Restraining Technique For Nail Dremeling

[KickReturn]

For the 6 months that I have had Hester he has simply laid on his side and allowed me to dremel his nails without so much as a flinch. Now he has decided that he is at liberty to stand up and walk away. I have tried to hold his foot firmly but he simply gives me a kick with his free leg (shocking strength) and relocates a few feet away.

 

I have had a helper hold/hug him around the chest and neck while he is down which has allowed me to do some dremeling but he still puts up a struggle. I stop before he becomes too agitated but this prevents me from finishing the job.

 

Is there a better technique? Standing up? Do I need to be firm and physically and psychologically overpower/dominate him? I prefer to avoid this approach but will do it if necessary. Up to this point in our relationship he has never challenged my will. I treat him extremely gently and he always complies - he has never heard the word no. He shows great respect for the social order in our home and while an extremely dominant dog, is very submissive to his people. What I fear is confronting him and losing (physically and psychologically). His size (90 lbs) make this more of a risk.

 

Tips please.

Thanks.

 

(FYI he is perfectly healthy, no limping, etc. and equal response on all feet and I only attempt nail grooming after a long walk.)

Edited June 14, 2012 by KickReturn

[sweetdogs]

Sounds like he just dunna wanna! What I've done with hounds who would prefer not to have their nails dremeled is leash em up & tie the leash around my waist. That way, they can't wander & I can do one foot at a time. Even though they try to tell me they can't possibly stand on only 3 legs. I haven't needed to but a muzzle wouldn't be amiss until he understands that yes, his nails ARE going to get buzzed! So quit fussing.

[MaryJane]

Can you wait until he lays down? Either that or do one foot a day - sometimes I find that doing 4 feet in one session might be too much . Keep a treat in your pocket and if he smells it, he won't go far. You can also try giving a treat after each foot.

[Yamaha_gurl]

I read somewhere that someone smeared some peanut butter on the wall...that will keep him busy for a while! lol

[Jimbuck]

My boy has recently decided he can walk away from nail trimming sessions as well. I've been able to curb this by putting pb in his muzzle and freezing it. I warm up the muzzle a bit with my hands before I put it on and he just stands there and licks his muzzle. It usually lasts about 10 minutes which is just enough to get a decent trim in. Now when the muzzle comes out he jumps and gets excited for his nail trim. Good luck!

[GreytNut]

I get them when they're lying down. I also use a muzzle with a poop cup coated in creamy peanut butter. It keeps Riley distracted while I'm working on his feet, and eliminates the risk of him deciding to take a chunk out of me if I do something uncomfortable.

[Guest barkdogs]

I never would have thought of the muzzle with peanut butter. Excellent idea!

[Batmom]

I would experiment around with how he is most comfortable. Start with the idea of handling his feet -- just handling his feet -- and reward with really great treats for letting you pick up and examine a foot. Long skinny treats like slivers of fake bacon are easy to poke through a muzzle. He might be more comfortable standing up than lying down -- you can keep him near enough by leashing him and putting the leash under your knee. It might also take awhile to get him used to the amount of time dremeling takes. Even if you're fast, it takes longer than clipping.

 

ETA: Wouldn't advise holding him down if he's uncomfortable/struggling. You want him to cooperate and not be frightened of the procedure.

Edited June 15, 2012 by Batmom

[Guest LindsaySF]

For some of mine I do them laying down. Honey I do in my lap with her feet hovering in the air, the only way she'll let me. For one dog I use a muzzle with peanut butter inside to keep them distracted. For Lily I have a helper stuff her face with treats while I trim...

[JJNg]

I definitely agree with all the responses to use treats to distract and reward the appropriate behavior. You don't want to use force because if it becomes a negative experience, he will just get worse and fight more each time. And in addition to the concern about not being able to 'win' the fight with a big dog, it is stressful and can potentially damage your dog's trust in you to physically force him.

 

I have 2 who need a little extra motivation to let me do their nails. With Willow, I started off with nail clippers and gave her a tiny treat after every nail. When I tried to introduce the Dremel, she was totally freaked out by it. Had a friend feed her treats while I Dremeled, and she got to where she totally relaxed with this. Now, I can do her nails by myself, but I keep a pile of treats where she can't reach them and still give her a treat after every nail. I find this also makes her more forgiving if I accidentally get a little too close and hit a sensitive spot. With Willow, I do her nails with her lying down. When she sees me coming with the Dremel and treats, she will go to her spot and lie down if she isn't already.

 

My whippet Ollie is even more difficult for his nails, and he hates having his feet touched. It used to take 3 people to do his nails - one to gently keep him in place, one to feed treats, and one to clip or Dremel. As he's gotten used to this routine, we can now do it with just 2 people, with the person holding intermittently handing him treats from a pile that he can see but not reach. Ollie does better standing on a table. Since I live alone, I usually take him to the clinic with me when he needs his nails done.

[3greytjoys]

Not sure of your dremel type, or how long it takes. If standard dremel, it's important not to dremel one nail any longer than 3 seconds. If longer than 3 seconds, the dremel heats up the nail too much becoming very painful to the sensitive quick. Better to stop at 3 seconds, move on to other nails (until the first nails cool), then go back to finish. Also, I think there is a pre-quick they feel before we would see any blood.

Just a thought, that may be why your hound is now trying to communicate (painful) displeasure.

 

Most of our hounds stand for nail dremeling (only one that doesn't now is our eldest senior). For our most nail sensitive hound, a second person holds his collar while keeping his attention by feeding non-stop yummy treats (reserved for nail time) through a muzzle. The other hounds get yummy treats intermittently through session and thereafter. I use a headlamp/flashlight to see the nails really well. We don't push limits with a cautious hound, it could magnify their displeasure further damaging future sessions. Better to do as others mentioned by limiting to one or two nails every couple of days.

 

Good luck.

[Charlies_Dad]

Yes treats to wonders. That is how we got out Charlie boy to allow me to Dremel his nails. On the other hand, our Jack just wants extra loving so DW scritches his ears, muzzle, etc. while I Dremel his nails and it works well (he's not a chow hound so treats aren't a thrill to him).

[GeorgeofNE]

He's never heard the word "no"? Perhaps he's also never heard the word "stay."

 

He's walking all over you. Some basic obedience training is what you need, not "restraining techniques."

[Guest snakes]

PB muzzle all the way! Although i can do my pups nails with someone hodling the leash/collar and the pup standing or lying, if i am on my own they must have the PB muzzle. Works wonders Without it my boy will snap/gowl all sorts of nasty, with it he's an angel. Occasionally I have to stop and 'refill' the PB

[KickReturn]

He's never heard the word "no"? Perhaps he's also never heard the word "stay."

 

He's walking all over you. Some basic obedience training is what you need, not "restraining techniques."

 

No, he is good with stay, wait and come. He is completely submissive to me. He is just trying to avoid having his nails done.

 

 

The rest of the advice here is really great. I am glad no one advocated "laying down the law" with him. I much prefer gentle bribery and distraction.

[Guest Isis]

May I suggest these two articles:

 

How to Dremel Your Dogs Nails: http://homepages.udayton.edu/~jmerenski1/doberdawn/index.html

 

Train Your Dog to Behave During Grooming:

http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/12_3/features/Dog-Grooming-and-Aggressive-Dog-Behavior_16105-1.html

 

Nail trimming should always be a positive, happy bonding time for both dog and owners. If the dog has been properly conditioned to enjoy nails trims/dremeling no muzzle should be needed. Conditioning may take a few days .....or a few months especially if the dog has had a bad nail triming experience in the past ..be it clipping or dremeling.

 

The nail bed heating up it can be very painful and as another person suggest this may be why dogs struggle or start to leave.

 

Each dog has it own pain theshold for the nail bed heating. The 3 sec rule someone else posted is good or after every 3 secs touch the nail to see if it feels warm, if not try another 3 secs. If it is is warm move on to the next nail, then the next foot.

 

Your food reward should be something very high value (something the dog will do flipflops for), something the dog rarely gets or only gets when you are conditioning the dog to enjoy nail trims and/or doing its nails and no larger than the size of pea for each bite,. One food I recommend to clients is drained canned chicken. You can even spread it out and freeze it. It has a strong smell and dogs love it.

 

Once your dog has learn to enjoy having you and/or a significant other trim its nails, never let anyone else do its nails. I know this will probably make several people angry but as a canine behavioral therapist I just have to say that nail triming should not be a fundraiser or event offering. It is just too easy to break the nail triming trust bond. Think about it. Would you like to be grabbed/held/restrained by some stranger(s) who then grabs your feet (not knowing how you like to be held and "cuddled during nail time) and starts filing away with this loud buzzing thing while other dogs you might be afraid of mill around and strangers surround you staring awaiting their turn ...and your beloved protector who you love and trust to keep you from all danger stands there smiling and doing nothing to save you? Wouldn't your trust in your protector be shakened under similiar circumstances? Its kind a like being held down while others tickle you and won't stop even though you are pleading in tears.