| If you've got a dog (no matter the breed)
that's never had the opportunity to learn to accept trimming of the hair
and nails on their feet, then you're most likely acquainted with the
sentiment in the little poem above... and the bigger the dog, the less
likely you'll be able to inject humor into the situation. Keep
your sense of humor, go slowly, and earn the trust of your dog.
This article will attempt to teach you to earn your dog's trust, and
quickly and efficiently trim his nails and the hair between the pads of
his feet.
I always recommend to owners that they
learn to groom their dogs themselves. All
facets of your dog's grooming should be made to be a relaxing, pleasurable
experience for him -- it's a bonding process. Clicker
Training is especially effective in teaching your dog acceptable,
appropriate behavior during these often stressful proceedings, and can
easily be incorporated into the following.
For foot care, these are the tools
you'll need for a St. Bernard:
- Item A is a pair of rounded-tipped scissors, for trimming the hair
between the pads.
- Item B is paw wax. This forms a water-tight barrier, and
helps to keep your dog's pads free from splits and cracks. It
helps him to "grip" on slick surfaces, like linoleum, too.
- Item C is a plyers-type nail trimmer with guard (I
really recommend those with the guard -- the guard
minimizes the risk of cutting the nail too short, because it only
allows you to remove a very small amount at a time!)
- nail file (to remove burrs and rough
edges)
- styptic powder (this facilitates
clotting, should you accidentally "quick" the nail)
- REALLY Good Treats (I use
thinly-sliced hotdogs)
Don't "pin" your dog down (see
the Settle command). The best way I've
found to introduce a dog to these rituals is to choose a relaxed time --
like when you're sitting on the couch in the evening with the TV on.
If your dog is allowed on the couch, he's already there with you. If
not, sit or lay on the floor with him. Start slowly, with just your
hands -- no grooming supplies. Keep a supply of sliced hotdog or
cheese cubes on hand, to reinforce appropriate behavior. Spend 5-10
minutes each evening touching his feet, and progress to massaging the pads of his feet (this is very
sensitive). Don't rush things -- make this enjoyable, and at the
same time, you'll desensitize your dog to having his feet handled.
While massaging, push up on each individual toe until the nail is
extended -- with each one, say "Ah! You've earned a treat!"
happily, and then give him the treat!
The next step, is to add the actual
grooming, one tiny step at a time. Again, a supply of sliced hotdog or cheese will
really expedite the process.
- Begin by going through the massage
ritual described for the first week, and then add the nail clips -- don't
actually use them, yet -- just lightly rub them across the pads of
the feet. If your dog accepts this easily, praise him and give him a
treat for each foot.
- Then, progress to extending each nail,
while rubbing the clipper across the pad.
- Then, add the practice clip -- work
the clipper in the normal scissors fashion, while staying close to
the foot... but don't touch the foot just yet with the
clipper.
- The next night, follow this same routine, then,
if this is easily accepted, quickly snip just the very tip of a nail.
Jackpot him! A jackpot is several treats
at once -- you give the jackpot any time that you want to really express
pleasure with something that your dog has done, or allowed you to do -- it
will increase the chances of this particular behavior being offered again!
Whether or not you continue on with more nails, at this time, depends on
how your dog accepts this single little snip -- don't rush it!!
One of the most humbling lessons I
learned in all this, was that it is NOT necessary for every nail on
every foot to be the exact same length -- for the longest time, I could
only trim one or two nails on each of Zoe's feet, each evening.
It's important not to rush things... hurrying leads to accidents, which
will only prove to make your dog less cooperative the next time.
Go slowly, and use lots of rewards...
some dogs have had bad experiences with nail-clipping. Zoe still
won't allow me to clip her nails, if she realizes what I'm doing.
So, I've had to enlist Hubby's help, with her. He sits in the
recliner, holds onto her collar (Zoe remains standing), and feeds her
the rewards -- I clip her nails by bending over, picking up each foot,
and resting the back of the foot against my thigh. It takes about
5-7 minutes, total... this method goes much more quickly, and is
dependant on two variables: how food-motivated your dog is (the less
food-motivated, the less value the food will have as a reward for
appropriate behavior), and how scared the dog is.
Trimming the Hair Between the Pads:
It's important to trim the hair between
the dog's pads, as it can grow quite long, causing the dog to slide on
linoleum or other smooth surfaces, possibly causing injury. It can
also allow snow to become packed between the pads, facilitating
frostbite; or allowing rock salt to become trapped between the pads,
which can cause cuts and burns.
 You'll need a small pair of sharp,
rounded scissors (like cuticle scissors). Proceed as above...
small steps, with lots of rewards. Trimming the hair between the
pads tends to be more difficult than trimming nails, because the dogs
really have a tendency towards being "ticklish".
Patience and a sense of humor will prevail.
If you have a "standard approach"
to part of your dog's grooming -- such as taking him into the bathroom,
getting all the things together, etc., he may have learned to associate
stress with these proceedings, if he's not tolerating it well. Change the
way you do this: get the things together in a wicker basket, wait till
you're sitting on the couch in the evening, with his head on your lap, and
start messing with his feet -- is he okay with this? Go
slowly -- don't just "jump in" with the grooming.
If you have questions or concerns, don't
hesitate to contact me for help!
**There is a GREAT article on learning
to use a dremel to grind your dog's nails, at http://www.doberdawn.com
Brenda
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