He knows where you keep it.The simple act of placing your hand on that drawer sends your dog running for a safe place to hide.It’s the dreaded nail clipper!Some dogs handle nail trimming with no problem yet others act like they are being murdered.It only takes one bad experience to cause your dog to forever fear the clipper.And dogs like my Archie have formed an association of anything touching his paws with the torture of nail trimming.How do you handle it?
Many people count on their vets or their groomers to trim their dogs’ nails and allow the nails to grow long between visits in order to avoid the confrontation.Long nails are not healthy for your dog’s skeletal system.But with a little patience, know-how and time, you can handle your dog’s paws and eventually do nail trims.Other regular grooming activities are important too such as ear cleaning and brushing.
The secret is counter-conditioning.If your dog hates paw-handling, he has been conditioned to feel fear with anyone touching his paws.The same goes for any other body-handling experience.Counter-conditioning is the process of getting your dog to associate good things with any activity.Here’s how Archie and I are working on the issues:
Paw Handling
* Every day, I sit on the floor with him after our walk (when he’s tired!) and gently stroke him.After petting mostly his back and legs, I work down to very lightly stroking his paws. I praise him if he tolerates it without lifting his lip at me. * After a few days of getting him accustomed to stroking his paws, I do silly things with his paws like kissing them loudly and giggling (yes, you will look silly).I even blow raspberries on his paws.It’s now a fun game for us. * During this daily petting/counter-conditioning session, I bring out a small towel and do more silly games with it.I throw it over Archie’s head and let him pull it off and toss it happily in the air.Archie is forming a fun association with the same towel that soon will be wiping his paws!A few days later, I use the towel to stroke his paws during our petting session.Lots of praise!Archie allowed me to dry off his paws with just two weeks of working on this process. Nail Trimming
* Get some high-value treats that your dog normally does not receive like canned chicken, liver bites, or string cheese.Using the same process as above, pick a time when your dog is tired and relaxed.Lay the nail trimmer on the floor and give him a small piece of the treat.Talk happy, laugh, giggle and just do anything to make the dog feel good.If your dog growls or runs away, do not scold.Ignore it and discontinue the exercise.Don’t move too fast with this exercise.Just showing your dog the nail trimmer without bringing it near him is enough for a start. * If your dog does not run away or growl, work up to lightly touching your dog’s paws with the nail clipper and giving him treats and praise.Doing this for just a minute or two a couple of times a day will help.I even keep the nail clipper on my coffee table for Archie to see all of the time, and I pick it up occasionally throughout the day and let him sniff it. * It may take days/weeks/months of daily practice to get your dog to accept nail trims.With each day you work on counter-conditioning, your dog should become less fearful of the nail clipper and the process.In time, your dog should begin to associate seeing the nail clipper with receiving the high value treats.
The same process for nail trimming works for issues with brushing, cleaning ears, brushing teeth, etc.Remember not to rush the process or punish the dog when doing counter-conditioning.All of your hard work will be for naught and you’ll need to go back to square one.Patience brings the best payoff!