I feel like I'm in a UFC heavyweight match when I attempt to clip our dog's nails so we take her to the Vet to get it done for $18 a pop. They do a great job, way better than PetSmart but that adds up to over $200 per year. Any suggestions in how to get her to calm down and cooperate?

Did my dog today. We lay him down, and my wife keeps the bacon treats coming the entire time I do them. She breaks them in a million bits, so it only takes 4 or 5 till I'm done. n I've used a dremel some in the past too. cordless with a light. but it put a lot of dust in the air and grossed me out. he took to that a little better though.

The one job I really hate, although my pooch doesn't really mind it too bad.

I clip the bulk of them first, and then go at them with a dremel which works very well. I try to wait for a windy day because, yes, the cloud of nail dust is kind of gross.

Start with touching her feet. Make sure treats are involved. Get her used to having her feet touched. Be sure to have lots of praise.
Next work on getting her to understand the clippers or dremel. Add treats. Add praise.
Finally, do ONE nail. Add treats and praise.
After a couple of days, repeat with One Nail.

Remember dogs are very in tune with their owners. No doubt when you get ready to clip nails, there's an inner dialogue and you tense up. The Vet staff does this daily and, no doubt, is quite relaxed.

http://www.dogsnaturallymagazi...-your-dogs-toenails/
https://www.lovethatpet.com/do...trimming-dogs-nails/

yes it starts early. I do a nail every dinner. If i got lazy my dog does anything for carrots so i use that.

 
I used to do our Ibizan, her claws were clear. Our current crew, the wife pays the vet because they all have black nails. Even when the vet cuts a bleeder, she stops it quick with the stiptik stuff.
 

My late Staffordshire Terrier(Pitbull) Scarlett in her younger days was a terror. She was very sensitive around her feet. Her left front leg was injured before we got her and incorrectly healed.

First time I tried to clip her nails she fought and fought hard. Next time in conjunction with a vet visit I had them clip them. It took two of us to hold her while the vet clipped. That little girl had a lot of fight in her!

The vet was quite surprised too, she did not growl or bite, just wanted to flail and escape.

 
My wife's take on toe nail trimming:

Toe nail trimming, both sides of the story........

What I say happened

I got out the trimmers and the dogs all acted like it was the end of their lives. Some were resigned to it, others screamed in pain before I even touched their feet. All survived unhurt.

What the dogs say happened

She came at us with a chain saw. Those of us not paralyzed with fear tried to avoid having our paws cut off by running away and/or crying out. There was an ambulance and a helicopter standing by to transport injured dogs to the hospital to get paw transplants. It was horrible. After we returned from the intensive care unit, we got treats.
 

UPDATE: Our washer and dryer set on pedestals which put the tops 48" off of the ground. We put our pup up there and were able to clip her nails with very little resistance. So, I guess her fear of heights is greater than her fear of the nail clipper. We had treats on hand and rewarded her after each paw. The $18 we saved will go towards ammo.

quote:

Originally posted by Icabod:
Start with touching her feet. Make sure treats are involved. Get her used to having her feet touched. Be sure to have lots of praise.
Next work on getting her to understand the clippers or dremel. Add treats. Add praise.
Finally, do ONE nail. Add treats and praise.
After a couple of days, repeat with One Nail.

This. It's much easier to do this from the very beginning, when they're a puppy. (That's one of my main tips to folks with new puppies: Get your puppy used to being touched/clipped/brushed/washed/etc EARLY.)

But you can train an older dog the same way. It just takes longer.

When I lived in the city or went for lots of walks on paved roads never had to clip nails at all.

quote:

Originally posted by fischtown7:
When I lived in the city or went for lots of walks on paved roads never had to clip nails at all.

This. I'm kinda lucky that I have a big cement patio and an old cement dog run from my coonhound days.
My dog runs around on that and I haven't had to touch his nails.
Bath is a different story. 68 pound Pit Bull that bucks like a horse at bath time. Strong SOB.