Teach Your Dog to File Their Own Nails - No Fear, No Frustration

[@brendaangerett3914]

How would you get the back paws done

[@CanineCountryAcademy]

Great question! Here is a video on back nail ideas: kzbin.info/www/bejne/h5y5nI2VoKeths0si=RNZic2QpJ7Tpgamo

[@gillw8988]

Just found this. One of my Labradors gets so traumatised that it is virtually impossible to cut her nails (the last time they were able to be cut was when she had to have an operation a couple of years ago) extreme i know! I can sneak to do the dew claws but that's all. This was absolutely fantastic!! Within 20 minutes, literally, she is trimming her own nails. I can't recommend enough. Thank you. You are a life saver - that's from my dog Izzie 🙏💖😊

[@CanineCountryAcademy]

Awww I'm thrilled to hear this helped. Thank you for taking the time to share your story. Kudos for making it less stressful for you both.

[@JazmynJ9]

What about the back paws?

[@lillie1076]

Thank you! This made nail trimming fun for both my dog and I. She used to get so scared and nippy when it came to nail care but now it’s nothing but positivity. Changed our lives 💕

[@CanineCountryAcademy]

Thank you for taking the time to let me know. That's wonderful!

[@KathyMcaleer]

hahaha..just tried with my boy. He knew the treat was under the hand towel, grabbed it with his mouth, threw it and took the treat. Every. Time.

[@CanineCountryAcademy]

What a smartie!

[@lassy222]

I've been searching high and low for a good demo video of this. THANK YOU!

[@moeahmed6811]

Great video.i do the same with my dog.it works great.my question is how many times a week should i do this?im worried about reaching the quike.

[@CanineCountryAcademy]

Hi Moe! If your dog's nails are at ideal length I would do it once a week. If trying to get back to ideal try ever 4 or 5 days.

[@moeahmed6811]

@@CanineCountryAcademy ok thanks.she been really good getting her middle fingers,but the index and pinkey shes not getting so good.any advice?

[@CanineCountryAcademy]

@@moeahmed6811 I would angle the board to try and get those toes. The alternative is to create a file out of a pvc tube cut in half with sandpaper inside. Keep me posted.

[@moeahmed6811]

@@CanineCountryAcademy thanks.and will do 👍

[@SaraJAwesome]

Genius!

[@engineering8152]

I am trying this with my chihuahua mix who doesn’t use his paws to dig or scratch. It’s not one of his normal movements. He uses his nose to move the towel. He will step on the sandpaper but not scratch at it. How do I get that movement?

[@CanineCountryAcademy]

Excellent question! Does your pup know how to "shake" (give paw)? You can put a really tasty treat in a closed hand with the rag or towel covering it. Place your closed hand a few inches off the group and wait for any paw movement. The moment you see movement say "yes" and give your dog the treat. As he gets the idea you can wait until he lifts his paw to touch you hand/towel. Keep us posted.

[@dfros1957]

This is great, I have a mastiff that will not let me do his nails. I will definitely try this thank you 😊

[@CanineCountryAcademy]

Awesome! I'd love an update.

[@k9kat007]

How do you do the back nails

[@CanineCountryAcademy]

You can create a standing file option. This requires teaching your dog rear end awareness. What we find is starting with the front can help you be able to clip or file the back since there is less stress with nail care overall.

[@immahotpepper]

wow this is so creative. i love it

[@CanineCountryAcademy]

Thank you! I hope it helps.

[@nataliebonnet7356]

How do you get the back nails?

[@CanineCountryAcademy]

Great question. Check out this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/h5y5nI2VoKeths0

[@annaambush]

This is brilliant, thank you for showing how to do this! I will definitely try this 😊

[@CanineCountryAcademy]

Yay! I hope your dog loves nail are with scratching. ❤

[@littlewhitehummingbirdofth5666]

What grade of sand paper are you using?

[@CanineCountryAcademy]

For a dog who is comfortable with different textures, I would use a 40 or 60 grit for quick results. For a more unsure dog start with 80.

[@JessieBeez]

I was so excited when I heard about this as an option! Have tried everything else. Having difficulty my dog (German Shepherd mix). We've tried a few times and after just 2-3 treats, she sits down and stares at me. Or just stares at the towel. We literally had a 5-minute staredown where she refused to go near the towel, even as I kept revealing the treat and trying to coax her over. Perhaps I need more exciting treats?

[@judedeprey6831]

Jessie Babiarz make sure your dog is hungry, it's a really good idea to do it perhaps, before he gets any food for the day. It helps a lot. Good luck, i'm having a lot of trouble with mine, too. One dog doesn't mind, the other one gets hysterical. Crazy! God bless you!

[@bittyflea]

Also use very high value treats. Good ones are freeze dried liver or small compressed squares made of fish skin. Also, keep sessions short - he may be wondering why, after he figured it out, he has to keep repeating it... Do several short sessions rather than one long one.

[@bittyflea]

Another comment - the poster kept going because: 1-the dog was willing to keep on going 2-she's making a video to show the whole process in a a few short minutes. This may take several sessions/days to teach

[@JessieBeez]

@@bittyflea Thanks! I ended up getting it to work. I had to start a little more basic - treats for approaching the towel, then treats for stepping on it, then treats for scratching it, etc. And I stopped after 5-6 treats to keep her interest. It worked so well! She loves when she sees the board coming out :)

[@racergrrrl]

Thank you - I needed this preliminary step to train to target a towel! At what point do I introduce the command word?

[@CanineCountryAcademy]

Great question! Our rule of thumb is once the dog is 80% reliable doing the full behavior. Then you can say the desired cue word right before the dog does the behavior and reward. Let us know how it goes.

[@smshh33]

cool!

[@leaannsavage2231]

Does this kind of training encourage them to scratch you to get attention, or scratch other surfaces in the house?

[@CanineCountryAcademy]

It really depends on the dog. Some dogs might think "oh scratching gets you paid" instead of "scratching this board gets me paid".

[@VensVibrantNailsandBeauty]

If that happens you could redirect the 'wrong' scratching that isn't getting paid, to the 'right' scratching surface. Might help the dog differentiate between the two.

[@paulinerockwood]

How do you get your dog to file their nails on their back paws or is that not possible for them to do themselves?

[@CanineCountryAcademy]

***** It is possible! We plan on doing a future tutorial. Stay tuned.... Thank you for sharing our video, too. =)

[@keithbaker5293]

Did you ever make a video on filing their back paws? I didn't see it. This video is great btw, thanks!

[@donnaallgaier-lamberti3933]

Also we realized IF we walk our rescue (who does not like her nails cut by us) to walk on the sidewalk. This grinds down the back nails the most.

[@anaclara_rp]

My dog wont scratch the surface lol she just lays down facing it and does nothing even when i incentivate 🙃

[@CanineCountryAcademy]

Aww, maybe teaching shake first will help?

[@anaclara_rp]

She actually can do shake... I'm note sure if she doesn't do the scratch 'cause she is pretty insecure about using her paws (she's very afraid of nail trimming) or something else 🤔

[@CanineCountryAcademy]

@@anaclara_rp that's tricky.

[@FraLin]

isnt it easier to dig dogfood in my garden and they work it out of the soil ?

[@angelinae6817]

That's really good idea. But would the soil be rough enough?

[@uberfu]

This doesn't really help if the presenter didn't explain how to get the dog to focus on the paw they do not favor.

[@CanineCountryAcademy]

I'm sorry to hear it was not clear. You will only reward for the desired paw.

[@mindbodysorcery4chronicillness]

How do you get them to do the back paws?

[@CanineCountryAcademy]

Here is a video to focus on back paws. kzbin.info/www/bejne/h5y5nI2VoKeths0