Nail clipping

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We have a lovely, high spirited but generally well trained lab. 1 year 2 months old. DH worked with a trainer for months and she's responded really well- good recall, walks to heel, sits on command etc. However she refuses to let us cut her nails. It seems to make her really jumpy and the one time we tried it DH had to hold her firmly and she tried to get away just as he was trimming and now he's too anxious to try again.
We've taken her to the groomers and they had her in a harness with two of them trying and she just won't stay still.
Her claws are now too long. She's walked twice a day (30 mins am, 60 -90 mins pm) but this doesn't involve any pavements or roads so they don't wear down that way.

Any suggestions for how we can do this? The vet saw her briefly in another matter and said she was so reactive to it they would probably have to sedate her and the cost would be hundreds!

Get her at the very end of the day when she’s sleepy, lying in her bed type thing. Have a chewy treat in your hand for her to nibble (hold it so she can’t eat it all at once). The first few times just handle her feet and stroke her without trimming. Wait til she’s calm. Treat before you leave her. When she’s completely calm with you handling her feet in that situation you can go in with the clippers.

Honestly someone recommended spreading some peanut butter into a wall and it works wonders. Takes them ages to lick it all off but in the meantime you can usually trim the nails

(Obviously dog friendly peanut butter?

Loads of options

Use a dremel instead of cutting the nails. Do condition the dog to the noise of the dremel and go at the dogs pace.

Yep peanut butter on the wall is a good approach.

Getting the dog to do their nails themselves. So stick sand paper onto wood and they can run their nails on the paper. Loads of videos showing how to do this on you tube.

Sorry but I disagree with this, the dogs bed should be a place of safety and refuge, not somewhere where unpleasant things might happen to them

Otherwise I agree with the advice to gradually desensitise but getting her used to holding her paws, stroking her claws etc etc with the most high value treats before attempting to cut

Sorry but I disagree with this, the dogs bed should be a place of safety and refuge, not somewhere where unpleasant things might happen to them

Absoutely. I do agree with the desensitisation advice though. It will take a while. Baby steps, touching feet, stroking claws, treat and soft gentle praise, eventually work up to having the clippers on your other hand whilst doing the foot stroking/handling (still treating/praising). Then work to making the ‘clip’ noise whilst handling feet and claws (clippers in other hand), treating and praising. Then clip the nail, treat and praise. One nail at a time. Don’t expect to be able to do a whole paw or indeed all 4. It will likely take weeks/months, if she shows signs of distress, go back a step, you’ve pushed too far, too quickly. She’ll get there in the end.

We have been trying to desensitise her for ages. It's like she has a 6th sense! It's been 6 months now of us stroking her paws and giving treats but the minute the clippers appear she's bloody Usain Bolt.

Food is a good idea but the speed she eats (lab) we'd need a family tub of peanut butter!

DH even calked the breeder for advice. She said it was obviously hereditary - dogs mum is apparently the same and the breeder had to sedate her with pills the vet gives her!

So no help there and we'd rather not drug her.

It's getting urgent as we leave for holiday in 10 days. She's staying with the dog trainer in her home and trainer has asked that her nails be trimmed,,,

You may have conditioned to having her feet touched but sounds like you need to condition her to the clippers too. If you are going to go down the clipper route which will be hard now as she hates it. Start with working around the clippers

eg dog is feed clippers are next to her food bowl. When she is happy with that dog is feed and you are holding the clippers, dog is feed and your are clicking the clippers etc

or use the scraper board

Also if you are on facebook join Nail Maintenance for Dogs. Loads of advice on how to cut nails properly and how to condition your dog to love having it done.

It is not a magic cure though and will take time and effort

If you have time pressure (10 days), and both a vet and the breeder have mentioned sedation, I’d think that’s you only option at this stage. You know yourself you’re not going to desensitise her in 10 days if you’ve been trying for months.

How about a home groomer? My dog was like this and i had someone come to the house. I held him and she done it and after about 4 visits my dog lets me do them myself no problem.

I was in the same position, vets said hes have to be sedated, hed try bite, wee himself and run off. But i think being i his own home helped his anxiety

Focus on on lead walks on pavements for a few days. We had to do this with our Romanian rescue as a claw clip was just too traumatic.

Far and away the simplest thing. Take the time to get out on the pavement or road. You have ten days, that's plenty of time to see a big change.

Can you not just walk her on the pavement once a day? Our lab only really walks on the pavement for 5 mins twice a day on our way to the fields but it’s enough to keep his claws are nice and short.

Personally I think the vet is 100% right to sedate rather than pin her down and do it anyway. I’m pleased the profession is heading more towards welfare as opposed to get the job done and make the problem a million times worse.

If it were my dog I would sedate, get them clipped with no fuss or negativity and then start the desensitisation process with a dremell after that plus add in some pavement walking to keep them worn down.

Please look at the FB group @Ivedonethisthreetimealready mentioned. My older dog was so unhappy having her nails done we were told she would need to be sedated. I followed the advice on there. She now happily has weekly trims and I use a dremel to round off sharp bits too!

Could you try in the bath? My pup isn’t a huge fan, and I saw a tip on “Taking the Grrr out of Grooming” on Facebook about profesional groomers doing it in the bath instead.

Tried this afternoon with a lickimat and got 5 claws clipped (which is a good feat!) You can keep the water running too for an added distraction.

If you can afford it, I'd go the sedation route due to the time-pressure. This way, you'll have a perfect starting point - and you can go from there.

My dog was the exact same way. I adopted him at 8 months old and it took about a year to get him comfortable enough to have his nails trimmed - with two of us doing it (one providing pieces of sausage, one doing the clipping).

I thought he'd never get used to it, but he did. Started with touching the paws, as you've done, until he was totally comfortable with that. What I found helped a lot was not only doing "sessions" with treats, but also just making paw-touching a natural part of cuddling and stroking him. Then from there, started giving him an evening grooming session - brushing, checking ears, checking paws, touching his nails, pushing the fur back between his toes, etc. This all took time! Months, easily.

From there, I started desensitising him to the clippers themselves. Just having them out on the table during his grooming. Then the next week, holding them in my hand and putting them down. Just making it all really chill. Spent weeks just touching his paws briefly with the clippers still on the safety latch.

Eventually worked up to being able to do one of his dew claws. Then worked up to doing one claw every night. And now can do all of his claws in 1-2 sittings.

Have a look on YouTube if you're struggling, and just keep going, slowly but surely!

The important thing is to make it as relaxing as possible for you and him. If it takes a year, it takes a year.

My dog is an anxious rescue and has been super slow to desensitise to anything - muzzle, nail clipping, ear examination, even grooming. But if you persist, you should eventually get there!

We bought one of these on Amazon a while ago (the one we got is showing as unavailable but there will be others):

Romanda Dog Nail Grinders- Upgraded 2 Speed Quiet Pet Nail Trimmer Clippers Claw Care for Dogs & Cats amzn.eu/d/gxPYAjC

One of our dogs was an absolute MENACE about having her claws done but they'd grow so quickly it was awful - she would scream and howl the place down, wriggle and squirm in the harness at the groomers and/or vets and often ended up with a several bleeding (her claws are thick and black so you can't see the quick, plus she would NOT stay still)

We were recommended a nail file but she didn't have the patience for that, then we found that link on Amazon and it's been a life changer. She will quite happily sit on our knee with her back to us and have all of them done, no whining or messing about - she's like a different dog. I will say it doesn't work for everyone (my mum's sausage dog HATES theirs but then again that's just his attitude to pretty much everything!) - might be worth a try. Good luck and really hope both you and her are okay x

I've ordered one. Thanks