Trimming Nails & Furry Pads

[Cavstar]

So I just tried to cut Lucy's nails & her pad fur & it was a complete nightmare... I had my husband holding her but she just wriggled sooo much it was very difficult

In the end we put her on the laundry bench & bribed her with treats but it wasn't much help I ended getting all her nails cut (took 45 minutes) the last one she wriggled just as I was about to snip & it went above the quick & is now bleeding

I was too traumatised to even attempt the pads she just won't stay still

Has anyone got any tips or tricks to make this a not so stressful experience for all involved?

[espinay2]

Handle her feet LOTS. Teach her to relax and reward her for letting you quitely touch and handle them. Make handling her all over a daily thing so she is used to it and it is no big deal.

When she is used to quiet handling, get he usede to toes being manipulated and nails squeezed. Praise/reward.

She is small (presume she is a CKC) so you can even teach her to do this with her lying upside down on her lap if she will lie for belly rubs etc.

Desensitise her to clippers and scissors by touching her paws with them - praise reward for being quiet and allowing it.

Just keep handling and handling and gently but firmly teaching her to be restrianed and to relax while being 'worked on'/touched.

The more you handle the easier it becomes.

[Cavstar]

Thanks espinay2 Will do!

[Dante]

Also once you decide it is nail trimming time, make sure you trim all the nails required no matter how much squirming there is on her part. The big mistake I make with my first Chi was to stop as he was kicking up a fuss. Once he figured out that if he made a fuss - and then I stopped - he would squirm, growl and then nip to try and stop the nail trimming. This took a long time and a lot of patience to retrain him (we even had to use a small soft muzzle!).

When my dog starts to squirm a give a low gruff no, and then continue. If he is good then I give him lots of praise and move on to the next nail. We can now trim his nails without much fuss but he still doesn't like it when you touch his paws (even though i do it all the time lol).

[Luke W]

For nails, I went to a Dremmel. Works a treat - much less stress for both of us.

[Odin-Genie]

My goldy was a massive drama queen when it came to trimming her nails and fur on her paws. She would panic and squirm and pretty much behave as if she was being tortured!!!

After a few failed attempts we tried to trim her nails while she was in the bath. It worked like magic. The water softened the nails and she was partly distracted by my OH giving her a massage with the shampoo. So I could easily trim all her nails without any fuss.

My Elkhound of course just lies down and lets me trim his nails. We never had to train him.

[Gretel]

I often trim the fur while they are lying on the lounge and relaxed :)