How To Sand Dog Nails

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Note: This post is intended to serve every bit a "last resort" in conjunction with a desensitization program for trimming your dogs nails. Information technology is not a replacement for clipping your dogs nails, or getting a puppy used to handling. This is for dogs who are already traumatized by nails trims, it can assist "fill in" for when the nails get likewise long and the vet is a stressful meet, perhaps so stressful it is also detrimental to health. The reason we had to resort to this is we tried many different strategies for desensitization and trimming nails, at home and at the vets since adopting him 2 years ago, and while some progress was made information technology was nonetheless slower than his nails growth – and behavior was regressing in other areas. Nosotros hope that this tin help traumatized dogs like Mort, but delight also work with your domestic dog on feeling more than comfortable when trimming nails, with a behaviorist if necessary.

Is your domestic dog scared of nail trims? Exercise y'all demand to accept him or her to the vet to get his nails clipped? Does she fear the Dremel? Does your dog fear his nails existence touched, and panic, nip, or bite when its time to take them trimmed? This weeks post is about training one of my dogs, Mort, to file his own nails due to intense fear, and thus far it's the virtually useful dog grooming we accept done with him (other than maybe his condom "Wait" or "Downwards" commands). At that place is quite an all-encompassing reason why we chose to railroad train him to practice this, simply he learnt the new behavior in about five minutes and it saved u.s.a. a ton of… trauma when trimming his nails (to put it delicately). Read on for why we needed to teach him to file his nails.

Why did we need to teach Mort this behavior?

Mort has always been terrified of having his nails trimmed, only manifestly they demand to exist trimmed so he doesn't take bug walking or cause problems with his posture. Unfortunately his front end nails grow rapidly, and are hard, and so do not file down much from walking on pavement. From when we first adopted him, he didn't like beingness restrained. Having anything "washed" to him didn't work out well. He is a highly-strung, intense, quick, dog. Smart, alarm, enlightened. Decumbent to nip when fearful (has never bitten, merely has nipped very close to skin). "De-sensitizing" him to anything, such equally restraint, tools to clip his nails, and more were not successful – even when nosotros took things at a painfully slow stride. The second he clued in to what nosotros were after (for case, that the Dremel I had been getting him used to for six weeks was really for his nails?! YIKES!), he would instantly fear information technology and make up one's mind he was not going to have anything to practice with the item or procedure.

While we managed to become him used to having us touch, hold, high-v, and shake his paws and restrain or at least hold him for certain things the nails were a lost cause. We concluded up at the vets (our desensitization was going too slowly), and three techs couldn't fifty-fifty restrain him to have them clipped then they told me that sedation was in club. In my upset state I agreed, considering I had a terrified dog and the room was covered in glad secretion, puke, blood, fur, and drool. Mistake. I do non recommend sedation when a dog is still alert to what is happening, and he is in a land of panic. This experience may have set us back, or damaged the situation permanently.

Later on one more visit (again, we couldn't clip at home – he struggles likewise much to fifty-fifty endeavour it), I was exasperated. I refused sedation, and although his nails could exist clipped that time he was stressed across belief. I was terrified poor Mort would take a heart attack at the office, not to mention his behavior around some strangers was getting worse. We needed to do something completely different. I heard some trainers taught their dogs to use sandpaper. Then, I bought some sandpaper to make him a giant canis familiaris nail file.

Create a giant dog nails file

The first step is to make the nail file. It's very simple (although I'g sure this simple design could be vastly improved!): you just need to affix some sandpaper to a flat surface such as a board. I used a recycled slice of woods, tape (duct or packing volition exercise), and a piece of sandpaper from Lowe's to brand the embarrassment pictured here, but yous could create something much prettier and better. I'chiliad using 120 dust sandpaper, only I accept also heard of people using 80 dust for this exercise.

The reason I did not use glue is I was concerned most Mort scratching through the paper eventually, having mucilage remainder stuck to his nails that he then licks off. Yes, I'm rather paranoid by nature. If you do use glue, brand sure you use something non-toxic that will not crusade harm if your domestic dog ingest a little of it from the back side of the paper if they file correct through.

Dog trims his own nails on a giant file board. — I didn't even want him to start even so, and he was scratching the file – offering the behavior right away!

Preparation the behavior

This volition vary based on how your dog learns, and what his chief motivators are. The following is how I taught Mort (and Tig… kind of) this behavior, based on the specific ways that they learn. You may need to adjust this for your domestic dog, or use a entirely different technique.

Training Mort'due south nails trim

I started with a scattering of treats and the board at an angle, and observed what Mort would naturally offer up as far equally behaviors. Mort knows when we are going to do some "preparation", and then he mostly starts trying things to get the food in my mitt. With the lath at an angle, he wasn't too sure what to practice so he offered sits, downs, and high-fives. Then paused to expect at me, saying "well what the hell do y'all want?". I tried to capture a loftier-five on the board, I tapped it, but all of this was clumsy and not "obvious" near what I wanted Mort to exercise.

I so lowered the board so it was flat on the floor. I placed his paw on the lath, and that seemed to "click" for him – he was supposed to exercise things with the board. He started slapping his paw on the board (quick treat reward), and I started to raise it upwards incrementally then he naturally started pawing and sort of scratching it. I sometimes moved the lath a fleck to "capture" a scratch.

Each time he gave I skillful scratch, I immediately rewarded this. Proper timing is a piffling tricky one time you're holding the board (as you lot can encounter in the video), then if you prop up the board to proceed your easily free for a care for or the clicker, you can be much more effective. Mort caught on when the lath was propped against my knee, and so timing wasn't as essential once the board was held near vertical in my hands.

Later on it was very clear I was looking for a scratch, I started rewarding the ameliorate scratches and "jackpotting" (big party, lots of treats) when he rapidly scratches with both paws. Within 5 minutes (perhaps less), he was scratching the board – often fervently (both paws in a digging movement) – knowing it would produce treats. And he loves information technology.

The second video was taken after doing this for quite awhile to get the photos and video, and then he was somewhat bored by this signal. But as you can encounter, he'due south all the same into scratching the board for treats.

Then, in a nutshell:

Use whatever motivates your dog, whether information technology'due south treats, a toy, a click, or praise. Keep it fun, because you lot don't desire a negative association to begin with this paw-related activity! As well, timing will be key at the outset.
Commencement with the file lath apartment on the ground. Go the dog interested in the board, and place his feet on the board. Speedily reward when paws touch the board.
Incrementally raise the board inch past inch. Quickly reward the paw/nails touching the lath.
As you are raising the board and rewarding, start rewarding when the nails scratch the board. Motion the board slightly to capture this, if needed.
Offset but rewarding proper "scratches" when the lath is on an incline. Add a cue (tap with finger, or command) when your domestic dog clearly knows what to do.

This volition hopefully capture the filing behavior, but at that place are further steps you can have to finer file the nail, noted at the stop of this post.

Remember to take breaks! You exercise not demand to teach this quickly. Remember to go on things happy and positive – if your dog starts to get bored or frustrated, end the session for the solar day.

Tigger also?

She watched Mort, and started offering the behavior afterwards glancing at him for five seconds (by this fourth dimension he was scratching the board). She scratched the board, then asked for the care for. I'm not exaggerating.

Does information technology really file the nails down?

Yes! At least for Mort, all four of his front nails are filed downwards to almost a normal length after a few sessions. His nails were extremely long and hard. The more than vertical the lath is, the amend information technology seems to file the smash and the paw pads will touch the sandpaper less. We take only done this for three curt sessions, and tonight to take these videos, and his nails are less half the length they used to be and filed almost of the way to the quick.

You would not believe how long they were just a week agone. They were obscene.

Dog filed his own nails — Freshly filed nails – correct downwards to the quick in a few sessions.

And the virtually important thing is he loves this activity! The large con is that it sounds a fleck like nails on a chalkboard. I recommend a pair of earplugs if yous are sound sensitive.

What virtually the other nails – similar the dew claws?

Mort is lucky: he chews his dew claws (he has both front end and rear ones, and will take them correct off himself – overnice and clean little husk pops off), and his rear nails do not get almost as long as the forepart ones probably due to our regular pavement-based walks.

Our ultimate goal is to be able to clip them of course, or utilise a Dremel, only for now the sandpaper may exist the solution. If your domestic dog doesn't take care of his dew claws, you lot will demand to get these trimmed another way. For the rear claws, you may exist able to train a like behavior with the sandpaper.

Things to lookout man out for

Watch the length of the nail, to make sure you terminate only earlier you reach the quick of any blast beingness filed.

You will desire to watch out for scuffed pads, due to the sandpaper abrasion. Sentry how your dog is holding his hand, and adjust accordingly. I accept been checking Mort's manus pads, and they appear completely normal so this action does not seem to impact them. I assemble he manages to concur his pads in such a mode they are not getting sandpapered.

Too make sure that yous watch for uneven filing, watching for an entire paw or private nails being filed more quickly than the others (for case, if one nail reaches the quick). With this in heed, our next sessions will first teaching "correct" and "left" paws, and and so I'll piece of work on sides of the paws if possible. This will assist with certain nails being filed more speedily than others.

I volition besides try to conform the tilt of the board to file his nails more evenly vs the quick. I think this will be more challenging than the in a higher place!

I volition follow upward in a subsequently post about how this preparation proceeds.

Good luck! And remember to go along it fun and positive!

Last updated: Wed, January 28, 2015