I don't hold my dog down for nail trims.
That being said, we still do nail trims at home every week.
Don’t get me wrong - my senior hasn’t always loved nail trims, and my younger dog didn't grow up with us (we adopted him around 9-10 months old), so it’s not that they just let me do it without any prep - we had to do a bit of training to get here.
The good news is, that means you can get calm nail trims, too.
Now, the important thing to note here (and I know it feels counter-intuitive, but hear me out) is that your dog is allowed to say no.
Yes, that does mean you might not get every nail done at home every week. Yes, you do still need to keep your dog's nails an appropriate and healthy length in the meantime. So, what does that look like? Well, you’ve got a few options!
Nail trims at vet under sedation whole you train at home
Train to use a scratch pad (can be done on front and back paws)
Walks on abrasive surfaces like concrete or asphalt can also contribute to some nails shortening a little bit.
Now, I won’t get into the nitty gritty of nail trims in this post - we’ll save that for another day - so this one won’t have details like how short is short enough, avoiding the quick, nail anatomy, how to safely get shorter faster by receding the quick, and so on… but it will go over how I teach my dogs to allow nail trims without being restrained or freaking out.
Before you do anything else, buy the right nail clippers.
Now… I know what you’re thinking here. “Cade, I have clippers. Im asking how to train my dog, not what to buy.” I know, trust me. In this case, though, the right gear makes a difference to your dog’s reaction, and as a bonus, the right clippers are cheap.
If you're using nail clippers, get the millers forge red clippers. Just those.
This step a lot of peope ignore, but having sharp clippers that slice instead of squeezing the nails makes a huge difference. They're so cheap and so good. Trust me. Get them. I seriously regretted not getting them sooner.
Sharpen or replace your clippers as SOON as they start to dull, don’t hesitate!
If you want to use a dremel-like tool, the right one makes a difference. Don’t fall for the designed for pets ones with a little cover and a tiny hole you shove your pet’s nail into.
Get something that’s handheld. Check the RPM options. Something with higher options and multiple speed settings is best. Get something with a LIGHT. Get something that’s cordless. The best dremel model for this has actually been discontinued, unfortunately. The model I have is an off-brand orange thing called an Enertwist. I recommend getting something designed to be high quality, rather than something marketed toward use for pets specifically.
The best possible option for the bur or bit you use is a diamond bur (the commonly recommended brand I see is Diamagroove or the closest equivalent you can get your hands on). They’re a little spendy, but last for ages and work better than anything else.
If you can’t do that, you might be able to get by with a sanding disc, but they will work slower, get hotter, and vibrate more, so you’ll make less progress and most dogs find them less comfortable. Do what you can with what you can get, but you’ll have to slow down and adjust for it if you have a different bur than the diamond one.
Okay, now how do I train my dog to behave for nail trims?
You want to counter condition to nail clippers. What that means is your dog right now has a feeling about nail clippers. If you’re lucky, that feeling is neutral. If you’re not, that feeling might be “these are an implement of torture and when you hold them, I think you hate puppies.”
Counter conditioning means you want to change that feeling. Preferably into something like “when you use nail clippers I am as relaxed as one of those guys lounging while eating grapes and being fanned with palm leaves in a painting.” Or something like that.
That’s the kind of feeling that leads to a dog laying on their side chilling while you trim their nails with no fuss and no assistant needed.
So how do you make that happen? Slowly and methodically. Where you start depends on the dog.
At what stage does your dog flip out? Is it seeing the clippers? Is it you holding them? Is it you touching their feet? Start with something easier than the step that makes them flip out.
Sit the clippers on the ground then bring the dog into the room and make it rain treats for them SEEING the clippers if you have to.
The only hard rule to follow is all things clippers and nail trim now predict Good Stuff. That means two things:
That means reliably, every single time, the clippers, the weird orange off-brand dremel, touching feet, trimming a nail… it always predicts something your dog wants (probably food), every. single. time.
The order is deeply, deeply important. Do you want a dog who gets superstitious about freeze dried shrimp? No? Make sure the order is clippers THEN shrimp, not the reverse, and pause (even for a second), between repetitions. Monsters bring muffins. Muffins arent a bad omen predicting monster attacks. Subtle change, big emotional difference.
So get started!
Pick up nail clippers, dog gets treat, put down nail clippers. Pause. Repeat.
For my dogs, the treat that actually worked best and fastest for this was tiny dried fish. Use something your dog is nuts for.
Do this same thing with every baby step you can think of.
Move clippers, treat.
Move clippers toward dog, treat.
Touch dog on shoulders with clippers, treat.
Touch dog on legs with clippers, treat.
Touch dog on foot with clippers, treat.
Touch dogs foot with hands, treat.
Lightly wiggle/squeeze toes, treat.
Do all the foot steps again with holding clippers, treat.
Clip a piece of dry spaghetti while holding dogs foot, treat
Clip one nail, treat.
Every repetition, pause, then repeat.
Do this in SHORT SESSIONS. 1-5 mins, once a day, 4-6 days a week. Go only as far as your dog is comfortable with. it'll take multiple sessions to get where you can actually clip nails for most dogs, don't rush. A setback because you rushed will take way longer than just moving at your dog's pace. SLOW IS FAST.
Remember: your dog can say no. Let them.
Saying no might be something like looking uncomfortable (tense face, whale eye, lip lick), leaning away, pulling away a paw. Let them. Pause. Try something easier. Reward any wins, even if it’s a smaller win than the one they said no to.
I know that some people say not to do this. I know. But youre not trying to teach your dog that you will force them to clip their nails, so they may as well give up. You're trying to teach your dog to cooperate in their own nail care comfortably without fear so that you dont HAVE to force them anymore.
If you use restraint to train this, you’re going to keep having to use restraint, your dog won’t get more comfortable, and you might have to escalate the restraint over time.
Not only is that worse for your dog’s experience of nail trims, but I also find it’s worse for my experience of nail trims.
I don’t want an exhausting conflict when I do basic grooming or pet care - I want my dog to relax, I want to spend 10 minutes or less trimming their nails, and I want to move on with our day without either of us needing to decompress. It’s possible, and it’s so much easier once you get there.
When you can say no, you say yes more often.
True for dogs and true for us - they're more likely to want to say yes if they know it's safe to say no.
It's much more enjoyable and faster and easier for both of you once you've done it this way, from experience.
Now, my dog just lays on the couch, lets me clip nails with no fuss, gets a few little fish treats, and we go about our day. It takes almost no time.
Your nail trims can be a breeze too.
If you’re struggling with nail trims and want some extra support to get you there, we can help! You can learn how to get your dog comfortable with nail trims (and the specifics of how to trim nails - yes, even black nails!) at home without fear for you too through private lessons.
If you want a professional to take the practice off your hands, we can teach your dog that they can relax for their pedicure instead of needing an alligator wrangler through day training.
Reach out to us to get started, and stay tuned for our next blog.