This mini-series on safe nail clipping is for those of you who want to teach your dog to be comfortable with nail clipping.
It was made in collaboration with Veterinarian & Dog Trainer Mie Bay from Succeshund.dk.
It's for you who are tired of having a stomach ache from having to clip your dog's claws. For you who have a dog who just doesn't think that nail clipping is cool.
The good news is that you can do something about it. You can teach your dog to be completely comfortable with nail clipping - so comfortable that he actually asks you to have his nails clipped.
Why is your dog afraid of nail clipping?
There could be many reasons why your dog is uncomfortable having their nails trimmed.
5 common reasons for insecurity when cutting nails are:
-
Being held by the paw = loss of control
-
The sound of nail clipping
-
Don't like the feel of things on the nail/the clip itself
-
Insecurity about objects in general
-
Bad experiences (for example, if we cut too long and it hurt)
Fortunately, we can work with all the causes.
Why is nail clipping something we need to practice?
Nail clipping is something you need to practice for both your own sake and your dog's. None of us like to see our dog insecure, and nail clipping quickly becomes a situation that makes both us and our dog sick. In addition, nail clipping is something we need to do regularly on most dogs. Therefore, I personally think we owe it to our dogs to make it a good experience.
Handling and nail clipping is not something dogs need to learn to tolerate - it is something they need to learn to be comfortable with.
'I can't practice safe nail clipping because...'
Are you also familiar with the claim that you cannot train safe nail clipping if your dog needs to have its nails clipped BEFORE you finish the training?
I hear it often about all kinds of handling. And I (fortunately) have to tell you that it's not true. Of course you can improve your dog's relationship with nail clipping, even if he has to have his nails trimmed along the way :-)
In the next blog post, you will learn a little about visual frames for positive handling, which can help you not to 'poison' your good training with 'need handling'. In addition, there are options such as a scratching board, which can help you keep your dog's nails shorter while you are training. And then there is always the option of getting help from your veterinarian, who can give your dog a sedative or light anesthesia prior to a nail clipping, so that you have peace of mind to continue training at home afterwards. However, as a general rule, do not let your veterinarian cut your dog's nails without sedative or anesthesia if your dog is insecure about nail clipping - this in no way makes the situation better.
So what should you do?
Fortunately, there are plenty of things you can do to change your dog's relationship with nail clipping. In fact, your dog can learn to enjoy nail clipping so much that he or she will volunteer to participate. It can become a fun time for you and your dog to spend together.
In the next 2 blogs you will get 8 steps that you can train to help your dog become comfortable with nail clipping.
I hope you'll read along. And until then, I encourage you to consider what your motivation behind training should be, and when in the day you can include small training sessions - this will be what keeps you on track and helps your dog reach the goal.
I'm rooting for you and your dog!
- Mie
Success Dog - Mie Bay
Mie Bay is a veterinarian, dog trainer and huge dog nerd. She is passionate about the good relationship between dog and owner and has a particular passion for spreading training in safe and voluntary handling for the family dog. Mie owns SuccesHund, where she works according to the idea that dog training should be safe and fun - for both dog and human.
You can read about Mie's teaching and get to know her better on the Instagram/Facebook profiles @SuccesHund and on the website www.succeshund.dk
Mini Guide: Safe Nail Clipping Part 1
This mini-series on safe nail clipping is for those of you who want to teach your dog to be comfortable with nail clipping.
It was made in collaboration with Veterinarian & Dog Trainer Mie Bay from Succeshund.dk.
It's for you who are tired of having a stomach ache from having to clip your dog's claws. For you who have a dog who just doesn't think that nail clipping is cool.
The good news is that you can do something about it. You can teach your dog to be completely comfortable with nail clipping - so comfortable that he actually asks you to have his nails clipped.
Why is your dog afraid of nail clipping?
There could be many reasons why your dog is uncomfortable having their nails trimmed.
5 common reasons for insecurity when cutting nails are:
Fortunately, we can work with all the causes.
Why is nail clipping something we need to practice?
Nail clipping is something you need to practice for both your own sake and your dog's. None of us like to see our dog insecure, and nail clipping quickly becomes a situation that makes both us and our dog sick. In addition, nail clipping is something we need to do regularly on most dogs. Therefore, I personally think we owe it to our dogs to make it a good experience.
Handling and nail clipping is not something dogs need to learn to tolerate - it is something they need to learn to be comfortable with.
'I can't practice safe nail clipping because...'
Are you also familiar with the claim that you cannot train safe nail clipping if your dog needs to have its nails clipped BEFORE you finish the training?
I hear it often about all kinds of handling. And I (fortunately) have to tell you that it's not true. Of course you can improve your dog's relationship with nail clipping, even if he has to have his nails trimmed along the way :-)
In the next blog post, you will learn a little about visual frames for positive handling, which can help you not to 'poison' your good training with 'need handling'. In addition, there are options such as a scratching board, which can help you keep your dog's nails shorter while you are training. And then there is always the option of getting help from your veterinarian, who can give your dog a sedative or light anesthesia prior to a nail clipping, so that you have peace of mind to continue training at home afterwards. However, as a general rule, do not let your veterinarian cut your dog's nails without sedative or anesthesia if your dog is insecure about nail clipping - this in no way makes the situation better.
So what should you do?
Fortunately, there are plenty of things you can do to change your dog's relationship with nail clipping. In fact, your dog can learn to enjoy nail clipping so much that he or she will volunteer to participate. It can become a fun time for you and your dog to spend together.
In the next 2 blogs you will get 8 steps that you can train to help your dog become comfortable with nail clipping.
I hope you'll read along. And until then, I encourage you to consider what your motivation behind training should be, and when in the day you can include small training sessions - this will be what keeps you on track and helps your dog reach the goal.
I'm rooting for you and your dog!
- Mie
Success Dog - Mie Bay
Mie Bay is a veterinarian, dog trainer and huge dog nerd. She is passionate about the good relationship between dog and owner and has a particular passion for spreading training in safe and voluntary handling for the family dog. Mie owns SuccesHund, where she works according to the idea that dog training should be safe and fun - for both dog and human.
You can read about Mie's teaching and get to know her better on the Instagram/Facebook profiles @SuccesHund and on the website www.succeshund.dk