Cutting claws - nervous dog.

[MarcoPoloCX]

The claws on my pug is getting long but he's nervous or scared and keeps pulling his leg away despite me holding it. He's never liked having his claws touched.
He has black claws so cannot see the quick.

Try using a grinder.
He didn't like it and it might be a rubbish model as it didn't really file away.
Advice appreciated.

I have the same issue, its always been quite a headache.

I seem to have recently sorted it by training my dog to use a scratch board (homemade with sand paper) for his front legs.

And for back legs, I use a hammock, and I just file them down with a bit of sandpaper. I do it for a few minutes everyday, he doesn't like it's but way less stress than using the nail clipper or grinder. And even with a hammock, it was almost impossible to do it on my own.

In your case, I would start by going to a groomer once a week for a few weeks, to trim the nails gradually to a good length (you can't trim them from long to short directly, as the quick grows with the nails, hence why it needs to be gradual) and once you're okay with the length, maintain it with a scratch board / sandpaper.

I taught my dog to use a scratch board. We do it weekly and it keeps her nails trimmed well 🙂

We don't do any cutting or trimming, we just ensure regular pavement walks as part of the mix of walks she has. Eliminates all need for it (and she's 9 now).

This is the best but that doesn't work for a lot of dogs, either because they're too small and light to put enough pressure to wear the nails down, or because they have a specific foot structure (sighthounds for example) which doesn't facilitate that process.

My dog is a tiny sighthound-like creature, we could walk five hundred miles and five hundred more, and it wouldn't change a thing to his nails.

I have this problem too. She was a rescue dog & badly treated. Still even wary of me. I have to have her knocked out completely (sedatives don't work!). I've just changed vets & they're telling me it will cost £280 for the sedation + reviving jab! Absolutely disgusted at this cost, but tried everything except a scratch mat - she's only small so walking twice daily doesn't help! The last vets cost for this was £86 which I wasn't happy about, but guess what! Am ok with that now. 🤷🏼‍♀️

You need to tie them up, or even better use a hammock like someone said so they can’t get away. And you need to hold the paw up and against the body. People tend to pull their paws and legs out away from them so they just yank them back. If you hold their paws against their body they can’t. Also have high value treats that they know they’re about to get. The only think that works on my 40kg dog is a halti tied high up the garden gate so he can’t snap at me, and some freshly cooked and still hot bellypork 😂

It worked for my last dog but doesn't work for my current one as she is only 6 Kg and very light on her feet. The scratch board works well and she LOVES doing it as she scratches and gets snacks :) I've put it on cue now. It took me a couple of sessions to teach.

Lighterday Dog Scratch Board for Nails with Snack Box,Dog Nail Scratchboard with 2 Replacement Sheets of Sandpaper,Alternative Scratching Pad Dog Nail Clippers Grinders for Pets Nail Care : Amazon.co.uk: Pet Supplies I used one like this to teach and put on cue then swapped to a home made one with a board and then stuck 80 sand paper on which is more course and files them down much quicker.

@Newpeep how did you train her to scratch with her back legs?

0 Similar to this.

I used advice from a FB group nail maintenance for dogs. You need to make it a positive thing. My eldest dog was so nervous that I was told by a vet nurse we would have to sedate her to do her nails. I now do a weekly trim at home and she doesn’t mind at all.

I give mine a lickimat with joghurt - he's so zoned out in joghurt heaven that I can do anything to him, as long as I don't take it away. I have him stand on a little blue light lamp, it helps me see the quick in darker claws.
The lickimat is also a huge help with cleaning his ears (he's had a bad ear infection as a puppy and the treatment was unpleasant, so he doesn't like anyone touching them).

Our beagle hates us touching his paws but when I take him to the groomer he just stands there like an angel and lets her trim them 🙈

I would try a groomers or even ask a vet nurse to have a go. It doesn't cost that much (we only pay £7) and it's so much less stressful.