Cutting dogs nails

[TinasCrockeryPot]

Coming here for some advice. Dd has been getting her nails cut during vet appointments due to hating her nails being cut and paws being touched in general. However, she hasn’t required any vet assistance recently and as a result her nails have started to become overgrown so I want to get them cut before they get too long. I have tried cutting them with clippers at home, however, my DH can’t hold her properly because she’s very strong etc and is impossible to hold. when I tried to cut her nails she moved and cut her quick it was like a massacre and she won’t let me touch her now. Does anyone have any tips to try cutting her nails? I tried the towel with holes in trick but she’s too big and the towel started to rip 🙃 she also has to be muzzled when having her nails cut so don’t think taking her to a groomers etc would be a good idea.

I was going to say groomers but saw your comment about the muzzle. Does she need a muzzle at the vets or just with your attempts?

My dog will not let me handle his paws due to inspections/injuries he has had in the past but our groomer always manages to do them.

Just with our attempts so far but unsure why

I would definitely then phone up a groomer and explain the situation and see if they would be prepared to have a try.

Mine is a pain in the arse for me and if he thinks I am inspecting any part of him he objects and is too strong to hold. On the other hand I saw him put his head through the table strap voluntarily at the groomers the other day when we were both talking so had not even been asked

Forgot to mention that the vet needs a nurse to hold her whilst they do it as she will try to wriggle free etc and even the nurse said she small but extremely strong and she also struggles to hold her

I use a dremel on my greys nails. Lots of petting and high value treats from DH while I do the nails.

I'd say groomers.

You may need to do a few visits to desensitise - they may just put her on the table, get out the clippers and not cut any / just cut one nail at first, lots of treats etc. Then go again and build up to doing them all.

The groomers will be quicker and less likely to cut the quick (not a criticism, it is hard. Especially on dark nails or with wriggly pets!). Cutting the quick is painful so it's understandably that she is scared and fights it, but it does make it so much harder!

Is there a reason ddog doesn't walk on hard ground enough? I have 4 ddogs and never get their nails cut...

Have you tried asking your vet if they'd do it? Mine will do a nail clip, even without seeing them for something else. There's a small fee, but it saved a lot of drama with one of my previous dogs.

The vet nurse will be able to do it for you - ours charge a fiver for nail trims.

@Bunnybingesoneggs

Is there a reason ddog doesn't walk on hard ground enough? I have 4 ddogs and never get their nails cut...

That doesn’t always work, my chihuahua walks for miles on pavements but she only weighs about 2kg so there’s no pressure grinding her nails down.

She also hates having them cut. It’s a two person job, we wrap her completely in a towel with one paw poking out, head covered.

This is probably not the best solution but me and dh do it together with dh giving ddog liver paste out of a tube and me cutting her nails with a large human nail clipper. (I tried one of the dog ones but have cut the quick a few times😫)

She is so desperate for the liver paste that she tolerates having her nails cut😁.

@Bunnybingesoneggs

Is there a reason ddog doesn't walk on hard ground enough? I have 4 ddogs and never get their nails cut...

My dog is walked mostly on marshland rather than pavements so they don't really wear down that much.

@Bunnybingesoneggs ddog gets walked plenty on pavement but prefers to walk on grass, the pavement is not enough to keep her nails short. The kennel club also suggest clipping dogs nails once a month because it’s sometimes not enough to just walk them on hard surfaces as every dog is different

Have the same problem, this just reminded me to the ring the vets (all groomers are full round here).

I've just managed to get an appointment tomorrow with a vet, no nurses were free.

Probably going to me more than I pay for my nails but we move.

I'd second getting a dremel plus a second person distracting with treats. Works with our greyhound as well (who isn't thrilled by nail trims and tucks his paws under himself if he's sitting down).

You might find it easier after she's had a walk. I also read recently that the quicks recede after a good run - but that might just be greyhounds.

My dog is a rescue who while happy enough for us to handle him, gets a bit panicky when restrained, including his paws.

So I’ve been slowly introducing a nail grinder instead, high value treat just for being near it on to start with, moving on to the briefest touch and then building it up.

It’s rubbish at doing much to his nails because it’s a cheap pet one and he has ridiculously hard nails hence them needing cut, but my plan is once he’s totally happy letting me use it on him I’ll switch it out for the dremel.

We desensitised my boy to a quiet nail grinder. It wasn’t expensive and having always hated nail clippers he would go to sleep while I was using the grinder.

Kikopup has a video on how to desensitise dogs to nail trimming and I also like .

In the meantime, scratch boards can be useful to keep their nails a bit shorter while you desensitise them to having them properly trimmed.

Mine will let me do it if he has a lickimat, today for frozen bone broth

Lots of excellent information and guidance here www.facebook.com/groups/nail.maintenance.for.dogs