I'm asking this because we have had issues with Elle (GSD mix) and her nails, we tried to do it ourselves, and she threw a fit, so that doesn't work...We take her to the vet to get them clipped. We have never attempted Emma's (GSD) nails, since the time with Elle...What do you do about it?
Who cuts their nails??
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CertainlySpoiled
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I clip Buddy's nails. He doesn't like it, but he learned to accept it. I also talk to him and give him something to chew, so he is busy and I can clip. I always clip only a little bit. Better less than more.
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Hey, I'm a vet tech, and I have to say, I've never bullied a dog into a nail trim.
But I really think its a "breed thing" in my profession.
I am called the Gshep whisperer at work because the sheps respond so well to me. I never realized how far the fear went until I started at a new practice.
I have found that the "need to be greater than the dog" runs rampant in my career. Vets are worse than techs, and most of them have never even been challenged by a shep.
If I ask to pull a dog into the back room, it's because I feel that the dog is picking up on the owners nervousness, and in this breed, that can be dangerous and uncomfortable.
When your dog walks into the back, it is generally much calmer. There is no one to protect, who is figiting in the room, trying to act like the boss.
The dog is in a new situation, and chooses to trust me, because I take up the role of a calm leader.
I would not take your dog in the back to pin it to the floor.
If you don't trust your vet enough to let the dog leave the room, then find one that you can.
With that, I clip all of my dogs nails.
We start with one nail, than a treat. Clip and treat until everyone is comfortable.
But I really think its a "breed thing" in my profession.
I am called the Gshep whisperer at work because the sheps respond so well to me. I never realized how far the fear went until I started at a new practice.
I have found that the "need to be greater than the dog" runs rampant in my career. Vets are worse than techs, and most of them have never even been challenged by a shep.
If I ask to pull a dog into the back room, it's because I feel that the dog is picking up on the owners nervousness, and in this breed, that can be dangerous and uncomfortable.
When your dog walks into the back, it is generally much calmer. There is no one to protect, who is figiting in the room, trying to act like the boss.
The dog is in a new situation, and chooses to trust me, because I take up the role of a calm leader.
I would not take your dog in the back to pin it to the floor.
If you don't trust your vet enough to let the dog leave the room, then find one that you can.
With that, I clip all of my dogs nails.
We start with one nail, than a treat. Clip and treat until everyone is comfortable.
I work at a vet clinic and its fine when clients ask us to do the nails, but it drives me nuts when people come in with their dog's nails insanely long and at the very end of their appointment, as in about to walk out and pay, they'll be like oh, I guess we should get their nails clipped while we're here huh? That is unless we say something first.... [/quote]
I too work at a clinic, as a tech. I do my own dogs nails, and that of my families, neighbours, etc. As for insanely long nails...I don't give the client the chance to leave...I cut those nails!!! I'd rather do it then then have to sedate the dog when it's busted a nail all the way down!!
I too work at a clinic, as a tech. I do my own dogs nails, and that of my families, neighbours, etc. As for insanely long nails...I don't give the client the chance to leave...I cut those nails!!! I'd rather do it then then have to sedate the dog when it's busted a nail all the way down!!
Mine do fine for nail trims but I also use a dremel.
My cat is about 17 years old, he just stays in my lap when clipping his nails and doesnt even budge. Im not sure he really notices.
Pandora hated her nails done because her first nail trim at the groomers she quik'd her as a baby, so for awhile she would fight and fidget when getting her nails done. Now she's a good girl.
My cat is about 17 years old, he just stays in my lap when clipping his nails and doesnt even budge. Im not sure he really notices.
Pandora hated her nails done because her first nail trim at the groomers she quik'd her as a baby, so for awhile she would fight and fidget when getting her nails done. Now she's a good girl.
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I cut their nails and my groomer does it too when I take them to the groomer. I also sometimes use a dremel.
I also work for a vet clinic... If a dog is in for another procedure the vet usually also does the nails routinely. When I had my terrier in for x-rays and he had to be put under, my vet let me stay with him, and clip his nails while he was under because he was always difficult, he didn't like his paws held.
I also work for a vet clinic... If a dog is in for another procedure the vet usually also does the nails routinely. When I had my terrier in for x-rays and he had to be put under, my vet let me stay with him, and clip his nails while he was under because he was always difficult, he didn't like his paws held.
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Zamboni's nails are dark with long quicks that don't shorten up ever. The vet does hers.
Camper's rarely need cutting. But when they do, I trim them myself. One paw, clip clip clip. Here's a snack. Next paw.
I also trim Meri's. She has clear toenails. What a breeze those are. Toe, snack. Toe, snack. Toe, snack. Til all four feet are done.
It's all about bribery in my house.
![Image]()
Camper's rarely need cutting. But when they do, I trim them myself. One paw, clip clip clip. Here's a snack. Next paw.
I also trim Meri's. She has clear toenails. What a breeze those are. Toe, snack. Toe, snack. Toe, snack. Til all four feet are done.
It's all about bribery in my house.
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618 Posts
When I adopted Brodie from the shelter (he was almost 5 years old), his nails were grossly long and he still has some toe deformities from that. I could not brush him nor touch his feet without him growling, mouthing, and sometimes attempting to bite me out of fear. Back legs, back feet, bum....no way, no how. Trust was a huge issue for this dog; he was a very reactive and nervey dog. All his nails were done at a vets shortly after we got him (they had to get done asap) while he was under a general for another procedure.
Anyhow....it took lots (did I already say lots?) of patience and a calm aproach....it took about 6 - 9 solid months for me before I was able to do all his nails in one session. He still does not love it, but he tolerates it well. I moved to using a dremel about 1 year ago and he actually much prefers this tool to the standard clippers. He will actually totally veg out and almost fall asleep while I am using it.
I elected to introduce nail clipping without the assistance of my DH. Adding one more person into the picture for this particular dog = additional stress. I was determined to work through this and to work with him to gain trust - in addition, I think it helped to strengthen our relationship in terms of "pack leader" - yes, we were going to do this, one way or another!
Every time the clippers came out, I acted like it was absolutely no big deal.
<span style="color: #000066">Here was the routine I used:
This may sound wierd, but even to just get him used to the clipper "clip" sound, I spent about 1-2 weeks every night taking out the clippers, sitting next to him, and then right next to his front feet I would "clip" big hard crunchy treats with the clippers and let him eat the "clipped treats" after each "click". No big deal - clippers put away. This worked very well in eventually calming him to the sight and sound of the clippers.
Then I progressed to just touching his foot or 1 nail with the clippers - then treat ++++++. About 1 week of this.
I then pretended to clip 1 nail - then treats treats treats. If he did well with this, I would pretend to do a few more etc in the same session (did this for about 1 week). Again, no big deal - clippers put away.
Then I actually did 1 nail (barely took any off) - then praise & treats ++++. Clippers put away.
Continued with above until he didn't show any stress with a nail being cut. As soon as he started to get stressed, I would end with a "pretend clip" and lots of treats. </span>
Pretty much everything I did I did in increments of 1-2 weeks. You can imagine how many weeks it took to do one foot, let alone all four!
![Image]()
Gruelling (?sp) as it was, I am so glad I did. 4 years later, every Sunday night is "Nail Night" and he now looks forward to the yummy treats he will get after his "manicure"
![Image]()
I could have gone the muzzle 'n struggle route but that's not my personal preference if it can be avoided.
This is a pretty painfully slow regimen to undertake and I can appreciate that it wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea, but for me, in the end it was worth every minute
![Image]()
Not everyone is game for such a tedious task, which is totally fine!
![Image]()
I think the important thing is that the nails get clipped to prevent discomfort and possible future nail injuries and toe deformities like Brodie has now
![Image]()
Anyhow....it took lots (did I already say lots?) of patience and a calm aproach....it took about 6 - 9 solid months for me before I was able to do all his nails in one session. He still does not love it, but he tolerates it well. I moved to using a dremel about 1 year ago and he actually much prefers this tool to the standard clippers. He will actually totally veg out and almost fall asleep while I am using it.
I elected to introduce nail clipping without the assistance of my DH. Adding one more person into the picture for this particular dog = additional stress. I was determined to work through this and to work with him to gain trust - in addition, I think it helped to strengthen our relationship in terms of "pack leader" - yes, we were going to do this, one way or another!
Every time the clippers came out, I acted like it was absolutely no big deal.
<span style="color: #000066">Here was the routine I used:
This may sound wierd, but even to just get him used to the clipper "clip" sound, I spent about 1-2 weeks every night taking out the clippers, sitting next to him, and then right next to his front feet I would "clip" big hard crunchy treats with the clippers and let him eat the "clipped treats" after each "click". No big deal - clippers put away. This worked very well in eventually calming him to the sight and sound of the clippers.
Then I progressed to just touching his foot or 1 nail with the clippers - then treat ++++++. About 1 week of this.
I then pretended to clip 1 nail - then treats treats treats. If he did well with this, I would pretend to do a few more etc in the same session (did this for about 1 week). Again, no big deal - clippers put away.
Then I actually did 1 nail (barely took any off) - then praise & treats ++++. Clippers put away.
Continued with above until he didn't show any stress with a nail being cut. As soon as he started to get stressed, I would end with a "pretend clip" and lots of treats. </span>
Pretty much everything I did I did in increments of 1-2 weeks. You can imagine how many weeks it took to do one foot, let alone all four!
Gruelling (?sp) as it was, I am so glad I did. 4 years later, every Sunday night is "Nail Night" and he now looks forward to the yummy treats he will get after his "manicure"
This is a pretty painfully slow regimen to undertake and I can appreciate that it wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea, but for me, in the end it was worth every minute
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I'm a groomer so I do my dogs' nails. The first time I tried to do Brenna's she screamed and ran away. I took her by the collar (gently and calmly, not reacting to her behavior at all) and led her back to the same spot, ran my hand down her leg again and picked up her foot. She let me clip every nail after that. Now, you would think she's a show dog, she will jump in the tub, on the drying table, never resists a thing.
![Image]()
As much as I clip nails, I have learned over time how to do it pretty well. First I kneel next to the dog if they're large (small dogs are on the table and I stand next to them in the same manner). I stand side by side facing the opposite direction as them. I run my hand down their leg, if you just grab the foot it will startle and upset a lot of dogs. Pick up the foot like a farrier holds a horse's hoof, so it bends backwards and the bottom of the paw faces up. (I hope this makes sense) I try to clip the nails as fast as I comfortably and safely can, by now I can eyeball where the quick is, on a lot of dogs you will see a change in the shape and/or color of the nail, go slightly closer to the tip than this spot.
If you do hit the quick, don't even react, I finish clipping the nails on that foot like nothing happened, put the foot down, get some quick stop on your finger, slide your hand down the leg and lift it up like before and hold the quick stop on until the bleeding stops. The more you react, the more the dog reacts. I've had dogs that I didn't realize I quicked at first because they showed no reaction at all to it. Yes it might sting for a second, but they will live!
The reason you want to go as fast as you can is because the longer you dawdle and mess with the nail, the longer the dog has to think about what you're doing and panic.
Dremels are also a great tool, for LHGSDs be very careful to hold the hair away from the dremel! The only downside to dremels that I've found is they take longer and a lot of dogs don't like their feet being held for that long, so you might need to give them breaks every so often.
Another side note: The farrier hold is also good because if the dog tries to snap you have a little more leeway to get away from them, but if you are worried about that have someone hold the head and talk to the dog. Muzzle as a last resort, most dogs react worse to restraint.
ETA: Sorry it's so long
As much as I clip nails, I have learned over time how to do it pretty well. First I kneel next to the dog if they're large (small dogs are on the table and I stand next to them in the same manner). I stand side by side facing the opposite direction as them. I run my hand down their leg, if you just grab the foot it will startle and upset a lot of dogs. Pick up the foot like a farrier holds a horse's hoof, so it bends backwards and the bottom of the paw faces up. (I hope this makes sense) I try to clip the nails as fast as I comfortably and safely can, by now I can eyeball where the quick is, on a lot of dogs you will see a change in the shape and/or color of the nail, go slightly closer to the tip than this spot.
If you do hit the quick, don't even react, I finish clipping the nails on that foot like nothing happened, put the foot down, get some quick stop on your finger, slide your hand down the leg and lift it up like before and hold the quick stop on until the bleeding stops. The more you react, the more the dog reacts. I've had dogs that I didn't realize I quicked at first because they showed no reaction at all to it. Yes it might sting for a second, but they will live!
The reason you want to go as fast as you can is because the longer you dawdle and mess with the nail, the longer the dog has to think about what you're doing and panic.
Dremels are also a great tool, for LHGSDs be very careful to hold the hair away from the dremel! The only downside to dremels that I've found is they take longer and a lot of dogs don't like their feet being held for that long, so you might need to give them breaks every so often.
Another side note: The farrier hold is also good because if the dog tries to snap you have a little more leeway to get away from them, but if you are worried about that have someone hold the head and talk to the dog. Muzzle as a last resort, most dogs react worse to restraint.
ETA: Sorry it's so long
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I used to do my dogs nails until she decided to make a game of it. Not sure why I got nervous, but my nervousness made her nervous (I should be nervous right? Mom is!!) My breeder and I tried with no success. I took her to a groomer - she took her into the back room, I could hear her singing and praising and five minutes later my GSD is back and happy as a clam with four clipped paws. I knew that I was the problem and this proved it.
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i do both the dogs nails. but buddy is really, really afraid, i think something happened with getting her nails trimmed when she was younger so she growls when we try to do it and it's gotten worse, she started attempting to bite. but wini is great i've been getting her used to it now. we might get a grinder though. we actually took buddy to get her nails cut today--we don't know what else to do. it was terrible, she was making horrible noises. crying and growling and screaming all mixed into one-it wasn't a good experience. so we might try the grinder.
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I don't do nails. I take Katie to Petsmart to have them done. She loves the staff there, and last time didn't want to get off of the table when they were done, she just wanted to stay! So I have to assume they arevery good to her to want to stay there like that! They are very happy to see her and remember her name every time. Now I have to get Titan used to going there!
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i do Riley's myself. we walk her several times a day so her nails stay nice and trim, but when her dew claws get long i go around and do a few snips. its a struggle at first, bc she likes to mouth my hands but treats help keep her occupied and sometimes the hubby comes in for back up.
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I trim both of my dogs nails (adult GSD and adult Malamute). They try to standard avoidance techniques: roll on the back and push the with feet (malamute), pull the foot away (both), etc. but still only takes me 3 or 4 minutes per dog. I do it every two weeks or so. I just use standard nail clippers (not the guillotine style).
I also will trim any other dog's nails that I feel need trimmed and the owner will allow, such as my mom's black lab (I think its silly to driver her an hour round trip to the vet just to trim her nails). I got $10 once for trimming a bassett's nails. Took two minutes! She didn't even put up a fight. Untrimmed nails on any dog is one my major owner pet peeves--that and overweight or thin dogs. I practically carry clippers in my purse just in case
![Image]()
I also will trim any other dog's nails that I feel need trimmed and the owner will allow, such as my mom's black lab (I think its silly to driver her an hour round trip to the vet just to trim her nails). I got $10 once for trimming a bassett's nails. Took two minutes! She didn't even put up a fight. Untrimmed nails on any dog is one my major owner pet peeves--that and overweight or thin dogs. I practically carry clippers in my purse just in case
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When I give HW meds, I do their nails. Easier to remember that way.
I down my dogs, cut the nails, then we get up and have a treat with the HW med inside. It is no big deal for them, just an obedience exercise. I can't say that I have ever had the first problem with cutting a dogs nails so don't understand what all the fuss is about??
I had a guy at my office that swore that his golden fought like a mad man about nail trimming. He brought him to me, I did some bumbing get out of my way exercises, did some obedience then had the dog lay down. He did and I trimmed his nails. He pulled away a couple times and I gave him a quick correction on the prong and he stopped being silly and we got on with the job. I think that most of the time it is an owner problem. Don't be nervous,<u> just do it! </u>
I down my dogs, cut the nails, then we get up and have a treat with the HW med inside. It is no big deal for them, just an obedience exercise. I can't say that I have ever had the first problem with cutting a dogs nails so don't understand what all the fuss is about??
I had a guy at my office that swore that his golden fought like a mad man about nail trimming. He brought him to me, I did some bumbing get out of my way exercises, did some obedience then had the dog lay down. He did and I trimmed his nails. He pulled away a couple times and I gave him a quick correction on the prong and he stopped being silly and we got on with the job. I think that most of the time it is an owner problem. Don't be nervous,<u> just do it! </u>
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I feel this way, too. I've met one dog that I could not trim its nails. . . a rat terrier! I take that back. I DID trim her nails but it took two assistants and myself. But then again she lacks any discipline, obedience, or boundaries, urinates on the furniture, etc. If I had raised her, I could easily cut her nails.
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My issue was with my family's lab. I played with his feet almost every day as a pup, and when it came time to trim his nails the first time, he was fine until I hit the quick in his nail, he yelped and bled all over the place and of course I freaked (wrong move, I know) and ever after that incident, he would growl if we tried to cut his nails. So we just made sure to walk him alot on pavement so they were kind of filed down on their own.
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30,303 Posts
Well, I cut Jenna's today.
I must admit, that I usually let the concrete manage the nails until they are groomed. Sometimes the groomers tell me that they did not need to cut the hind paws nails at all. But since there is now snow and ice and frozen tundra instead of concrete, the nails are not getting shaved as much as usual so I have my trusty cutters.
Tomorrow, before puppy classes, I -- shudder-- have to cut the mangies nails. I have not done this in months as I have been having them groomed every week, or at least every other week. Well, it has been two weeks since the last grooming, so the nails need it, shudder. 4 x 18 is what 72? 72 nails to cut tomorrow, fix the hot water tank and make it to Madison to have dinner with my brother and sister before puppy classes....
I must admit, that I usually let the concrete manage the nails until they are groomed. Sometimes the groomers tell me that they did not need to cut the hind paws nails at all. But since there is now snow and ice and frozen tundra instead of concrete, the nails are not getting shaved as much as usual so I have my trusty cutters.
Tomorrow, before puppy classes, I -- shudder-- have to cut the mangies nails. I have not done this in months as I have been having them groomed every week, or at least every other week. Well, it has been two weeks since the last grooming, so the nails need it, shudder. 4 x 18 is what 72? 72 nails to cut tomorrow, fix the hot water tank and make it to Madison to have dinner with my brother and sister before puppy classes....
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