Building a Dog Nail Scratchboard

April 23, 2015 by Fanna Easter

Teaching Your Dog to Trim Her Nails With a Scratchboard

After finishing an entire tutorial on trimming your dog’s nails with clippers, I want to be upfront and honest. I’ve taught my dogs to trim their own front paw nails. In my opinion, it’s much easier and so much more fun for your dogs!

In the beginning, your dog will drag one front paw at a time across the scratchboard. Our goal is scratching two front paws (digging style) across the scratchboard, making dog nail trims quick and fun. Keep that in mind when building a scratchboard for your dog.

But what about filing down back nails? You can certainly follow these guidelines for teaching back paw scratches. I noticed dogs wear their back nails down naturally through daily activities, such as walking on concrete or running in the yard.

How to Build a Dog Nail Scratchboard

It’s pretty simple to build your own scratchboard. All you need is sandpaper, wood and staples. After building a few and trying them out with different sized dogs, it’s best to build a scratchboard based on your dog’s paw size.

Sandpaper

Introduce self nail filing using 80 grit sandpaper. This softer grit is more comfortable during the learning stage and less likely to scratch paw pads. Once your dog learns to drag only her nails across the scratchboard, lower the grit size slowly. Remember, higher grit numbers mean softer (less abrasive) grit, which will slowly file back your dog’s nails. Most dogs are comfortable dragging their nails across 30-40 grit sandpaper, which files down nails fast.

Dogs under 10 lbs: 80 grit.
Dogs between 10-25 lbs: Start with 80 grit and slowly introduce 40 grit (medium grit).
Dogs over 25 lbs: Start with 80 grit and slowly introduce to 30 grit (coarse grit).

If your dog is uncomfortable using a lower number (coarser) grit sandpaper, move up size. Now, coarser grit sandpaper won’t cause your dog’s nails to bleed. It’s dragging her nails across the scratchboard too many times that causes bleeding.

Wood Backing and Staples

Trim a 2×4 into two foot pieces and staple sandpaper around front, back and sides. Make sure staples are flush with the board. You don’t want your dog’s nails to get caught in a staple. When lowering grit, I just staple it over the previous grit. For larger nail scratchboards, wrap and staple entire surface with sandpaper.

For dogs under 30 lbs, I recommend stapling sandpaper around a two-foot long 2×4. Wrap around front and side, and staple behind (unused portion).
For large dogs, screw two pieces of 2×4 side by side (creating a wide area for the dog to scratch).
Giant breeds: screw three pieces of 2×4 side by side.

VIDEO: How to Build a Dog Nail Scratchboard

VIDEO: How to Build a Large Dog Scratchboard

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Trimming Dog Nails: Let’s Get Busy Scratching

April 21, 2015 by Fanna Easter

How to Teach Your Dog to File Her Nails

Once your dog will drag her nails along the scratch board, it’s time to ask for multiple scratches before clicking and treating. Grab a clicker and treats, and let’s get started.

Two Nail Drags

Goal: Two nail drags in a row.

Place nail scratch board in place.
Wait for two nails drags before clicking.
- About 50 percent of dogs will drag once, stop and look at you (or the clicker), waiting for the click sound. If they don’t hear the click sound, they’ll usually drag their nails again. Click and treat. The other 50 percent will remove their paws from the board, think for a moment, then offer two quick nail drags. Click and treat!
- Tip: Wait for second nail drag. If your dog becomes frustrated and leaves, then she is confused. Go back to single nail drags for a couple of training sessions and slowly wait for two nail drags.
Practice five times. Pick up board and end training session.

RELATED: Dog Nail Trimming Tools

Three Nail Drags

Goal: Three nail drags in a row

Follow the instructions for two nail drags.
If your dog gets stuck and you’re seeing results, there is nothing wrong with two nail drags for one treat. 🙂

Other Paw

Goal: Other paw (non-dominant paw) scratches board.

By now, your dog is probably switching paws in between nail drags. If not, move the scratch board directly in front of the non-scratch front paw. This usually gets it moving. When she offers her non-scratch paw, click and give her two treats. Trust me, she will notice and start offering it again!

Both Paws

Goal: Both paws scratch one after the other (digging motion).

Depending on your dog’s personality, this may have happened already. Stella (my Bull Terrier) offered this behavior in the beginning so I clicked and treated. Some dogs need to experiment and practice more, and some dogs may never offer this behavior. Remember, the goal is filing down nails. 🙂

Ask the Dog Trainer: What Should I Do With My Reactive Dog?

April 20, 2015 by Fanna Easter

Dealing With Reactive Dogs

I received this question from a pet parent dealing with dog reactivity, a common dog behavior. This is a tough situation for both dog and pet parent so this story inspired me to write detailed articles discussing tips on living with reactive dogs. Changing behavior is difficult, but it can be done!

Q: What should I do with my reactive dog?

I have a one-and-a-half-year-old male Red Heeler named Rocky. He was fine with people and other dogs I owned when I was living on five acres. I moved to a smaller house and he was still fine with my own dogs at home and with people inside his house (he is a big baby, but can get nervous sometimes). However, whenever I take him outside for a walk, he starts to bark, growl and be just really aggressive toward other dogs and sometimes even people. Now, he’s starting to pull at kids on bikes and he is really protective of me. Sometimes, he won’t even let people come near me. I really want to be able to take him someplace without the fear of him attacking someone. He is young and I am trying to train him myself by looking up information on YouTube and Google, but nothing seems to be working that well.

RELATED: Offensive Dog Aggression

A: Consult animal experts and read up.

You’ve taken the first step, and that’s searching for answers for sweet Rocky. Good for you! As a dog trainer, it’s extremely difficult to pinpoint exactly what causes Rocky to react without meeting him in person. So I’ll make a few broad suggestions here. I hope these help.

My first suggestion is investing in an expert dog trainer partnered with a veterinary behaviorist. While it seems expensive, you’ll likely have a quicker and better outcome, meaning Rocky will respond quicker. I know this isn’t your first choice, but I want to put this out there. It’s worth every penny.

If you’re interested in learning techniques to help Rocky, I highly recommend reading a few books. You can order them online or find them at your local library. Check out their websites for videos and additional details. These books even offer a list of BAT-certified dog trainers in your area too.

Lastly, dealing with fear can take some time. I highly recommend keeping Rocky away from triggers so he doesn’t practice his reactive behavior. I recommend walking Rocky in the evenings when it’s dark so he can’t easily see other dogs and people. Now, I’m not sure if Rocky is protecting you or himself. It could be both. Until you’re able to control situations, which you’ll learn by reading both books front to back, I would keep people and dogs away. Again, the more he practices reactive behavior, the worse it becomes–that I can guarantee.

Hugs to Rocky!

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Canine Rehabilitation

April 14, 2015 by Fanna Easter

Why Your Dog Needs Rehabilitation

As our veterinary surgeon explained very delicately after Sobek’s TTA (cruciate ligament repair) surgery, “Surgery is 10 percent, rehab is the other 90 percent.” Sobek is a young dog. He’s only two years old and my goal is having him back to full function.

How Rehab Helps

If your dog is limping, he’ll have limited range of motion and decreased muscle mass in his injured leg. The old saying “use it or lose it” comes into play after an injury, but it’s easier said than done, right?

Here’s where a canine rehabilitation expert fits in. He’ll measure your dog’s range of motion and muscle mass to design a program that will rebuild and strengthen his injured leg. Plus, it’ll teach your dog to use his repaired leg again.

RELATED: Dog Cruciate Ligament Surgery

Weekly Expert Follow-Up

Just having weekly expert validation that Sobek’s knee was healing correctly gave me peace of mind. If there were any questions, he would contact my vet, which put me at ease as well. Each week, Rob Newman at Canine Rehabilitation of Nashville looked, touched and moved Sobek’s repaired knee either in ROM (range of motion) exercises or while stretching, making sure it felt normal. Today, he found an internal suture that worked itself out, which he explained is totally normal. Whew!

Physically Challenging

During each visit, Rob asked how Sobek recovered from the previous session. If he was sore, we kept the week’s exercises the same as last week. If he was better, we increased them slightly.

Now, not only did Rob listen carefully to my feedback, he also watched Sobek’s movement. During one visit, I mentioned Sobek was doing really well. However, Rob noticed he was not using his repaired leg properly so Rob customized Sobek’s weekly session to address it. Wow! Sobek did well and was much better afterwards and during the week. And folks, I consider myself a seasoned dog expert and I missed it. Thank goodness for Rob!

At Home Practice

After each rehab session, Rob provided written exercises to continue at home. He clearly explained and demonstrated each exercise, then allowed me to practice to ensure the correct muscle was engaged correctly. Trust me, having an expert watch you practice ROM exercises with your dog’s repaired leg is much better than watching a YouTube video. 🙂

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Choosing a Canine Rehab Specialist

April 13, 2015 by Fanna Easter

Rehab Specialists for Dogs

Luckily, our veterinary surgeon shares her office with an excellent canine rehabilitation specialist so I didn’t have to look far. Remember, experience matters. It’s important to locate an expert in your area who can work with you and your dog, and has experience with your dog’s rehab needs.

Veterinarians Board Certified in Rehabilitation

The American College of Veterinary Sports Medicine offers canine rehabilitation certifications for veterinarians looking to specialize and offer these services in their practice. Most canine rehab certified vets are located in larger cities, which is far for most patients. If you’re lucky enough to live within driving distance, make an appointment today!

Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner

A couple of veterinary schools offer canine rehabilitation courses for veterinarians and vet technicians plus human physical and occupational therapists, assistants and students. Check out:

University of Tennessee Canine Rehabilitation Certificate Program

Canine Rehabilitation Institute of Colorado State University

Sobek’s canine rehab specialist Rod Newman completed UT’s Canine Rehabilitation Course after earning his master’s degree in Exercise and Sports Science with a concentration in Rehabilitation and he rocks!

But Who’s Working With You?

Once you find a wonderful canine rehab specialist, make sure he or she will be participating during each scheduled appointment. Don’t get me wrong. Non-certified assistants and vet techs are great, however, it’s important your dog is closely monitored by a certified expert when performing exercises and hydrotherapy.

Rehab Specialist and Vet Partnership is Important

Before starting canine rehab with your dog, you’ll need a referral from your veterinary surgeon. It’s important your canine rehab specialist works closely with your dog’s veterinary surgeon who performed the surgery in case of setbacks, increased pain and progress updates.