trimming a dog's paw nails

My first dog (a husky mix) absolutely HATED having his nails clipped. I had to sneak up on him when he was sleeping and clip one at a time. It's the only time he snarled at me. My second dog would practically hold up his paws for me. Snip, snip, sip, and all done. Never even a curled lip. Of course I gave him a treat afterward.

Our dog has meltdowns no matter what approach we try, from clippers to dremels. Daily outdoor walks help keep her nails filed down. When they absolutely must be trimmed, we give her Trazadone beforehand (as instructed by her vet) and distract her with frozen peanut butter and try to work as quickly as possible.

Any time your dog has to be put under sedation for dental cleaning or other procedures, ask the vet to take care of it then. Often they'll even do so without being prompted.

Funny video of a dog being terrified of nail clipping

my big guy and I have a compromise agreement. Once a month he begrudgingly allows me to, one at a time over the weekend, clip his back nails. He's responsible for chewing his front ones.

R4 Is this your partner or a dog?

hahahaha, my dog. Facebook thinks he's my husband and keeps giving me ads for divorce lawyers and couples counseling

Remember that cutting through the quick is just like you cutting off the tip of your finger, so always mind the quick!

OP, invest in a Dremel. Buy a rechargeable one like the one below. Then start slow with one nail, a few swipes over the edge and a treat. Work your way up to all the nails, which you can do in under a minute. If the nails are longer, several swipes on each once or twice a week will eventually get them to the length you want. Then a quick swipe on each once a week will keep them in perfect shape.

I have a smaller dog. I use the 240 grit sanding bands on hers. If the sanding band is too rough, it will be uncomfortable for the dog and the machine won't work as well.

puppy slings

My dogs are God awful about it. The one zigs her head no matter which way you try to look, while the other yips before you even clip. Tried everything -- the special cutters with a quick sensor (didn't work right), sanding them down, etc. Even tried hanging them from a harness. Best thing came down to bathing first (soften the nails), with treats ready, 2 people, and regular, sharp cutters. If they fight extra hard, we get as far as we can, then give them breaks.

Tried grooming places but the one place actually made the first dog bad about it. They cut one off too much and she was bad from then on. Walking them on pavement areas helps though in summer to keep them duller.

My dogs walked on pavement for their daily walks, so that helped keep their nails trimmed, but I always had the veterinarian do it during their yearly check-ups. I was always too afraid of cutting too close the quick.

Please don't do it if you don't know how, or if your dog really struggles. Clipping improperly can really hurt your pet (dog or cat), and in the worst case scenario make walking really painful. Let the vet do it or go to a professional.

I’ve never cut my dogs nails but we hike a lot on mostly granite mountains and that seems to naturally file them….I would be terrified of cutting the quick!

I've had 2 dogs, and walking doesn't seems to make any difference.