# Long nails



## Prism Goldens (May 27, 2011)

Dog's feet are a typical sensitive area- that's why the CGC asks that the evaluator touch feet and ears. 
And the dog to allow it. 

To get a dog used to feet touching try just handling her feet without cutting anything. Try keeping your clippers handy and doing just one at a time. You really don't even need to visualize the quick in super long nails, you can run the clipper along the curve and when it starts to feel thicker, cut there. Don't do that without looking to see what I mean though! So if you get decent @ that, you can be holding her in your left arm, talking into her face and then cut. 

When puppies leave a breeder's house, they should have had their nails cut at least 15 times. That's a lot. Starting young they don't think a thing of it.. but if they leave and then new owner never cuts, or lets them get super long, that young age is also the age @ which they are developing fears and nail clipping is right up there.

IF you cannot get it done, you can always take to vet and have her sedated, cut back far enough to bleed her on each nail, and from there, try to get them tipped weekly without too much fuss @ your home. I groom a couple of dogs who have nail phobia- some of their reactivity is the attitude of the groomer- the owners are always amazed I can cut them pretty fast with a minimum of fuss, and I think that is attributable to my attitude in that they are going to get their nails cut. We can do it fast and easy or we can have a fuss but they are still getting nails cut. I tell them that with my words ANd my attitude. It's not easy like my own dogs or the well-raised ones, but it does get done- 18 nails in about 3 minutes where my own take less than a minute to do all of them. Another thing I do w puppies is count the nails as I cut them- one there you go!! two, [email protected] you, three almost done, four nearly there, etc...


----------



## cwag (Apr 25, 2017)

Prism is the expert. I think my tenseness about cutting results in Rukie getting nervous. He is getting more and more intolerant of the clippers and it is my fault because I've nicked the quick a few times because it does not retract well between cuttings. We've started walking in a gravel parking lot that goes from rocks to small pebbles to almost a sand type of gravel. I am hoping it will help. 
He will let me Dremel when I use this smeared with tuna, sardines (probably the highest value to him) or peanut butter:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DKNN87F/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


----------



## usually lurking (Apr 21, 2017)

My dogs have always been difficult about clippers, but they have no issue with a dremel. I started by handling feet, then set out the dremel (turned off) on floor for them to check out. Once they ignore it, I touch it (still turned off) to each nail and treat after each nail. Once they are unbothered by that, I turn the dremel on and hold it, letting it run on multiple occasions near them, without touching. Once they are desensitized to the noise, I touch the turned on dremel to each nail and treat. Over time, I use it on the nail for longer periods until I can dremel it as needed. My dog gets a treat after each foot, and it takes 2-3 min to do all four feet.


----------



## Prism Goldens (May 27, 2011)

cwag said:


> Prism is the expert. I think my tenseness about cutting results in Rukie getting nervous. He is getting more and more intolerant of the clippers and it is my fault because I've nicked the quick a few times because it does not retract well between cuttings. We've started walking in a gravel parking lot that goes from rocks to small pebbles to almost a sand type of gravel. I am hoping it will help.
> He will let me Dremel when I use this smeared with tuna, sardines (probably the highest value to him) or peanut butter:
> https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DKNN87F/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


I'm never mean to them- I know they are scared but fear is best confronted w the groomer's confidence and that makes the dog able to tolerate something he's afraid of. I just tell them we're going to cut nails now, and when the struggle starts, I have my left hand around the carpel and say 'no- stop fussing. We're cutting nails now.' and then start with the counting, which seems to be comforting for them in my awful singsong voice.


----------



## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

With my dogs who really HATE having their nails done, I give a high value treat after every foot.... and then as they get better, after a couple feet. 

They still hate having their nails done, but they WANT their treats so usually let me clip pretty quick. There's just conditioning to get there.

Also - just nip the ends. Don't try to do too much. The more nail you try trimming all at once = more chance of cutting the quick + it pinches them more.


----------



## DblTrblGolden2 (Aug 22, 2018)

My dogs prefer to just have the ends quickly clipped as opposed to the dremel type. It may be that I'm just better with them, or that it's faster. I bought the latest dremel for nails thinking it would be great and don't use it.

I've only ever had one dog I couldn't do and it's my sons lab. He's 110 lbs of muscle and as high strung of a field dog as you can find. I literally just told him to take him to the vet and have them do it. Every time I try to hold his foot he does what I call a series of alligator rolls. I've had shoulder surgery and am just not going to deal with it. 

My own dogs start getting just the tips clipped weekly as pups and they never behave badly. My goal is always one foot, short break or belly rub, then the other foot.


----------



## LdyTlfrd (Jan 11, 2017)

From the moment I brought both my dogs (Phoenix at 4 mos, Luna at 8 wks) home, I have always touched their feet. If they're sitting next to me while I watched tv, I would touch their feet. If they're just laying around, I would touch their feet. They got used to my touching them. 

If they needed trimming, we would have a long walk. If they're tired, they're less likely to fuss and they both love treats.

Now that Phoenix is older 10 yrs old, he hates getting his feet trimmed. We use the 2 person tag team, one holds him while I clip. My eldest daughter puts him (her words) "in the jack russell hold" and I quickly trim away. He gets treats. 

Luna, 3 yrs, is more skittish about things. The noise from the battery trimmer scares her so I can't use it on the fur between her pads. I have discovered that after 9 pm, she is a very, very sleepy girl and I can scissor the fur away and use the clippers to trim her nails. She used to wake up, look to see what I was doing but nowadays, she can sleep the fur trim, nail clip & filing.


----------



## daisy1234 (Jun 17, 2018)

My Beagle squirms and pulls away. My Golden lets me do hers. I bring them to a Groomer monthly. They have a walk in service and a discount card if you go monthly. They have the right height tables and harnesses and know what they are doing. It's worth it to me.


----------

