Does your dog hate having his nails trimmed? Do you dread the moment when you can’t delay it any longer? Why not reduce the pressure by dividing the nail trimming job into shorter more manageable sessions?
Dogs need to have their nails clipped every 2-4 weeks. Your dog has four nails on each paw plus any additional dew claws. This gives you ample time to cut one dog nail a day, even have a day off every so often, before you’ve completed them all and it’s time to start again.
Advantages with Trimming a Dog Nail a Day
There are several advantages with this approach:
- Reducing the task to just one dog nail a day makes it shorter and less intimidating for both you and the dog, so you are less likely to be stressed and tensed up.
- By doing it frequently you give your dog a better chance to get used to having his nails trimmed than if you only do it every month or so. As with any other dog training, frequent repetition will give you quicker and better results than if long periods pass between each occasion.
- The same applies to your own training as a dog nail trimmer!
- You can avoid lengthy struggles with your dog that will only make you both more reluctant the next time.
- Your dog is more likely to think that the experience wasn’t so bad, after all it didn’t take that long.
The Best Way to Trim a Dog Nail a Day
Try to fit the nail trimming into an existing routine that puts your dog in a good mood. Perhaps you already brush your dog once a day and it would be a good time to do it. Alternatively, you could do it when your dog has just eaten or been out for a walk.
Keep it up. Don’t get disheartened and give in. Persistance is the key to success, You need to show your dog that you are more determined than him, or her, and that he will have to accept the routine.
Make it worthwhile to to your dog with lots and lots of praise afterwards. Give him treats, play with him, whatever you prefer, but make it positive. Do talk to your dog while trimming, using a reassuring voice to give encouragement.
Lastly, remember that practice makes perfect and that applies also to dog nail trimming, even if your first attempts leave the nails a little too long or maybe you cut into the quick a couple of times.