Dobe bit me in the face while nail trimming

[Cferg]

Grooming tables work wonders for nails also, just as they do for posting. It still doesn’t help so much from them trying to pull their feet away. But at least they can’t go anywhere.

 

[Kaiser2016]

Last night I did her bed and that’s when she flipped. Interesting, as the couch is off limits unless she’s asked to go UP. I’m going to try that next time

Perhaps the bed is a bit territorial for her. While you're building the bond of trust, I would leave her alone in her bed. Couch privileges are special and they love it when they get to access something new, so take advantage of that and try again there. One thing, you can't be nervous, she will pick up on it.

We never did Kaiser's nails ourselves until the pandemic came along and we had no choice. We tried to replicate the grooming table and he enjoyed getting up on it to snooze, but didn't want to be on there for nail trims. He did the best laying on the floor. You'll have to experiment to find what works for both of you. But stay calm!

 

[MichiH]

Perhaps the bed is a bit territorial for her. While you're building the bond of trust, I would leave her alone in her bed. Couch privileges are special and they love it when they get to access something new, so take advantage of that and try again there. One thing, you can't be nervous, she will pick up on it.

We never did Kaiser's nails ourselves until the pandemic came along and we had no choice. We tried to replicate the grooming table and he enjoyed getting up on it to snooze, but didn't want to be on there for nail trims. He did the best laying on the floor. You'll have to experiment to find what works for both of you. But stay calm!

Very good point about the bed. Thank you.

Do you trim or dremmel?

 

[Kaiser2016]

Very good point about the bed. Thank you.

Do you trim or dremmel?

He was used to a Dremel from his original groomer, so we continued with it too. It really is superior to clippers because of all the fine control. You can round off the nail tips real nice. It may be tempting to use a slower speed, but I think they feel the vibration of that more, so I go at top speed. Another tip is to have someone help you. My hb will feed Kaiser scrambled eggs while I do the trim. It takes less than 5 minutes to zip through all the nails once you're good at it. I also hold the nail to stabilize it. Since the grinding generates heat, don't stay in one spot, just keep it moving. I practised on a piece of wood to build my confidence. Then you can also practice how to hold the tool without covering the vents and so that the dust doesn't blow back on to your face - I wear goggles and a mask to avoid the nail dust.

 

[MichiH]

He was used to a Dremel from his original groomer, so we continued with it too. It really is superior to clippers because of all the fine control. You can round off the nail tips real nice. It may be tempting to use a slower speed, but I think they feel the vibration of that more, so I go at top speed. Another tip is to have someone help you. My hb will feed Kaiser scrambled eggs while I do the trim. It takes less than 5 minutes to zip through all the nails once you're good at it. I also hold the nail to stabilize it. Since the grinding generates heat, don't stay in one spot, just keep it moving. I practised on a piece of wood to build my confidence. Then you can also practice how to hold the tool without covering the vents and so that the dust doesn't blow back on to your face - I wear goggles and a mask to avoid the nail dust.

Ok I’m going to get a dremel you have all convinced me

It seems as though it’ll be like when we started ears and now that’s no an issue with her.

Oh yes eye and mouth protection makes sense I didn’t think of that either.

Appreciated all of your advice and help thank you!

 

[Kswoodssue]

And I have some dried venison I will now give her and that will most definitely make her compliant. Haha

…or deer poop

 

[MichiH]

…or deer poop

I do have plenty of that around here

 

[Oh Little Oji]

This sounds just like me and how Pepper acts. I hate it so much and she’s bitten me a few times. The more I correct her she gets even more aggressive. I don’t back down though as if I do she knows she can get out of nail trimming. What did you end up doing? I know I have time to work on this she’s 5 months.

I've taken a while to get back to you, I know. I see in subsequent comments that you are anxious about this.

What did I wind up doing?

I did try leashing him to a post in the garage as I trimmed him. That didn't have nearly as much effect as I thought it would. I decided to tie the leash up to an overhead beam. That didn't have much more of a helpful effect. If a dog is determined to move and squirm, it's hard to stop them. The one thing I have not ever tried is having the dog on a raised surface (such as a grooming table, etc.). I just didn't invest the time in trying to devise such a thing. I would be concerned, however, what with how worked up he got about nail trimming, that he might just go ahead and jump off the table despite being leashed up. That'd have to be one stable table, or it would get knocked over. I suppose one could see if the dog learned from that unpleasant experience, but I'd rather not subject the neck to that.

I'd like to take a moment to express that I feel that dogs are tough animals. We humans get more worried about them sometimes than we need to be.

This is not to say I think we ought to unnecessarily subject them to pain, but if nail trimming hurts them for 10 minutes I believe they'll be okay.

That said, as the years went on with Oji, I redoubled my efforts to not hit the quicks. As long as I didn't get too close to them, he would behave relatively well. I put more emphasis on taking little breaks to pet him and be soothing.

Although it is my way to not speak to my dog unless I have something to say of importance (this can really help them listen to you) I took to engaging in a semi-constant talking to him while trimming his nails. I would say the same set of things over and over. I theorized this routine sort of thing might lend a sense of normalcy and reassurance. So there I'd be, earplugs in, safety glasses on going about the trimming procedures and calmly saying "Oh, I let these get long!" "Get under there like I do" "Can't leave them sharp!"

My technique is to straddle the dog, with me facing the same direction as him. For the front nails, I'd pick up the paw and I'd have my elbow jammed into his neck, my face as far away from his as possible. For the rear paws, it was essentially the same thing, but of course I couldn't use the elbow to the neck technique. The little snot would often go ahead and let me carry his entire rear end while trimming the hind paws. This was enabled by letting my knees take some of the weight. This brings up the point that one need to have a certain level of physical strength and endurance to engage in this. I don't know what to recommend to someone who isn't as studly as me But yeah, it is a sweaty endeavor especially in hot weather. I like to have a box fan pointing at us if it's hot.

I've got to tend to precious daughter for a bit now, and then I actually need to trim Zephyr's nails today! If I have other thoughts that I think to share, I'll jot them down here.