[NAGDU] advice on nail grinding

[carcione at access.net]

I have been grinding my dogs' nails for around 25 years now, and never hurt
a dog in the least.  I have to be careful not to catch the paw pad, but
that's easy to avoid.  I do nails every Sunday, so they never get very long,
and each paw goes pretty quickly.  I bought a plug-in nail grinder from
Amazon, because I got tired of the battery not being charged when I was
ready to use it. It also has a variable speed knob, so I can set it to the
speed I want and change it if it doesn't seem right.

I started doing it for Igloo about a year ago, and this is what I did, as
best I recall. Most of it is what I still do.
I put a handful of kibble in my treat bag and hooked it on my waistband.
Then I command Igloo to lie down where I want him to be.  When he's down, I
hold a kibble a little back and to the side, so he turns a bit onto his side
to get it.  Then I tell him to rest.  I start the grinder and do the 2 back
paws, which are sticking out nicely to the side.  I give him a kibble when
we finish each paw, and I don't stop the grinder until the paw is done.
Then I do the front paws, which are a little harder because he won't lie
totally on his side.  When I'm doing the paw nearest me, I put my foot
behind his elbow so he can't move it.  When we're all done, he gets the
jackpot--a nice handful of all the kibble that's left. 
I think, when we started out, I might have only done one paw the first time.
If he started jumping, wiggling or complaining, I scolded him gently and
reminded him to rest.  I want him to know that doing nails is something I
want him to do, and I'm not taking any silliness.  Within a couple weeks, I
was able to do all his paws, and now, when I get out the treatbag and the
grinder and call him, he comes running and flops down in the spot ready to
go.
It probably helped that my old dog Krokus lives with us, and I did Krokus
first the first few times, so Igloo could see what was happening and how his
packmate was handling it.
Igloo is a lab.  Some of my friends with shepherds have to work harder.
Some shepherds are such babies! :.)
Tracy


-----Original Message-----
From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Marj Schneider via NAGDU
Sent: Thursday, March 2, 2023 9:21 AM
To: nagdu at nfbnet.org
Cc: Marj Schneider <marjschneider at bellsouth.net>
Subject: [NAGDU] advice on nail grinding

Hello All,


Can those of you who use nail grinders to keep your dog's claws short give
me suggestions on how you accustomed your dog to the experience?


I bought a grinder from Amazon, based on the recommendation of a fellow 
Seeing Eye grad who uses one with more than one dog. I've been back from 
Seeing Eye for about two weeks with my new dog and have tried turning 
the grinder on to its low speed and putting it next to his paws. He 
pulls back the moment I try putting a claw on the grinding surface. He 
otherwise hasn't minded his feet being handled, though I haven't tried a 
more typical claw trimming approach yet, something I need help to 
accomplish. I'd rather be able to do the task independently if I can 
just get my dog comfortable with the experience.


I'd appreciate any tips on this.


Marj


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