, self when it comes to nail trims. I just don't think taking her to the vets is going to help AT ALL. I have retrained I don't even know how many dogs that had been getting nails done at the vets..They WILL lay on them with however many people it takes, and forcibly trim the nails. Chances are they will bleed some, and the dog will be more traumatized. If you think sedating her is going to make it better, then yes, if they use general anesthesia..Do you want her to be put under every month for a nail trim? Ace or some other "take the edge off" tranq is not going to make a bit of difference. These drugs have no effect when adrenaline gets pumping.
> 
> If all of your other dogs went to the groomer, I would suggest you take her to a groomer for nail trims and then you won't have to deal with it. Best of luck.




Well if someone held you down for an hour how would you react Yes I said ready to bite as in she showed her teeth. After we had been doing this for an hour. Now we've tried this two other times in the last 2 weeks.

No I don't want her sedated and no I don't want her in a muzzle either. 


She is scheduled to have it done now while she is being boarded

I'm sorry but i don't like your assumptions and they are down right rude


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## Patt (Feb 12, 2008)

Graco22 said:


> I just don't think taking her to the vets is going to help AT ALL. I have retrained I don't even know how many dogs that had been getting nails done at the vets..They WILL lay on them with however many people it takes, and forcibly trim the nails. Chances are they will bleed some, and the dog will be more traumatized. If you think sedating her is going to make it better, then yes, if they use general anesthesia..Do you want her to be put under every month for a nail trim? Ace or some other "take the edge off" tranq is not going to make a bit of difference. These drugs have no effect when adrenaline gets pumping.
> .


Holy smoke, what vet did you go to?  I think you've now scared the OP never to go to the vets. My vet and techs do nail trims in the exam room with the guardian present. NEVER do we lay on the dogs or mistreat them in any way. They are not traumatized when they leave in fact they are happy little campers since they get a few treats for having their nails trimmed. We never give anesthesia for nail trims!! Sometimes the nails are trimmed when they are under anesthesia for a spay or neuter, but never put under for a nail trim.


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## 8 (Apr 4, 2006)

Patt said:


> Holy smoke, what vet did you go to?  I think you've now scared the OP never to go to the vets. My vet and techs do nail trims in the exam room with the guardian present. NEVER do we lay on the dogs or mistreat them in any way. They are not traumatized when they leave in fact they are happy little campers since they get a few treats for having their nails trimmed. We never give anesthesia for nail trims!! Sometimes the nails are trimmed when they are under sanesthesia for a spay or neuter, but never put under for a nail trim.


She is getting them trimmed at the vets where she is being boarded in 2 weeks during her stay

They've trimmed them before no problem they just prefer the owners to do it but if we can't they will. they'd rather it be done right than done wrong and it hurt the dog


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## Patt (Feb 12, 2008)

Abbymarie, you were answering me when I was typing this.

I'm glad you'll have it done when she is boarding. My other suggestion would be to contact your trainer and get a little more training on how to handle this situation.

I'm sorry that this has gotten out of hand, but when you post on a public board anything is liable to happen and usually does.


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## acanoffleas (Jan 15, 2008)

Getting a little brutal in here...*eyes dart shiftily side to side*

8 months was right about where I was thinking a change in behavior sounds normal. It's fairly frequent that a puppy who was fine with the whole grooming process as a youngin' suddenly gets terrified and resistant to the process as they get a bit older (1 year or less). It has something to do with brain development, I believe, in having to relearn certain tasks that once came easily to them. I think of it as when I myself was a kid I loved the ocean and had no problem jumping in. Now as an adult, I'm wary of it and can't just...enjoy it. Does that make any sense?

In my experience, i have a dog in my salon for 2-3 hours. In that time, I have to get done what I'm being paid to do, which is cut hair, nails, and bathe. I can guarantee you that not all dogs are happy to oblige me with good behavior, and unfortunately I don't have the time to walk a dog through a 30 minute nail trim that should really only take 2 minutes. So I keep calm and stay in control of my emotions (b/c, as mentioned before, dogs pick up on that instantly), and utilize what tools and hands I can to get the task done, be it a second person to help hold and comfort the dog, or muzzles and e-collars. I can honestly say that those two minutes of whining, pulling, yelling, and growling sound awful and look awful, but once the ordeal is over that dog's tail is back to wagging and he's normal in no time. I praise him for getting through it. And we move on.


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## Graco22 (Jul 16, 2007)

> Holy smoke, what vet did you go to?


Well, needless to say, I don't go there now.  I have a few friends that are vet techs, and that is their "policy" at their clinics. I used to work at a vet clinic ( large one that did ALOT of business) and that is how they did it too. Its unfortunate, and of course I do NOT condone it. I have people in my area come in all the time because the clinic said their next step is sedating the dog for nail trims. IMO, that is ridiculous, and completely unnecessary. I take some extra time to help the owner retrain the dog, and then they are fine. Lets face it, most vets don't do the nail trims on dogs. Most of the time, its the techs, etc that do it, and none of these people really have the time to spend 30 minutes training and giving treats etc to a dog for a nail trim. Its get them in and get them done and out. Its also why in many clinics, they take the dog to the back instead of doing the nails in the exam room with the owner present. Ideally, it wouldn't be this way, but in many places, it is. 

I apologize for getting so fired up on this thread. I am glad that the OP has arrangements for the boarding facility to trim the nails. Hopefully she will let them know beforehand about the dog being scared and nervous so that they can help the dog thru this. All any of us want is for the dog to be happy and not stressed about nail trimming.


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## 8 (Apr 4, 2006)

Graco22 said:


> Well, needless to say, I don't go there now.  I have a few friends that are vet techs, and that is their "policy" at their clinics. I used to work at a vet clinic ( large one that did ALOT of business) and that is how they did it too. Its unfortunate, and of course I do NOT condone it. I have people in my area come in all the time because the clinic said their next step is sedating the dog for nail trims. IMO, that is ridiculous, and completely unnecessary. I take some extra time to help the owner retrain the dog, and then they are fine. Lets face it, most vets don't do the nail trims on dogs. Most of the time, its the techs, etc that do it, and none of these people really have the time to spend 30 minutes training and giving treats etc to a dog for a nail trim. Its get them in and get them done and out. Its also why in many clinics, they take the dog to the back instead of doing the nails in the exam room with the owner present. Ideally, it wouldn't be this way, but in many places, it is.
> 
> I apologize for getting so fired up on this thread. I am glad that the OP has arrangements for the boarding facility to trim the nails. Hopefully she will let them know beforehand about the dog being scared and nervous so that they can help the dog thru this. All any of us want is for the dog to be happy and not stressed about nail trimming.



They already know but don't think she will be much of a problem. I just don't know what I'm doing as far a nail trimming. She used to be so easy and now she just tries to break away we tried doing it when she was tired like we were told but she quickly caught on. They know about this last incident and will also give us some tips for future


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## sheltiemom (Mar 13, 2007)

My goodness.....not what I was expecting from a nail trim thread....

Abbymarie, take a look at the video Curbside posted if you haven't already. I really like the technique shown on there and I'm going to try it later with Shiner, I have similar nail trimming problems with him, only he gets extremely fearful and is literally afraid of me the entire night after a nail session. I'll post back and let you know our results...


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## 8 (Apr 4, 2006)

sheltiemom said:


> My goodness.....not what I was expecting from a nail trim thread....
> 
> Abbymarie, take a look at the video Curbside posted if you haven't already. I really like the technique shown on there and I'm going to try it later with Shiner, I have similar nail trimming problems with him, only he gets extremely fearful and is literally afraid of me the entire night after a nail session. I'll post back and let you know our results...




I looked at part of it, I'll go back and finish it later.


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## Graco22 (Jul 16, 2007)

> They know about this last incident and will also give us some tips for future



That is great news.  I am sure they can help you out.


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## GroovyGroomer777 (Aug 21, 2008)

Abby I take offense that you insinuated a dog that may bite while under stress is a "monster" Why on earth would you jump to that conclusion? These people were giving you great advice, and you jumped down their throats because they suggested a muzzle - which is not cruel at all. It's for everyone's safety. It does not make a dog a monster. That video that Curb posted was fantastic and perfect for your situation and you didn't even bother to take the seven minutes to watch it.
You have posted many threads and everyone has been nothing but helpful to you.


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## Criosphynx (May 15, 2008)

GroovyGroomer777 said:


> Abby I take offense that you insinuated a dog that may bite while under stress is a "monster" *Why on earth would you jump to that conclusion? These people were giving you great advice, and you jumped down their throats because they suggested a muzzle - which is not cruel at all. It's for everyone's safety*. It does not make a dog a monster. That video that Curb posted was fantastic and perfect for your situation and you didn't even bother to take the seven minutes to watch it.
> You have posted many threads and everyone has been nothing but helpful to you.


X2

Please look at curbs video all the way. It is IMO the best way to go.

I don't understand your aversion to a muzzle. If i was grooming your dog, I would muzzle her. 

I also bet if your not present the boarding facility will probably muzzle her for their safety as well.


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## sheltiemom (Mar 13, 2007)

Just FYI, I tried the technique in the video tonight with Shiner. I don't have a grooming table, but we sat down in the living room floor with a clicker and a pocket full of kibble, and I think he had a really good time, lol. We didn't get all the way to clipping a nail, but we got to touching the nail with a pen. I figure we didn't have to do it all in one night, but what we did worked just like in the video...at one point I could tell he was trying really hard to be still...very cool.


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## Lonewolfblue (Oct 28, 2007)

Abbymarie said:


> Muzzling causes agression.


No, muzzling does not cause aggression. I would personally muzzle a dog if I thought they might bite for any reason, even if it's just nail trimming. It's more of a safety net for you. And if taken to the vet, if she get's aggressive while trimming, they may not do it for you without the dog being muzzled.


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## Annamarie (Oct 14, 2007)

I also wanted to add that most vets will not sedate a dog to trim its nails. I know you want to sort through this as a training issue, but just having the nails done by the vet and learning that he's not going to die from it is helping the dog to learn to be ok with it. The more the dog is allowed to psych himself out and work himself up over nail trimming and then NOT get it done, the more it cements it in his mind that it is a bad thing that you must fight.

I'm glad you're getting the vets to do it, hopefully you can sort through the issue


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## Don152 (Jan 31, 2008)

Do you think the boarder won’t use a muzzle? 
I have a problem doing my dogs nails but going to a grinder (Dermal) helped a lot. With that and operant conditioning, over the period of a few months I have been able to get her front nails done. Still I can’t do the back unless she is restrained. 
So… at the vet last Friday for her annual I asked them to dermal the nails. She would not even sit still for them to do the front ones, so when the girl went to get help I grabbed the grinder and managed to get a few of the front ones done. When the vet people came back they had to pin her on the floor. See, they don’t have any magic at the vet. It’s a strange place with strange people so she is going to be scared. It took two of them and me helping to get the nails done. The good thing is that by holding her down and getting to work the whole ordeal was over in less than a minute and when released she jumped up waging her tail while I congratulated her. What I am saying is that just leaving this task to the boarder, groomer or vet probably won’t be any easier for your dog. Although it will be easier on you not to watch it being done.

By the way a proper muzzle does not inflict any pain or breathing / panting restrictions, it only keeps Fido from opening his mouth too far. How that is cruel I don’t know. The only reason they didn’t need one for my dog was I was controlling her head during the process.


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## AkiraleShiba (Dec 9, 2007)

sheltiemom said:


> My goodness.....not what I was expecting from a nail trim thread....
> 
> Abbymarie, take a look at the video Curbside posted if you haven't already. I really like the technique shown on there and I'm going to try it later with Shiner, I have similar nail trimming problems with him, only he gets extremely fearful and is literally afraid of me the entire night after a nail session. I'll post back and let you know our results...


I've tried it a long time ago. I went from a screaming and moving little shiba to now a good boy that sits on my lap without moving. It takes a lot of treats but it works.

The muzzle is not cruel but it's like a band-aid and it can be stressful for a dog that is not used to it. I have to put it on Akira when we ride the metro and he just hates it and it stresses him out. So unless your dog is used to the muzzle I would not add two stressful things together.


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## 8 (Apr 4, 2006)

GroovyGroomer777 said:


> Abby I take offense that you insinuated a dog that may bite while under stress is a "monster" Why on earth would you jump to that conclusion? These people were giving you great advice, and you jumped down their throats because they suggested a muzzle - which is not cruel at all. It's for everyone's safety. It does not make a dog a monster. That video that Curb posted was fantastic and perfect for your situation and you didn't even bother to take the seven minutes to watch it.
> You have posted many threads and everyone has been nothing but helpful to you.




I couldn't watch it at the time I'm sorry but I had someplace to be. I went back and watched it last night



Now as far as the muzzle it will stress her out. she has never been muzzled and doesn't like anything that is near her face. The person who is doing her nails is the same groomer that grooms the poodle.

Yes they are at the vets office but they have a grooming facility there. I don't know how they will do it but it will get done and I don't have to stress about it over the next 2 weeks while I'm trying to get ready to go out of town. I'm working with her with the paw issue and treats. When we get back we will work on it more but until then I have to get back to finding a job. Which is going to be stressful enough for her because I've been here with her her whole life. She is going through a lot of changes right now. With me going back to work and us going out of town and we just moved. She is just now calming down from the move


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## flipgirl (Oct 5, 2007)

I think the video that Curbside Prophet attached is an excellent one. My dog is the same so this video will surely help me. It just means you'll have to have patience and take some time even if you just get one nail done.


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