Last week, I wrote about getting your dog used to having his paws handled. This week, we’ll move on to handling the nails and, eventually, trimming the nails.
First, you’ll need some low-tech equipment: an emery board. The size of the emery board should be appropriate to the size of the dog. For large dogs like my golden retriever, I would recommend the largest “human” emery board. For small dogs like my Yorkie mix, I would recommend the smallest. There are sizes to fit every dog.
Emery boards are inexpensive and easily available, which is great. Even more important, they can be used on your dog’s nails without any fear of hurting the dog by “quicking” him—trimming so far up the dog’s nail that it begins to bleed because you have hit the “quick.” Emery boards allow you to take off the nail’s pointy tip without giving the dog an unpleasant experience.
Emery boards are also useful for taking off the rough nail tips that might be left by doggy nail clippers, especially if your dog will be interacting with anyone who has fragile skin, like babies and toddlers, or elderly or unwell friends and family. The emery board can be a great finishing touch to smooth those blunted nail tips completely, eliminating any sharp or rough spots.
If your dog is very tiny or if your dog’s nails grow very slowly, you may be able to keep his nails trimmed with an emery board for the rest of his life. For most dogs, however, use the emery board while you and the dog get accustomed to the paw-handling and holding process, without taking any chances on an accidental quicking that might give your dog—or you!—a bad experience.
- Introduce the sight of the emery board before you introduce its use.
- Place the emery board on your lap when you practice paw-handling.
- Let the puppy or dog sniff it, and hold it up for him to examine—but please discourage puppies and mouthy adult dogs from gnawing on it! Treat the emery board as you would any other grooming tool. The dog should get used to seeing it around, but should not be allowed to become obsessed with playing with it. Redirect the over-interested dog’s attention with treats and praise.
- Once the dog has accepted the emery board as part of the scenery, quietly pick it up (the emery board, not the dog) and hold it in your hand as you touch the dog, eventually moving it down so that it touches the dog’s paws. Don’t wiggle it around too much, just be slow and gentle—it’s not a toy to be chased. When you are able to touch the emery board all over your dog’s paws without overexciting the dog and without any resistance from the dog, it’s time to move on to using the emery board on the dog’s nails.
During your paw-handling exercises, you have probably noticed how a dog’s nail moves somewhat independently from the pad and the paw. Each nail can be wiggled separately. The longer the nails, the more they move. Your job when handling and trimming your dog’s nails will be to ensure that you have a gentle but firm grasp on the base of the nail nearest to the pad/paw. The less the individual nail wiggles around when you are filing or cutting the nails, the better. Figure out how to do that well now, before you use a nail trimmer (clipper) for the first time. Stabilizing the nail will help assure as little discomfort and uncertainty for your dog as possible during the nail-trimming process.
Now, onto the filing.
- Gently touch the emery board to the tip of one stabilized nail. Unlike metal clippers, emery boards made of cardboard with added grit are highly unlikely to give your dog a “shock”—another reason to use emery boards as you train for calm acceptance of the trimming process.
- If you can, take the time to touch each nail with the board, and repeat this process enough times over as many days as it takes to accustom the dog to what you’re doing. Once the dog accepts touching with the board, it’s time to try a little filing. Remember, at this point, your goal is not to complete an entire nail trim—your goal is to trim one tiny tip off one doggy nail. Just that, no more.
Have you successfully trimmed one tip off one nail?
Is your dog calm and contented with the process?
Are you rewarding him with quiet praise and treats?
YAY!
You’re on your way to doggy nail-trimming nirvana.
Here’s a tip I learned from guide dog puppy raisers:
Trim one nail, and only one nail, every single day.
By trimming only one nail at a time, you reduce the chance of any build-up of stress or discomfort for your dog—and for yourself! I know many dog owners who are much more stressed by the nail-trimming process than their dogs are. They worry so much that they will do it wrong, but—instead of finding a way that is low-stress for them and their dogs—they end up procrastinating nail trimming so long that it becomes a nightmare scenario every time they make any attempt to do it.
One nail every day, that’s all you really need to do.
Stick to the emery board for as long as you need.
Taking the pointy tips off the nails is a good start. That alone will save your floors and furniture—maybe even your own skin—from the typical damage that untrimmed nails can do. As the nails are shortened, you will also, almost imperceptibly, hear less nail noise on your hardwood and tile floors . . . a pleasant side effect of doggy nail trimming. (I know when my dogs’ nails need a trim by the sound they make on my wood floors. Even the littlest dog tap-dances when her nails are long.)
Continue to practice gentle paw-handling even after you’ve started nail filing with an emery board. Should your dog suddenly develop some aversion to the process, ask yourself why. Figure out what you might be doing incorrectly—and remember, if something does go wrong, it’s really never the dog’s fault. The dog doesn’t know what’s expected yet. Even when he does, it’s still your rules and your game. Make sure you continue gentle praise and lots of high-value treats! Nail trimming must continue to be a situation in which the dog feels safe, and that is completely your responsibility.
Next week, nail trimming with nail clippers and other tools!
