Found as a PM

[desertranger]

Found this as a PM this morning. Can anyone help?

 

 

I'm having problems with Layla letting us clip her nails... Do you have any suggestions? She was OK up until now. She fights hard. We literally have to hold her down to get them clipped. As of now I'm only doing 1 or 2 digits each day to keep her stress level down. I'm also praising "Good Girl" and a treat once I get a few done. If you have any suggestions that would be great.

 

Thanks,

[Ninso]

I would say, if you're having to hold her down, you're not really minimizing the stress level. My dog Jun is hard to clip, though she's not really afraid of the clipper (though she doesn't really like it). Her issue is more that she won't sit still long enough. Holding her down doesn't help, cause she wiggles HARD! I've had to go the pure desensitization route: have her sit in front of me, touch a paw, give her a lick of peanut butter (from the dog's PB jar, that is), pick up a paw, lick of PB, hold a paw, lick of PB, squeeze a paw . . . then squeeze paw and apprach with nail clipper, then touch with nail clipper, then touch with clipper a little longer, then actually clip one nail, then clip a couple nails.

 

Of course, not as quickly as that. You might not get past step 1 in a single session, depending on how nervous your dog is about having her paws handled. It will take some time (though not as much as you think, if you just work on it for a minute or two each night), but you will be glad you did it in the long run. If you keep on holding her down, she will just get more and more clever about getting away from you and learn to hate the clipper even more.

[agilityrunningdogs]

Mal used to HATE having his nails done, and he still really dislikes it, but I have desensitized him somewhat. He would pee on himself and whine and kick and wiggle whenever the clippers so much as touched him. Then, I started putting the nail clippers in his food bowl so that he had to get near them if he wanted dinner. Next step, the clippers were on the coffee table with a small bag of treats, and whenever a commercial break came on or whatever and he was laying down on the couch with me, I would slowly touch a clipper to the paw and give him a treat. I noticed that he was considerabley calm when given a bath, so now he get's his nails done in the bath tub (which is also easy to rinse when he pees) with a pat of peanut butter in front of him. He gets so preoccupied with the peanut butter, and it takes long enough for him to eat, that I can usually do a 1 or 2 paws before he freaks out.

[desertranger]

I had a thought. You sholuld be able to play with your dogs feet. Reach in between the toes, gently pinch the webbubg between their toes without having them go berserk, Being able to closely examines a dogs foot and ears is very important so they shouldn't be skittish when you're doing that. Holding and play with his feet for a few minutes several times a day. That will at least get him used to being handled.

[in2adventure]

desertranger couldn't have said it better. Both of mine have their ears and feet massaged several times a day while handling them. If they get petted, I look in an ear for a second, if they are lying on their backs I rub their tummy and inspect of foot. Both get "tick checks" once in awhile for a full body check over. They LOVE it since they get rubbed down everywhere.

 

As for the clipping itself, start with the rub downs on the feet and ears and gradually add the nail clipping. Nothing says they have to all be done at the same time. Try one foot each day until they are all done or if you have to, one toe a day. Conditioning may take awhile, but it's worth the time and effort. My vet absolutely loves both my dogs because they stand perfectly still for their exams...except maybe the temperature check...LOL!

 

 

 

Ninso.....I feel your pain It took two of us to make Jun sit still so I could clip mats from behind her ears. As long as someone was petting her, she let me clip away. I was so worried I would take off an ear. She is truely the defanition of perpetual motion

[Ninso]

Ninso.....I feel your pain It took two of us to make Jun sit still so I could clip mats from behind her ears. As long as someone was petting her, she let me clip away. I was so worried I would take off an ear. She is truely the defanition of perpetual motion

 

LOL! That's her! Yeah, I don't usually have a second person around to help me with stuff like that. I have to wait till my BF is over to do her frontline every month. Even with two people, we couldn't hold her still enough to put it on, but I found a trick . . . I just put on her gentle leader, she goes all droopy, and then we can get it done. Still need the second person though. For awhile, I could just jam a PB jar between the couch and automan and let her lick away while I clipped, but then she got good at multitasking and learned to do a side to side dance while licking, so that didn't work anymore! For brushing . . . I don't brush her too often, but if she's blowing her coat, I just grab her collar and she bucks like a bronco while I get a brush stroke in here and there. I did try the "sneak one nail clip in while petting" trick, but the very second you stop petting her she is up and off, no matter how relaxed and blissful she looks laying down for her belly rub!