Taking the Fear Out of Nail Clipping (Dogs)

The Well-Tempered Pet, Madison Pet Gazette, November 1997

By Sharon Savage, M.S.

In 1988, when my Australian Cattle Dog, Dagger, was 7 weeks old, I took him to the vet to learn how to clip his nails. He struggled so much, it took four staff members a half-hour to clip one toenail. When a friend and I attempted to finish the job at home, Dagger was so upset, he responded by expelling his anal glands. (Note: though not as well-developed as a skunk's, the anal glands of a dog can emit a powerful stench when the animal is extremely frightened). He ultimately wrenched himself away from me, dislocating his shoulder.

For the next six years, and throughout Dagger's show career, I got around the nail clipping problem by walking him four miles a day on pavement to wear the nails down. Plus, every week, I'd spend about fifteen minutes wrestling him into submission so that I could trim one nail. After I had his dewclaws surgically removed, it would take "only" four months to complete a cycle of trimming the remaining sixteen nails.

Three years ago, I learned about a behavior modification technique called "counter-conditioning" that could be used to cure fears and phobias. The procedure involves using positive reinforcement to condition the subject to accept calmly what it previously feared. When children's hospitals play Disney videos in the waiting room and offer candy to kids that accept medical procedures, they are using counter-conditioning. I successfully used this technique to cure Dagger's fear of nail trimming.

Of course, treats should not be doled out to pets that are resisting handling. Instead, the scary stimulus must be broken into smaller parts which are easier for the pet to tolerate. Nail clipping involves a series of events, any or all of which can cause your pet to panic.

Appearance of the clippers
Restraint of the animal's body
Restraint of and pressure on the foot
Spreading out of the toes
Contact of clipper to nail
Actual clipping of the nail

Each of these events must be considered and treated separately. Most importantly, during the initial phase of the counter-conditioning process, you should not violate your pet's trust by actually clipping his nails!

First, desensitize your pet to the sight of the clippers by letting your pet see them out of context. Leave the clippers in the bottom of his food dish or place them in the threshold of the door he passes through to go outdoors.

Next, teach your pet to tolerate restraint. Hold him briefly in nail-clipping position, but be sure clippers are not present. (Important: Please consult an applied animal behaviorist or trainer if your pet snaps or bites when you trim his nails, or if he is unwilling to accept restraint in any circumstances.)

When your pet accepts this restraint calmly for one second, give him a treat and then let him go. Give no further treats or praise when he is not in restraint position. Practice touching his foot with one finger while giving a treat from your other hand. Lift the foot, give a treat, and set the foot down again. After several weeks of practicing each component for a few seconds each day, start over again with the clippers on the floor nearby.

When your pet can tolerate all components with the clippers present, it is time to clip one nail. Be sure to clip off a microscopically small piece of nail--now is not the time to risk cutting into the quick! Continue to restrain your pet while you hand out a few goodies, then release him and end the session. You will soon work up to doing all the nails at once with a treat given at the end.

It still amazes me every week when I do Dagger's nails now. He'll just come right over and hold still. He's not a huge fan of it, but he'll work for hot dogs!