I have a dog who despises getting her nails cut. She is a mixed breed and huge (about 110 lbs).Creative ideas?

One of us has pinned her down by laying on her, while another cuts one or two nails; we have tried treats to no avail. No one has ever hurt her while cutting her nails and she used to be okay with cutting nails til about 4 years ago when suddenly, for no reason we can discern, she decided to wiggle (and she is strong), howl and scream like we are killing her, and sometimes turn to bite us as we try to cut a nail. It's completely horrible and we are fresh out of ideas to make this a less painful process for all of us.I have a dog who despises getting her nails cut. She is a mixed breed and huge (about 110 lbs).Creative ideas?
we have a dog just like yours!!! we tend to have one of us pin her down, and have her face pinned down and keep petting her...while the other tends pin the other side of the body down and cut the nails...my dad has always had an easy time cutting her nails without any nips or struggle to get away.....





I would suggest trying to make them run/play fetch/walk the dog before hand so they have much less energy cause perhaps they think you should be playing with them or something?!?!?I have a dog who despises getting her nails cut. She is a mixed breed and huge (about 110 lbs).Creative ideas?
Well I would just keep her calm and have someone distract her and play with her and if she notices just keep playing with her and then try again. Good luck!
What happened is a psychological problem. And it seems that you can't figure it out.


Best chance is to take her to a behavorist so that you can learn what you did wrong to begin with.


You coud take her to a groomer.


You need to reassure her that nail clipping time is not torture time. Something happened that scared her and now you are forcing her and it is making it worse.
i work at a dog kennel and i know what you mean about laying on top of her and blah blah blah and my dogs are only like 70 pounds! well, we actually had to get medicine fromthe vet so she was a little drugged so we could do it, kinda expensive but it was our last resort! good luck
My mother in law works for a vet. She has to give her dog a Valium to cut her nails, and she is only a Jack Russell Terrier!
I had a half Chow/half Rotweiller that weighed 106lbs who hated having his feet touched period much less having the nails trimmed.


I had a vet who would prescribe mild ';tranquilizers'; for me and since I did not abuse the situation,all I had to do was to call my vet and tell him I needed ';more drugs'; for Charlie.


Even at that though he was groggy,he would still try to nip me so I had a ';Have A Heart Muzzle'; that I used along with the tranquilizers.


For 10 yrs I used this method and it worked well and I could trim Charlie's nails by myself.


I tried letting the vet techs do this for me during a medical stay at the vets but they waited til I arrived so I could help them and at that they still charged me for the nail trimming so I decided after that I would always be the one to trim Charlie's nails.


Keep in mind that if your dog has black toe nails it is real easy to clip them too short thus getting into the quick of the nail and causing bleeding and once you do that you are screwed as they will never let you near their nails again and using drugs and perhaps the muzzle idea combined will be the only way you will ever be able to get to their nails again.


Clipping a nail too short can also get infected so you need to be really careful.


Sometimes letting the vet or a groomer do the nail trimming is the best idea and it keeps you from being the bad guy. . . . sometimes the best option regardless of cost.
If you walk your dog regularly on hard surfaces like concrete it helps to keep their nails short so no need for trimming
No one has a good answer for this one. I have the same problem and we have a jack russell terrrier. We go every 6-8 weeks to the vet and they do it for $15.00. I still try from time to time but this behavior has not yet changed...Been three years. Treats, petting and sedatives are not the answer. Weird as it may be we've had some luck with soft music, but only some.
We have the same problem but with 3 dogs. Our vet told us to touch their feet as much as possible while giving them treats. When they are fine with that move in the clippers and just rub it over their toes. Then finally try to cut again. Very slow, long process. The most important thing is that you can not give up if you are trying to cut their nails. This teaches them that if they scream and bite you will stop and makes it a lot worse. Sorry I don't have a faster process. If it is that bad for a long time you can have her sedated at the Vet to cut them in a last case senario.
I know of some one who spread peanut butter on the side of the fridge , they found the dog was so occupied trying to lick it up that they were able to cut the nails that way
Smill, this problem is very common. No dog likes to have nails cut, and in very strong dogs it can be a real fight. Often it is not possible and owners turn to their veterinarians to do it under sedation. This may be the only way in your case.





Having said that, there is usually a reason for nails being too long, and looking at the weight of your dog I assume he/she might be overweight and, therefore, a little less mobile. If this is correct then by far the most effective way to shorten nails (and keep them short) is regular long walks on hard ground like concrete. You can throw sticks or balls in parking lots or do other things that encourage your dog. Obesity, as in people, is a significant health risk in dogs. Once your dog is close to a normal weight he/she will naturally be more active and automatically wear her nails down. You will save tons of money in the process: less food to feed, no sedatives to buy, no vet bill for clipping nails, and no bills for obesity-induces illnesses. Furthermore, your dog will be a lot happier.


Think about it...