Nail clipping can be a hard process when you have a dog who hates it, but you don’t have to worry cause your dog isn’t alone in this distaste for nail trims, to know how to trim your dog’s nails, you have to understand his fear and try to work with it.
Many doggies cower or flee the room when they see any clippers around. The trim process can be even more of a hard process if the dog flails, growls or start to bite. Many pet parents never try to trim their pet’s nails or defer trims to the groomer or veterinarian. But fear of nail trims never goes away by itself and can actually increase in acuity as time goes on, which makes it difficult even for a professional to trim a frightened pet’s nails without having help from an extra person, the use of a muzzle or, in intense cases, sedation.
Table of Contents
How To Trim Your dog’s Nails?!….
Before cutting your dog’s nails you need to know how to help your dog and calm his fear so you can have successful, non-stressful nail trims, that’s why we think this steps will help you achieve this process.
You might need to read The Best Guide on What to do with A Dog Broken Nail so if you came across one, you will know what to do.
1. Get your doggie accustomed to seeing nail clippers.
Note that this mechanical tool will be new to your dog or it might be associated with past trauma. Either way, he has to resolve his fear of the clippers. So try to summon your dog and slowly pick up the Clippers in his presence. don’t forget to act happy when you grab the clippers then give your dog a treat.
Repeat this step daily for maybe several times and stay like this for a couple of weeks. this way your dog should quickly learn to associate the sight of clippers with praise or treats. surely he will get excited to see the clippers.
2. Train your dog to allow paw handling.
Pick a time when your dog is relaxed, lightly touch his shoulder and work your way slowly down to his paw. Try to use a soothing voice to keep him calm as you gently rub his paws.
focus on his toes, give each one of his toes a soft squeeze. Next, apply gentle pressure to his nail itself. If you found your dog turning to be scared or pulls back his paw, stop right away, take a few seconds then continue only when he settles down. You may give him treats and he will be happy but it won’t take a verbal reward’s place. Withhold both when the dog retracts his paw, but don’t scold him. Repeat this process daily and several times a day.
3. Acquaint your dog to the sound of the clippers.
Try to repeat step one with this addition—start to talk with your dog, offer him a treat, while you are holding the clippers and repeating the process of opening and closing it. slowly decrease the space between your dog and clippers without touching him with it. When he is eager to hear the sound of your clippers and he accepts the praise/treat, then you are ready for your next step.
4. Combine paw handling with the clippers.
Your goal here is to prepare the dog to tolerate the touch of this clippers. As we mentioned in step 2, try to sit on the floor with your dog relaxed. Handle his paw with one hand then open/close the clippers with the other one, place them on the floor. Repeat this process gradually moving your clippers slowly closer to your dog each time. If the dog stays relaxed in when the Clippers are near him, then gently touch the clippers to one toe while you are talking in a soothing voice. You may add a treat if you felt that you need to. then if your dog stays relaxed, start touching each toe with the clippers. If he becomes anxious or retracts his foot, take a little break. Wait a while and leave him to be calm again then try one more time with a gentler touch.
5. Tackle the nail trim.
When you find your dog finally staying calm while you hold his paw, do the clipper noise, and gently touch the clippers to his foot, now you are ready to tackle the actual nail trim you need. Slowly hold his paw and gently grasp a single toe. Trim the very tip of the nail. But don’t trim too much off of it at first so you avoid exposing the quick. Then you may reward your dog with praise and a treat after trimming each nail. It’s not good to insist on completing all 4 feet in just a single session. Many dogs do better if the trimming was divided into smaller increments. Give him a break between trimming from one to two nails.
6. Sharpen the clipper blades.
Dull blades mean painful trimming, this is a rule we humans already know for ourselves, so it’s on our pets too. Most dogs learn to accept and sometimes look forward to nail trimming with patience and persistence,; however, if the dog shows signs of extreme fear or anxiety like trembling maybe or excessive drooling, panting, growling or snapping, then it’s best to consult with a healthcare professional. Pushing the issue won’t help, it’s just going to amplify the dog’s fears and make the situation worse.
It’s important to try to avoid scolding your pet if he pulls his paw back or exhibits fear. Punishment is a bad idea cause it may not suppress his resistance to nail trimming but mostly serve to increase the dog’s fear and this won’t solve the problem in the long run. our goal is to desensitize the doggie to nail trimming as you note his level of tolerance.
By following these steps and offering your dog some rewards and praise instead of reprimands surly will put a positive spin on a dreaded task. This exactly will help make nail trimming a more easy, pleasant and fearless experience for both you and your dog.
You may also use reading about How to Trim Dog Nails That Are Overgrown in 8 Easy Stress-Free Steps.