# Nail clipping



## dylano (Jul 6, 2012)

Just wanted to know how you all clip your dogs nails?

Kai whos 10 weeks cant go on walks yet for another week due to his vaccines.

His nails are sharp..when were playing he scratches me with out even trying

Should i clip them at home? or should i wait a week and take him to a groomers?

If i were to cut them my self i know not to cut into the blood vessles ('quick')

any advise? thanks


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

I've done this a million times with other dogs with no problems and I hate doing it with my own. Most of the time they see me coming and they are gone If your not completely comfortable you should go somewhere to have it done.


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## iloveshepherds (Jul 10, 2012)

this is perfect time to get your dog use to you touching his feet....if you are nervous using a clipper.....just use a nail filer. puppy claws are still soft...just a few swipes will get the tips down


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## kiya (May 3, 2010)

At that age I would be playing with his feet all the time. Take advantage of getting an early start on touching feet, nails, pads, ears. As far as clipping nails just do the tips and you wont have to worry. My vet always says I don't take enough off and she will chop the nails down a lot more than me. Thats fine with me, I will play it safe and take what I am comfortable with off. I'd rather have to clip the nail a second time if I didn't take enough off.


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## qbchottu (Jul 10, 2011)

Clipping a Dog's Claws
I like this link. Lots of good info and picture guide


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## Felix's Proud Mammy (Jul 10, 2012)

Felix used to HATE when you'd touch his feet but I've found that if I wait for him to lay on his side and approach him soothingly he generally doesn't have a problem with it. I stroke his side in between nails and coo to him and then let him get up and walk between feet. Takes about 15 mins. I much prefer to do it myself than to take him to the groomer and add stress since he's easily excited when he's around new people and places. HTH!


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## wildo (Jul 27, 2006)

My dog has always allowed me to cut her nails, but not without some difficulty. I always had to do it after REALLY wearing her out with vigorous exercise, and even then that wasn't always enough. About six months ago, she started showing real issues with it, so I devised a counter conditioning plan to address the problem. Here's what I did:



 At least twice a day for at least a week, grab a paw and give a treat.
After that, at least twice a day for at least a week, grab a paw and massage a toe/nail a bit, and then give a treat.
After that, at least twice a day for at least a week, grab a paw, massage a toe/nail, and tap the toe with your nail clippers- give a treat.
After that, at least twice a day for at least a week, tap the toes, open the clippers, put on the nail, and pause (very light pressure on the clippers!) for a few milliseconds- give treats.
Finally- move to clipping only one nail a day- and put all nails on a rotation.
 I will note that at step #3, some dogs may have a conditioned response to the nail clippers themselves, and may need to be more gradually counter conditioned to them. Also, even though I can now successfully cut her nails without much issue at all, I continue to both tap the nail I'm about to cut prior to cutting it, and I also still reward for the completion of cutting a single nail (which may include multiple clips).

I did use a clicker for the beginning stages of this process in order to further associate that good things happen when the foot is touched. I did this because my dog already has a conditioned response to the clicker; she already knows that when she hears a click, I was marking a correct behavior and reward is coming.

I've also discovered that elevating her has proved immensely successful. So now I cut her front nails on a 4' high platform in my training room. This allows me to easily see what I'm doing without having to contort her feet in all kinds of directions. Here's the platform. The way she is sitting (with her feet over the edge) is pretty much the exact position she's in when I'm cutting her nails. No weird bending of her legs needed.


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## dylano (Jul 6, 2012)

Thanks all, will just clip the ends i LOVE this forum :hug:


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## Gilly1331 (Apr 16, 2011)

We NEVER clip nails anymore to many accidents/injuries happened. We DREMMEL all 3 of our dogs nails. Its really easy to teach especially to a very young puppy. Play with their paws several times a day holding the paw, each tow etc. Then show the puppy the Dremmel while it is off rub it all over body. Next show the puppy the dremmel on but low speed and rub all over be careful not to catch its hair. Next while the puppy is eating pick up a back paw and lightly touch the dremmel to the nail. Only hold the sandpaper to the nail for a few seconds each toe. The dremmel will get hot and so will the nail. I generally do a few seconds on each nail and do the paw 2 times across each toe. 

Clipping you risk the dog pulling its leg and catching the nail up high into the fur and causing a huge bloody mess. If you catch the nail up high enough it may require a trip to the vet in order to stop the blood. Believe me we had this experience and it is not fun. There are really great articles online about using a dremmel and step by step with pictures. My dogs and even my cat are dremmeled.


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