My dog gets really mad when I try and clip his nails.?

Question

I recently tried to clip my dogs nails and he tried to bite me and my wife.We ended up buying a muzzle for him to do the task.When we put the muzzle on him he went nuts,starting shaking every time we would get close to him.Do you have any advice on what we should do the next time we clip his nails.

Answer 1

I reccommend taking him to a grooming shop and having his nails done there. If you accidently injure him, he will be that much worse the next time his nails need clipping. Dogs typically behave better for an experienced groomer than they will for an owner who lacks confidence when it comes to things like this. I can't tell you how many times I've heard owners say to us over the years, "I can't believe he/she is letting you do that! When *I* try to (fill in the blank), he/she fights me tooth and nail!"

If you do end up taking him to a groomer for his nails be sure to tell them in advance that he may bite so that they can take the proper precautions. A bite to a groomer's hand can put them out of work for a few days, or even longer!

Answer 2

First, make sure he's really tired out. Have him lying on his side on the floor with you sitting with him. Start by just handling his feet (if he's not used to this, you need to have him calm about that first). You need to stay very calm at all times. Take it slow, don't rush him.

When he doesn't mind his feet being handled, hold his foot, bring the clippers up to his nail and pretend to cut. Let him get used to the sound and realize he's not being hurt. Depending on your dog, this step may take a few nights. Do it only as long as he's comfortable, increasing all the time. When he's calm about this, trim just the very tip off a nail or two, progress from there depending on how he reacts.

If he's still fighting you, you can try giving him Bach's Flower Essences, Rescue Remedy. It's an all-natural remedy that acts like a mild tranquilizer but with none of the side affects. I use it for my greyhound who's afraid of thunder. It takes about 20 minutes to take affect. I don't know how big your dog is - my greyhound is 70 lbs. and gets 4 drops. You can guy it from some drug stores, health stores and holistic vets.

Answer 3

I don't clip my dogs nails. I take the dog to the groomers and perhaps that's what your dog needs. Maybe he wouldn't get so freaked out if you had someone else clip his nails. It's about 8 bucks a clipping but perhaps you would be best off doing that

Answer 4

Whatever you do, DON'T yell or hit your dog while you are working with his feet. Always make it a rewarding experience. You may have to bring him t the vet and have him sedated a few times before can make it truly a calm experience.
Also, walk and run him on cement.
There is also a new product that files the nails down instead of cutting.
You can get it at Petsmart.

Answer 5

We had this same problem with one of our dogs. We suspect he was abused before we got him. We were lucky to have a wonderful, understanding vet. She gave us medication (some sort of mild sedative -- it was a few years back so I don't remember the name of it) we would give him before we brought him in, and then she would cut his nails. We had to do this 3 or 4 times before he started calming down. She advised us to take the nail clippers out around him often. At first we would just take them out and hold them near him while offering lots of praise and cookies. After several days of this, we were able to start rubbing the clippers against his paws -- again while offering praise and cookies. It eventually got to the point where we could cut a nail. We just had to slowly work up to it. The poor dog probably had a bad experience where the quick was cut. We can now cut our dog's nails, but it takes both of us, a pile of dog cookies, lots of praise, and a ton of patience.

Good luck!

Answer 6

This is going to take a while to get him back to allowing you to clip his nails. You could try doing things like start touching his paws a little while you rub his belly, so he knows that it is okay to have his paws touched, and that every time you touch his paw, they are not going to get clipped. Start slow, and move your way up. And reward him everytime you touch his paws and he doesn't react, and when you get a nail clipped so he associates nail trims with something good, either a treat or a favorite toy. You will also have to go slow with this, starting with one toe, and moving to one paw, then all the paws. Just go with whatever feels right.
Another option would be to take him to the groomer or vet clinic to get his nails trimmed. They are trained to handle dogs who DO NOT want their nails trimmed, and also this way THEY are the bad guys, and you aren't.
Good Luck, i hope this helps.

Answer 7

You could also take the easy way out like I do. My dog hates it as well and is a real terror even though I've played with her paws since she was a pup.

Instead of stressing her and myself out,I now take her to Pet smart and pay someone else to do it. She's an absolute angel when she's there and sometimes I can't believe it's the same dog. She stays so still when someone else does it. Of course, it does cost me $8, but it's worth it to me. Taking her walks every night didn't really do anything about grinding them down naturally.

Answer 8

No animal likes their nails clipped at least you don't have a guinea pig, they bite HARD. You might also be clipping too far up you should only clip the tips. if your doing all this correctly then he probably just doesn't like it which is natural

Answer 9

At least your dog doesn't cry like a *****! Have you ever accidentally cut the nail back to the bit where the blood comes out?
It may have a bad association with a bad experience.

Answer 10

Instead of clipping them let him run around on a cement sidewalk. They'll wear down. The cement acts like an nail file.