Trim your dogs nails! Many folks recoil at the thought of having to do this to their dogs. But, just like any husbandry behavior, we can train our dogs to enjoy this experience. There are several different tools out there to achieve the goal of having nicely trimmed nails - a Dremel, a sandpaper board, or nail clippers. The tool that I use will depend on the dog, but for the most part I stick with the Dremel. Here is an article to explains how to introduce your dog to a dremel and how to correctly use it.
http://homepages.udayton.edu/~merensjp/doberdawn/dremel/dremel.html
My dog's all look forward to having their nails trimmed with the Dremel. The other day I was clipping one dog's nails in one room with the door closed and the other dogs were in the other room. Under the door you could see their noses plastered to the opening, just waiting for their turn. Here is a clip my big dogs hanging out waiting their turn or getting trimmed.
My next favorite method is using a sandpaper board. With this method you will use your dog's natural ability to dig to your advantage. I recently trained a friend's Westie, Lily, on this method. One reason I picked this method for this particular dog is that she is an indoor dog with a handler that works during the day. Having an outlet for her extra energy was a plus. She picked it up quickly and enjoys keeping her nails trimmed.
The method that most folks are most familiar with is nail clippers. If used properly, this can be a quick, effective way to get your dog's nails trimmed. The only issue I have with clippers is that you can easily cut to the quick. The following clip was made by a fellow KPA grad (and now a faculty member). It is a great example of desensitizing your dog to nail clippers. Jump forward in the video to 3:00 (the first part of the video is the owner talking).
So, it doesn't matter which method you pick. Just pick one and get started on keeping your dog's nails trimmed. They will thank you for it!
