Don't fear the clippers! Helping your dog be comfortable with nail trimming tools.
Dogs are really good at learning associations, such as what might predict the start of something else. For example, most dogs quickly learn that when you pick up their leash it predicts a walk. They likely respond to the leash being picked up with excitement and a happily wagging tail!
Similarly, are dogs can also learn what actions or items might predict bad things for them. For example, when you open the cupboard that houses the ear cleaning solution, your dog might respond by running away and hiding. That’s because they’ve associated that cupboard with the unwanted process of having their ears cleaned.
One of the first barriers we have to overcome when teaching our dogs to willingly participate in nail care, is helping them to feel comfortable with the nail trimmers. A dog who has had a negative experience (or several) with nail trimming has likely already decided that nail clippers are bad, and will do their best to make themselves scarce when the clippers come out.
Introducing nail clippers - how to start.
Ideally you will have already taught your dog a stationing behavior in order to trim their nails (see last week’s blog post on start button behaviors). If so, I would recommend practicing the below training plan with your dog in the stationing position. This will allow you to easily access all their paws/nails, and will also allow you to ensure your dog is consenting to the handling.
To learn how to train my favorite position for nail trimming, check out this reel!
1. Clippers make good things happen.
In this step, we are going to pair the presentation of the nail clippers with a positive outcome for the dog; a treat party! A treat party is where you praise and cheer your dog on in a happy upbeat voice, while feeding small, high value treats every 1-2 seconds. The treat party will continue as long as the clippers are visible to the dog. The order of events is very important, so pay close attention:
Present the clippers >> Start the treat party.
Clippers go away (behind your back) >> Treat party stops!
Over time, your dog is going to start to associate the sight of the clippers, with the start of the treat party. Instead of the clippers causing your dog to panic "(“Oh no! Now this again! I have to go!”) the dog is going to become excited when the clippers are out (“Oh! The clippers mean a treat party - I like treat parties, therefore, I like when the clippers come out.”)
This isn’t going to happen after 2-3 repetitions, to dig deep for that patience, and trust the process. Ideally, you’re going to practice this step randomly 2-3x per day (but feel free to do it more frequently!) Keep practicing this step until your dog’s body language suggests eager anticipation when they see the clippers - wagging tail, approach, orientation to you, etc.
2. Reaching out.
Now that your dog thinks the nail clippers are pretty cool, we’re going to start to incorporate in some clipper movement.
Reach the clippers out in front of you/to the side of the dog’s body (we want at least 1-2 feet of space between the clippers and the dog) for 1 second. While the clippers are out, you are going to use a marker (word, clicker, etc.) and then withdraw the clippers before delivering a treat.
It is critical that should your dog move away (back up, step to the side, duck, etc.) that you do not chase them with the clippers. When you present your clippers, hold them steady where they are. Repeat this step for 5 successful repetitions in a row on both sides of the dog (left and right.) A successful repetition would be one where the dog is not avoiding or showing discomfort about the clipper movement.
If your dog is avoiding the clippers when you move them, this suggests that this step is too hard, and we need to make it easier for the dog. You can do so by making the clipper movement smaller, reducing how far you reach them out, and/or increasing the distance between the clippers and the dog’s body (reach further out to the side.)
3. Moving in closer.
If your dog is successful with step two, you are going to repeat this step, but presenting the clippers slightly closer to their body. If previously your clippers were 2 feet away from the dog, you are now going to present them 1 foot away. Repeat each step for 5 successful repetitions on both sides, and then decrease the distance further, until you are able to present the clippers directly beside the dog’s shoulder (without touching them!)
4. Touching a neutral body part.
Whenever I first touch a tool to a dog’s body, I never touch them on the target body part (which would be the paw for nail trimming). Instead, I aim for a “neutral” body part, such as the shoulder, where the tool is not going to be used.
In this step, reach out your clippers and touch them to the dog’s shoulder for 1 second, using your marker signal while the clippers are touching the dog, and then moving the clippers away while you deliver their treat.
Repeat this step for 5 successful repetitions on both sides of the body - remember, a successful repetition is one where the dog is not shifting, backing up, or otherwise avoiding the clippers. Your dog should be happy and comfortable every step of the way.
5. Work your way down the leg.
When your dog is comfortable with the clippers touching their shoulder, we are going to work, step-by-step down the leg. This might look like:
1 second touch to the dog’s elbow.
1 second touch to the dog’s forearm.
1 second touch to the dog’s wrist.
1 second touch to the dog’s paw.
As always, the dog needs to be comfortable with each step before you move on, practicing each approximation for 5 successful repetitions in a row on both sides of the body before you move your clippers further down the leg.
6. Clippers, meet nails.
Now that your dog is comfortable with the clippers touching them all over their leg, it’s time to zone in on that target area - the nails. Make sure that when you practice touching the clippers to the nails, you work on each nail (including the dewclaws, or “thumbs”) to make sure your dog is comfortable with this contact on all their toes.
Before we are ready to clip, we need to teach our dog to be comfortable with basic handling and mild restraint of their paw, which is what I’m going to be going over next week - stay tuned!
Overcoming a fear of the nail clippers.
When re-starting a nail trimming plan with a dog who already has a fear of the clippers, handling, or all of the above, our training plan is going to look similar to a dog with no experiences at all. The difference being we will likely need more “splits” in the training plan, and will need to spend more time at each step to ensure the dog is comfortable before we increase the difficulty.
Fear is an easy emotion to learn, but a challenging one to “undo",” so patience is going to be a key tool in your training toolbox for this task.
A “split” in a training plan is like a micro-step, added in between two steps. For example, your dog might need you to break down step two above (reaching out with the nail clippers) into several small approximations before you can ever accomplish touching them with the clippers. You will likely have to start with much more distance between the clippers and the dog and keep your movements subtle/small to begin with.
Remember, our dog needs to be comfortable every step of the way.
If your dog is showing signs of stress, telling you “no” by moving out of their stationing behavior, or obviously avoiding the clippers - Stop! Do not continue repeating the training step, instead, go back a step (or two) to where your dog is comfortable and willing to work.
Want to see this training plan in action? Be sure to follow me on Instagram, where I will be demonstrating these steps in action later this week.
Next week, I am going to be showing you how to introduce the handling and restraint involved in nail trimming. Then, we’re going to combine restraint with the nail clippers (that you’re going to work on introducing to your dog this week), setting us up to get ready to trim some nails!
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.