Nails

Arrow hated to have his nails trimmed.

We’ve had Arrow for over a year, and every time we needed to trim his nails, it was a struggle. We had to hold him down – practically lay on top of him – in order to do the job. He would thrash around. He never bit us, but it was not a pleasant experience for any of us.

With Zoe and Jedi, our other dogs, it was not a bad experience. With Zoe, we used treats. Now, she does not care what we are doing with her nails, she is content to lay there. With Jedi, we started when we brought her home at 4 months old, and she is also content to lay there. However, Arrow is another story. He didn’t even want us to touch his feet when he we brought him home (at 7-8 months old).

We started with teaching him Shake Paw, and getting him comfortable with us touching his feet. He knows what his “foot” is, but didn’t think we should trim them.

We planned on trimming one nail a day, but if we would pick up the nail clippers, he would leap away. Even holding them in our hands while feeding him or talking to him wasn’t working. He is a smart dog and wanted nothing to do with them.

On the advice of our groomer friend, we switched nail clippers to ones she recommends and bought a cordless Dremel 7300. The nail clippers are Millers Forge, they are sharp and smooth. She recommends buying a few of them and getting rid of them when they start to go dull. We couldn’t find these locally and had to order them on Amazon.

When they came in, we were excited to get started right away, but knew we needed to proceed slowly with Arrow. We did the girls, with just a quick tap tap of the Dremel on each nail. We made sure we anchored the nail with our fingers so they would not feel the vibrations of the tool as strongly. When we finished a foot, they were done, and got loved on and praised for being so good. Arrow was intrigued, but figured this was a trick.

Now, Arrow loves bacon grease, and licking my breakfast plate off, so we used this to our advantage. I told him if I do one nail, then he can have my plate. I held out my hand and waited for him to give me his paw. It was a hard decision, he was not happy, but gave me his foot and enjoyed his reward afterwards. As we progressed, it was two nails, and a foot. Soon it will be two feet, then three and four. We haven’t done his back feet yet. Just his front. But we have been doing this  less than a week, and are pleased with the results so far.

Here are some tips for trimming your dog’s nails:

1. Be patient. Do not get frustrated or angry. You have to be more patient than your dog is stubborn.

2. Wait for calm. A willing partner is easier to work with than a partner who fights you every step along the way.

3. Change tools. Buy new clippers or a Dremel. Arrow dislikes the clippers, but the Dremel was a new tool for him, so we could introduce it in a new way.

4. Start small. Do not aim to do all four paws at first. Your goal is one nail.

5. Keep it fun. I will ask Arrow to give me his paw, and not trim it. He wanted to lick Rich’s breakfast plate this morning, so he was offering me his paw to trim. It was his choice, and we found the right reward for him.

6. Be honest. Do not lie to your dog. When I told Arrow I had to do one nail, I did one nail. I didn’t sneak and try to do more. Since I promised him the plate when he was done, he gets the plate. Do not try to trick your dog. Your dog knows.