Fear Free Friendly Tips for Trimming a Dog’s Nails
hi I’m McHale Becker and I’m here with
QT and we’re going to help you with how
to make nail trims less stressful for
you and for the dog nail trims can be
really stressful for dogs for numerous
reasons one of the reasons that a lot of
dogs are not accustomed to having their
pods handled or if they are accustomed
to having their pods handled it’s
usually in a different situation this
completely different submit nail trim
scenario so the person who handles their
gods paws but it’s usually when they’re
watching TV or they’re relaxing which
looks way different than the veterinary
visit another one of the reasons why
dogs don’t like nail trims is that
they’ve had a really scary experience
and there’s many positive expanses we
may have the situation a lot of times
it’s really easy to look back and to
remember the negative so for instance
about they go out on a lot of walks and
they have great experiences with other
does however the one time that they
happen to get attacked by another dog
that’s the time they’re going to
remember and same way with nail trims so
they have a great experience however if
they get their quick cut or say that
they have too much restraint and it’s
really scary and new they get a muzzle
put on really fast and they have three
people pulling them down to the nail
trims they definitely will remember that
stress in that situation so the net pen
can be much more difficult to do the
nail trim on that dog you can train a
dog head nail trims preventively and you
can also train them in a way that if it
has really needs experience and they’re
already fearful you can work with them
to lower their stress with the entire
situation of the nail trim you want to
make it really positive so whether it’s
hailing the dog’s paws or the sight of
the Clippers or even the environment
where they’re going to have their male
trim such as the veterinary hospital or
at home trying to make that a major
positive so for our own dogs whenever
they’re set up on the counter that has
an anti slip bottom that’s where they
get treats sometimes they’ll just be set
up they get a treat and they get that
down making the environment really
calming for your dog is very essential
so in the veterinary situation one thing
we can do is find a place so that pet is
really comfortable I really like anti
split-bottom types of
mass or pet beds or even it’s how you
can click down it’s really great it’s
important to not how the dog feel like
they’re losing their traction and
they’re slipping or they’re really
off-balance because it’s natural for
them to try and move around and panic in
that type of situation so the more is
that they have traction and they feel
stable grip that’s really important also
trying to make it really comfortable so
some plush setting or any of their
comforts from home sit could be some
familiar bedding or are some clothes
that their person has already warrants
they have those nice comforting smells I
also like to use lavender or adaptil so
some of those calming scents and
pheromones that can definitely help dogs
the other thing we want to do is
condition our dogs to the nail trim so
it may be starting off with just doing
some piling as you can see cutie bear is
already putting one of this paws up on
me as he is calm so the more you can get
to us comfortable and accustomed to you
actually touching their paws or then
learning to touch your claws to you such
as teaching them a shake behavior those
are really important it was beauty here
I just trying touch his paws and his leg
if he eats his calm so it just becomes a
natural thing for him to have that type
of handling now that’s really the
beginning well we want to be able to do
is give to where we can touch the dog’s
paws and even do a little bit of maybe
what might feel like a little pinch on
their nail so they can’t really cut them
to that one thing that you can teach
puppy owners and it don’t dog owners to
do is to do a lot of pot handling what
we want to do is call handling is make
it where it’s more like the actual
nature and when it does happen so we
need start off high up on a dog blade
sofa does that are really fearful
sometimes willing to start up in the
shoulder area we want to pair those with
some positive experience so as we touch
we go ahead and treat one thing you can
do is have them go out treats during
this time or to tell the dogs working on
a food puzzle so if maybe they’re
looking up we’ll call spray from accom
or they’re getting those treats you’re
making a really positive experience as
soon as the prevailing sauce the treats
go away so what it does overtime starts
expected oh my god actually want like
possibly handle because I know the
streets are coming a lot of dogs
actually do better with less restraint
so this reason one of the things that
you can think about doing if you have a
dog you think made by or you just aren’t
quite sure of is actually training them
to willingly wear a muzzle unless well I
compared to a cookie mask or a treat bag
on a horse you want to make it really
positive where the dog will and meet
lots of it their nose inside just today
we were teaching my parents dog to go
anywhere muzzle is prefer he kept going
towards a mobile because he’s like whole
I actually really want that thing on
because when I get that not gone that’s
when I get those really good treats you
make it update positive for them now
compare that to the dog freaking out and
struggling and then we apply the muzzle
a lot of times that mobile itself is
going to be a fear factor for that dogs
as soon as they see the muzzle they’re
going to start freaking out so we want
to pair the muzzle with something really
good and positive and it’s really
important to get the type of muzzle that
you can actually still give treats to
the dogs when they have it on you also
want to condition the dog to different
aspects of the nail trims being positive
so you may need to actually change the
dog’s environment so they always tether
nail trim perhaps in exam room 3 or in
the bathroom and that’s what it has a
big struggle moving to a different
environment can really help and same
thing with the Clippers if a dog has a
negative association with the type of
clipper you can go ahead and switch them
to something that the dog doesn’t have
that negative association with the other
thing that you can do is condition the
dog to be a happily expectant whenever
they see the Clippers so for instance
what I made you know when I first
introduced you to dog to the Clippers is
pulling out the Clippers and as soon as
they threw the Clippers definite
restrain mountain sky or that’s when the
dog is petting the sling it preys
definitely get to play that great game
you make the size of the Clippers into
something that they really expect
something positive to happen right after
the other thing we can do is teach the
dog to target the Clippers they may
start targeting with their nose and so
any approaches off makes towards the
Clippers down the floor you will go
ahead and reward that or you may be
pulling the Clippers in your hand and
teaching the dog to move over towards
them that gets them familiar with it and
it also lets them check it
so it’s really helpful for any tool that
the jobs may be a little bit hesitant
around then what we want to do is pair
the different outfits of the nail trim
together so once we have a dog in a
position that they’re nice and
comfortable in so for Cutie’s I know
that he is a lot more comfortable being
held than he is just standing on a table
so for him he was feel most comfortable
being in that position for his nail trim
other dogs we have a different situation
or position as they’re more comfortable
being held in Hamilton so go ahead and
do what works best for that dog and
remember you can always use that muscle
if they have already been conditioned to
if you need to have a ways to ensure
that you are going to be bitten and it’s
not such a struggle with having to have
three tests on what dogs another thing
to think about is using the predictor to
you as a dog for some dogs that there
are a little bit nervous about having
their nails trimmed or just being
handles in general you can teach them to
do this on cue so with my own dogs what
I like to say in some words ha and then
I made this reach out and touch the
dog’s paw and then they get a reward so
they start to expect and predict that
whenever she says cause this is what
happens so it helps them to relax
sometimes the unknown is just that scary
is part of okay what is she going to do
why is she here my need what’s going to
happen that can make the dog more
anxious
whereas if they’ve been conditioned to
they say prod oh I know what they do
they always touch my paws and this is
the positive that can really help the
dog relax
another thing that you can do is
actually teach the dog to shake shake in
and of itself is a really helpful
behavior for numerous reasons from a shy
dog learning a great way to say hello to
people to help in a job of male trim
because the dog learns to willingly get
their paws for handling to another
person the other thing that you can do
is condition a dog to the size of the
Clippers and also to the sound of the
Clippers so I want to do is take
something hard and crunching it maybe
uncooked noodles maybe a carrot and I go
ahead and clip it so when the dog hears
this down they get a treat what we use
to condition that sound to being a big
positive for the dog
remember every dog learns that his or
her own pace and it’s also really
important that everyone in the dog
it’s on the same page of making nail
chips as positive as possible so whether
as a trimmer in the home at the
veterinary hospital trying to add that
dot emotional bank account with snail
trance is the essential on maintenance
positive and easier for you and for the
dog if you want more information on
training your dog or helping a dog relax
the vet check out vets treat calm you
