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my dog broke his dew claw in half last month. i called the vet and they told me to cut the hanging piece off and apply pressure. my dog allowed me to do this with no problems. my problem now is that my dog becomes aggressive when i try to cut his nails now. he snarls, thrashes, and even tries to bite. i tried muzzling him because i know the muzzle calms him down(i use it when i have company come over,only for the first few minutes though.) the muzzle doesn't even calm him for nail cutting. i am going to work on his trust so i can eventually get back to cutting like i used to but i need a quick fix so i can cut them now(i don't want anymore to break)
P.S. he has started biting and pulling on his nails so i know he doesn't like them being this long.

>>my dog broke his dew claw in half last month. i called the vet and they told me to cut the hanging piece off and apply pressure. my dog allowed me to do this with no problems. my problem now is that my dog becomes aggressive when i try to cut his nails now. he snarls, thrashes, and even tries to bite. i tried muzzling him because i know the muzzle calms him down(i use it when i have company come over,only for the first few minutes though.) the muzzle doesn't even calm him for nail cutting. i am going to work on his trust so i can eventually get back to cutting like i used to but i need a quick fix so i can cut them now(i don't want anymore to break)
>> P.S. he has started biting and pulling on his nails so i know he doesn't like them being this long.

Well, it is obvious that you will have to regain his trust (and that may take a good while). In the meantime, have you thought of using a dremel tool? Does your boy react to whiny-buzzy machines? If so, this isn't going to help. But if he isn't reactive, using a dremel tool to shave down the nails should help. It doesn't hurt; though you do have to watch and not bite into the vein. Have a styptic pencil on hand to staunch bleeding fast in case you nick - but try not to because that will increase his dislike of the whole process.

The only other thought I have is taking him to the vet and having them do it. They will cut the nails down to a proper length but you will still have the trust issue to deal with.
Got any ideas on weaning his trust back? If not, I have done this with two dogs in the recent past so I do have a (slow) way of going at it.
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Tasha

Natasha, now waiting for Mom at the Bridge
Amber, not doing well with her hip displasia
Harlequin - sweet black & white kitten gone before
Roscoe the stray who came to be guided Home
All my beloved pack who have gone on ahead

Is he that bad? If he tries to growl, snap, and bite. Reprimand him. did you put any training into him? Or are you just the lenient type and let the dog do what it wants to and really doesn't listen to you anyways.

I have had dogs pull back on their foot but I just tell them NO, not "no cutey pie or sweetie, come on boy, come on, please be a good boy" and all that. Just say NO!!!. And he'll stop instantly. I just hold on and do what I need to do. I have had some that I have accidently nicked the vein just a tiny bit and I guess it was stinging a bit. Everytime after that I would have to grab her and tell her No!! And don't even cut her nails. Just act like I am. Bring out the tools and everything that you use to cut the nails. I just cut a piece prob the width of a human nail (so just a tiny strip if any at all) do all fake on all toes, then PRAISE like all hell. Get really excited and throw a couple of treats down. After that do it several more times at random (so the dog doesn't estimate yor arrival of more treats) it will calm down and just let you do what you have to do. When you say your dog is growling and biting, that tells me you need to do some serious training and fast. i don't know how old your dog is but it looks as if he is (in his mind) think that you are below him in the pack order. A subdominant wolf-pack animal (dogs and wolves alike) almost never try the pack leader! If they do it is usually only once and they usually give up after that. Your dog has passed you and you didn't even realize my friend. And if you have a APBT then I suggest you make your mark. I have seen what an uncontrollable APBT behaves like and it does what it wants when it wants. I have a friend that I explain this too but is too dumb to understand. Ohhhh, I love my dog. and all that nonsense. He cannot move his own dog off of his bed for the dog will growl, bark, and jump and snap at him. I told him that is a big mistake he is making. Just tell the dog to get off and he should get off. Now let's say some neighbor kid jumps the fence and the dog decides he doesn't like him. Do you think the dog will listen to the owner? Would you listen to someone who was lower in the household rank like your child (whether you have one or not)? Prob not and will have a hell of a time trying to separate the two. When all that had to be done was use a few simple words. Would you let your kid tell you what to do and when? Some parents do but oh my God no, I would never allow that. Ask me don't tell me. And the dog looks at my friend as a child and ignores requests. He olny listens to commands such as sit, etc every now and then when food is considered. Pure craziness and foolishness.

i appreciate all the replies. i am going to try that dremel idea because he doesn't seem to mind regular power tools. i don't believe his problem is so much a dominance issue though, he pretty obiedent. i can tell him to stop something, get off something, back up from something and he listens without talking back. i think his problem is more that he is scared to death of feeling that pain again. the pain he felt was so bad he immediately went into somewhat of a shock state. he laid down on the floor and just stared at his paw. to make matters worse i had to cause more pain by cutting of the rest of the nail. i do think i am going to start regaining his trust with nail clipping by pretending to cut them and work my way up from there. he is a very loving and trusting dog to me and my family other than this.

Glad to hear that. AT least we are on the same page now. If your dog fears notdremels or what not then go for it, it'll do it alot faster. My dogs have been a bit afraid of aerosol cans sparying whether it be for his coat before a show or be it in the yard to keep fleas and ticks off. Never like them. Had to work with them for that though...

Good luck.

success! i took my dog to a groomer at petsmart(because he insisted he could cut my dogs nails) and his staff was able to cut them. my dog allowed them to cut the back paws with little objection. when it came time for the front paws he objected just as he did with me. but they were able to do it. i am going to try that dremel next to keep them maintained.

I have a pitbull/lab mix. And we got him from the pound when he was 1 year old. he is 4 now. I also have a problem cutting my dogs nails. he is smart let me tell ya. He is good in every other way. he listens to me too. We were told that he was beat by his other owners. And To me being so uptight towards a dog may not be the best situation. yes my dog Sits when told, and all that other stuff. But he also gets away with stuff. he is however a dog. My dog too is hard to get off my bed. he is a suck, and sleeps between my husband and I. I am not afraid of my dog hurting anyone.

And is a so called kid jumps over my fence. Is that my fault. Where are the kids parents and why aren't they watching him or her?? My dog would never do anything to harm anyone. but if my dog jumps on a kid out of happiness, and scares the kid.. Thats the kids fault for being on my property.

I believe if you train your dog to be mean, you will get what you wanted. but if you show it love, and train it to be good. you will get a great dog.

so I say try cutting your dogs nails slowly. get treats ready. Sit him on the floor and hold his paw in one hand and have a treat ready in the other. tell him it's ok. and show him the treat. Cut the nail and say GOOD BOY/GIRL. then give him the treat. make him think when you cut his/her nails it's a good thing. I am sure this will work..

Hope I helped