Why more restraint isn’t the answer to your dog’s nail trimming problems.
As someone who worked in the veterinary industry for ten years, I witnessed a lot of nail trims. With that I saw a lot of dogs being restrained or forced into compliance so that the staff member could get the nail trim completed.
The “get it done” approach is one that is built for efficiency and checking tasks off the list. When a client brings a dog in to have it’s nails trimmed, that’s exactly what they expect to occur - but at what cost?
When we make completion of the nail trim our primary goal, we are failing to recognize that there is a living and breathing animal on the other end of those talons; one who might find this procedure frightening or even uncomfortable.
Focusing on getting through the procedure, no matter what, makes it easier for us to disregard the dog’s feelings and comfortability with the handling involved, and may result in us overlooking or even ignoring signs of stress.
When we experience stress our parasympathetic nervous system switches on, which is our “fight or flight” defense mechanism. If our dog is stressed out about their nail trim they may start to try and get away from you (flee), or they may feel like their best bet is to “fight” or behave in a way that makes you stop what you’re doing. Fighting may look like growling, snarling, snapping, or even biting.
If a dog’s attempts to fight or flee are denied, this only adds to the animal’s stress and you will likely see a dog who doubles down, escalating their efforts to make you stop whatever it is you’re doing. This can look like a dog who is thrashing and flailing around like they’re being swarmed by bees, or a dog who is not just threatening to bite, but is biting repeatedly and applying pressure that can result in injury to those on the receiving end.
when possible, restrain from using restraint.
Routine trimming of your dog’s nails will help keep them at a healthy length. Overgrown nails are at a higher risk of breaking and can negatively feffect your dog’s gait.
If a dog starts to resist having their nails trimmed our first response is to start to restrain them - it’s much more difficult to trim the nails of a dog who is wiggling around, or keeps standing up in an attempt to leave.
The problem with restraint is that as the dog realizes their efforts are futile, they’re going to escalate their attempts to “stop” the nail trim. This means you’re going to have to restrain the dog even more, whether you need to hold tighter, or restrain all four legs instead of just two. Perhaps you have to recruit a second person, and before you know it, someone needs to lie on top of a thrashing, terrified dog, simply to give them a pedicure.
safety concerns with restraint.
Restraint, at any level, puts both the dog and the restrainer at risk of injury. As the dog fights, the person restraining can become scratched or punctured by an errant paw or nail (yup, those same nails you’re trying to trim could be your demise at the end of it all.) A dog who is panicking, could damage themselves physically by twisting their back, hitting their head on the floor, or breaking a nail in an attempt to propel themselves off the slippery floor to safety.
What’s worse, this experience will be devastating to your dog’s mental health.
A dog who has experienced restraint during a nail trim, is going to come into that situation in the future full of skepticism, with higher stress levels than the time prior. As you continue to utilize this forceful approach, the dog’s stress and resistance will continue to climb and climb. Some dogs will get to the point where the only way you can successfully trim their nails is to knock them out with injectable anesthetic drugs. Not only does anesthesia come with it’s risks, it’s also expensive, and much more time consuming than a nail trim without it.
What’s the answer to this pedicure problem?
What if, instead of forcing our dogs to tolerate a nail trim, we taught them to participate in them instead?
As we learn more about our dog’s cognitive abilities, and expand the range of skills we can teach them, more pet parents and professional are tossing the “get it done” approach into the trash can, where it belongs, and taking a cooperative approach. One where the dog is given agency over what happens to their body, and where managing the dog’s fear, anxiety, and stress is much more important than the completion of the nail trim.
The thing with cooperative care is that, the more choice and control we give the dog, the more willing they are to oblige us in these husbandry tasks.
I was a skeptic at first, until I tried it myself.
Cooperative care is going to result in a dog who trusts you to handle them, is going to reduce the dog’s overall fear, stress, and anxiety, and will result in less (if any) restraint being needed in order to perform routine handling and husbandry tasks.
A dog who trusts what you are doing to them will be more cooperative, making it easier to trim the nails safely, without risk of cutting too short, or being injured by a thrashing dog.
Where do I start?
Teaching our dog to trust us when it comes to handling their nails will require a gradual training plan that ensures the dog is comfortable every step of the way. This training plan will look different for every dog, as one dog might be uncomfortable with having their paw held, another might find the clippers themselves horrifying, while a third dog might have feelings about the entire process.
We want to ensure we are building a training plan for the dog in front of us, ensuring they will be successful every step of the way; that’s where a professional trainer will be worth their weight in dog treats!
There are multiple parts to a cooperative nail trimming plan, and I intend to go over each of these parts in detail throughout this blog series!
In next week’s blog, I am going to talk about what a cooperative nail trimming training plan should involve, and go through the steps involved in going from stressful to stress-free nail care.
Stay tuned for the rest of this cooperative nail trimming series!
Stay awesome.
Vanessa
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Vanessa Charbonneau, is the author of Dog Care for Puppies: A guide to Feeding, Playing, Grooming and Behavior. She owns Sit Pretty Behavior & Training, employing force-free training techniques, and specializing in working with fearful, aggressive, and reactive dogs. Charbonneau lives in Prince George, BC with her husband, two daughters, and one dog.