Dog Owner Chat V. 5

[wildly-unaware]

So my dog did the thing where he puts his head in your hand when you put it out and I'm low-key crying ;o;;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y88JcO7s9fs

[kiaraleu]

Here's my girls! They're Catahoula Leopard dogs. The more black one with longer fur is Sable, and the more brown with short fur named Sage sadly left us about a year ago. They're the sweetest and silliest dogs ever! They both have some lab in them too I think? It's really apparent in Sable, while Sage was more boxy looking and had a cunning and wild personality, true to Catahoulas! Hahaha <3 Sable is about 7 years old now!

[nervousdog]

Can anyone give me some tips/resources about getting a dog accustomed to having their nails clipped ??
Hazel is horrid with grooming, but if we put her in the bath with the water running and offer a cup with peanut butter smeared inside she will let us shave her ( to an extent, she has a limit before it comes grinding to a halt ) . Clipping her nails is impossible though, and we can only get one or two done in total- if we are lucky .

The groomer will not do her nails . The vets will not do her nails . We can't do her nails .
I know it's a lot of positive reinforcement and building up, but I'm not exactly sure where to start or exactly what I should be doing . I do not want to make her worse than she already is . She will occasionally let us touch her paws, and is never aggressive when she doesn't want us touching them . She just pulls away .

The big kicker is that she is heartworm positive and is currently going through treatment ( she already had her first injection to start killing the adult worms, her next two are on the 3rd and 4th of December ! She is being a real trooper ) . She has to remain calm, can't get excited much, and needs very low activity .

Is there anything I can start doing now to help train her and teach her that the nail clippers aren't horrible ? To get her accustomed with touching her paws and getting her nails clipped ? I don't expect her to love the process, but her nails are very long and are probably painful to some extent .
Tips for things I can do when she has a clean bill of health are welcome too !! I just wanna see if I can start doing things now and generally what I should be doing to help her .

( note : hazel has rlly bad OCD or some mental issue where she chases lights/shadows/etc RLLY BAD- nail grinders aren't an option bc most have lights on them and it drives her wild )

[Meta Knight]

I have a dog! His name is Spunky. I dont have any pictures, but he is a black dog with a white chest marking. He is a yorkie I beleive. He is adorable!

[Derpydomo85]

My dog Ramona is half great dane and she is such a sweetheart. She is part sharpei so she has a bunch of skin so when shes tired her scruff gets especially squishy!

[Tordier]

Can anyone give me some tips/resources about getting a dog accustomed to having their nails clipped ??
Hazel is horrid with grooming, but if we put her in the bath with the water running and offer a cup with peanut butter smeared inside she will let us shave her ( to an extent, she has a limit before it comes grinding to a halt ) . Clipping her nails is impossible though, and we can only get one or two done in total- if we are lucky .

The groomer will not do her nails . The vets will not do her nails . We can't do her nails .
I know it's a lot of positive reinforcement and building up, but I'm not exactly sure where to start or exactly what I should be doing . I do not want to make her worse than she already is . She will occasionally let us touch her paws, and is never aggressive when she doesn't want us touching them . She just pulls away .

The big kicker is that she is heartworm positive and is currently going through treatment ( she already had her first injection to start killing the adult worms, her next two are on the 3rd and 4th of December ! She is being a real trooper ) . She has to remain calm, can't get excited much, and needs very low activity .

Is there anything I can start doing now to help train her and teach her that the nail clippers aren't horrible ? To get her accustomed with touching her paws and getting her nails clipped ? I don't expect her to love the process, but her nails are very long and are probably painful to some extent .
Tips for things I can do when she has a clean bill of health are welcome too !! I just wanna see if I can start doing things now and generally what I should be doing to help her .

( note : hazel has rlly bad OCD or some mental issue where she chases lights/shadows/etc RLLY BAD- nail grinders aren't an option bc most have lights on them and it drives her wild )

Hi there! I thought I'd offer what I would personally do if I were in your situation, and hopefully that'll give you a place to begin.
It does sound like Hazel has several fairly severe behavioral issues to work through, so I cannot stress enough the importance of patience. Improvement may be extremely slow, so don't get discouraged if you don't notice a change right away.
The training method I'm describing is desensitization. The goal is to slowly get a dog to become used to something new or uncomfortable over time by starting small and working up until the dog is calm and accustomed to this new or uncomfortable thing. In our case, it would be paw handling and nail trimming. There are tons of resources online about desensitization if you want to look more into that. It sounds like you already get the basic concept, so I'll move right into a plan for ya.

1. Begin wherever your dog is comfortable.

It sounds like Hazel has a hard time letting anyone touch her feet. While you can occasionally touch them, it sounds like she still doesn't like it. So, getting her used to having her paws touched could be a good place to start.
2. Find a high-value reward.

Most dogs love food, so I'd suggest picking a treat that Hazel really loves. My go-to is small pieces of deli meat, but you can use anything dog-safe as long as Hazel really likes it.
3. Remain calm, and observe Hazel's body language carefully during training sessions.

The trick is to keep training sessions short and positive, and to stop before Hazel has a chance to get stressed out. Always end on a high note, and don't push her too far.
4. Begin by just touching the top of her paw. A gentle stroke with one finger. Don't linger. If she allows this, immediately give her a treat and tell her "good". Use a soothing tone of voice.
5. Repeat step 4.

You might only get one or two successful paw-touches before Hazel has had enough, but that's fine. Stop the training and have another session later. The goal is many short sessions throughout the day, not one long one. Keep it under 5-10 minutes per session.
6. Repeat step 4 some more.

Continue with this until Hazel no longer shows any hesitation with having her paw touched. You should look for calm,relaxed body language without any pulling away.
7. Introduce the nail trimmers.

Hazel probably associates the sight of her nail trimmers with stress and scary times, so you'll probably have to get her used to having the tool near her as well. Start by getting out her nail trimmers and setting them down on the floor about 2-3 feet away from you. Reward her for coming closer on her own with a treat and your soothing "good". A good sign is if she comes up to sniff the trimmers. Make sure to reward that! If Hazel tries to run away or hide at the sight of her nail trimmers, try putting her on a leash for the session. Don't force her towards the nail trimmers if she isn't ready for that. Be patient and let her move on her own. If Hazel shows any sign of being uncomfortable while near her nail trimmers, DO NOT attempt to touch her feet yet. Remember to keep your sessions short, less than 5-10 minutes, and don't push her, just like we did when touching her paws.
8. Continue the training with touching Hazel's paws and for the nail trimmers separately.

Keep repeating these short training sessions. If Hazel seems comfortable, you can begin to challenge her by touching her paws for a little longer or by moving the nail trimmers a little closer to you on the floor. Over time, our goal will be for her to let you hold her paw for a few seconds. The goal for the nail trimmers is for you to be able to hold them in your hand without Hazel being afraid or uncomfortable. When Hazel is calm and comfortable with both of these goals, she should be ready to put the exercises together.
9. Combine the paw-touching and nail trimmers.

Hazel will allow you to touch her paws at this point, and she shouldn't be terrified of her nail trimmers, even when you're holding them. Now, it's time to put her new skills together and try touching her paws while the nail trimmers are nearby. Since we're introducing a new challenge, Hazel might not be as comfortable with letting you touch her paws if the nail trimmers are nearby. It's normal to expect her comfort zone to shift a little when introducing this step. Carefully observe her body language and start slow to discover where her new comfort zone is. Start by touching her paws while the nail trimmers are in sight, on the floor 2-3 feet away, and gradually move them closer. The goal is work up to letting you touch her feet while you're holding the nail trimmers in one hand.
10. Trim one nail.

Reward her instantly for being so good, and leave it at that for now. If she keeps pulling away and won't let you trim her nail, then take some time and work up to getting the nail trimmer closer and closer. Don't rush it if she isn't ready.
11. Trim more nails.

Your training sessions will now consist of trimming just one nail per session. Over time, you'll be able to get through all four paws, even if might take a few days. Gradually, Hazel will be comfortable with letting you trim two or three nails at once. Eventually, you should be able to work up to one paw per session. At that point, four sessions in one day, spread out, will get Hazel a full nail trim. You can continue working on this if you'd like, but this is a very functional place for Hazel to be.


I understand all of this will take time, and it also sounds like you're concerned Hazel's nails are painful for her. If you're worried that her nails are more of an emergency and trimming them can't wait any longer, I'd ask your vet for advice. It sounds like Hazel's heartworm treatment will be finished before too long, and at your vet's discretion, it may be safe for Hazel to be in a stressful environment for the sake of taking care of her nails. Unless her nails are at risk of curling under and digging into her pawpads, I imagine it should be safe to at least wait until her heartworm treatment has finished before you go at it.

If you do feel it's necessary to trim them asap, I'd suggest putting a muzzle on Hazel, leashing her so she can't move around too much, and just go at it. Be quick and as painless as you can be. (This might be a two-person job. One to hold her and one to trim.) Her muzzle should prevent her from biting anyone while her nails are getting done. Ideally, it wouldn't need to come to that, but there are occasions where her health has to come first. Additionally, your vet might be able to give you some mild sedative medication to make Hazel sleepy. (As long as it wouldn't interfere with her current treatment.) You could potentially ask about this if her nails are an emergency and need trimmed asap.

[nervousdog]

Thanks for the reply Gleon !
Her nails are long enough to be curling, but they are long enough to look uncomfortable . I will work on the slow and short training sessions with her : )

[Huggles]

Can anyone give me some tips/resources about getting a dog accustomed to having their nails clipped ??
Hazel is horrid with grooming, but if we put her in the bath with the water running and offer a cup with peanut butter smeared inside she will let us shave her ( to an extent, she has a limit before it comes grinding to a halt ) . Clipping her nails is impossible though, and we can only get one or two done in total- if we are lucky .

The groomer will not do her nails . The vets will not do her nails . We can't do her nails .
I know it's a lot of positive reinforcement and building up, but I'm not exactly sure where to start or exactly what I should be doing . I do not want to make her worse than she already is . She will occasionally let us touch her paws, and is never aggressive when she doesn't want us touching them . She just pulls away .

The big kicker is that she is heartworm positive and is currently going through treatment ( she already had her first injection to start killing the adult worms, her next two are on the 3rd and 4th of December ! She is being a real trooper ) . She has to remain calm, can't get excited much, and needs very low activity .

Is there anything I can start doing now to help train her and teach her that the nail clippers aren't horrible ? To get her accustomed with touching her paws and getting her nails clipped ? I don't expect her to love the process, but her nails are very long and are probably painful to some extent .
Tips for things I can do when she has a clean bill of health are welcome too !! I just wanna see if I can start doing things now and generally what I should be doing to help her .

( note : hazel has rlly bad OCD or some mental issue where she chases lights/shadows/etc RLLY BAD- nail grinders aren't an option bc most have lights on them and it drives her wild )

I do nail trim training for a lot of dogs I know. Both of my dogs were aggressive about it when I got them as rescues. You want to work in chunks ALL reinforcement. Not something to use punishment on. For each step I list, hold until she relaxes then mark with a click or your marker word like "yes" and reward. Repeat until she is consistent.
First just be able to handle all 4 paws. Pick one up, wait til she is not pulling on you, stay calm, then treat and set down.
Next change pressure you put on the paw, kind of massage it around.
Next move to focus on the nails, manipulate them around, push on them etc.
Start to bring in the clippers, treat interest in them, be able to touch her whole body with them
Then begin to focus the clippers more near her paws, make sounds, tap the nails
You can move on to clipping one at a time here, but I like to pretend to clip and apply pressure with the clippers around the nail
Then clip one at a time and reward. I clipped one or two at a time for a while before adding more

Do the same process with files and dremels. The clippers will take off the bulk of the nail to cut down on time but your real work on receding the quick is from grinding it down really close.

Holding your dogs paws is really vulnerable so it is positive experience only. I am a balanced trainer but I have never used anything other than R+ on nail trimming unless I have to initially restrain the dog a bit for safety!

Honestly I havent had to spend a lot of time with this on most dogs however be sure to take it at your dogs pace and always stop while you are ahead. You don't need to trim every single nail right away!

[Siven]

Thanks for the reply Gleon !
Her nails are long enough to be curling, but they are long enough to look uncomfortable . I will work on the slow and short training sessions with her : )

You may want to consider a nail dremmel instead. We got one for my dog who was terrified of the clippers and it was a game changer.

[nervousdog]

Thank you huggle !!
And siven, we have tried a dremmel before and the light drives her insane . Most that I've seen online also have lights . Her light chasing is extremely bad, the vet recommended more exercise to help but that got cut short when she tested positive her heart worms . I appreciate the suggestion !!