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Originally Posted by JMuedog  lol! No, I have never seen those. Sorry to laugh, but it almost looks like a torture device. Some things they make look so funny. Are you getting one? If you do and it works I'll get one. It has to be better for Finni than having two people holding him down.
I'm thinking something had to have happened at one of his grooming appointments along the way because he wasn't always so terrified of nail clipping. |
Someone may have cut a nail too short or something could have happened to another dog while his nails were being done that now makes him uneasy about having it done. Just like potty training, you may just have to start all over with him to rebuild his confidence and trust.
When I do my Peek a Boo's nails, starting out I was thrilled to get 2 nails on one foot done. I worked on them everyday to every three days, just doing what I could get done before I stressed him out too much. Also, finishing on a 'good note' allows me to reward him. Then I gradually increased the time spend and the number of nails done, so now I can do all of his nails in one sitting, and sometimes he even falls asleep while I work on them. He lays on his back in my lap or on the kitchen table. Sometimes when we start he still tries to tug a foot away, just to let me know who is really the boss... haha, but then he gives up and just lays there for me. A long walk before the nail job helps too.
Also, I have found out that on Peek a Boo, if his nails get too long, the quick will recede in about 3-4 days allowing me to take off another 1/16 - 1/8. Different dogs will have different growth rates, so check often to see how frequently you can do his to get them shortened up, and use each session to teach him. Sometimes I even did Peek's twice a day... different nails... This frequency really helped when acclimating him to the rotary grinder.
If you don't let him get to the point where he's really fighting you, he will learn not to fight it. Even if you can only do one nail at a time to begin with, he'll learn that you won't be doing it for long, and that may help to lessen his resistance. Also touch his feet throughout the day when you have no intention of working on the nails. I'll pick up a foot and go through and hold each nail for a second or 2, and reward afterward.