Our dog is terrified of having his nails cut...any ideas?

Question

Our dog had TPO (hip) surgery when he was just months old. The recovery took over 3 painful months. Afterwards, he became EXTREMELY protective of his paws. The surgeon cut his nails while he was anesthesized for x-rays. The vet sedated & muzzled him to cut them, I knew this would only cause disorientation & increased aggression. I was right, & now he doesn't trust the surgeon or the vet. ...And they don't trust him either. Both times atleast 1 nail was cut too short, increasing the fear that it'd be painful. He growls & threatens to bite, but he never does. My fear is not him biting; it's me hurting him with the nail clippers when he pulls away. I'm sure he senses my anxiety which makes it worse. I've gotten him to the point where I can cut one nail, but after that it can be months before he'll let me do it again. I can file them, but they're so long now, it just won't do much. Suggestions or ideas? Serious answers only please! He has been through a lot, this is no joke to me!

PLEASE READ THE ENTIRE QUESTION BEFORE ANSWERING.

I appreciate your answer, but as I've said, sedation made him more aggressive & fearful. During sedation it took 3-5 people to get a muzzle on him & get his nails clipped. That took over an hour, & they cut some so short they bled. This happened on 3 seperate occassions with 3 different professionals.

Also, as I've said, he now allows me to file them. ...So handling them is not a problem for me. The vet is another story, of course lol.

Answer 1

No, this is no joke.

Start out slowly, just holding the clippers while petting the dog. Let him get used the to the tool being around him. Pet him while holding the tool in the same hand so he starts to associate the clippers as a good thing.

Also, start just holding the nails, one at a time for a few seconds. Reward him if he allows this, scold him if he doesn't. Then start applying pressure to the nails, pinching slightly, while he is comfortable, the clippers are nearby but laying idle.

Then start touching his toes with the clippers while your fingers pinch the nails slightly.

Keep it happy and upbeat, as long as he is being calm about this. Scold him if he starts to act aggressive and wait a few minutes before trying again. Always try to end the 'session' on a good note.

When it comes time to actually clip the nails, give him a teaspoon of peanut butter first. While he is occupied in licking the pb off the roof of his mouth, clip one nail, praise him to the heavens and stop for the day.

Try for two nails the next day. And so on.

You might only be able to get one or two nails done a day for a week, but after some practice with these suggestions, in six months or so, you should be able to do all his nails in one sitting.

Also, just wanted to say...any vet that TWICE cuts nails too short isn't someone I'd have doing my dogs nails ever again. This is extremely painful...no wonder your boy is afraid!

Good luck!

Answer 2

You need to get your dog use to having his feet handled. Everyday you should spend a little time petting and messaging your dog as you do this gradually get to the feet and rub each toe and nail. If he has a real hard time it may take a while before he will allow you to fully handle her toes but if he lets you for even a moment give him a treat and say good boy or yes. This lets him know it is okay and this is what you want. It is important you do this as often as possible, everyday if you can. After you can handle his toes start bringing out the clippers and just touching his toes, do not cut right away give him time to become comfortable but every time he allows you to touch his toes with the clippers give her a treat and say good boy or yes. The reason to give treats is because dogs start doing things to get rewarded, for instance: allowing you to touch his toes. Once he is okay with this you should be able to cut but only cut a tiny bit, but you should do it every other to every 2 days and treat him every time he lets you cut. Eventually you will get to the point of being able to cut all his nails and only have to treat when you are done. Remember you will not get to this point over night it will take some patience and make sure you use a really good treat, something you normally do not use and only use this particular treat for him allowing you to touch his toes. You could also go another route and that is buy a Dremel they sell these at Home Depot or Menards for about $25. to $30. and they are also availabe in pet supply stores, although they are a bit more expensive. This does not hurt and there is no chance of cutting into the quick because it grinds the nail down and even if you do grind too much the heat from the grinding prevents it from bleeding and causing pain. The only thing is you will have to get him accustomed to noise it makes.

Answer 3

Dogs have phobias just like people. I have seen a few dogs like this come into the clinic where I work. There is no helping them. You need sedation. It's cheap and easy. Very safe too. You can try to desensitize him to the process, it might not work and it will take months, maybe years. First, don't put the clippers away. Leave them near his food, bed toys, just on the floor. Move them around, let him get used to them showing up where he least expects it. Praise him for ignoring them. Pick them up, let him see you holding them and put them down. Do that a few times a week. When he doesn't flinch and run, pet him while holding them. Then pet him with the clippers. Praise and treat bravery. You are still nowhere near being ready to clip a nail. While he is getting used to the clippers just showing up, start handling his feet. While he is calm and sleepy, slowly run your hand down from his shoulder to his foot. Slip him a treat and praise for bravery. If he freaks and leaves, no praise, no treat. Eventually he will start to understand that attention to his feet means he gets a treat. Have everyone in the family make this a habit. Try to get 2-3 foot touches in per day or more as he becomes more comfortable. This is going to take awhile. be patient, and consistent. Only when the dog stays calm and sleepy when you slide the clippers down the dogs shoulder toward his foot should you attempt clipping. Pet, slide, clip, all in one smooth motion. Only one nail. If you get it go crazy!! He did it!!! GOOD BOY he gets lots of treats. Try another nail tomorrow. Same results. Good Luck

Answer 4

I have a dog who is problematic to trim. She cleverly decided to stick her tongue in the cutters the same moment I squeezed (don't ask me how, it was horrific) when she was very little. I think she has a little PTSD from that.

Lucy is a chihuahua, so it's faily simple. I just flip her over (she hates this), pet her and give her lots of love and try to comfort her verbally. Then, slowly, I take one foot and clip one toe. If she's good, I'll give her a small treat. Then the next and the next. It takes days, but it gets the job done. I try to only clip one foot at a time unless she seems comfortable.
BE EXTREMELY CAREFUL not to cut to the quick. If he's already got problems, cutting to the quick will not help things. If he's a large dog and becomes aggitated or aggressive, you may need to forceably restrain him. Trim one foot, one toe, something, give treat, free. REPEAT. It may take time for him to learn to trust that you aren't going to hurt him. It's kind of like bathtime... they have to learn they aren't going to be drowned. ;)

I hope this is some help. Dogs with fears are so hard to deal with. If we could speak the same language it would make things so much easier. The thing that will ultimately help the most is time and patience.

Answer 5

Hello. I can certainly understand your dog being afraid. One way you can begin helping him is by having him lay down by you, and you begin to massage his neck/shoulders. Next slowly let your hand run down his leg while you are massaging it, and next try massaging his paw a little at a time. Don't linger there, just touch and go back to his neck area. Let him get use to you touching him in this loving way, it will relax him and help to calm you and get you use to handling his feet. After a couple of sessions like this, bring out the clippers, let him smell them and just lay them next to him, again while you massage him. After awhile take the clippers and place them up against his nail, reward with soft voice and massaging.

If his nails are dark, sometimes this can be tricky for cutting; you can go online and look at pictures as to how best know where to clip. When I am not sure, I just clip the very tips.

I wish you all the best with this.

Answer 6

I have a similar problem with my rottweiler. He never liked having his nails done, even as a puppy. He would shake and never had a problem with having his feet handled, but try and restrain him to trim the nails and he was a wild beast. When he got too big for us to handle at home, we decided to enlist the vet's help. She gave us some oral sedatives, but when we got to the office, it took 4 of us to hold him and trim the nails. The stress on my dog was horrible to see. I walk my dogs on the sidewalk and street most of the time, and his back nails stay fairly short but his front ones tend to grow quite long. Twice a year he has to go to the vet for sedation and nail trims. Much less stressful for all involved.

It doesn't sound like your dog is reacting to the nail trim itself, but rather to the vet's office. He remembers it as a place of fear and pain, and this will cause aggression. I would try and get him to be comfortable with going to the vet's office for no reason. Talk to the vet techs and start bringing him by on a regular basis to just "see the sights." Walk him all around, have the staff pet him and give him treats. Get him accustomed to the smells and activity there. Eventually he will see vet visits as routine and the fear will fade.

In the mean time, you can get a Dremel hand tool and do your dog's nails with that. Initially the sound and vibration may cause him some alarm, but it's just like a powerful nail file. Introduce it to him slowly, and in the beginning reward him for just being around it. Be careful though, you can file too much and injure the quick with this as well. And no, the heat will NOT cauterize the quick. They make several different attachments for this, I prefer a flat sanding wheel (which comes in different grits.)

Good luck, and I can definitely sympathize with your situation.

Answer 7

The dog needs to get use to having his paws and nails handled when he is not having his nails cut. When you are just sitting and petting him pick up his paw and stroke it gently. When he gets use to this and will allow you to do this then start playing with each nail gently just like you would play with a child's toes. Soon he will be so use to having his paw and nails handled that he won't mind having his nails clipped.

Answer 8

Chamomile tea works very well, and is safe for him.
Dump it out of the teabag, and use 1 teaspoon for small breed, up to 1 tablespoon for a large breed. Mix it in a little canned food, such as Mighty Dog, or Cesar's, and give about 30 minutes before he needs to relax. It will keep him happy, but reduce stress. It can be given as needed.

I like to use the coarse, broad emory boards to do nails..the ones made for acrylic nails..and do a little at a time..However, if you give him the tea, it will really relax him, and make it easier..
You will find chamomile in the tea section at your grocer's.

Answer 9

sometimes there are animals that need to be sedated before the vet can clip their nails. It happens more than you would realize. There is a small risk factor there, but worth it, rather than have him walk in pain.
I hope that helps - don't worry so much about it and leave it in the hands of the professionals.
Best of luck ~

Answer 10

My dear friend, you have just answered your own question.

Yes, this is absoloutally no joke, no joke at all. I would reccomend to take him on more walks. If you look at a wild dogs claws, or a stray, they dont have long nails, it is because they are warn down by the walkin/running. My dogs nails never need to be cut as he is walked daily.



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