# can't get to her nails!!



## rabernet (Feb 24, 2015)

If you're on Facebook, there's a great group called Nail Maintenance for Dogs and they have amazing files to go through on desensitization and counter conditioning to accept nail trimming. 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/nail.maintenance.for.dogs/


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## cubbysan (Mar 13, 2007)

I have never been good about doing my dogs nails. My Sailor is good for my breeder but not me. I think my dogs feel or smell my stress when I do them. One trick she always tells me is to do it after a bath when the nails are still wet and soft.

I'll have to check out that FB page too.


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## rabernet (Feb 24, 2015)

Once you get approved for that FB page, another interesting method that I'm going to do with Noah most likely, because he loves shaping, and I can shape the behavior, is making and using a scratch board. 

For us, that will feel more like a game to him, and less like an actual nail trim session. Since I can't share files from a closed group, here's one result I got from a quick google search on "dog scratch boards"

Once you get accepted, head over to the files section - lots of great information! 

How to Train Your Dog to Do their Nails | AnimalSense


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## BriGuy (Aug 31, 2010)

I made a scratch board a few years ago out of a square of plywood and 80 grit sandpaper glued on, and I trained my golden Cookie on it. It worked really well on the middle two front nails, but I could never get the angle right to get much off the side nails. It also added a strongly reinforced scratching of objects, which came back to bite me with some of our hand targeting. 

For Hazel, I trained her to lie on her back between my legs while I am sitting on the floor. Then I can handle her front paws easily. I think that lots of people get nervous about nails, which makes the dog in turn nervous. You have to be confident.


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## wdadswell (Dec 17, 2015)

Oh yeah!!! My last Golden was horrible to do and I swore (literally) that my next one, was not going to be like that! Wellll-my next one is good-not a Golden though. So then I got Bodie! I did all the same things-played with paws-trimmed them with the cat nail clippers.

First couple of times, he was ok, then it was like a whirling dervish possessed my sweet puppy! He was having none of that! I tried a lot of different ways and what works for me, is clamping his favorite chewy (used bully stick, till I got nauseous) to a set of vice grips. I sit on the couch, with my thigh on top of the vice grip, so he can't pull it and let him chew to his hearts content. He has to lay down to chew it and I can do all 4 feet

We practice 5 minutes every day and he jumps on the couch and really looks forward to it! Goofy pup! It has taken a month of every day, but he no longer growls, or try to grab my hand. I'm lucky that he has striped nails, hope they stay that way. I do have a Dremel on order, so it will be reconditioning all over, I'm sure!


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## rabernet (Feb 24, 2015)

Here's another good video on desensitization.


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## Harleysmum (Aug 19, 2014)

I spread peanut butter down Harley's front leg and while he is licking it off I quickly do the other foot. It is not ideal and I do have to be quick but at least now when he sees the clippers and the jar of peanut butter his face lights up!


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## rabernet (Feb 24, 2015)

Harleysmum said:


> I spread peanut butter down Harley's front leg and while he is licking it off I quickly do the other foot. It is not ideal and I do have to be quick but at least now when he sees the clippers and the jar of peanut butter his face lights up!


I love this! 

I also read of someone who just puts a glob of peanut butter on the roof of the dog's mouth and while they are busy working on that, they're clipping nails.


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## Pilgrim123 (Jul 26, 2014)

Patsy, a spoodle I had, was impossible. (I adopted her when she was 11) She bit me hard enough to draw blood every time I came near her with the clippers and I still have the scars. The next time I took her to the vets, I asked them to cut her nails. It took five vet techs and the vet to do it, so the stress all round was off the scale. After that, she had to be knocked out to do them. Now I'm terrified of going near the nails of any dog. Even Pilgrim, who was so good at getting his nails done, got scared. The point of this long saga is how do you get back your own confidence? Every wiggle from Girly causes me to jump so she now gets done at the groomers.


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## rabernet (Feb 24, 2015)

Pilgrim123 said:


> Patsy, a spoodle I had, was impossible. (I adopted her when she was 11) She bit me hard enough to draw blood every time I came near her with the clippers and I still have the scars. The next time I took her to the vets, I asked them to cut her nails. It took five vet techs and the vet to do it, so the stress all round was off the scale. After that, she had to be knocked out to do them. Now I'm terrified of going near the nails of any dog. Even Pilgrim, who was so good at getting his nails done, got scared. The point of this long saga is how do you get back your own confidence? Every wiggle from Girly causes me to jump so she now gets done at the groomers.


If you're on FB, that group I linked above has great links about counter conditioning and desensitization techniques. 

I think if you can start working on that (starts with shaping her giving you her paw and letting you hold it, then her pawing at the clippers, then you touching (but not clipping) her nail with the clippers, and so on), that you will also be counter conditioning and desensitizing yourself in the process.


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## bixx (Sep 8, 2015)

Thanks all!! I'm surfing in with my phone and somehow can't individually thank/like all your posts if i use this route..but thank you! I will head over to that FB page, and try the peanut butter trick too.


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