Clipping Nails

13463 Views 23 Replies 17 Participants Last post by 5bassetbakery, Apr 2, 2011

MollyMcFrecklesMom

Discussion Starter · Mar 31, 2011

I've worked on nail clipping with Molly since she was tiny, but she simply won't cooperate. She absolutely doesn't like her paws touched. If they get muddy, it's an ordeal to clean them off and results in snarling and growling. I think she's all talk (she's a moody thing), but the tone is unsettling. Any tips on how to get her to let me clip her nails? I've always handled her paws...petting them and just holding them in my hand (not restraining or hurting). I've tried to get her to trust me. Tonight, I tried occupying her with a Kong, but my husband and I only managed to clip one nail. She was too upset to go any further.

Has anyone else dealt with this? What tips do you have?

Thanks in advance!

1 - 20 of 24 Posts

Annie714

· #2 · Mar 31, 2011

I totally have the same problem and now the only way they get a trim is via our walks. I didn't think the walks would actually trim enough to notice but it really has made such a big difference. And I do the paw holding and touching as well, trying to get her used to me handling them. She just isn't a fan of getting her nails done. I'm eager to see what has worked for others as well

MollyMcFrecklesMom

Discussion Starter · #3 · Mar 31, 2011

Walks are the only thing keeping them manageable. I'm going to call the groomer at her vet and see what she says. Still, any input is greatly appreciated.

Boomer's Mom

· #4 · Mar 31, 2011

Wish I could be of help, but we have the same problem.

Wworm

· #5 · Mar 31, 2011

I tried a few times with my wiener dog long ago, but gave up, after hitting the pulp once or twice. plus he was too traumatized : ( after that, we had it done at the vets intermittently when he was there for something else (never went out of our way to go to the groomer's or anything). we had concrete in our backyard and it was enough to keep them trim.

Now for my basset (no concrete backyard here), i've decided i won't even try. esp since some of his nails are black and I cannot see the where the quick/pulp is. i got good advice to file his nails, and I've been doing that. We do it 3x/week in front of the TV using a regular nail file for people. I give him a nice bone, and give 10 nice swipes for each nail and that seems to keep them trim. much easier than trying to cut them, if you ask me. well, don't take my word for it, ask Worm...

(Worm says: I don't like it that much, but if i have a nice bone to eat, i mind it less...)

opus

· #6 · Mar 31, 2011

Oh my sympathy, it took nearly three years before I had this one cracked. But now when the clippers come out, Opus lies on his back with all four feet in the air and thinks of cheese, which he gets immediately after his feet are done.
I've always let him associate clipping and ear cleaning with food, it's the only way I could possibly manage to get him to hold still and over the years he has learned to accept these indignities with pretty good grace. I have to clip his nails every three week, he looks like Howard Hughes otherwise. Opus has naturally long nails too, which is a pain, but the only time he was every semi-crippled was when I new vet took it upon himself to cut them quite short, resulting in a very lame dog.

( I do think the filing idea is great, but it would take ages for my guy, seriously bear claws are probably smaller)

Mikey T

· #7 · Mar 31, 2011

Basset tend to be touch sensitive around the feet below is a progarm that helpd in that area
Nail Trimming for Senisitve Dogs

Some but certainly not all dogs that are troublesome with nail clippers do not mind either having there nails filed by hand or with the use of a dremel or similar device see How I Dremel Dog Nails

in the first case you will see it will not be fast enough to get the nails done in a timely fashion, it is a longer term solution. For help in getting the nails done First.

1. Work quickly trim only a small amount to be safe but only one clip per
nail it should take less than a minute a foot. better if half that time. pick up and bend foot snip, snip, snip, snip, possibly a fith snip if dog has dew claw and done. don't worry about getting close to the quick work fast take a little off. If need be trim again a few days latter The emphisys must be on speed and pain free.

2. Have the dog in a standing postion hold the foot to be clipped at the carpus (wrist) and bend the leg back and up so the nails are facing up. In this position the dog has less leverage to play tug the foot away games.

3. Take a package of hot dogs yes the entire package and cut up each hot dog into pieces no bigger than half the size of your pinky nail. Have a helper continiously feeding them to the dog while you work the nail. No stop one at a time not pause bettweent ie not on treat per nail, rather you are using the food as a distraction.

4. Only use hot dogs for nial clippling not any other time. If the dog really likes them this approach becomes cassical conditioning in which the dog associates nial clipping with lots of hot dogs which deminishes fighting over time and the other management techiques make it possible to get them done in the mean time

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Esther

· #8 · Mar 31, 2011

Nothing... NOTHING beats the dremmel mini for nail grinding.
That is my humans talking. I've not experienced it yet.
But it depends on the doggie. Of my two predecessors, the girl didn't mind it. But the boy... oh you'd think they were cutting his whole leg off. And then (we're sure out of spite) our friend who's a groomer at petco would come over to "help" and that little smartalleck would roll on his back and let her do whatever to him, with no complaint whatsoever. Simply manipulative...

duder

· #9 · Mar 31, 2011

I just take mine to Petco and have them do it. Most of the time they dont even charge us for it, but if they do it's $10.

Tried a couple of times myself, but Morty was kicking so much I only got a couple and he acted like I was jammming bamboo shutes in his paws.

LY909

· #10 · Mar 31, 2011

Porter think I am trying to amputate his legs when I pull out the nail clipper. He gets so afraid and trys to hide under the bed and I have trying multiple methods of triming his nails. What worked for us is the bastard files, you can get them at the homedepot or any hardware store. They are abuut $4 a piece, pretty cheap. Its like a giant naile file for Porter's giant black nails. hahaha I just turn him over on his back and rub his tummy and give him treats and he'll let me file his nails. It took a while but he doesn't seem to mind nearly as much and if I do it right after a nice long walk and dinner, it can actually put him to sleep.

MollyMcFrecklesMom

Discussion Starter · #11 · Mar 31, 2011

Thank you all for your input. I think I will Try MikeyT's suggestions before I take her to a groomer. Even if I have to start slow and work my way up to clipping a whole paw w/o stopping is fine with me. Hot dogs...she's never had them but I'm sure she'll like that! Only for nail clipping sessions

Thanks again...I knew I could count on you all.

CatherineM

· #12 · Mar 31, 2011

We used to have to do it as a team. One to hold them down and constantly feed them treats while the other did the deed. Much easier to let the vet or groomer do it. It's emotionally draining otherwise.

bubbad

· #13 · Mar 31, 2011

It took three people to hold Bubba(the black dog)down.He hated it the whole time ,Grace got to the point she would sleep while I did them but not before two years of fighting with her. I still have to have someone help me with Esa and Vinny ,but when they are down they don't fight it. Don't think you are the only ones.LOL

Boomer's Mom

· #14 · Mar 31, 2011

Hubby took Boomer to the vet today to get his nails trimmed (while I was at work), and he reported back that he acted like he was being murdered. Barooroorooroo Barooroorooroo and so on.

I like Mikey's idea, I'm going to try that. Since the weather is nicer, tho, his nails should stay trimmed with walks.

Mikey T

· #15 · Mar 31, 2011

tho, his nails should stay trimmed with walks.

I have had many a basset if the walkd 100 miles a day on concrete would still need nail trimming.

gsally

· #16 · Apr 1, 2011

Nail clipping is one of the only things I'm not looking forward to in bringing home another hound. Lucy absolutely loved her paws touched, massaged, and kissed but get out a clipper and she turned into a basset beast. We gave up and relied on the vet techs; poor dear.

I agree with Mikey T, we could have walked Lucy cross country and her nails would have not been worn down. Bassets have massive pads, their nails have to grow extremely long before they hit the ground.

Hopefully, I'll find something that works next time around.

JayBee

· #17 · Apr 1, 2011

Mikey T said:
I have had many a basset if the walkd 100 miles a day on concrete would still need nail trimming.

Buddylee gets lots of walks and the concrete and hot top keeps his front nails trimmed right to the quick. I never have to trim them! The back nails, however, have to be done regularly. I usually get 2 or 3 done before he knows what is happening. So it takes a couple of tries to complete the task.

SophieB

· #18 · Apr 1, 2011

I wished I'd taken the advice of my breeder.... he clipped tiny amounts from the litter that my two sisters came from, every week and their nails looked so neat at nine weeks of age. He told me to continue to do this every week because they were used to him trimming their nails and they would soon get used to me doing them...

Sadly I didn't heed his advice and only tried to trim them now and again and they don't like it. I bought a dremel and use the little round sandpaper attachment but they're not keen on that either, but is preferred to the clippers!!!! We mostly walk along the beaches nearby and the fields, lanes etc so not much hard road/pavement walking so they have to be trimmed now and again!

bubbad

· #19 · Apr 1, 2011

I visited a puppy(I raised) once at his home ,he was about 6 months old at the time.I saw the front feet nails and they were so short I asked how they did that they said,"We don't do anything ,he drags his feet." His paws were so big his front nails scraped when he walked.LOL

lvnMattie

· #20 · Apr 1, 2011

Well I am glad that Mattie is not alone in hating to get her nails done. Normally my husband rubs her favorite spots while I am trimming away!! This tends to work, but it is a team work process to get her nails done. Sometimes have to do the front one day and the next day do the back.

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