kelpiecuddles Posted November 7, 2014 Share Posted November 7, 2014 My kelpie gets incredibly distressed when we try to cut her nails. We've tried for a long time to desensitise her to it but we are getting nowhere. Cutting nails requires two or three people to hold her still( usually I hold her in my arms) and she ends up a total quivering mess, whining and shaking and desperate to get away. Has anyone ha to deal with this before? I'm considering asking the vet if it's worth medicating her somehow before hand as it's that bad and I hate seeing her so distressed. Would the vet consider something like that or would that be unlikely? I've never given her a sedative of any sort before so it was never my first choice but I think I need to help her somehow... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pjrt Posted November 7, 2014 Share Posted November 7, 2014 I wish you were closer to me!! I have a way with these dogs! Sure there are some dogs that just flip their lid over nail trimming and probably end up needing sedation, but I have spent 28 yrs perfecting the art of getting even the worst nail trim stress heads under control. It is impossible to get it through text. It has to be seen & taught. For me it is a combination of the right tether ( A groomers Helper), the right attitude, a very cool casual hands off approach with only ever one person doing the handling, no multi handling, and a very fast & sure nail trimming operator. Personally I find the more hands on the dog and the more the dog is allowed to flip,flop, struggle etc, the worse things become. I ask owners with nail trim dogs to act cool and calm when they bring the dogs in too. Most are out the door again within 5 to 10 minutes. No waiting, just straight in and out. I would try to find an experienced groomer who has a Groomers Helper tether and knows how to use it, who is happy to do a walk in nail trim at an arranged time when the salon is quiet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelpiecuddles Posted November 7, 2014 Author Share Posted November 7, 2014 We've actually been down that route already. We've had her to a number of groomers, done in the back room at the vet in hopes that might work, etc,etc. my Basset was also vey stressed out by it and I've worked with her for around 12 months and she is now fairly obliging so it's not through lack of perseverance as I've been working with them both over that time. She has unfortunately for worse over time in a number of areas and I suspect a slight case of early dementure as she's forgotten some training as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Gifts Posted November 7, 2014 Share Posted November 7, 2014 My SBT was perfectly fine having her nails done by me or at the vet or groomers but maybe three years ago she had a bath and nails done somewhere we didn't usually go and the girl got really angry with her and held her down to do them (which had never been necessary before). Now she is a nightmare and wont even let me massage her legs down close to her feet. Luckily I have a groomer who is good with troublesome fur children and it is all over in a couple of minutes but I still hate seeing her get so scared of something that needs to be part of her life. I've tried desensitising her to the clippers and just doing a nail here and there (rather than four full paws at once) but it continues to be one of few things that now scare her. The worst thing is her nails seem to need clipping far more regularly than our other two dogs who have no issues with having their nails done! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelpiecuddles Posted November 7, 2014 Author Share Posted November 7, 2014 Our old place had quite a bit of rough concrete and in the first seven years of her life she basically never had her nails done as they just wore down naturally We moved a couple of years ago and so it's now an issue as we have only grass and smooth painted concrete here and they don't wear down. It was a new experience for both the girls and unfortunately Sascha has just never got used to it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ann21 Posted November 7, 2014 Share Posted November 7, 2014 Have you tried a dremel? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rascalmyshadow Posted November 7, 2014 Share Posted November 7, 2014 I am the same as GrufLife I have desensitised many dogs over the years with nail clipping and all other parts of grooming. Many dogs I were told impossible to do by vets, owners and other groomers. If she is that bad you could speak to the vet about valium or something similar but slowly lessen the dosage over time, this is what we would do when I worked in the vet, eventually I have been able to wean most dogs off it altogether. Also don't use guillotine style nail cutters they tend to squash the nail before they cut. Make sure she relaxes before trying do each nail. Don't try to cut while she's freaking out because that's all she will remember and you won't see any improvement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelpiecuddles Posted November 7, 2014 Author Share Posted November 7, 2014 We don't use the guillotine ones :). I have a deemed type tool but she freaks as soon as you touch her feet no matter what follows. She puts on some of the same routine when it's bath time but I'm very no nonsense with my dogs and I tell her to get in and she hangs her head and gets in. :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdierikx Posted November 7, 2014 Share Posted November 7, 2014 Pickles and Harper carry on like pork chops if I try to cut their nails... but Zeddy actually trims her own with her teeth so I don't have to do hers... *grin* T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raineth Posted November 7, 2014 Share Posted November 7, 2014 (edited) We don't use the guillotine ones :). I have a deemed type tool but she freaks as soon as you touch her feet no matter what follows. She puts on some of the same routine when it's bath time but I'm very no nonsense with my dogs and I tell her to get in and she hangs her head and gets in. :laugh: That's where you need to start then, with touching her feet :) Here's what I did for my two dogs (acquired as adults and not comfortable with nail grooming). Firstly I made an emory board with sandpaper glued to it and taught them to scratch it; this keeps their nails short. It's Really only useful for front nails, but usually it's the nails on the front feet that mainly need clipping anyway. By doing this you have a way of keeping their nails short so you can take as long as you need to counter condition nail clipping. Then seriously you need to break it all done into tiny steps and take it painfully slowly. I would start with conditioning them to just enjoy having you handle her feet. Then introduce the clippers just sitting on the floor and condition that to be positive. I would encourage you to get a new pair of clippers that is not tainted with negative associations. Clearly she has a very negative association so it's going to take a while. The key really is in being systematic and going super slow, not being tempted to go faster. When you finally get to the point where you clip a nail, just clip that one nail and jackpot her and stop right there, don't do anymore. The other thing is, it's important to try to exude a relaxed attitude while you do it, not a cautious attitude. She will read any cautiousness as a reason for her to be cautious. :) good luck it's a tricky one, once they have become certain it is a terrifying experience. Edited November 7, 2014 by raineth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VizslaMomma Posted November 7, 2014 Share Posted November 7, 2014 LOL, by mail cliiping I thought you meant the dogs disliked what came in the post. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rascalmyshadow Posted November 7, 2014 Share Posted November 7, 2014 Another trick to desensitising feet is gently brushing them with an electric toothbrush while rewarding her for calm behaviour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christina Posted November 7, 2014 Share Posted November 7, 2014 LOL, by mail cliiping I thought you meant the dogs disliked what came in the post. :) I was also thinking you had a clever dog that could read :) It may be that at some time or other she has had a nail clipped too short,which is extremely painful usually, & that may have made her nervous. I don't think its the end of the world to use mild sedation for doing this every now & then & is probably the kinder option for now. A dremel type thing may take longer than a quick snip so the only thing I can suggest to try is maybe out some cotton wool in her ears before you start & then maybe if she can't hear the buzzing noise she may not react as much. I do this with my young dogs when I first use the big blow dryer on them. Its hand dryer for a few months so they don't get blown up & away being so tiny :laugh: Instead of several people holding her put a collar & lead on & tie it with her head up so she cant get to her feet to the fence or something very solid then try her nails. Less stress than being held tight by many hands but do have someone on hand to help hold her for untying just in case she goes silly & struggles Worth a try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelpiecuddles Posted November 7, 2014 Author Share Posted November 7, 2014 I've been stuck at touching her feet for over 12 months, probably getting on for two years. Problem is that eventually I do have to cut her nails. Realistically hers need doing about fortnightly but I've even pushing it out to a month to try to reduce the exposure to a stressor but we can't go on forever not cutting them. She's ten years old. The other dog took around 6 months to progress from foot handling to now being able to clip as long as she's getting a belly rub( I'm getting good at rubbing her belly with my foot while I do the nails. Lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelpiecuddles Posted November 7, 2014 Author Share Posted November 7, 2014 My vet said last time we got her done that she chucks a pretty impressive tantrum for a usually very well behaved doggy. :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raineth Posted November 8, 2014 Share Posted November 8, 2014 (edited) if you tach her to use the emery board then you could easily not have to clip her front nails ever again anyway. It's also possible to teach them to use it with their back feet as well, I just never did because their back nails never needed much clipping anyway :) Eta: emery, not Emory :p Edited November 8, 2014 by raineth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raineth Posted November 8, 2014 Share Posted November 8, 2014 I've been stuck at touching her feet for over 12 months, probably getting on for two years. Problem is that eventually I do have to cut her nails. Realistically hers need doing about fortnightly but I've even pushing it out to a month to try to reduce the exposure to a stressor but we can't go on forever not cutting them. She's ten years old. The other dog took around 6 months to progress from foot handling to now being able to clip as long as she's getting a belly rub( I'm getting good at rubbing her belly with my foot while I do the nails. Lol) that's exactly right, because she is so scared, every time you have to resort to clipping her nails, all your good patient work is undone. It's like rehabilitating a reactive dog, really hard because every couple of months a damn offlead dog will come and ruin your work by terrifying your dog all over again. That's why you need to find a different way to keep her nails short in the mean time, or you'll never get anywhere :) here's a vid of Digby learning to file his own nails which I am just putting up so you can see what I mean by emery board and how easy it is to make one and train them to use it :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelpiecuddles Posted November 8, 2014 Author Share Posted November 8, 2014 Thanks I might try that. I'm glad you posted the vid because I had a totally different image in my head. Lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raineth Posted November 8, 2014 Share Posted November 8, 2014 Thanks I might try that. I'm glad you posted the vid because I had a totally different image in my head. Lol I thought that might have been the case, I knew I wasn't describing it very well :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelpiecuddles Posted November 8, 2014 Author Share Posted November 8, 2014 (edited) How do you go with front dew claws? They are our biggest hassle at the moment Edited November 8, 2014 by kelpiecuddles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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