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Buddy: the former finger biter
and forever the drama queen.
The bane of a dog’s existence (and their pet parent’s) is often the dreaded TRIMMING OF THE NAILS. I have two rottweilers, Buddy and Martini. Buddy used to let me trim his nails with no trouble, but then, I clipped a little too close once and BOOM – it was the end of Buddy’s cooperative personality and he turned into THE BITER. Martini, on the other hand, would rather die than put her teeth on a person, no matter what. Trimming her nails was, however, like wrestling a greased up alligator, who thankfully, doesn’t bite. Neither experience was pleasant or productive. No nails got trimmed and we all ended up frustrated and cranky.
The next option is to abandon all efforts to trim the dogs’ nails at home and just let their nails get too long. This is uncomfortable for the dogs and I always end up being scratched somewhere. And, the longer you wait between nail trims, there is less nail length that can be trimmed without harming the dog because the nail quick does not get pushed back regularly, as it does with regular trimming. When you finally go back to regular nail trims, the nails have to be gradually clipped shorter each time so that the dog is not injured. So avoiding the problem just makes it worse in so many ways.
Martini: the 90 lb
greased-up alligator
The best option – take this job to the pros! You would think, as co-owner of AnnaBelle’s Pet Station, this would have occurred to me sooner. While I brought the dogs in for a bath and nail trim occasionally, I never brought them in on a regular, monthly basis. One day, as I vacuumed up gobs of dog hair in my house for the millionth time, I thought … mmmmm, regular de-shedding is definitely in order! But, do I really want to torture our lovely groomers with doing my dogs’ nails? Meh. So, with a little guilt and a lot of relief, I made their appointments.
At the first appointment, Buddy had to be muzzled and Martini was still like wrestling a greased up alligator, except Yeon (our senior groomer) was actually able to get her nails trimmed AND dremeled! WOW! I took my two shiny rottweilers home after leaving Yeon a BIG FAT tip for her hard work.
The second trip one month later was a little easier. Buddy still needed to be muzzled, but was far less dramatic. Yeon’s experienced and patient, yet quick, technique, along with the positive reinforcement of yummy cheese and Natural Balance during the grooming process was really starting to make headway for both of them. Buddy grumbled less and Martini more easily let Yeon touch her front feet.
And the third trip was the charm! Well, almost. Both dogs were far more cooperative, Buddy learned that he LOVES the hairdryer (yes, he is a princess), and Martini figured out that Yeon was not going to hurt her. At the fourth trip, I couldn’t stay for their grooming and had to run some errands. Low and behold, while Mom is away, the Rotties’ behavior was vastly improved! (I’m sure every parent of a pet or human child has experienced this phenomenon). I came back to the shop in the middle of the process and Yeon gently explained, “they were so good while you were gone.” And then there was a long pause. “Ohhhhhhhhhhh, would you like me to leave again?” I said, as the light bulb went on. “Yes, please,” Yeon said ever so sweetly. So I found more stuff to do. And the dogs both behaved beautifully and lived happily ever after.
At AnnaBelle’s, we want the grooming experience to be as positive as possible, especially those pesky nail trims. So, in addition to sharing my own personal adventures in nail trimming, we have created this fun and informative video — all about the nails — featuring our Team Leader, Erinn Hadley, Dr. Joyce Heideman from Southside Animal Hospital, trainer Dawn Pizzoferrato, ABCDT, and groomer Sam Waterbury. Please enjoy! Angela B.
Learn more about AnnaBelle’s Pampered Pooch Salon and our awesome grooming team. Or, call (517.599.0995) or email (grooming@coolcitydogs.com) us if you have any questions or would like to make an appointment.
