[yorkietalkjilly]

I started out slowly with Tibbe and did a bit of one nail each day with the PediPaws and gave him a high-value treat afterward, together with praise and a run outside in the back yard to let off the fear and anxiety. I do Tibbe's nails on the back porch to help distract him by the outside noises and smells and to keep the nail dust from getting in the house.

Almost anything that you do for a very short period of time over and over, day after day, a dog will eventually accept if you are persistent, patient but firm and gentle. He does better if I put a towel or cloth over his face while I'm doing his nails, which he now lets me do all at one session. It takes about 1 - 2 minutes to do all of them as I do them about every 4 - 7 days so they stay as short as possible. I still use the towel over his face for protection in case something flies off the machine and he still gets the treat/praise/run outside after.

First and foremost, set your mind as that of a doctor doing something to a patient to make them better. Be matter-of-fact and keep going until you are done. If you use the PediPaws, it can get all caught up in the fur, the rough part can get into the pad and rough it up, etc., if you have to take off the protective head to get to the toe, as some dogs' feet are so small the housing is too bulky for the tiny foot. Tibbe's toes are too small to use the housing so I have learned to put my thumb over the pad of the toe having its nail trimmed to prevent this. So be prepared not to react horrifically if something goes wrong so your baby won't be overly scared by it. Just accept that it happened, know that it didn't really injure the dog if it caught in his hair or roughed his pad, treat and watch the area and know that doing nails this way, you won't ever likely cut the quick and cause bleeding and pain that way. I simply can't use the toenail trimmer anymore - I'm just too nervous and afraid I'll cut the quick and hurt my dog.