My dog bites her nails - is that normal???

Question

She gets plenty of exercise so it's not boredom. She is a mongrel we got from the cat & dog home 9 months ago and has always done this - not every day just every so often.

Yes, I think they are too long but she hates getting them cut. I'm worried she's damaging her nails by biting them.

Answer 1

They should wear down naturally if the dog is excercised regularly but that's assuming they get to run around on hard ground. Just grass wont do it. If there's rougher ground to take dog for excercise it might become less of a problem.


Snoopy had a similar condition.

Clickety, Clickety, Clickety, Clickety, Clickety, Clickety, Clickety, Clickety, Clickety, Clickety, Clickety, Clickety, Clickety, Clickety, Clickety, Clickety, Clickety, Clickety, Clickety, Clickety, Clickety, Clickety, Clickety, Clickety

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Clickety, Clickety, Clickety, Clickety, Clickety, Clickety, Clickety, Clickety, Clickety, Clickety, Clickety, Clickety, Clickety, Clickety, Clickety, Clickety, Clickety, Clickety, Clickety, Clickety, Clickety, Clickety, Clickety, Clickety

"Toenails." said Charlie Brown.

Answer 2

Biting nails is a sign of stress. you mention that your dog may need to have his nails clipped and naturally you should first do so.

Should the reason be what i believe, stress, then maybe you need to find what causes such behaviour and eliminate the reasons.

Start a diary, so whenever the nail biting starts, you can go voer your diary, check out what preceded the behaviour. It will take while but you will eventually discover the causal factor.

Your dog's a rescue so you won't have a family history. Most rescue dogs settle well into their new homes if they may suffer underlying anxiety, simply wondering if they are with you for keeps or not!

When nail biting starts, sit at the dog's level (Do not tower over him/her as it is threatening) talk to your dog in a soft voice, pat him/her and try to emcourage him/her to play with you, with a ball, teddy bear anything. This will reassure your dog and help him/her settle better.

Answer 3

Either something might actually be embedded inside her nail bed and causing her discomfort, or the nails might have split and is causing her discomfort as well. Get a magnifying glass and check her paws and claws thoroughly under a good bright light to make sure.
Also, some dogs do like to keep their claws in good condition (short) by scratching at hard objects, the way cats do at scratching posts. Because you don't have a scratching post for her, she might've resorted to biting her claws as a result. If you'd taught her not to scratch at furniture, that may actually be the reason why. If her nails are too long, get them cut. If you'd never cut them before, bring her to a professional groomer and get him or her to teach you.
Otherwise, if you find that she does this most often when no one is keeping her company, it might be that she's feeling lonely and wants some attention from you.

Answer 4

You should get her paws checked out by a Vet just in case she has anything wrong. She could have mites, inter-digital cysts, an infection or an allergy.

If you get the all clear from the Vet then she probably bites her nails as a habit or as stress-relief.

If it is stress you need to find out what is causing it by observing when she does it and what is going on which might trigger it.

It could be a habit that she developed to relieve stress and/or boredom when she was in kennels and although she isn't bored or stressed anymore she keeps on doing it out of habit. If so try to distract her without making too much fuss and give her something else to do or give her something else to chew like a chewstick or chewtoy.

I had a lurcher who had spent a long time in kennels and when I got her she had odd bald patches on her legs. I got the all clear from the vet and then realised that she was nibbling at her legs - it was a boredom/ stress habit. Being re-homed is very stressful so she got worse until she settled into a routine and eventually she stopped the nibbling completely.

Answer 5

Basic Training of the Puppy - Read here https://tr.im/BNwiW

The new puppy is certainly one of the most adorable and cuddly creatures that has ever been created. It is the most natural thing in the world to shower it with love and affection. However, at the same time it is important to realize that if you want to have a well trained adult dog, you need to begin the training process right away. The dog, like its related ancestor, the wolf, is a pack animal. One of the features of a pack is that it has a single dominant leader. Your new puppy is going to want that leader to be you, but if you do not assume that role from the very beginning, the puppy’s instincts will push him to become the leader.

The most important thing to remember about training the puppy during its first six months of life is that it must see you as the leader of the family pack. The essential thing is gaining the trust and the respect of the puppy from the beginning. You will not do this by allowing the puppy to do whatever it wants to do whenever it wants to do it. On the other hand, a certain amount of patience is required. Most people err in their early training by going to extremes one way or the other. Although you need to begin the basic training process at once, you can not expect your dog to do too much at first. Basic obedience training is fine and should include simple commands like sit, stay, and come. Remember that trying to teach the dog advanced obedience techniques when it is a puppy is much like trying to teach a five year old child algebra.

It is also important to restrain from cruel or abusive treatment of the puppy. You can not beat obedience into your dog, and it certainly is not going to engender feeling of respect and trust. House breaking is an area where this usually becomes a problem because of the anger that is triggered when the puppy fails and creates a mess inside the home. Although this issue must be addressed without anger, it most be addressed. If you allow the puppy to eliminate inside the house, it will continue to do so as an adult dog. The same thing is true of other destructive or dangerous behavior such as chewing and biting. Do not expect the puppy to grow out of it. You are going to need to train the puppy out of it, but you should do so firmly but with a sense of play and fun using positive reinforcement and lots of love and praise for good behavior.

Answer 6

Long nails can be harbingers for bacteria, particularly if they are artificial, but these people are good for scratching and starting those little foil wrapped containers which are so hard to get into.

Answer 7

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Answer 8

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Answer 9

well I hope this is normal! As I have had several dogs who have done the same thing! However, they do get used to having their nails trimmed eventually...persevere!

Answer 10

it is perfectly normal for your dog to bite their nails. it is just a habit that they develop and it could just be through boredom, simple as that. hope that helps