I despise few things in life. Really. However, one of them is having to clip my dog Harley's nails. He's a larger dog, with thick claws. He always seems to get "quicked." Then the subsequent yipe and the look of "oh mom, why?why?why?" and so now I have the vet do it. Well, the last time at the vet, he got quicked again - by a vet tech who was very sweet about it, but Harley is terrified now. He's due for nail clipping and a shot this week and I know he'll be terrified. I know it's all necessary. I just dread watching the confused and sad face of my extremely handsome rescue dog, while I practically lay on top of him to keep him still while he gets clipped. Deep sigh....
Have you tried a weekly filing, complete with lots of treats? Our Golden/St. Bernard had nails that were incredibly thick. I found that sitting on the floor with him, petting and talking, while I took a rasp (the carpenter's kind) and filed down his nails turned into a pleasant experience for both of us. He'd get a treat after each paw was done. I got a lot of good time with my buddy. Win/win!
The best way to stop having to clip claws is to walk Harley on concrete or another rough, hard surface. That way his claws will be naturally kept shorter and shouldn't require having to be cut. So much better for everyone involved - especially Harley.
My 'grand-dog' is terrified of having his nails clipped and the only way the Vet will do it is if he is muzzled and has had 2-3 Benadryl before the appointment.
Oh my everyone. If you all could try to get them done more often so the nail doesn't get long so the quick doesn't grow out to the end of the nail. I am in the same boat even though I know the correct way to do it. Letting them go because they hate it is only making the situation worse. My dogs hated it for a long time but now I do just that little snip of the end more often the seem not to hate it so much.
I grind my dogs' nails with a Dremel-type grinder made especially for dogs. I'd use an actual Dremel except my dogs are very little so the rpms are just too much. They still don't like it much, but as someone suggested I try and get to it once a week so there's not that much to remove. It's really quick, no tender quicks because you have so much control, and no sharp slivers left over either.
Ronni, that is brilliant! I never knew there was a Dremel attachment for filing a dog's nails. What a great idea!
My dog "Molly" has very big thick nails and despite me having two good dog nail clippers she hates the sight of them,..i followed the instructions in the video below alas Molly still hates nail clipping,..so with ball in hand on doggy walks i throw the ball along cement foot paths,..Molly skids when catching the ball and the nails are reduced,..doing this several times a week keeps them well reduced. Video===Cutting Dog Nails Safely Eileen,..you do as i do,..and it works a treat. Ronni,..nice tip about the Dremel. Marlingardener,..yep filing is acceptable to Molly and i would say most dogs.
Philip, most dogs will put up with almost anything as long as it involves petting and treats! A few kind and gentle words during the process don't hurt, either. There are few pleasures in life that compare to holding 75 lbs. of furry dog on your lap while cooing to him and filing his nails. Some spas could take lessons from dog owners!
Using a Dremel is out (too loud), their apartment doesn't have concrete for them to walk him on (parking lot is asphalt), Petting and treats do nothing for him at that point and keeping the nails shorter still means having to handle his paws. Sadly because of some abuse he suffered before my daughter got him, there is no way to get near Fred's paws without having him in a muzzle and 2-3 Benadryl before taking him to the Vet then the Vet will most likely still have to put him to sleep for process.
Thank you for the great ideas, everyone. have his nails clipped every 4-6 months, but the last two times have been a bad experience for Harley. I walk him frequently at the park on concrete/blacktop, but in the winter he can get pretty long and the clickclickclick on the wood floor is a sure sign he's due. I will be sure and ask the vet about a nail file, rather than a clippers, though. I hadn't thought of that.
