Nail Trimming

Here is my article on Nail Trimming.

Calm nail trimming sessions can be one of the toughest things to achieve with dogs.  Here are some suggestions to help the process go smoother for both you, and the dog.

I use a Avid Power brand of rotary tool instead of nail clippers. I prefer the cordless version.  *Dremel is the common name of rotary tools. 
At least 8 volt versions work best for medium to large dog nail trimming. The 60 grit Dremel brand sanding bands are the best I’ve used.
Nail clippers tend to leave sharp edges on each nail, and since it’s often hard to tell where the “quick” of the nail is sometimes I would cut too high up and nick the dog. 
With the rotary tool I can easily see how close I am to the “quick” in the nail, and am much less apt to nick that area as the tool gradually grinds away. 
The dogs nails will heat up if tool is left on them for more than a few seconds, so just do a little at a time then do the next nail and come back to it if needed.  
The rotary tool also makes the nails nicely rounded, and helps the nail from catching on things and splitting- which is extremely painful for the dog. 

Desensitize the dog to the sound of the tool by turning it on the lowest speed first, reward the dog, gradually turn the speed up while continuing to reward for calm behavior. 

I have also trained the “touch” command starting with my hand as the touch object, then transitioned over to the rotary tool as the touch object.  
I personally like to use a clicker as a marker to instantly let the dog know he has done well. Every click means he receives a piece of food as a reward. 

I properly muzzle conditioned the dog so he was comfortable in a basket style muzzle. I use and recommend the Baskerville brand.These muzzles are made of soft rubbery material,and allow the dog to pant, drink, and eat treats through. I have a detailed article on How to properly muzzle condition a dog.

Lots of desensitizing and counter conditioning starting with just handling his paws, praise and reward. Then with the rotary tool OFF just touching each paw, praise and reward, and then each nail, praise and reward. Patience, keeping the dog under threshold,and using his daily meals hand fed as rewards were key. 

Hand feeding a dogs daily meals gives “value” to the human from the dogs point of view, which is a huge asset in our favor when training.

I use the rotary tool every day, and trim a tiny bit of each nail off. This helps keep the nail “quick” shorter, and keeps the dog in the habit of getting them done. Instead of the once a month dreaded of “ Oh no, it’s nail trimming time again”, it’s accepted as part of his daily routine.

Some dogs do better during nail trimming by lying on their side, lying upside down in my lap, sitting up, or standing. I find whatever works best for that particular dog.

Kenji is also fully conditioned to a quality low level remote electronic collar ( Mini Educator) and this helped immensely when used on very LOW levels as communication - along with already learned verbal obedience commands, during his rehabilitation process.

I did Box Feeding with Kenji, and worked on nail trimming there as well. Using a rotary tool as the article in Box Feeding can be done too.  Amazing how much this particular exercise helped with his nail trimming.  I highly recommend it, and have a detailed article describing how to train the exercise at my site below.

Kenji was the worst dog I’d ever seen for nail trimming- snarling, biting,alligator rolling.  I never thought he would get to this point he is now - no medications, no muzzle,no e collar, just rewarded with praise and a few kibbles from his daily meal.  

More articles are available at my site below, which is open to the public and free of charge.  ❤️🐺❤️
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