# Please don't cut off my paws!!!!



## sadie2010 (Nov 24, 2010)

I took my 5year old female GSD Sadie to the vet yesterday for her annual shots and a nail trim. The shots went fine. The nail trim? Not so much.

The vet and his vet tech took Sadie into a back room area, (out of my sight), and proceeded to trim her nails. 

Well, you would have thought they were amputating her leg! She howled and whimpered and cried the whole time. It was really loud too. 

By this time I was standing by the receptionist desk waiting for them to bring Sadie out to me. The vet tech brought Sadie out and said "It sounded worse than it really was".

I felt so bad for Sadie. I traumatized her, I think. But she really needed a nail trim. They were quite long.

She got a few treats and acted all better.

I dread having to to this again in the future, but it has to be done, right? I can't just let her nails grow and grow?

Any tips or suggestions on how I could make this an easier time for her?


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

Would she do worse with you back there with her?


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## suzzyq01 (Feb 15, 2011)

Could you get a dremel and do her nails yourself? I do all my dogs grooming for several reasons...to get the used to being handled for grooming and because it is way cheaper for me to do it then spend $100 to have them bathed, brushed, and nails clipped. I have a dremel and sit with the treat jar. I got some protesting at first be eventually they gave up and learned that every couple minutes if they are still they get a tasty treat.


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## DharmasMom (Jul 4, 2010)

Dharma acts the same way. I do hers at the groomers and you would think I was killing her. There is a guy at the park that she will let cut her nails. He has a way with dogs. We call him the Dog Whisperer. I gave learned to carry my clippers with me and when I see him get him to do the job.


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## gsdraven (Jul 8, 2009)

Lilie said:


> Would she do worse with you back there with her?


Or can you do it at home yourself? Preferably when she is exhausted and give her lots of treats for being goog.


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## Silvermoon (Apr 2, 2011)

I hate it when they want to do stuff without mom. I never had any problems trimming my JRTs' nails until a trip to the vet when the tech cut them even with his toes!!!!!! I was livid!! That made it next to impossible to trim them again. I asked the vets about this and they said" we'll just sedate him each time". I think not!! New vet here we come.


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## sadie2010 (Nov 24, 2010)

That's what I wondered too? Would she fair better with me with her? Or would it make it worse for her, knowing her master was inflicting this torture on her? 

The vet tech didn't cut the nails too short. Sadie's nails were not bleeding. I think she was just scared. 

Would my presence with her make her feel more secure?


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## Daisy&Lucky's Mom (Apr 24, 2011)

I would try being back there next time. Daisy at home is a pain as is Lucky when I do nail duty but at the groomers Daisy whines but is fine and Lucky acts like he loves it. Walking on cement I' m told helps wear nails down but does not take the place of a trim. Sometimes shepherds are just drama queens and since she calmed down quickly,see what happens next time. Another thing would be to try and take her to the vets to just visit,have them give treats so its a positive place.


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## sadie2010 (Nov 24, 2010)

I should add that this was the first time I personally got her nails trimmed since I adopted her from a shelter about a year ago. I don't know how she reacted to a trim before I got her.


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## kiya (May 3, 2010)

I think what they forget is sometimes it takes longer than 5 minutes. My 18 month old is the first dog I have ever had that wasn't 100% cooperative. I prefer to be in the room with my dogs. I have allowed tecs to take my dogs but honestly that was a long time ago. Anyway when I have to trim Lakota's nails I have to put the leash on, sit on the ground and touch her toes, nails and legs. I let her sniff the clippers. She used to struggle but now she really doesn't. When she did struggle I didn't wrestle with her, I would just wait till she settled down and started touching her paws again. When she was really little I gave her a pig ear or something. Now she's fine with nails. Don't do it if your in a hurry and if you even get 1 give lots of praise or treats. You don't have to get all of them in 1 sitting.


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## sadie2010 (Nov 24, 2010)

Silvermoon said:


> I hate it when they want to do stuff without mom. I never had any problems trimming my JRTs' nails until a trip to the vet when the tech cut them even with his toes!!!!!! I was livid!! That made it next to impossible to trim them again. I asked the vets about this and they said" we'll just sedate him each time". I think not!! New vet here we come.


OUCH!! Did they ever grow back? 

Glad you got a new vet. That should not have happened.


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## Todd (Sep 6, 2004)

Heidi hated to have her nails trimmed. If I did it, I could do one and then wouldn't see her for the rest of the day once she realized what I wanted to do. So, I got the bright idea to have a professional do it. Well, the vet tech hit the nerve and me along with about 7 other people in the waiting room heard a howl that echoed throughout the office. Next thing I see is Heidi barreling through the doors and coming to a sliding stop next to me in a pool of blood following by the crying vet tech (she really liked Heidi and opbviously felt bad hurting her). I learned to use the dremel soon after that with no more issues.


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## Veronica1 (Jun 22, 2010)

I had the same problem. Panzer would scream and have a fit - hair all over the place - the groomer & I both sweating up a storm by the time it was done. 

I tried all the tricks to get it done at home, including getting a mild sedative from the vet. Nothing worked.

A friend referred me to a new groomer and it went GREAT! I didn't want to have his nails done at the vet because I didn't want him to associate the two. The new groomer uses a Dremel. She gave me the option of going back with them. I didn't go. He did great. He yipped a little at first but she said by the time they got two done, he was fine. Only took a few minutes.

I don't know that everyone would have the same experience, but for me, switching to a new groomer (a good one!) did the trick. And it was only $8 + tip.


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## BlackPuppy (Mar 29, 2007)

I have to trim my 3 dogs' nails weekly because they only run on grass and carpet. I went on vacation and let them go 3 weeks and they all look like the "dragon lady". So, now I have to start on a dremeling routine to get them shorter again. 

It just doesn't pay to let it slide. 

I asked my vet if she would sedate my dogs and trim them all the way back. She said she can do this if they are getting surgery, because they won't notice the pain from the nail "surgery" as much as the actual surgery. But the will not do it otherwise. 

I hate nail trimming!


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## krystyne73 (Oct 13, 2010)

I get my dogs nails done every 9 wks. Max and Meika are dramatic about it. It takes 3 vet techs to hold Max down for the 10 min. trim but I try not to find into his issues lol
I find it's better to have someone else do it than have them to worry if I do it at home in their space.


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## WVGSD (Nov 28, 2006)

I adopted Max from a shelter in December 2010 amd found that he hated to have his nails done. He had been an outside dog and I am not even certain that anyone trimmed his nails previously. They may have just been kept down by being outside. My other seven dogs tolerate the process and I have not had issues with them. With Max, it was all about trust in the end. He had to realize that he could trust me not to hurt him. In the beginning, I had him lie down and my husband made a huge fuss over him while I snipped the nails. Later, I brought out the treats and gave him a treat, then snipped one nail. Give another treat, snip another toenail. By doing this, we now get through the toenail clipping without needing any assistance or distractions. 

Max also had to learn that I was not going to hurt his ears when I need to wipe them out periodically either. I warm up the ear cleaner, give him a treat and wipe his ears. Voila and done.


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## ChancetheGSD (Dec 19, 2007)

Silvermoon said:


> I hate it when they want to do stuff without mom. I never had any problems trimming my JRTs' nails until a trip to the vet when the tech cut them even with his toes!!!!!! I was livid!! That made it next to impossible to trim them again. I asked the vets about this and they said" we'll just sedate him each time". I think not!! New vet here we come.


I had a couple who used to bring their two Dobermans in to the shop for me to grind down their nails each week. The first time they walked in and I saw the puppies toes I was shocked. They barely existed. (They also had an adult female with normal nails) They said the breeder kept them down to the paws.  Poor baby was TERRIFIED to have his paws touched, with good reason too!!!! I felt so horrible for him. The owners let them grow out some so he HAD nails but they weren't long and we kept them back to a normal length. I couldn't believe someone would do that to a dog, that is worse than declawing them surgically!!

*To the OP:* Sit down with your dog EVERY DAY with some tasty, high value treats. Get yourself and the dog comfortable and while treating your dog, play with her feet. DO NOT INTRODUCE CLIPPERS OR A DREMEL. Just touch her feet with your hands every day, spread her toes, play with the nails and treat her for being a good girl. Once she is fine with you touching her paws, spreading her toes, ect give it a week (while still doing it each day) and then bring the nail clippers or dremel (whatever you want to use, I prefer to grind the nails) and touch them to her paws/toes. DO NOT CLIP OR GRIND THE NAILS. Get her used to seeing and smelling them and having them touch her feet without anything happening. Treat and praise her for being good. When she is fine seeing and feeling them on her, give it a week. (Again, continuing the routine each day) THEN you can introduce clipping/grinding the nails. Do ONE nail each day and don't attempt to get them short until she's completely fine with having them clipped/grinded. Just take a little off the tip. This is the best way to go about getting a dog used to having it's nails clipped and it's feet touched. I can't stress the importance of this with my customers. It's so much easier on you and the dog to have your dog calm about something that isn't even suppose to be stressful! If your dog doesn't like having it's feet touched to begin with, this can take a really long time, especially if a bad experience with it has happened. But it's so worth it in the end when your dog can finally breathe and have it's nails clipped without a huge fuss.

More breeders should touch their puppies feet from the day they're born and start clipping the nails within 3-4 weeks. :/ It would save owners a lot of trouble in the future if the puppies have a positive experience with it right away.


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## Freestep (May 1, 2011)

I honestly think dogs react more to being restrained than they do to the actual nail trimming. I have trimmed literally thousands of dogs' nails, some of whom had to be held down by three people at the vets, and I just go snip, snip, snip with minimal restraint and barely a flinch. If you know what you're doing and it's no big deal, the dog can sense it; when the humans are anticipating a big traumatic scene, guess what? The dogs can sense that too.

I would recommend calling an experienced dog groomer. Like someone who has been doing it for at least ten years. Bring treats and make the trip to the groomer's a fun, happy thing. Then the nail trim, even if it's slightly traumatic due to a past experience, will be over with quickly and then it's all happy time, treats, and maybe a trip to the park.

I have to say, MOST people's dogs act better when the owner is NOT present for the nail trim. I know that's counterintuitive, but it's true about 90% of the time. I think it's because the owner is nervous and anticipating a horrible traumatic scene, which the dogs pick up on. Usually I just have the client wait in the next room, but sometimes, the owner has to go out to the car to wait. Once the dog realizes the owner is gone, he is suddenly on his best behavior.  It's like how kids are better behaved around strangers than they are with their parents.


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## ChancetheGSD (Dec 19, 2007)

Ten years doesn't mean experience. We had a groomer who tramatized every dog she touched and she'd been doing it at least that long. She quicked them all.  (Of course, she also caused 3 dogs to need stitches because she cut them so bad with the hair clippers :S) On the other hand, myself and the other groomer (Myself 6 years and the other groomer 7) had no problems even with dogs the other lady had to fight. It's a matter of finding people who are calm themselves. I do think restraining them freaks them out more than anything. Honestly I don't get why people don't just clip them themselves. I mean I have no problem getting $8-$10 for clipping the dogs nails which takes like 5 minutes or less for most dogs but it's such an easy thing to do at home. :/ (Then again, I also can't understand why some people can't pick up a brush at home and bring me a matted dog every couple weeks. But I guess that's what keeps me in business.) If you take the time to get the dog used to it, you can do it in the comfort of your own home and save yourself some money. People who say they "don't have the time" make me wonder why they have a dog in the first place. I'm sure they have the time to sit down and watch tv, that's the perfect time to play with your dogs feet and clip their nails!


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## Silvermoon (Apr 2, 2011)

sadie2010 said:


> OUCH!! Did they ever grow back?
> 
> Glad you got a new vet. That should not have happened.


 
Yes, they did grow back. The vet tech said that most JRT owners want that type of "show cut"!! I am the only one who can trim them now.. one at a time, just a little bit.

I just don't understand how anyone could do that!!


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## sadie2010 (Nov 24, 2010)

Thanks everyone for the great suggestions. I'll try some of these ideas.


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## dogless (Jan 7, 2005)

I buy a huge raw knuckbone that I keep frozen, and the ONLY time she gets to chew on it is when I dremmel her nails. I get the bag out of the freezer, grab the dremmel and sit in the living room. Mattie is right there waiting once she sees me get the bone from the freezer. She is pretty good about it, she tries pulling back her feet a few times but once she gets into chewing the bone, then she's good.

The only problem I have is that her back feet seem to involuntarily pull away, so I have a harder time doing the back feet. But they don't grow as fast so it's usually ok.

When I am done, I get a different treat, like a piece of chicken jerky, and trade the bone for the new treat, and put the bone away in the freezer until the next time.


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## Freestep (May 1, 2011)

ChancetheGSD said:


> Ten years doesn't mean experience. We had a groomer who tramatized every dog she touched and she'd been doing it at least that long. She quicked them all.  (Of course, she also caused 3 dogs to need stitches because she cut them so bad with the hair clippers :S)


That surprises me, because most people don't stick with grooming for ten years if they aren't very good at it. So, okay.... I'll just say, find a GOOD groomer who has been grooming long enough to know what they are doing, who is calm, confident, and knows how to handle difficult dogs.



> Honestly I don't get why people don't just clip them themselves.


Most people are afraid to do it. If you pick up a dogs foot with one hand, a pair of clippers in the other, and you are nervous and don't know what you're doing, that dog is going know it and run for the hills if he possibly can. Before I learned how to groom, I was terrified of doing toenails. I had tried to do my little dog's nails when I was a kid, she had black toenails and I couldn't see where the quick was; I clipped, she screamed, and it scared the living daylights out of me (and I didn't even quick her). So learning how to trim nails was one of the hardest things for me to get over. But now I'm like a toenail Ninja.  Yes, quicked nails still happen from time to time, but half the time the DOG doesn't even notice, so again I have to say that it's the restraint and the attitude of the person doing the clipping that affect the dog far more than the clipping itself.

What I hate is when the client tells me to clip the nails SHORTER. I already trim them as short as I possibly can without going into the quick, but some dogs have very long quicks, so I can only go so far... I tell the client that if I cut it any shorter, the toenail will bleed, and they say "But you have stuff that stops the bleeding, right?"  

I tell them if they want the nails THAT short, they need to go to the vet and do it under anesthesia.

The Dremel is a great tool, you can sometimes take the nail shorter with a Dremel than you can with a clipper. Some dogs tolerate it, and some don't, but I am highly sensitive to toenail dust, so I don't use it on every dog.


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## stealthq (May 1, 2011)

Freestep said:


> ... Most people are afraid to do it. If you pick up a dogs foot with one hand, a pair of clippers in the other, and you are nervous and don't know what you're doing, that dog is going know it and run for the hills if he possibly can. Before I learned how to groom, I was terrified of doing toenails. I had tried to do my little dog's nails when I was a kid, she had black toenails and I couldn't see where the quick was; I clipped, she screamed, and it scared the living daylights out of me (and I didn't even quick her). ...


I'll second this - sounds like my sheltie and your little dog were one and the same. I had to clip the hair out from between his toes to keep his feet tight as well as trim his nails. He'd shriek and jerk his feet away like I was killing him, even if the scissors or Dremel hadn't come close to him yet. Scared me to death the first couple times, thinking I'd cut him, though I never did.


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## Zuiun (Jul 1, 2011)

Man, all of these nail clipping horror stories really make me appreciate Brody even more. That dog trusts me so much that I think he wouldn't squirm if I tried to do surgery on him.

Clipping his nails is simple -- but I'm sure looks ridiculous. I sit on the floor. He lays on this back between my legs (all 105 pounds of him) and just chills. No need to restrain him. I'm not even sure he stays awake.

Tsura is a little more nervous about it, but not much. I started teaching her the routine as a puppy, getting her Ok with laying there before I even attempted to trim them. So she doesn't try to squirm away, but she does get curious about what I'm doing (and sometimes wants to lick the clippers).

So on that note, I'd agree with the comment earlier about easing the dog into the routine first if you want to clip them yourself. And I'd say the benefit of doing that is equally for dog and owner, as it lets you both get relaxed with the ordeal.


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## Caledon (Nov 10, 2008)

DharmasMom said:


> Dharma acts the same way. I do hers at the groomers and you would think I was killing her. There is a guy at the park that she will let cut her nails. He has a way with dogs. We call him the Dog Whisperer. I gave learned to carry my clippers with me and when I see him get him to do the job.


Lol.


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## spidermilk (Mar 18, 2010)

I think as far as the vet taking them to the 'back room' to get things done- it can go either way.

1. If you are calm then your dog can draw off of that and also stay calm and feel better with you around. 

2. On the other hand if you are nervous and unsure then your dog might draw off of that and also become nervous- I know this is the case with me! I am always so nervous at the vet I just wait behind while my DH takes care of the pup.

If I were you I would try to work up to cutting them at home. I would start with just touching the paws and move as slowly as you have to.


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## Thru the Viewfinder (Aug 8, 2011)

Re: Freesteps post-

Yep that's me! The one thing I KNOW I need more confidence on is nail trimming. I was upfront about this during all three interviews w/ PetsMart. Each of them said nails are usually the one thing people get nervous over. They almost said word for word what you wrote, that you get better at it, gain more confidence, and be able to do it faster but that there will still be the occasional time when you quick a nail. 

Well I went home and decided to try again to trim Dakota's nails, with more than just the dremel I have. Her front nails were really long because they haven't been trimmed in over a year. 

I used the clippers (they are a scissor style instead of guillotine - I especially hate those!) and then used the dremel. I only quicked one nail, and because I kept in mind that with practice I -will- get better at this, I guess I kept my calm more. Dakota still occasionally tried to escape from me, but not because she was scared. She wanted to play ball. I'd given her the ball (her crack lol) to mouth on, and she kept bopping it with her nose making it roll away, like, "Okay mom. Really, lets play ball instead. This is boring."

Her nails still look long to me, though. Its as I suspected though, long quicks. I'm glad I didn't force them farther back, like some of these posts are saying some groomers had done. OUCH is right! 

I do want the quick a little shorter though. I did her nails about a week ago. When can I do them again to encourage the quick back towards the paw some more? I've wanted to do them but I know when I clip my nails too short, the pain isn't gone in a few hours. It takes days for the tenderness to pass.


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## wyominggrandma (Jan 2, 2011)

if you do the nails every week, the quicks will recede a bit each time. I have a certain day each week to do nails.
Be sure and grind back the top of the nail a bit each time also, that helps the quick recede faster.


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## natalie559 (Feb 4, 2005)

I just wanted to comment on the annual shots you took her in for. Most vets are now following the aaha recommendations of doing shots every 3 yrs now if not longer. I am in the go longer than 3 yr school, but that is something you need to research and talk to your vet about. Even then you usually only need a single parvo following a few weeks later by a single distemper. Do rabies by law.

http://www.aahanet.org/PublicDocuments/VaccineGuidelines06Revised.pdf

Annual shots are overkill these days.


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## paulag1955 (Jun 29, 2010)

I do Shasta's at home. 1 clip = 1 treat. She's really good about her front paws, a little more hesitant about the back ones, probably because they don't need it as often.


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## BlackPuppy (Mar 29, 2007)

paulag1955 said:


> I do Shasta's at home. 1 clip = 1 treat. She's really good about her front paws, a little more hesitant about the back ones, probably because they don't need it as often.


Mine need a lot of bribing, and even then it's tough to get them to hold still.


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## paulag1955 (Jun 29, 2010)

BlackPuppy said:


> Mine need a lot of bribing, and even then it's tough to get them to hold still.


When I first started out, I only clipped one nail, gave the treat, then let her go do something else. Later, I'd clip another one and so on. Sometimes it took a couple of days, lol.


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## mygsdandme (Jan 4, 2011)

I use a dremel...I am scared to death of clippers.
Jenny would fight me at first but would eventually give up and just lay there. She had very hard thick nails and I could never really get them short enough to where they didn't click on the floor.
Mr. Luke is pretty easy to do except for the back ones... 
he doesn't like getting the back ones done, Jenny never did either. I guess the back nails are more sensitive. 
He kind of gets excited when he sees me getting the dremel ready because he know he will get yummy treats like boiled chicken when we do nails.


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## PaddyD (Jul 22, 2010)

I do one or 2 at a time. That way it occurs more often and it is not an 18-nail extravaganza that happens every few weeks.


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