Nails

So many of you that have been to a seminar with me, or attend lessons, know that I'm a little particular about dog's nails. Well actually more than a little particular.... I've had students arrive saying 'Pease dont look at his nails, I know they are too long!'

I believe that short nails are a simple and easy way to improve your dog's movement, and reduce the change of injury. Not only are long nails more easily caught and damaged, but longer nails mean that toes are easier to injure. Toe injuries can be very difficult to rehabilitate due to the difficulty in immobilising feet, and also the complex nature of the area with so many bones, tendons and joints. 

The other problem with long toe nails is that long nails push the foot into a different position, which impacts every joint above the foot. This means that every one of your dog's joint is bearing weight in a slightly different way to how it should. 

Here is some more information on Susan Garrett's blog: http://susangarrettdogagility.com/2013/08/cutting-your-dogs-nails-how-important-is-it-really/ 

I prefer to Dremel my dog's nails, and do this approximately once a week. My dogs do not walk on concrete, so do not wear their nails down at all naturally. Also Deo's tiny nails grow like weeds, and are very sharp! I only use the clippers if the nails are a little longer than normal, so I can reduce the time that it takes to dremel. 

Deo and Evo have been trained since tiny puppies in loving manicures. I started with them as puppies getting upside down cuddles on my knees, and spent lots of time handling feet and toes, including tapping toes with a metal teaspoon. So now they are a breeze to do. They literally fight to be first in the line for nail work. 

Chace however is a sensitive soul, and find's nail trimming very difficult. It's a constant work in progress. I've spent her entire life counterconditioning and desensitising her to this process, but she still dosent particularly like it. So I've just had my first session shaping her shortening her own nails on a DIY scratch board. You can see at the end of this video how much she likes this! Whilst I will still have to dremel her nails, hopefully with this I wont have do this quite as frequently. 

I also trim the fur between the dog's pads, as this helps reduce slipping, and also things getting stuck between their pads. Some people use clippers for this, but I just use little scissors. 

Another option to help make nail's a positive experience, is the use of a stickable licking device. This is particularly useful for dog's who find nails better while standing. Below is a photo of one that I made using a $2 shop suction hook and Kmart silicon pot holder, that I'm using to brush Chace.... something she hates almost as much as nails!