How To Get My Dog to Let Me Trim Their Nails

Nail trimming can be pretty difficult to do, especially when your dog has touchy feet. I tell my clients all the same thing when it comes to nail trimming: 1) Place the trimmer out so your dog can see it at all times. 2) When your dog is sitting with you, place the nail trimmer close to the dog so the trimmers can be seen. 3) Do this every day because it is important to allow the dog to adjust to seeing the trimmer daily. 4) Every day, move the trimmer a little closer to the dog. 5) During step 1-4 rub your dog’s paws by gentle touching until you can completely rub the paw without flinching. 6) Once the dog has adjusted well and doesn’t react to the trimmer, use the trimmer to touch one nail & judge the dog’s reaction. If the dog doesn’t react, attempt to slip the trimmer onto the nail. If the dog reacts, stop! If the dog doesn’t react, continue until you have trimmed one nail & then stop! 7) Every day repeat these steps until you get all nails trimmed. This practice takes time, practice and a ton of patience! Another option is to get a silicone lick pad and lather it with peanut butter. Stick it to the floor to allow your dog to lick it up. The dog is often so thrilled at the gooey goodness that he/she will not even notice you’re even trimming or touching their nails! Side Note: If you do not know how to properly trim your dog’s nails without making them bleed, then please look up the topic on YouTube! There is a ton of videos out there to help with this.