When you have reached the point where you have cut a bit of a nail for the first time during the practice of safe nail cutting, you would think that you have reached your goal.
That from now on, your dog is just comfortable having his nails trimmed.
But unfortunately, that's not how it goes for most people, no matter how thorough you have been in training up to the first step.
That may not sound very motivating - but take it as a pat on the back and a reminder that the training journey for you and your dog is probably completely normal!
Read previous weeks' posts:
- Part 1
- Part 2
- Part 3
Many people experience a decline in training after the first few clips . This is because we 'change the picture' quite a bit for our dogs when we go from the earlier stages of training to actually cutting some of a nail. But don't worry - this in no way means that your training is ruined.
It just means you need to slow down and reevaluate your training plan. Find out which step in the training your dog is still comfortable with and then work your way up to being able to trim a bit of a nail again. Keep going back and forth like this and over time you will find that the path back to being able to safely trim some of a nail becomes shorter and shorter.
If your dog is just fine with light nail clipping now, you still need to be patient. Just because your dog is comfortable with you cutting small pieces of a nail doesn't necessarily mean they're comfortable with you just cutting off the top. Continue to slowly build up the nail clipping so that over time you can cut more and more in one session.
Set a realistic goal that also keeps you 'a little in check'. It can often be easier not to become overconfident if we set an 'easier' achievable goal than 'my dog must be comfortable with me cutting all his nails in one session'. Maybe the success criterion should be that your dog is comfortable in every single session, no matter how little or much you cut his nails? Maybe the goal should be to be able to cut one nail a day? And then let it develop slowly from there.
Part of training for safe nail clipping is learning how far you can cut.
Always judge from the 'cut surface' of the nail and not from the side of the nail, regardless of the color of the nail.
As a general rule, you should cut until you reach the 'middle' of the nail, which contains blood vessels and nerves. You will know that you have reached the 'middle' when a small dot appears in the middle of the 'cut surface' of the nail, which is typically the same color as the outside of the nail. This means a faint pink on light nails, brown on brown nails and black on black nails. Once you see the small dot, you should not cut any further in, but you may cut a little around the 'middle', for example by cutting a little off the sides of the nail.
If you are unsure whether you have reached the 'middle' of the nail, you can try pressing your own nail a little into what you think is the 'middle'. The 'middle' is softer than the rest of the nail.
Remember that there is always help available if your training gets stuck, you are in doubt or you need to try a different method. There are many ways to train safe nail clipping and all steps can be trained in different setups. So, hope is by no means lost if it does not work for you to 'just' follow the list you have been given in this mini-series. There are several dog trainers and behavior consultants out there who are ready to help you and your dog achieve the goal of safe nail clipping.
Thanks for reading and have a great workout.
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
Safe Nail Clipping - Part 4
When you have reached the point where you have cut a bit of a nail for the first time during the practice of safe nail cutting, you would think that you have reached your goal.
That from now on, your dog is just comfortable having his nails trimmed.
But unfortunately, that's not how it goes for most people, no matter how thorough you have been in training up to the first step.
That may not sound very motivating - but take it as a pat on the back and a reminder that the training journey for you and your dog is probably completely normal!
Read previous weeks' posts:
- Part 1
- Part 2
- Part 3
Many people experience a decline in training after the first few clips . This is because we 'change the picture' quite a bit for our dogs when we go from the earlier stages of training to actually cutting some of a nail. But don't worry - this in no way means that your training is ruined.
It just means you need to slow down and reevaluate your training plan. Find out which step in the training your dog is still comfortable with and then work your way up to being able to trim a bit of a nail again. Keep going back and forth like this and over time you will find that the path back to being able to safely trim some of a nail becomes shorter and shorter.
If your dog is just fine with light nail clipping now, you still need to be patient. Just because your dog is comfortable with you cutting small pieces of a nail doesn't necessarily mean they're comfortable with you just cutting off the top. Continue to slowly build up the nail clipping so that over time you can cut more and more in one session.
Set a realistic goal that also keeps you 'a little in check'. It can often be easier not to become overconfident if we set an 'easier' achievable goal than 'my dog must be comfortable with me cutting all his nails in one session'. Maybe the success criterion should be that your dog is comfortable in every single session, no matter how little or much you cut his nails? Maybe the goal should be to be able to cut one nail a day? And then let it develop slowly from there.
Part of training for safe nail clipping is learning how far you can cut.
Always judge from the 'cut surface' of the nail and not from the side of the nail, regardless of the color of the nail.
As a general rule, you should cut until you reach the 'middle' of the nail, which contains blood vessels and nerves. You will know that you have reached the 'middle' when a small dot appears in the middle of the 'cut surface' of the nail, which is typically the same color as the outside of the nail. This means a faint pink on light nails, brown on brown nails and black on black nails. Once you see the small dot, you should not cut any further in, but you may cut a little around the 'middle', for example by cutting a little off the sides of the nail.
If you are unsure whether you have reached the 'middle' of the nail, you can try pressing your own nail a little into what you think is the 'middle'. The 'middle' is softer than the rest of the nail.
Remember that there is always help available if your training gets stuck, you are in doubt or you need to try a different method. There are many ways to train safe nail clipping and all steps can be trained in different setups. So, hope is by no means lost if it does not work for you to 'just' follow the list you have been given in this mini-series. There are several dog trainers and behavior consultants out there who are ready to help you and your dog achieve the goal of safe nail clipping.
Thanks for reading and have a great workout.
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