kiahzen Posted December 18, 2006 Share Posted December 18, 2006 I have a 11 week old Rotty pup (quite dominant) and i have been trying to get him used to having his nails cut... We have a 5 year old rotty girl who absolutely hates having them done so we are trying to get him used to it before he gets too big to control. So far he has pretty much let me hold him and cut them without having any issues with the whole thing.. I only cut a tiny little bit off and if the nail doesn't need it i just pretend that i am doing it so he gets the idea of what is happening.. Well tonight we had i guess what you caould call a "punch up" over cutting his nails... He cried and wiggled tried to bite me... Bit me etc etc... anyone who heard the whole ordeal would have thought that he was getting murdered... I managed to cut his front paws but i am going to wait a couple of days and get my OH help me to do the rest... How do i stop this behaviour before he is too big? He gets treats and lots of praise and even a toy to chew on instead of my hand but he still is not very impressed with the whole thing... He is fairly dominant and i have had to teach him straight from the word go who is boss and he will try in every way to win me over but there is no way that this is happening as it would be disaster especially seeing as you can tell how dominant he is going to be with his attitude etc... What is a good method to use to get him used to getting his nails done? Is there anything else that i can do that i am not already doing that would be more beneficial for me and him.... Here is a pic of the little man himself ( butter wouldn't melt in his mouth... ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawprints Posted December 18, 2006 Share Posted December 18, 2006 (edited) I have a 11 week old Rotty pup (quite dominant) and i have been trying to get him used to having his nails cut...He cried and wiggled tried to bite me... Bit me etc etc... anyone who heard the whole ordeal would have thought that he was getting murdered... He is fairly dominant and i have had to teach him straight from the word go who is boss and he will try in every way to win me over but there is no way that this is happening as it would be disaster especially seeing as you can tell how dominant he is going to be with his attitude etc... I hear what you're saying!! Out little man can be quite dominant and tests us daily. You have to make sure that if he is growling at you, and/or is biting you, you must grab him, look him in the eyes and muster your biggest, deepest (which is hard for us chicks! lol) growl back at him and hold him while you are doing it. When he looks away or submits, then let him go. Ours has learnt very quick. Also at puppy school they taught us the 'calming' technique. This involves you sitting on the floor, on your knees and sitting back on your feet (hard to describe). Get pup in between your legs head facing outwards, sitting against you and if you bring your feet together under your bum, he can't wiggle backwards. Rub his chest, slowly massaging him. When he tries to wiggle and carry on to break free, stop massaging but hold him. As soon as he stops wiggling and making noise, start massaging again. If he tries to bit you, hook both your thumbs under his collar and he wont be able to get to your hands. Keep doing this until he realises that if he carries on and wiggles, he is not going to get free. But when he stops, he gets a nice massage and/or treat. We have done this and it works. Its hard the first few times as ours carried on, screamed, growled, tried to bite etc, but they do get it in the end. Ours had his nails cut on the weekend and he sooked a bit but was OK. Not growling or agressiveness. Edited December 18, 2006 by Pawprints Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiahzen Posted December 18, 2006 Author Share Posted December 18, 2006 Also at puppy school they taught us the 'calming' technique. This involves you sitting on the floor, on your knees and sitting back on your feet (hard to describe). Get pup in between your legs head facing outwards, sitting against you and if you bring your feet together under your bum, he can't wiggle backwards. Rub his chest, slowly massaging him. When he tries to wiggle and carry on to break free, stop massaging but hold him. As soon as he stops wiggling and making noise, start massaging again. If he tries to bit you, hook both your thumbs under his collar and he wont be able to get to your hands. Keep doing this until he realises that if he carries on and wiggles, he is not going to get free. But when he stops, he gets a nice massage and/or treat. I understand how you mean.... This is how i had to hold him to get his front paws cut... He is always testing the boundaries to see how much he can get away with.. I had to have a word to the OH as he was being way too soft on him... He wasn't very happy but i think now he sees what Diesel is like and that he has to be told who is boss... I called our breeder and she also recommended the above to us and we use that method on a daily basis to get him to calm down and as soon as he is on his back now he stops having a tanty because he knows that he is going to get a nice pat.. that he loves just oh so much Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawprints Posted December 19, 2006 Share Posted December 19, 2006 I know it's hard when they are having a tanty and you have to grab them and growl at them. I hate it when I have to grab Tealc and growl at him, I feel like such a b$%tch but at the end of the day, when he is 50+kg's and behaving like that, it wouldn't be so funny. SOunds like you're doing a top job tho Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsfevr Posted December 19, 2006 Share Posted December 19, 2006 I presume your cutting the dogs nails whilst on his back?? The problem with people cutting nails is they take to long,overdo the calming,praise & bribery & use the wrong technique & nail trimmers. I would consider getting a dremel for the rotti,always trim with the dog standing & trim like shoeing a horse. Get someone to hold the head & if bitting is an issue use a muzzle,the time spent fending the dogs teeth makes the job long & drawn out. If using clippers make sure they are suitable,many use the Guillotine type & the dog hate them,even try a bastard file. Cutting nails should be quick & simple,even with a pup people give them treats,toys etc & it takes longer & the dog starts tow orry when things dont go there way plus there wanting to play with what there given instead of listening to the commands Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miranda Posted December 19, 2006 Share Posted December 19, 2006 I agree with showdog, get someone to hold the dog's head and just do it, be firm and ignore the tantrums. Cutting a dog's nails should only take a few minutes, offering treats, toys and constantly stopping to pet and reassure the dog makes it into a long drawn out procedure which the dog soon learns to dread. The dog will soon learn that playing up gets him nowhere and will accept nail cutting as routine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiahzen Posted December 19, 2006 Author Share Posted December 19, 2006 I would consider getting a dremel for the rotti,always trim with the dog standing & trim like shoeing a horse.If using clippers make sure they are suitable,many use the Guillotine type & the dog hate them,even try a bastard file. Thanks for the help.... What is a Dremel and a bastard file..? What are Suitable nail clippers for dogs?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsfevr Posted December 19, 2006 Share Posted December 19, 2006 Dremel you buy from bunning ,its battery operated & is like an electric pencil sharpener(having a real brain fart day ).Bastard file you also get from bunnings,its a heavy duty file & you use it like a nail file in humans.Many dogs prefer the file action as its quicker & you do get a better finish,other hell dogs prefer the dremel. As for nail files ones that are good quality & are the shape of scissors & you cut,the guillotine type are all silver you stick the nail in & cut,it isnt a comfy one for dogs & they hate them. Personnally on a beast type dog i would go for nail file first Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiahzen Posted December 19, 2006 Author Share Posted December 19, 2006 Cool thanx for your help i will go shopping and change what i'm using to see if this makes a difference.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flying Penguin Posted December 19, 2006 Share Posted December 19, 2006 Cut them when he is a sleep lol Thats when I do Sams and there is no issue, she wouldnt stay still long enough if I did it when she was awake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kymbo Posted December 22, 2006 Share Posted December 22, 2006 One of my friends had a similiar problem with her large dag. She ended up bribing him kinda. She got into a regular habit of taking the dog for a walk on lead every afternoon, THEN introduced " cut one claw and we will go" HAHAHA. Takes a while to do the whole dog, but dog is getting calmer and calmer and accepting about it. It is just part of the routine now. Lead clipped onto collar, walk to front door, dog sits and gets a claw clipped, and off they go. She will gradually increase it to a whole paw clipped then walk, etc. This was a adult dog that was a rescue, so she has no idea what happened or didn't happen in the past, but it is working for her Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiahzen Posted December 22, 2006 Author Share Posted December 22, 2006 Kymbo: This seems like a really good idea... We also have a 5yo female rotty and she is a real biatch when we try and do hers and it is nearly impossible. But she absolutely loves to go for a walk so i think that i have a new bribing tool to get her used to the idea a little more... I had run out of options for her and have tried just about everything but nothing has ever worked.. I will deffinately be giving this a go.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kymbo Posted December 22, 2006 Share Posted December 22, 2006 Good luck with it bluepoppy! My friends dogs 'currency' was walkies too; that is why it is working so well I think Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougie Posted December 24, 2006 Share Posted December 24, 2006 you could always try walking the dog on a hard surface...like a concrete footpath for instance....nails wear themselves down to exactly the right length........too easy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougie Posted December 24, 2006 Share Posted December 24, 2006 (edited) double post.... i just came in from the verandah where i was listening to the frogs & crickets singing after the rain....... eating prawns & drinking crownies was also part of the attraction......pressed the add reply button......double post.... any how .... have a good one all youse dolers.... merry xmas. Edited December 24, 2006 by dougie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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