Nail trims can be stressful for veterinary team members and for dogs. The stress of grooming nails can also increase a dog’s fear of all veterinary care. Here are a few ways to make trimming nails less stressful for both dogs and humans.
How do I prevent my dog from developing a fear of nail trimming?
First, carefully observe your dog’s body language and preferences. Just as dogs can learn skills such as “sit” or “speak,” they can also learn how to relax and participate in grooming.
Preventing fear starts with understanding the body language of stress. Start very small, and pair each touch with something the dog enjoys, such as a tiny, delicious food treat.
- First, assess their response to touching. Try stroking your dog’s shoulder and gliding your hand down to their paw. Do they look relaxed or tense? Do they stay close or move away? Do they look away and yawn, or come closer and anticipate a treat?
- Next, assess their response to the equipment. Do they approach or move away when they see, smell, or hear clippers?
If your dog shows reluctant or fearful body language: Pause the session. These dogs need more specialized coaching to feel comfortable, and continuing will worsen their fear rather than reducing it.
If your dog appears comfortable: Break the nail trim process into many small steps. Pair each small step with something wonderful. Keep sessions short (just a minute or two) and frequent (a few days a week). Monitor the dog’s body language during and after every repetition, and only progress to the next level of difficulty/intensity of touch when the dog looks comfortable.
My dog is already scared of nail trims. Is it too late?
Desensitizing dogs to nail trimming takes patience. The process cannot be rushed or forced. Some dogs benefit from medicines prescribed by the veterinarian to reduce fear and stress.
For dogs with a fear of nail care, remember to avoid tricks or distractions. Do not give a spoonful of peanut butter, then quickly try to trim the nails. This may work once or twice, but being distracted or “tricked” will damage the dog’s trust in being touched and groomed and often worsens fear rather than decreasing it. Forcibly restraining the dog by hand or in a device such as a hammock or sling carries a high risk of worsening fear and should be avoided.
"For dogs with a fear of nail care, remember to avoid tricks or distractions."
The process for reversing existing fear is like the process for prevention, but the steps must be done more slowly and with more care. The process may take weeks, months, or longer. In some rare cases, fear of nail care may be so severe it is irreversible. For dogs with an existing fear of nail care, it is often best to seek personalized, professional help.
How can I help my dog so we can have successful, non-stressful nail trims?
1. Learn how to do it. Before training your dog, make sure you know how to trim the nails and how to use the equipment. Learn the anatomy of the toenail, how to identify the blood supply inside the nail (“quick”), what to do if you trim a nail too short, and how to comfortably operate your clippers. When you trim the dog’s nails, rather than cutting once, you’ll be shaving off tiny bits repeatedly until you locate the stopping point. Practice using cocktail straws, dry pasta, and toothpicks while you’re learning to comfortably handle the nail clippers and shave off tiny pieces of nail.
2. Create a positive response to the nail clippers. Store the clippers in the same cabinet where you keep special treats. Open the cabinet and take out a treat and the clippers at the same time. Toss or roll the treat to your dog, then put the clippers away. As your dog becomes more comfortable, you may wish to change the timing. Get the clippers out, then the treat, then put both away. You may be able to hold the clippers for longer periods of time, move them around, let the dog sniff them, etc.
Pair each interaction with something the dog enjoys. Monitor the dog’s body language cues and, if you notice signs of stress (e.g., not coming closer, moving away, looking away, leaning away, yawning, shaking off when not wet, folding ears back, tucked tail), you’re moving too quickly and need to slow down the exposure plan.
3. Create a positive response to paw handling. Practice in an area that is not slippery; an area rug or yoga mat works well.
- Start touching in a less sensitive area, such as the shoulder or hip. Gently glide one hand down the leg. The further down the leg you touch, the more intense the touching will feel to your dog. Dogs have a higher concentration of nerve endings in the skin over the toes than the shoulders/hips.
- Pair each touch with calm, happy, verbal praise and a wonderful treat.
- When you can handle the paw with one hand, begin the process again, but touch your dog with two hands instead of one.
- When your dog is comfortable with two hands on their leg and paw for 10 seconds, hold the nail clippers in one hand during this exercise without trying to trim the nail.
- If you notice subtle signs of stress, pause. Do not increase the difficulty level until your dog looks comfortable and relaxed at each level.
- When you can hold your dog’s paw while holding nail trimmers, give them a treat. And repeat. Remember to monitor your dog’s body language throughout the process. Move at the dog’s pace, pairing the touching exercises with the clipper exercises.
Example progression:
- Touch shoulder = treat
- Touch shoulder, glide to elbow = treat
- Touch shoulder, glide to wrist = treat
- Touch shoulder, glide to paw = treat
- Touch shoulder, support paw and one toe = treat
- Pick up nail trimmers in your other hand and repeat the above steps
- Once you can easily support one toe, approach the nail with the clippers = treat
- Progressively approach the nail in 1-inch increments until you can place the nail clippers against the tip of the toenail
- Tap the tip of the toenail lightly = treat
- Use the clippers to trim a cocktail straw or toothpick near the pet’s paw (familiarizes your dog with the sound of the clipper) = treat
- Use the clipper to shave off a tiny sliver of nail = treat
Remember: For dogs with no pre-existing fear, this may take a session or two. For those with pre-existing fear, it may take weeks or months.
With patience and emotional support, most dogs learn to accept and even look forward to nail trimming. However, if your dog shows signs of extreme fear or anxiety, such as trembling, excessive drooling, panting, growling, or snapping, it is best to consult a healthcare professional. In some cases, medication for anxiety or some mild sedation may be beneficial. Forcing the issue could amplify your dog’s fears and make the situation worse.
Never scold or punish a dog for moving, growling, or asking for a pause in handling. Communication is key and the goal is to listen to the dog’s needs while gently introducing them to comfortable grooming.
Until training is complete, it is important you do not ask someone, including your groomer or veterinarian, to trim the nails. If the nails are very long and need trimming, your veterinarian can use a light sedative to quickly trim the nails so that there is no fear or struggle involved.
