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Trimming Dog Nails: Clippers Mean Treats (3 of 3)

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Nail Clippers Means Treats

Dog Nail TrimmingBy now, your dog is totally comfortable with you reaching and holding her paw for five seconds. Now, let’s add nail clippers in the mix. We’re still not cutting nails, just touching nail clippers to paw and nail, pretending to trim nails.

Usually, when clippers appear, your dog’s ears flatten against her head and she looks away. By the end of this tutorial, your dog will happily look and allow nail clippers to touch her paw.

Step One

Goal: Dog looks at nail clippers and gets treats.

  • Place nail clippers about three to four feet from your dog, and click and treat when she looks at them.
  • Practice five times in a row, then put clippers in a drawer and end training session.
  • Practice one or two more training sessions, rotating between front and back paws, with plenty of breaks in between.
  • When your dog will look at the nail clippers, it’s time to move forward.

VIDEO: Clipping Dog Nails – Touch the Nail Clippers

Step Two

Goal: Touch nail clippers to paw for a nanosecond.

  • Pick up and reach for your dog’s paw with nail trimmers. Practice five times and end session.
  • Pick up nail trimmers and place next to your dog’s nail just for a nanosecond. Click as trimmers touch your dog’s paw. If she moves her paw, place trimmers about one or two feet away and click/treat a few times.
  • Practice five times in a row, then put clippers in a drawer and end training session.
  • Practice one or two more training sessions, rotating between back and front paws, with plenty of breaks in between.
  • When your dog is comfortable with clippers touching her paw, move to the next step.

Step Three

Goal: Pretend to trim one nail with clippers.

  • Pick up your dog’s paw and place clippers against her nail. Click or say “yes,” as the clipper touches her nail. Release paw and put clippers down, then give her a treat.
  • Practice five times in a row, then put clippers in a drawer and end training session.
  • Practice one or two more training sessions, rotating between front and back paws, with plenty of breaks in between.
  • Once your dog is comfortable with you holding nail clippers against her nail for one second, slowly increase time to five seconds.

VIDEO: Clipping Dog Nails – Pretend to Trim a Nail

REVISIT:
Trimming Dog Nails: Reaching for Paw
Trimming Dog Nails: Restraining Your Dog’s Paw

Trimming Dog Nails: Restraining Your Dog’s Paw (2 of 3)

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Restraining Your Dog’s Paw for Nail Trimming

Dog Nail TrimmingLet’s teach your dog that paw restraint is fun and pays with yummy treats! Plus, restraining your dog’s paw is an important part of nail trimming.

Step One

Goal: Wrap your hand around your dog’s paw for a split second.

  • Lightly wrap your hand around your dog’s paw just for a nanosecond and let go. Click as you’re wrapping your hand around your dog’s paw. Release and give him a treat.
  • If he moves his paw away, try wrapping two fingers around his paw. Click as you’re wrapping, release and give him a treat.
  • Practice five times in a row.
  • End session and take a break.
  • Practice during several training sessions over the next few days. Alternate between front and back paws.

If your dog pulls his paw away:

  • If this happens, release his paw and don’t click or give him a treat. We’re only clicking when he allows you to hold his paw.
  • When reaching for his paw, if he begins pulling his paw back and before you touch him, go back to this article.
  • Taking steps back is normal. Everyone needs to refresh so take the pressure off you and your dog. 🙂

VIDEO: Trimming Dog Nails – Teaching Paw Restraint (Holding Paw)

RELATED: Dog Nail Trimming Tools

Step Two

Goal: Hold your dog’s paw for one second.

  • Wrap your hand around your dog’s paw and lightly say “one Mississippi” and release. Click as you’re saying “Mississippi,” release and give your dog a treat.
  • If your dog tries to pull back his paw, hold his paw for a shorter time, such as when saying “one.” Click as you’re saying “one,” release and give him a treat.
  • Practice five times in a row.
  • End session and take a break.
  • Practice during several training sessions over the next few days. Alternate between front and back paws.

Step Three

Goal: Hold paw for longer periods of time. Try to teach for five to 10 seconds, which should be plenty of time to trim four nails, which comes later.

Following instructions in step two, slowly click when your dog allows longer periods of paw holding.

  • For two to three training sessions, hold paw for two seconds (one Mississippi, two Mississippi).
  • Continue adding one-second intervals during training sessions.

VIDEO: Trimming Dog Nails – Holding Paw Longer

READ ALSO: Why Dogs Dislike Nail Trimming

Trimming Dog Nails: Reaching for Paw (1 of 3)

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Reaching for Dog Paw to Trim Nails

Trimming Dog NailsMost dogs dislike touching or any type of restraint of their paws. We can easily teach your dog to enjoy this part. During this tutorial, you’re going to learn how to teach your dog to allow the touching of her paw. This is an important part of teaching your dog to accept nail trims so take your time.

Goal: Your dog allows (is comfortable) when you reach for and touch her paws and nails. This means your dog doesn’t pull her paw away when you reach, touch or restrain her paw.

Let’s Get Started

Most dogs pull their paws away, freeze, growl or snap when you reach for their paws. This step should reduce their anxiety, but it may take a couple of weeks.

You’ll need several small yummy treats (about 20-30 tiny pieces), a clicker and non-skid area.

Step One

Goal: Dog keeps paw in place while you reach for it. You’re not touching her paw yet.

  • Reach for your dog’s paw. Click as you’re reaching and give her a treat. If your dog moves her paw, as you’re reaching, try making smaller “reach gestures.”
  • Practice five times in a row. Click and treat when she keeps her paw in place. If she moves her paw, don’t click. The behavior is “keep paw still while I reach for it.” You’ll watch her process the situation and soon learn to keep her paw still while you’re reaching for it.
  • End training session and take a break.
  • Practice short sessions, alternating between front and back paws, until your dog keeps her foot still while you reach for it.

Tip: Click lots for “reaching for paw” even if you’re stopping three or four feet away. Reaching is the cue for nail trims so we need to change your dog’s perspective. She will learn “reaching for paws” means super yummy treats instead.

VIDEO: Dog Nail Trims – Reaching for Paw

Step Two

Goal: Reach out and touch her paw with your hand. You’re not holding or restraining her paw yet.

  • Using one finger, reach out and touch your dog’s paw quickly. Click as you touch her paw and give her a treat.
  • If she moves her foot, click and treat when reaching for her paw a few times, then try touching again.
  • Practice five times in a row.
  • End training session and take a break.
  • Continue practice sessions, alternating between front and back paws, until you’re able to touch her paw with your finger.

 VIDEO: Dog Nail Trims – Touch Dog’s Paw

Step Three

Goal: Touch nail with one finger.

  • Reach out and touch your dog’s nail quickly. Click as you’re touching her nail and give her a treat.
  • If she moves her paw away, click and treat when reaching for her paw. Then, try again.
  • Practice five times in a row.
  • End training session and take a break.
  • Continue practice sessions, alternating between front and back nails, until you’re able to touch her nail with a finger.

VIDEO: Dog Nail Trims – Touch Dog’s Nail

READ ALSO:
Dog Nail Trimming Tools
Trimming Dog Nails Part 2

Dog Nail Trimming Tools

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Dog Nail Clippers and Styptic Powder

Dog Nail ClippersBefore we start trimming our dog’s nails, it’s important to choose and understand how to use equipment for best results. Don’t forget, plenty of treats should be used when introducing nail trims and clippers and when using styptic powder.

Choosing Nail Clippers for Your Dog

When choosing dog nail trimmers, look for the:

  • Correct size of hand-held nail clippers in proportion to your dog’s nail size.
  • Sharpness in the nail trimmers. If dull, they will squeeze the nail instead of trimming it, which causes pain.

Plier Style Nail Clippers

After using different types of nail trimmers, I find the plier style works much better. The guillotine style tends to squeeze the nail before trimming while the plier nail clippers cut the nail instead of painfully squeezing. For dogs under 40 pounds, small plier style nail clippers are easier to use, as they fit between the nail and pad area easily. For dogs over 40 pounds, large plier clippers are wider with a large nail trimmer circumference to trim a large nail without squeezing.

VIDEO: Choosing Dog Nail Clippers

Styptic Powder

Since quicks are the blood supply for your dog’s nails, they will bleed if cut and sometimes even if lightly nicked. It’s best to have styptic powder handy when trimming dog nails to stop bleeding quickly. Styptic powder contains coagulant ingredients, which stop bleeding quickly. Some brands contain benzocaine, which also blocks pain.

Using Styptic Powder

If your dog’s nail starts to bleed, don’t panic. Pinch a small amount of styptic powder between your thumb and index finger. Now, press powder against the bleeding nail and hold. Most dogs will try to pull their paws away, as it hurts.

Prevent a wrestling match and drop your remaining treats in front of his nose so he’ll munch away while you’re holding styptic powder in place. After one to two minutes of pressure, the nail should stop bleeding. End your nail trim session for the day and bring your dog outside for a quick potty break. This allows you both a chance to unwind and prevents your dog from licking his hurt nail, which can cause bleeding to start up again.

Why Dogs Dislike Nail Trims

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Fear of Nail Cutting

Dog Nail Trimming
semenovp/Deposit Photos

Oh, dogs have plenty of reasons to hate nail trims. The main reason is us (pet parents). We’ve given dogs plenty of reasons to hide under the sofa when we reach for the nail trimmers.

Dog nail trims can become a vicious circle: squeezing nails and too much restraint equals hulking out. And around we go!

 Do know, there’s an easier way to trimming your dog’s nails and it takes less time than hulking out moments. 🙂

Check out dog nail trimming tutorials.

Why Dogs Fear Nail Cutting

“Hulking Out” Pet Parents

Even the nicest most caring pet parent can turn into the Incredible Hulk before and during nail trims. If you’re on the receiving end of a “hulking out” moment, it’s scary to say the least. Pet parents are tense and stressed out. They dislike trimming their dog’s nails as much as their dog hates it. But they power through it by chasing their scared dog, pinning them to the ground and snipping bits of nails off with lots of yelling, threats and more pinning.

Body Restraint

It’s important to teach dogs that body restraint is harmless and they can earn lots of treats when they remain still during restraint. Plus, some pet parents apply unneeded amounts of pressure on a dog’s paw when trimming nails. Honestly, you don’t need much pressure to hold your dog’s paw–just enough to hold the nail steady as you trim.

Squeezing Nails

Nope, it’s not a punk rock band. It’s something pet parents routinely do during nail trims. Dull nail trimmers squeeze a dog’s nail before trimming, which hurts! Tense and uncertain pet owners open and close nail trimmers around a dog’s nail, squeeze for a bit and then release because they’re unsure where to trim the nail. Oi, the suspense! And the more unsure a pet parent becomes, the more pressure applied to a dog’s paw. Here goes the vicious cycle again!

READ MORE: Dog Nail Trimming Tools

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