# Nail clipping protocol that works



## Brightelf (Sep 5, 2001)

I began when Grimm was a porky little fuzzy baby. I had originally had the techs at the vet clip his nails, but that ALWAYS turns into a frantic 2-person rodeo. They have a waitingroom full of other clients to see. The end result is a dog who anticipates a STRUGGLE! i couldn't allow that.. Grimm was gonna be HUGE oneday.

So, I had him lay on his side when he was sleepy, on the carpet in the livingroom.

Do NOT grasp the paw. Instead, use your hand to softly nudge the paw so that it bends/curls under. (think of when a horse gets shod)

Clip lightly the very tip of ONE nail. Say in a cheery, impressed voice "Wow!"

Go away.

Repeat this nightly. No big deal at all. Sleepy puppy blobbed out on the carpet. Paw nudged into folding over. Nail tip lightly clipped. Happy-sounding "Wow!" Mom goes away to do other stuff. No biggie.

I just finished clipping collossal 95 lb Grimm's nails. I can now do all of them at once, front and back, and he just lays there like a blob. Okay, sometimes he rolls to present his tummy for scritching, but, I can manage to take a break to do that, too.









PS-- I tried using treats at one point, but we were both swimming in drool then.


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## BlackPuppy (Mar 29, 2007)

Thanks, I'll try that with the next puppy.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

Yay!! I'm going to do that with Jax and <u>*her*</u> new dremel. 

I just have to hide it from DH and DS so it doesn't end up in the garage!


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## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

> Originally Posted By: Jax08Yay!! I'm going to do that with Jax and <u>*her*</u> new dremel.
> 
> I just have to hide it from DH and DS so it doesn't end up in the garage!


Michelle - paint it pink. No male would want to use a pink tool!


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## VectorSketcher (Jul 20, 2008)

Great post Pattie, I have been wondering how to go about clipping my little girl's nails, I will have to try your technique!


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

> Originally Posted By: Lauri & The Gang
> Michelle - paint it pink. No male would want to use a pink tool!










That'll test his self confidence level!!


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

Nikon, Kenya, and Coke all prefer to be standing or sitting while I do the front, then lying on their side while I do the back.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

I used to do them while they lie on the couch. 

Now I do them out in their kennels. 

Some of them prefer to be on their dog house:









I prefer for them to be up where it is easy for me to see, like on their shelter:









Others like to sit on a chair and make me do a bit of stretching:









And then there's Babs:









Right now, I can do the lot of them in about half an hour, only because I do not currently have anyone terrible about toenails. Every now and again I go after Cujo and take out his nails too. For him, I get him in the back hallway on the landing and go further down the steps (Mom and Dad do not let him on furniture).


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## MayzieGSD (Aug 28, 2006)

Unforunately, I didn't work with Mayzie enough when she was a little fuzzy baby and waited until she was a big, less-fuzzy baby







. I tried to have the vet do it but they said if I want to bring her back they would have to sedate her because she struggled too much







So that was my kick in the pants to start working with her to get her used to having her nails trimmed.

We now have a routine... it's a 5 step process, really.








1. I get out the nail clippers. 
2. She runs and hides under the table. 
3. I get out some REALLY good treats (ham, cheese, etc). 
4. She can't help herself but come over to see what treats I have








5. I clip one nail, then she gets a treat and so on until all nails are clipped


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## Brightelf (Sep 5, 2001)

That picture of Babs is cracking me UP!!!!!!!!







What a SWEETHEART!!! Love her, love her, LOVE her!


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## bergwanderkennels (Mar 26, 2009)

I always atart with my boxer first then move onto Hella second, If I try to dremel Hella first she gets so nervous and will not sit still. 

I also always start with the back feet on even my groom dogs as these are less sensitive then the fronts.


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## JerzeyGSD (Jun 26, 2008)

Good idea, Patti! I wish I was brave enough to try to clip Jerzey's nails, but I'm always afraid I'll cut to much and she'll just bleed and bleed and bleed and she'll have to be rushed to the vet! Extremely unrealistic, I know, but the thought surfaces none-the-less.


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

Ashley, have you tried a Dremel? Even if you grind too far and hit the quick it doesn't hurt and you'll get a tiny ooze of blood rather than a gush.


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## pupresq (Dec 2, 2005)

Exactly! Dremeling rocks! 

I know this has been posted many times before but here is the link to the very best site for learning how to do it. It has completely changed our lives around here! 

http://homepages.udayton.edu/~merensjp/doberdawn/dremel/dremel.html


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## JerzeyGSD (Jun 26, 2008)

> Originally Posted By: Cassidys MomAshley, have you tried a Dremel? Even if you grind too far and hit the quick it doesn't hurt and you'll get a tiny ooze of blood rather than a gush.


No. My mom bought a Pedipaw and I tried that but Jerzey let me do one nail before deciding she didn't like it. I don't know if it was the sound or the vibration on her nail or what. *Shrugs* 



> Originally Posted By: pupresqExactly! Dremeling rocks!
> 
> I know this has been posted many times before but here is the link to the very best site for learning how to do it. It has completely changed our lives around here!
> 
> http://homepages.udayton.edu/~merensjp/doberdawn/dremel/dremel.html


Thank you for the link! I'll have to look into this more. Granted, her nails stay pretty well ground down thanks to constant walking on the sidewalk but those front dew claw! They get sharp QUICK!


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## pupresq (Dec 2, 2005)

It can take some dogs a while to get used to it but I've found the protocol on that site to be very effective. We went from total carnage and mayhem trying to clip our BC's nails to her lying peacefully on her back for a belly rub from dad while I do her mani/pedi. 

Since you only really need to do the dew claws, hopefully it'll go quickly. If you dremel regularly the quick will recede and you can get their nails quite short.


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## JerzeyGSD (Jun 26, 2008)

> Originally Posted By: pupresq
> Since you only really need to do the dew claws, hopefully it'll go quickly. If you dremel regularly the quick will recede and you can get their nails quite short.


That's really interesting!


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

in puppy class they use to play with the dremel and the pups.
they use to rub the pups with the handle. when my boy was eating
we rubbed him with the dremel. in the begining we only touched his nails with dremel. we played with him with the dremel a lot and just a touch on the nails. now my boy lays on his side and you can do his nails with ease. we always treated during the dremel training.


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

> Originally Posted By: pupresqIt can take some dogs a while to get used to it but I've found the protocol on that site to be very effective. We went from total carnage and mayhem trying to clip our BC's nails to her lying peacefully on her back for a belly rub from dad while I do her mani/pedi.


Yep, we went from Cassidy yanking her foot away if we even tried to touch it - doing her nails was a battle with Tom having to practically lay on top of her to restrain her while I did my best to clip her nails, to me being able to do it BY MYSELF with a Dremel in a week. I followed the protocol in the link that Hannah provided, which has been posted numerous times over the years. When I brought home the Dremel Tom laughed and said "she'll never let you use that thing on her". But I spent a few minutes a day playing with her feet while feeding treats, wiggling her toes, pinching the nails, all with the Dremel on the floor nearby, and then with it turned on. By the time I got to the step where you touch it briefly to just one nail, she was so fine with the process that I kept going and did all her nails. She would lay calmly on her side, and if she started to pull her paw away I just gently wiggled her leg to relax her again. I'd talk silly to her and sometimes sing.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

The biggest thing for me is to get the dogs up where I can see the nails good. If I am bending and stretching and trying to find the quick and not able to see, I am telegraphing a lack of confidence to my dogs which they will reciprocate by being afraid, squirming, and making it that much harder for me to get the nail cut, and that much easier for me to get the quick and reinforce my dogs' waryness. 

Kneeling in front of them on the couch worked pretty good, but having them up on the dog house or shelter works great because I can do it quicly, see everything I need to with the least amount of stress on me and the dogs. 

If I had just one dog, I might sit with a box of treats and do a toenail at a time, but I am afraid, that that method would just serve to work my lot up and let them get into their nervous stride. 

With puppies, I find the best thing to do is once a week put them up on something and go through the nails, cutting just the hooks off, quickly and confidently. They do not get to the point of making it a big deal.


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