hi all, its a long time since iv been on here, thank god had no problems, however i need advice on nail clipping, il give you the story

i have a stb male who has always been funny about touching his feet, we had him checked out and nothing is wrong, just a paranoid dog i suppose, we have tried various methods of nail clipping, E.G treats whilst trying, toys bones ect... we always have to end up taking him to the vets to see the nurse, whick he would normally behave better, however last time he had a really bad experience which actually made me cry, i seen 4 nurses trying to pin him down while another nurse tried to clip his nails, he was struggling and yelping they muzzled him, it was all unneccesary, they didnt realise i had seen all of this through the window. now my dog tucks his feet under him if i try to stroke his paws, if i hold them to try to clip them he yelps really loud which i know im not hurting him, he knows if he yelps ill let go. is there anything i can try, method or medicinal, i just cant afford to have to pay 30pound to see the vet to prescribe tranques at the moment. kindest regards sami

How often is he walked on pavements? Or should I say, for how long on each walk?

Pavement walking should help to keep his nails down. I never had to do my dogs until I moved out into the countryside and now I have to do it regularly.

The only other way I can think of is to have him under sedation at the vets. :-(

Oh dear oh dear -those people at the vets don't have a clue. :( :( I would definitely say your best option is to clicker train it. I will give you a link to a YouTube video that shows you how to do it. It's 7 minutes long and to start with a lot is just talk, with the dog's owner explaining how the dog was treated in the past (she'd been told she had to be his pack leader, dominate him etc) then a clicker trainer comes in and shows how to train the dog to have his claws trimmed happily. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgEwiH8CeUE

he is walked once a day as we have some issues with his skin in the summer, vet said its grass pollen, and if he is out too often he starts with his skin and then it gets infected, but our yard is yard no grass, the funny thing is too he gets tired too uickly then decides to lie down in the middle of a walk, i am soft with him just a little but hes not fat, we discussed sedation last time after our ordeal, its just an issue cost wise at the moment, my partner not at work at the min, and i know my dogs are my priority, i do have insurance, i feel really guilty can you tell, i would just rather try other ways at the moment, thanks

You could also have a go at creating positive associations for handling paws.

I have one who can be touchy about feet so I got into the habit of holding his paws whilst he is asleep - like holding hands.  I wouldn't do anything other than hold his paws for ages - eventually we moved on to very gentle stroking, and then months later a proper inspection.  This worked well for mine although it's fair to say that he was more ticklish than actually frightened.  He is a rescue but I don't think he'd had a bad experience about nails.  The other thing I did with him was to teach him how to give me a paw with a click and reward.  He will let me do his nails on sufferance but it isn't really his favourite thing :)

When the new puppy came along we were careful to make sure we could handle him all over.  He's nearly 3 now and just gives me his paws from a stand (like a horse and farrier!).  It's so much easier

thanks, i know the vets have mucked up a few times with other peoples dogs but with different problems, the good thing is they let me owe them because they know im insured, i did some clicker training with his as a puppy but he never took to it as there were too many ppl with food, you know what they can be like, i will be sure to check it out, only thing i have another problem is i have another 3 who go mad when i tak him away from them, ouch how do i get out of that one

yeah weve done the give us a paw thing and hes cool until he sees the nail clippers come out of my pocket, now he moves when i move my other hand, hes so awkward, i think the approach with the stroking might be a good idea, i just cant leave him to go that long, can one long walk grind them enough to give him a week or so, as with his skin problems i i could do one long walk (thats if he dont lie down half way throuhg it)to bide me a little time so i can gain his confidence, i could do this in a fw weeks,

well this confidence thing is got off to a good start, he is relaxed on the sun and he actually let me touch his feel and move a toe, he did flinch a little but i let go straight way, iv left him to chill

Hi
We have a twelve year old shar-pei who has always hated having his nails clipped. He has even bitten us in the process , and he really isn't a bad dog , it was all through fear!.
However over a year ago we discovered the dremmel , and decided to try it out on him as it worked great for my others . To my surprise he just lay and let me use it , even the noise didn't put him off. My sister sits with him and strokes him while I file. I only wish I'd discovered this method earlier.
If you don't have one , maybe someone you know will lend you theirs to test out before going to the expense of buying one first.

i will have a look its worth a try at this stage anything is thanks sami xxxxxxxxxx

iv just goofled this is there a one for dogs or are they all the same??

>can one long walk grind them enough to give him a week or so, as with his skin problems i i could do one long walk

Re the one long walk:  nails are a little softer when they are wet.  I have one dog who is a swimmer and he can file his own nails by walking in an out of the river via a concrete slipway.  You might be able to help your boys nails by getting him to play on a smooth concrete surface - running, and turning will all get his paws working and increase nail contact.  Just be careful to start slowly - you don't want him to slip

Re the allergies: what options has your vet given you for managing this.  Leaving your dog inside all the time isn't really the best approach but I understand you don't want to make him worse.  Incidentally are his paws sore?

I written a few times about I manage my boys grass/pollen allergies - I think there were some recent threads, which might be worth a read.  With a fairly strict regime of management and injections mine has a very normal life with long daily walks in a rural area (not much concrete here!).

BTW - leave the clippers out all the time, get used to carrying them around (on a chain round your neck if necessary), and each time your boy looks at them click and treat him.  Make a plan of desensitisation and don't be tempted to rush him.  Good luck

> BTW - leave the clippers out all the time, get used to carrying them around (on a chain round your neck if necessary), and each time your boy looks at them click and treat him.  Make a plan of desensitisation and don't be tempted to rush him.  Good luck

Definitely agree with this.  Try and get him used to the clippers being around and the fact that just because they're there, doesn't mean he's going to have his nails clipped every time they appear!

My female Stafford was an absolute nightmare with her feet, (used to try and nibble my fingers!)
though I persevered and never had to take her to the vets to have them done once I'd learned how to do it myself.  (Though I think perhaps her aversion to the nail clipping came from her very first experience of it actually at the vets).
I came to the conclusion that she knew I was nervous about doing the nails, because of her trying to nip and nibble.
I was much more firm with her, and that really does seem to have done the trick.
I also made sure that I handled her feet a lot more and praised / rewarded her when she let me do it with no reaction.
Strangely she does still react to human nail clippers, and once they're put away gets all giddy and think she requires a treat! 
Best of luck with your chap, it is something that can be worked around I'm sure :)

Have a 5yr old BH who has had leg problems since early on and he 'hated' having his nails done. So like many others who have posted have always played with his feet, he didn't take to it at first but now is quiet happy and will offer his paws for a massage. I did ask the vet as to what they would do if I took him there for his nails (which are very tough) and was told that two would probably sit on him whille another cut. Consequently, he never went.
I haven't used a dremel, but from feedback here, should have given it ago. It used to take me hours as I found he would tolerate a nail file, now he will allow me to cut and if he gets too fidgety get my OH to rub his tummy which he loves and forgets whats going on. Also keep the clippers in the grooming bag so he gets to see them everyday. Good luck

i was bought the dog nail dremel as a birthday present ,having read about them on here,and its brilliant. after showing the dogs the dremel switched on so they werent phased by the whirring, both were fine as long as i followed the instructions(it reccomends spending 3 seconds at a time on each nail,so you alternate between several on each foot).i'd reccomend it,and its heavy duty enough to do my 80kg+ dogues nails.

Yes you can get them just for dogs , they are a lot cheaper aswell , I believe not as powerful though.
I have heard good reports about them . If we hadn't already had a dremmel in the garage , I'd of bought one!

Oh dear oh dear -those people at the vets don't have a clue.   I would definitely say your best option is to clicker train it. I will give you a link to a YouTube video that shows you how to do it. It's 7 minutes long and to start with a lot is just talk, with the dog's owner explaining how the dog was treated in the past (she'd been told she had to be his pack leader, dominate him etc) then a clicker trainer comes in and shows how to train the dog to have his claws trimmed happily. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgEwiH8CeUE

Hiya,

I would agre with above, clicker training dogs to have their feet handled is really a great way to do it :-)  i think your going to need to start right back at basics and way before getting him used to clippers will be spending a good bit of time just getting happier with having his feet touched - starting at jst haveing your hand nea his feet and building up.  I would also be making a written complaint about what they did and explainging the further damage that it has caused, that is absolutely disgusting and completely unneccessary.  Feel so sorry for your poor lad being man handled like that :-(  I'm sure with patience you can get him to cope with having them done though.

I agree the youtube video is brilliant, simple and effective. Even if you don't use a clicker you can train your dog the same way just using treats

That video is one of my favourite all time dog behaviour videos :) .

What i would also suggest, if you are worried about trying it yourself, is to get a kind, modern up to date trainer or preferably a behaviourist who is au fait with exactly how to desensitise and "counter condition" and can help you, and give you support, and show you how, etc. plus perhaps a programme which is specifically for your poor dog.

As already mentioned, another option may be the Dremel type tool - this will be different to the nail clippers/trimmers so you may be able to start off at a slightly less fearful level for him, although he would still need to be desensitised carefully and slowly over having his paws picked up/touched.

Some types of nail clippers (forget which ones) sort of squeeze the nail before clipping whichcan be painful. Also some dogs have had their quick cut, and that is very painful for them. I once saw an Airedale at agility with all of his poor claws clipped back so that they were bleeding!!

Lindsay
x

I have used Serene-um on one of my old Labs as she used to get very stressed. We had to go to the vets to get her claws trimmed under sedation. I decided to try this as an alternative and I was amazed how chilled out she was and sat and gave each paw to me without a flinch :-)

Rescue Remedy is good for calming dogs down, I've found. You can get it from healthfood shops.