Nail Trimming Difficult Dogs, Pit bull wears grooming sling Nail Clip Preparation
Like 3 Dislike 0 Published on 26 Apr 2016
Don't dogs just love having their nails trimmed?! Yeah, right.😒 I know countless people out there struggle with this task. I can tell you from personal experience if your dog does not like it and you force them to do it, this can be detrimental to your relationship. My sweet boy Mudd has struggled with nail issues ever since he got an injured nail as a puppy. I have tried everything out there from: touching his feet before I fed him, restraining him, trying to distract him in numerous ways, and clipping nails one at a time while he was asleep. Eventually I had to take him to the vet to have them done, which naturally made him very fearful of the vet. This created a brand new issue as the vet was something he never had a problem with before. I knew force was not the answer to this problem. I had hoped for years there was an answer.
I saw a video not too long ago about a vet using a grooming sling cut the nails of difficult dogs. Once the dog is suspended in air, they kind of just go limp and lay there relaxed. Was this it? Did we finally find the answer to our problem? I promptly ordered the sling but Mudd wanted absolutely nothing to do with it. The only way he would tolerate it near his body was if I put it on him like a jacket. As soon as I tried to have him wear it as it is designed, he completely freaked out. I knew there was only one solution. This blue piece of material was going to be the only thing that "fed him" for the next few weeks. Although I had in the past worked on heavily on handling his feet, I have never taught him the command "shake". Historically I hate this behavior because dogs offer behaviors that produce rewards. I was literally against it. The last thing a family with small children needs is their lab scratching the kids in the face, begging for a cookie. Anyone who knows me personally knows how much I hate this behavior. Well guess what? There are exceptions to every rule and this is one of them. I cannot explain to you the difference putting this behavior on cue made versus me just touching his feet for food. Just a few weeks ago he gave his paw for the very first time to my boyfriend, when asked, while one of his nails was broken and painful. We stood there astounded that he gave John his foot even though he was injured. We knew we had turned the corner.