nail clipping

[Guest Anonymous]

I have a pug who is 9 months old and absolutely refuses to have his nails clipped. We have tried several methods (sleeping, treats etc.) and were unsuccessful .We finally took him to the VET to have his nails clipped. It took three people to restrain him but they managed to get the job done. They told us to call ahead next time so they can prepare a tranquilizer. There has to be another way. Can anyone provide any suggestions? [/i]

[Crested]

What breed is your dog?
Ben HATES to get his nails clipped! He did EVERYTHING in his power to try and get away from me when I tried to clip his nails. I even had to go to the vet once to get his nails clipped and even she had a really hard time clipping Ben's nails. But that was the first and last time I went to the vet. I decided I was the boss and I was going to clip his nails no matter if he liked it or not.
First it went from bad to worse when I tried to be as firm as I could while Ben was screaming from the top of his lungs, scratching me, biteing me (not hard! His teeth barely touched my skin! :lol:), tryeing to wiggle himself away! I decided he would see that I was the boss and not him. So I did it basicly daily. I clipped one nail each day and I let him scream, I let him try to wiggle himself from my lap but I growled "NO!" every time he tried to bite or scratch me.
I must admit it took a LOOOONG time, but it was worth it. Ben STILL hates to get his nails clipped, but he knows there is no idea in tryeing to get out. He will be praised and given treats when he's good and he gets to run and have fun when it's done, but untill then he just has to sit still and wait untill I have clipped his nails.

This might sound really awfull and horrid, but it actually isn't. I have never clipped his nails so that they bleed! I have never done anything that would frighten him with the nail clipping, but Ben still hates it!

I think that with your dog it's a power struggle. He wants to see if he is boss over you. You just have to stay rock solid. When you say "no" it means "NO!" and you don't budge!

It WILL get worse before it gets better and when it starts getting better it he will try it a couple times mroe, but he will understand that there is no point. He is just causing the panic for himself. YOU are not the one doing it. He just needs to realize that! :)

Hope this helped! :) Good luck!

/Crest

[Crested]

Oh... Pug!! Sorry... I missed that one... :oops:

THREE MEN TO RESTRAIN A PUG?!?! :o

Ehh... Ok... Well try wrapping him up in a blanket when you do it... That keeps him from scratching your hands and wiggeling, but just do one nail at the time and every time he's quiet and a good dog act like he just did something REALLY fantastic! Praise him! Drown him with treats! Scratch him behind his ear, on his belly what ever he likes (Ben loves to be scratched on the middle of his eyes and every dog I have scratched between their eyes have absolutely ADORED it!).
Then go to the next nail... Let him scream, wiggle and do what ever he does, but don't pay ANY attention to him. Growl at him "NO!" when he does something you have decided he can NOT do. And when he's quiet and when you have clipped a nail again, praise him and act like he is the God himself!
With time he should learn that nail clipping isn't such a bad thing. Even if he still might HATE it, he KNOWS that something good will happen when he is nice and a good dog! :)

/Crest

[Guest Anonymous]

My new puppy hated her nails done also. I just let her fight me all she wanted and she finally learned to give in. Also try a Dremel rotary tool. They work great and you hardly ever get the quick. Also handle your pups feet all the time. Massage them play with them anything!!

[Guest Anonymous]

thanks for all the good advise. we clip one
nail a night. boy oh boy can pugs scream. :o

[Malamum]

Does he hate having his paws touched in general or is it only when the clippers come out?

I would start by handling his paws a lot, then move on to touching and playing with his nails with your fingers. Once he is used to this bring the clippers out but don't actually use them yet. Just get him used to having his paws and nails touched with the clippers without actually using them. Once he is used to that then try clipping one nail then in a few days try another and so on.

He sounds like he is pretty freaked out by the whole thing so will probably be a long process. It may take up to 6 months just take it very slowly and get him used to a little bit at a time.

Good luck

[Malamum]

I also forgot to mention that peaunut butter works wonders. Smear it on something so he can lick it while you are touching playing with his feett. That way he gets distracted and doesn't pay that much attention to what you are doing with his feet.

[courtnek]

Definitely play with his feet, gently. Realize that some dogs are touch sensitive, and the feet particularly bothers them when touched. You can test for touch sensitivity by taking his paw, gently, and slightly squeezing down on the skin between the toes. NOT HARD. With just a little bit of
pressure. Most dogs will tolerate this for almost 30 second. A touch sensitive dog will start to balk within 8 or 10 seconds, and try to pull their paw away.

Also, what is your mood when trying to clip? Are you tense, afraid of his reaction? They can sense this, and you might unknowingly be instilling fear by your own emotions. If you can get him to trust you by playing with his feet, and then control your own reactions, you might pull it off. Otherwise, you can get a body harness and put leads on either side attached to something stable, and muzzle him. This would be a LAST RESORT, but
one of my dogs required this everytime he was groomed. If you do the clipping gently and praise him the whole time, make gooey nosies and talk
to him, you may be able to get him comfortable with the procedure.